TRACKLESS TROLLIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1755, 21 May 1913, Page 8

TRACKLESS TROLLIES.

A POPULAR SYSTEM.

COMPARISONS IN COST. London, March 27. ItemarkaMe progress is being mado- in this country and upon the Continent in the development of trackless trolley systems. This method of trans-it is especially suitablo for use in towns in which, although the (radio is considerable, it does not warrant the expensive laying of tramway tracks. 'Trackless trolleys aro also becoming popular ns feeders from the outlying suburbs to the tram and motoromnibus services of tho largest cities. They have been firmly established in Austria and Germany for some time, and by tlmr cheapness and efficiency they seem to have given complete satisfaction. They appear to be well suited for Australian conditions, and a few facts about their working and cost may be of interest to Australian readers.

Tho car or omnibu9 used in the trackless trolley systems is very similar to the motor-omnibus, and its carrying capacity is roughly the same. But the trackless trolley beats the petrol-driven conveyance badly when it comes to cost. In connection with 10 separate sen-ices in Austria and .Germany, which employ about 4-9 cars, the average running cost per mile falls slightly under sd. »This includes interest on capital, all running o_xiwm-?s, aind allowance for depreciation. The cost per mile of tho overhead wiring for a double line is about iIOOO. It is estimated that on the good roads of England trackless trolleys can 'be run for lid. q mile, while a fair estimate for the Australian roads would be about sd. Tho London County Council trains cost about Td. per car mile, although hero it must bo remembered that the tramway cars have a far bigger carrying capacity than either the motor omnibuses or tho trackless trolley cars. One of tho greatest attractions about the trackless trolley system is tho low cost of installation. Tho service is applicable to any road In fair condition. It has cost the London County Council .£II,OOO a mile to lay down its electric tramways, while petrol omnibuses, although they escape this heavy outlay, are severely handicapped if taken off good tracks. It is contended "by tho trackless trolley people that they can work economically over roads which aro imjiossible for successful petrol 'bus services. Tho average weight of tho best trackless trolley cars does not exceed 5 ions when loaded, while the weight of a loaded London motor 'bus is 0J tons. That additional uOcwl., when driven over roads which aro not perfect, meajis a big bill for wear and tear.

Tho Cost of the Petrol Bus. The London General Omnibus Company, which operates some 2000 buses, is said to run each bus for Bd. a mile. On Australian tracks, thowover, tho cost would probably be from 13d. to lid. a mile, which is about the cost of running three buses in tho English provinces. Then it is stated that evep- bus owned by tho London General Omnibus Company is thoroughly overhauled once in nine days, which means that one-ninth of tho vehicles are always out of running, and, naturally, this adds substantially to the cightpencD psr mile. If this is necessary on London streets, which, by general consent, provido tho best running tracks in tho world, it will bo understood that tho wear and tear for motor omnibuses on the Australian roads would be very heavy. If tho trackless trolley people can, ns they claim, run over Australian roads for f>Jil. a mile, their system is likely to receive considerable attention from our municipal and Government authorities.

Trackless trolleys have been very slowly received into England. The best systems appear to be those advanced by the foreigner, and when it comes to engineer'ing the Englishman is very sceptical about anything which is invented or manufactured abroad. But this prejudice is now -rapidly disappearing. A largo number of applications for powers to run railless trolley cars will como before Parliament during this year. The Leeds Municipality, which pioneered the system ill England, contemplates spending an' additional ,£50,000, Bradford .£IOOO, Brighton .£20,000, while Ctiestorfield, Derby, Huddersfield, Nottingham, and other districts are also taking up the new means of transit. The London County Council is spending nearly .£70,000 upon railless trolley schemes in Hackney, Eltham, and Lewisham. In Monmouthshire a railless traction company has been formed with a capital of <£135,000, and a number of other private companies are in various stages of development, ft may bo said that trackless trolleys have been definitely approved for Great Britain, and the successful intrusion o£ the foreigner, in the face of all the wonderful progress in recent years by the motor omnibus and tho electric tram, is substantial evidence of its cheapness and efficiency.

Overhead Transmission. A good feature of at least one of the 1 raclcless trolley systems is that it has dispensed with the fixed overhead transmission rod. In place of the rod a flexiblo cable is used. This enables the cars to operate freely on either side of tho roadway.' The cablo'can Ire 40 feet in length, and the car will travel just as quickly and efficiently when 30 or 40 feet away from tho wiro as when running directly underneath. The cable is so arranged that tho filack is gathered up automatically. Tho advantage of this scheme over tho fixed polo is obvious. The car is enabled, unlike the clectric tram, to pull tip right beside the pavement, and has no difficulty in negotiating the other traffic of tho thoroughfare. But perhaps the best argument in favour of tho flexible cable is that it does not confine the five-ton vehicle to a narrow, limited portion of the road, and so it operates with a minimum of hardship to tho track. Of course the cars run on rubber tyres, and on roads of fair quality a high standard of speed can l» maintained without discomfort to passengers. I have seeii thesa cars working on tho Continent, and the ease with which they thread thick traffic at a high speed is remarkable. Vehicles of unlimited weight appear to be doomed even in London, where extraordinary licenso is given. It is regarded as certain that within a few years the motor omnibus companies will be compelled to limit the loaded weight of their vehicles to five tons or less, oven if the carrying capacity has to be reduced.

Simplicity. Tho most favoured trackless trolley system has considerably reduccd the weight of its cars by the clever elimination of driving gear. The electric power is transmitted direct to a gear contained in tho hind wheels of the vehicles—a scheme which is a triumph of concentrated mechanism. Altogether tho trackless trolleys are delightfully simple. For instance, it is possible to work n traction service in both directions without duplicating the overhead wires and without that loss, of timo which is common lipon a single tramway track. The conductors who meet merely exchange trolley connections without descending froin their cars, and pass on after a pause of only a few seconds. In short, trackless trolleys give a service equal to a tramway service without tho heavy expenditure rpon rails, and aro very much cheaper than motor omnibuses. It is certain thai within a few years they will be general in the outskirts of all European cities, and will be found everywhere in the provinces where tho population is not sufficient to justify expenditure upon tramway track. South Africa is the first of the oversea Dominions to lake thorn ni>, and services are now being installed at ISoekslnirg. Gevmiston, Bloemfnntein, and Benoni.—"Sydney Daily Telegraph." ' I