Fageol Super-Bus

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 788, 8 October 1929, Page 6

Fageol Super-Bus

Interesting Details of New Bus for Pukekohe

Easily the biggest bus on the roads in Auckland, if not in New ' Zealand, is the huge "Fageol” safety coach recently put on the Pukekohe run by Wheelers, and illustrated below. This massive bus is, however, remarkably quick and. comfortable—results achieved solely by fine design and construction on a vehicle which is one of the few real “buses.” This last statement probably needs some explanation. As a matter .of fact, however, most passenger vehicles on the road were not designed solely to bo buses, some of them being truck chassis with passenger bodywork and others passenger chassis with special reinforcement and large bodies. This “Fageol,” on the other hand, was designed to be a bus—albeit, a large one. It seats 29 people in comfort, with plenty of room between. each seal;. SPECIFICATIONS For those interested in mechanical specifications, the following technical details are given: Wheelbase 232 inches. Tread front 72 \ inches, rear 75 inches, with dual tyres. Engine, Sin. bore x 53in. stroke, and 60 R.A.C. rating. Full pressure feed lubrication to all bearings Clutch, multiple dry, disc type. Crankshaft bearings, 3£ inches wide. Fourspeed gearbox. Frame, 8 l-Bin. pressed steel channelling, with six structural . steel cross-members. Springs, chrome-vanadium steel, semieliptic, ride flat under full load; size, front, 48 inches x 3 inches, rear, 60 inches x3 h inches. Alemite high-pres-sure chassis lubrication. The brakes are particularly inter-

osting. Westinghouse air brakes (similar to those used on trams) are standard oil four wheels. Instead of lining, American Brake Blox are used, working on 18in. drums, with 4in. face. Despite this heavy design, the bus has been designed to work most economically at a speed, of about 30 miles an hour, and in fact is capable of quite high speeds, with no loss of comfort.