原文传递
Southdown sluggishness
| 题名： | Southdown sluggishness |
| 正文语种： | eng |
| 作者： | John Holmes |
| 摘要： | I was interested in the comment about the sluggishness of Southdown's PD3/5s. This was in the article 'Queen Mary to Coaster' in Buses December. I believe all the PD3s were sluggish in the early 1960s. This was a result of the then chief engineer's belief that savings could be made on maintenance costs if the engine speeds on the company's Leylands was reduced. I was a company trainee in this period and I can vividly remember an occasion when I was conducting as part of the training programme. We were heading north from Portsmouth on a PD3/4 when the driver told me that although his foot was flat on the floor, the speedometer was registering 28mph. It must have been about 1963 when matters came to a head. Although the union was not particularly strong, they were sufficiently energised to seek a meeting with management, proposing to 'black' certain of the worst offenders. The deciding factor was an event involving a relatively new PD3/5. As the article mentioned they were fitted with the semi-automatic gearboxes with no clutch pedal. Because of the cut in the engine speed, it was difficult for the gears to lock up properly. This resulted in a gearbox burning out on one of Brighton's hills. Leyland were naturally concerned at this happening to a relatively new bus. When the cause was discovered, they threatened to withdraw the warranty on vehicles so modified. As part of my training I spent a short time at Southdown's central works. The offending gearbox sat on a bench and, although it was months after the incident, it still smelt burnt. |
| 出版年： | 2022 |
| 期刊名称： | Buses |
| 卷： | 74 |
| 期： | 804 |
| 页码： | 62-62 |
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