Evening journal., 1920-02-09
FORD SAYS CAR
Will CUT COST
Just Like Other Street Cars,
Except Engine, He
Says
NO OVERHEAD
WIRES TO DROP
by G. G. LYON

| ID u Y. IfbN.
DETROIT, Mich, Feb. 5--Take an or.
dinary Ford engine but enlarge it ST
! Il will be four times as powerful. anc
you have all there is to the mechanism
OF Henry Ford's new gasoline-propelled
street car.
There S not a single new idea about
II, unless II be a new-fangled noise
dlspelNr and fmell<lint nator that
Henry and his engineers have invented
The "motorman" on one Of these
Ford street cars will sit up in the
front Nestibule Just as the motorman
! on an electric car does now. But in
stead OF foOdng with that electric box
arrangement that governs the speed of
the car, he wil have one Of his feet
on an ordinary Ford pedal that works
The clutch, while with his other foot
he can tickle the accelerator and make
he car go faster II he wants TO. with
his right hand he'll operate an ordi-
nary airbrake for stopping the car.
He'll have the same number Of
speeds forward and the speed back
ward that the Ford has.
The car will look no different from
our present day street cars. The Ford
engine will be in the middle OF the car,
under the floor.
It is equipped with a sef-starter and
during the day it will store up enough
electricity 10 light the car at night
II also will heat the car.
The engine in the city car is so
horsepower. An engine for interur-
bans is i60 horsepower.
Four Of these engines have been COM
pleted at the Ford farm tractor plant
lat Dearborn, Mich, and the job Of in
sailing one Of them in e car is now
under way.
Within a week or so, Ford, will give
his flrst public test.
He has arranged with the MICHIGAN
Central Railroad to run his car from
Detroit TO Chicago over the railroads
tracks and at one point he plans race
with one Of Ghe Michigan Centrars
fastest trains, which is capable OF
making 20 miles an. hour.
Everybody around the Ford plant Is
keenly enthusiastic aver the new ear
and most Of the engineers who have
worked with Ford himself on it, are
Inclined TO do a good deal Of brag-
ging about what it VIII do. All eX-
cept Ford himself.
Here's what Ford said to me about it,
This is not the time TO blow any
horns about This new gasoline-pro-
PEELED street car. We're rigging il up
now and getting ready for public
test. That test is only a short time
OFF. and Il wih tell the story.
III the car Is a success, it won't need
any press-sgenting. If its not sue
cess. it won't want any.
"I've had enough confidence in my
gasollne-propelled street car to spend
a hundred thousand dollars on tests
and experiments up To- this time.
"But instead os talking about 81 In
advance mys7l. have n healthy Curl
oslty TO see it in successful operation
Ford began working on his gaso-
line street car last June in his private
laboratories on his estate near Dear
born
With four OF his brightest engineers
10 help. these Eve men tinkered and ex-
perimented for several months. Then
they ordered a car from the Kuhlman
Car Co Of Cleveland.
The engineers, together with some
statlsticians that have been working on
the problem. are very optimistic.
"Our Investigations and tests, SAID
one OF the engineers. "shOw That a
city Of Detroit's size, by starting IN
with The Ford gasoline street car,
would save slOO0OOO on powerhous'
equipment and distribution lines.
'srhen. in a city Of Detroit's size, a
system would save
from s9OOOOO TO Sl,2JO000 q year in
operating expenses.
"a gasoline car. in Detroit, can be |
operaled at approximately three-fourths
lhe costs Of an electric car.
zone of tho Ford gasoline street cars
viii he able to cover six miles OF
cround on one gallon Of gasoline.
'Then 70 is reliable. storms cant
nut the entire system out of business.
There would be no overhead wires TO
break nnd tie up dozens Of cars on the
same line.
"Each gasoline car would be a power
unit In itself, independent OF all other
"rbe gasoline street car can be built
several thousand dollars cheaper han
ihe electric street car and d VIII weigh |
only about half 0s much. i
III will have all the advantages OF
IN, electric car. besides being cheaper |
Ia build and TO operate
street railway engineers nroughout
,be entire country will be watching inc
n,,hltr test OF the Ford gasoline car
Thcy're all agreed that II b Is sue
cess the street car business may De