A NOTABLE TOW

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 17

A NOTABLE TOW

LORRY AND TROLLEY BUS

SOUTH AFRICAN ! ADVENTURE

The Cape Town Tramways recently took delivery of a 60-seater six-wheeled double-deck trolley bus.

•Behind this prosaic statement lies the story'of a.towing feat that deserves a high place in the record of road transportation.. The towingjof a vehicle nearly 30£t long, ,14ft 6in Tiigh, and 7ft 6iji wide, over 1066 miles, including bad and narrow roads, mountainous passes, and hair-pin bends, is a triumph for ingenuity, organisation, and skill. ,

The vehicle was shipped from England to Cape Town, demonstrated there, and subsequently shipped to Durban, and then taken to Pretoria and Johannesburg. The decision to tow it by road from Johannesburg to Cape

Town was then taken because it was too big- to be transported by rail. The tow was performed by a sixwheeled lorry, and the route fchosen was via. Vereeniging, Parys, Bloemfontein, Colesberg, and Worcester/ and from Worcester by Sir/Lowry's Pass to Capo Town. Five men were in charge, two white men and three coloured men. A special spring-loaded towing bar and towing tackle was designed, and electrical communication was maintained from a look-out on the upper deck of the bus to the driver of the lorry. The party took to the road each morning at; 5,30, and continued until 8.30 p.m. They were never able to drive for an unbroken hour, stops having to be made continually to negotiate some obstacle) —rivulet, risky 'bridge, over-: hanging trees-or rocks, or low telegraph wires. ' . ..

Terrific heat and dust were encountered in the Karoo, and between Prince Albert Road and Lainsburg the trolley bus sank in the sand and tilted over to such an angle that it had to be jacked up and sleepers put underneath. The lorry had to be disconnected and reconnected with 30 feet of steel rope. The descent of the Hex Biver Pass was made only after overcoming considerable difficulties and dangers. It was found impossible to tow directly round one of the hair-pin bonds, and the towing machine had to be uncoupled. After almost endless reversing the party was able to manoeuvre so that the bus would run on its own momentum. It got round, but was within an ace of going over tho precipitous side!

Telephone and telegraph wires had ; to be lifted. frequently so that the vehicle could be towed beneath them. Overhanging trees presented even greater difficulties. Near Worcester the road was bordered on both sides by trees and the party took three hours to travel a- few hundred yards, cutting a way through the' overhanging branches. Fortunately the farmer to whom the trees belonged raised no objection. Between. 15 and 16 tons of timber were cut down before the bus was got past. Crossing the Modder Bivor on the only.available bridge there was 'only a couple of inches to spare. Sir Lowry's Pass was taken in the lowest of the lorry's eight forward gears, to crawl down at about two miles an hour. Tho trip altogether took eleven days. Immediately after its arrival in Cape Town the bus was running under its own power. The cost of the -journey was approximately £300. If the bus had been taken by road from Johannesburg ■to Durban and then shipped to Cape Town, the cost would have been in the region of £500, and a considerably longer period would have elapsed.

road, say two ear lengths away. Notice, too, if one is able to see over the sides and back seats in a similar way. Choose a car with front pillars, side posts, and rear body structure as narrow as is consistent with adequate strength. Be sure that the windshield area is sufficient so that one does not feel shut in. Adjustable sun visors allow one to utilise the maximum, visibility given by the screen. Two windscreen wipers are preferable'to one. The additional one is of particular value when approaching intersections.

Have particular regard to all lighting equipment. See that tho instrument board is indirectly lighted, that there is no glare from. the dash, and bear in mind that a sloping windscreen is less liable to glare than a vertical one. - See that besides a good forward beam the head-lights-also provide as much side lighting as possible. The side-lights and rear lighting should be arranged to clearly indicate the size of the vehicle and clearly define its exact location. For; tho. same reason reflecting devices should be present both front and rear. The front, of course, must not show red. -.

Ability to swing .the wheels quickly in an emergency is particularly important. Choose a car in which the steering wheel does not have to be, turned too much to make an ordinary turn. Ease of steering, the automatic straightening of the wheels after a curve and the absence of shock caused by bumps 'on the road can. only be determined by a demonstration.

The driving position should be directly behind the steering wheel. Be sure that there is sufficient clearance around

the outside Gt the steering wheel and that one's sleeve cannot be caught by levers, such, as those for lights, petrol, and spark, or by door handles, window openers, or other projections, at crucial moments.

Be sure that braking effect is good. There are regulations to which this must conform, but it is possible to got a vehicle- that will do much noettcr than what the regulations provide. Test the brakes at varying speeds, bearing in mind that some brakes are excellent performers at low speeds but poor at high speeds and others just the reverse. .A high speed driver must have brakes of a high efficiency at forty miles an hour and over, but he would be well advised to have them as effective as possible at low speeds also.

If tires and springs allow a car to' bounce off the grbund the movement will interfere seriously with steering and braking. In. this case comfort and safety go hand in hand. The car should be tried out .with turns and quick stops on a. Tough surface to determine this factor. Other things being equal, the wider and deeper the tire the less likely it will be to "skid or bounce off tha roadway.

A low centre of gravity is preferred today. It lessens the tendency of a car to turn over but against this it is now recognised that there is a greater tendency to skid. .

It is advisable to consider the strength of the body structure. Anyone may be involved in an accident, and the body with the most^strength, due consideration having been given to the points already mentioned, is certainjly to be preferred. There is no excuse nowadays for buying a car not fitted with safety glass. One study of accidents involving personal injury in America showed that 45 per cent, were cut by glass. Another—in the city of Baltimore—gave a percentage- of 36. .

Last of all, give attention, to the matter of body ventilation. Cars are steadily being improved in this respect.