TRACKLESS TROLLEYS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 887, 3 February 1930, Page 8

TRACKLESS TROLLEYS

AUCKLANDER IMPRESSED BY ENGLAND'S EXPERIENCE : SAVING MUNICIPAL MONEY Trackless trolleys are much tn C ro economical than ordinary trams. This is the opinion of Mr. Martin L Wilkins, of Auckland, who has j. lsreturned from a 12 n.jinhs’ trip abroad, a great deal of his lime be uspent in the United Kingdom. During his travels he came across trackless trolleys—the latest in electric traction, and he was so much taken with the obvious advantages of rh newer method that he made a point of obtaining all information about iHe inquired about the manufacture of the trolleys, cost of production, and their uses and performances under varying conditions. When he visited Wolverhampton which town has scrapped its track trams and modernised its traction plant by combining trackless trolleys and petrol buses, Mr. Wilkins called on the engineer in charge, who said he was glad to give any information about the system; iu fact, he bed to provide the equivalent of cne clerk s time to answering requests for information. And the corporation has issued a brochure. "Why We Scrapped ousTrams." inquiries came from evencountry in the world except France A delegation of several German on gineers had paid a visit, and after a most searching inquiry had sent information which brought over the Mayors of five German towns. The High Commissioner of N cw Zealand, acting on behalf of Christchurch, was among the list of in. quirers. Wolverhampton has a population of about. 156,000, and is circled by a rural belt beyond which are a number of industrial centres. The total population aggregates close upon 400,000. All the transport needs for these people are met by the employment of 61 trackless and 69 petrol buses. The latter run on the longest runs and dovetail in with the trackless system, which is serving the more thickly settled areas.

The trackless trolleys pick up and set down passengers at the kerbside, leaving the centre of the road clear for through traffic. There is no need for traffic islands in the street, and no danger to people using the trolleys, since there is no need for the intending passengers, or disembarking passengers, to hinder vehicular traffic. The trolleys are fast, silent, comfortable and cheap. From the standpoint of the municipal owners the benefit has been in the converting of a worn-out expensive fixed track system into a new highly remunerative traction plant. In the first financial period after the change over to trackless the receipts rose 37 per cent, on the average. Tlie change-over from track-bound vehicles to trackless ones was spread over about five or six years. As tracks wore to the point that replacement was essential the trams were abolished and the trolley buses put on. The petrol buses are also used to build up new routes on which trackless trolley’s can later be profitably employed. SIX-WHEEL TYPE

The Wolverhampton authority secured the help of an electrical firm that dealt in railway business to design a chassis, and of a firm producing petrol-electric buses to design a motor. The roads are made of “tarmac,” with an annual maintenance of 3d a yard. The trolley buses have to pay heavy vehicles tax to the National Heading Fund —about £l2O a year for each trolley, many of which are of the sixwheel type, with a maximum of 1passengers. It is also stated that the average cost a mile a year for track renewals, repairs and maintenance of a. number of existing tramways is £2,996, as against £I,OOO for the same item for trolleys. Wolverhampton has found that four trolleys can do the work of five tramcars, even on a route where double lines of tracks had been displaced. I: has also discovered that the average working expenses a mile, inclusive of power costs, is: For trolleys, 10.87 d: for petrol buses, 12.132 d; and for trams (last section in operation'. 14.57 d (which is somewhat higher than the average of about 13 5d to 14d.) To New Zealanders, whose knowledge of trackless trolleys is confined to Wellington’s early experimen at Kaiwarra, it is interesting to learn that while the average tram speed is 7.1 m.p.h., that of the petrol bus is 8.53 m.p.h., and that of the trolley 9.274 m.p.h. A point that Mr. Wilkins has praise for is the manner in which the municipal accounts are set out. Each form of tran :c has its own accounting, and the year’s trading figures are clearly set out. Wolverhampton’s accounts for 1929 show that the trolley bus, petrol bus and permanent tram system carried 36,590,000 passeDgers and made a net profit of £ 11,35-4. after providing for interest, repayment ol loans, reserve for income-tax, and other necessary items. “Most of this net profit was alio; eated to acceleration of repayment or tramway debt,” he said. . Mr. Wilkins made a point of inspecting several works that manufacture petrol and trolley buses. One highly interesting point was the use of a new alloy, lighter than aluminium and with SO per cenL of the strength of steel, which is used for engine casings, etc., and by the use a? which it is possible to save 12 cu t. in weifjh of the vehicles—equivalent 70 tns weight of nine passengers. Asked if he had any advice to S’" Auckland, ?’ . Wilkins replied, It is not r r pla,ce to advise Auck.ano. I feel that every interested citizen should know that electric traction ha made big strides since fixed trams were first used, and with a city like ours that has a future before it, we should be rtuO conversant with all phases of progress in traction before deciding to comm l ourselves to a continuance of system that we adopted 30 years agoCheap transport is vital to quick progress.”