THE PROBLEM OF TRAMWAY TRACTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 47, 24 August 1904, Page 5

THE PROBLEM OF TRAMWAY TRACTION.

PETROL VERSUS ELECTRICITY. A CHAT WITH MR. EUNSON. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 16tk July. "I leave for Scotland to-night," saicl Mr. D. R. Eunson, when he called on me a few days ago, " to inspect at Perth, a now petrol-driven tramcar which has been built for the tramwaye of that old Scottish city, and which is to be trie^d there to-morrow. The mult will be of much interest, and indeed importance, to Now Zealand, for it may materially affect) the colony's future course as to the adoption of electricity or petrol as the tractive power, at any rate, in the smaller towns." Mr. Eunson is well known in connec.. tion with the city and suburban tramways of Dunedin, New Zealand. Tj> clear the ground, I may explain that, as Mr. Eunson pointed out to me, th* Perth Corporation has taken over th» city tramways, and the question before the Council now is their conversion from horse traction to some system of medianical propulsion. The cost of electrically equipping the lines, with the power station, overhead poles and wires, rail 6, electric connections, bonding, etc., is felt to be a serious one for a moderately-sized town, while these operations take a very long time, and practically monopolise tha streets for months. Overhead wires aro unpopular in Perth, and all conduits oe surface contact electric systems are yet very expensive. Electric plant also deteriorates quickly, and requires careful and expensive upkeop, while the heavy motors cause larger wear and tear on the track, whiph must be well laid and maintained. The Corporati6n of Parth determined, before facing such expenditure am electricity would need, to try a petrol car such as several railways have already introduced on branch lines. So one wad constructed to be driven direct from *. petrol engine. This vehicle Is built for the 3ft 6in gauge of the Perth lines, an* seats forty passengers— eighteen insida and twenty-two outside. It will ascenil hilla of 1 in 10 with a full load. Th*t petrol engine is stowed away under one staircase, and the whole of the other mechanical parts are concealed under thn floor, so that no apace is wasted. Thti engine is a four-cylinder one of • twenty horse-power, fitted with a new paten* carburetter of great efficiency. Cooling; is effected by Stirling's patent thennosyphon system, which gets rid of all the complications of pumps and long connections. As the Perth lines have very bad curves the maximum speed has been fixed at ten miles an hour. Hitherto it has not been found poeeibki to apply petrol engine* to heavy caret like those on railways or tramways, be-i causa of the change-speed gear difficulties. The problem seems solved by tb« patent compound transmission gearing used on this car, which system has run over 17,000 miles on an ordinary road car and a great many on a tramway car already. The drh'er cannot, by any carelessness or mistakes, do harm to it. There are no teeth in mesh at high speed, and with it the driver can' start th«> weight on his low speed and then at one* throw in his full speed (up to th* slipping point of the wheels) without anychance of injury or discomfort. Th« whole car weighs under four tons, against electric cars, which weigh from three to four times as much. Of this weight only l6cwt belongs to the engine and mechanism. Again, the whole control is worked from a plain pillar at each end, ther? being only one handle for each car — which is also used for starting the engine. Hence this handle has to be taken by the driver to the real front on eacfc change of direction, so that no mischief ous person can start the car f«t>m thr rear. By merely moving this handle round to various positions the car can be started, stopped or run on the variou* speeds. Below the handje is a small lever, by which the driver can slacken the engine to a walk whenever he is stopped or slows for traffic or runs down, hill. Thus there is none of that loud "chattering" which so frightens horse* when a petrol engine is running idla. Tho cost of running is about a penny per mile. Powerful hand brakes are provided, acting on all the wheels. The car is well finished and looks very neat; the roof is of the double-deck type and gives plenty of room inside. Passengers can communicate with the guard and driver from their seats. " I believe that this car will prove a complete success," Mr. Eunson went on, to say, "and if so it will be of immeuse value to Ne\y Zealand, where in , many cases the cost of electric traction is prohibitive, while the drawbacks of horao traction ire too obvious, to need mention." "But how about the smell? At Pea-za-nce, the other day, I noticed that "the' Great Western Railway had a most effioient town service of motor omnibuses, but the stink was intolerable. Cpuld this car you speak of consume its own stink?" ""' " Practically, yep," replied Mr. Eunson," " For the petrol stink which you com- - plain of je, as of course you know, du« ' to imperfect combustion. Now, this new" Perth motor gets rid of the smell ■ entirely through the "perfectnew of th«< combustion to which the petrol is subjected. But, apart from that, which after all is a minor point, the practical commercial advantages of the new. plan ar« > very substantial. You see, tramways worked by this motor could be used most effectively in opening up both suburban - and country districts, to which it would ' not pay to run either a steam railway or . an electric tramway. "* There are' many things which make the cos.t of electric traction mount up so heavily as to placa it beyond the means of small districts, and so in these cases it is virtually im practicable." " Has this new system yet been tried to any extent." " A somewhat analogous plan is in use at Eastbourne and Hastings," answered Mr. Eunson. "It is already beginning tc , be found out that a first year's experionc* with electric traction is no criterion as to later years. While it is a novelty many people travel merely for the sake of th« novelty, and so the receipts are large. But when it settles down to the normal working, the receipts fall oil while tht heavy cost of renewing amu cures, etc., becomes very onerous, especially on small communities. Electricity, no doubt, can do great things for the public, but it would be madness for place* of small population to go in for the heavy expenses that its use involves." "I am aware," continued Mr. Eunson 'that the public accounts often show a different state of affairs. But, in my opinion, the loss through depreciation oi plant is never properly shown. In such accounts a djing horte can easily be shown as good. But don't misunderstand me. Electric traction is all right if its cost can be kept down, and if there be an adequate return in sight Places with small^iopulnbions, however, reouiro x facilities of transit at small cost, and bo the oil system appeals to them very strongly erne© the Diesel method cam*

out, because that gives perfect combustion at a minimum cost."