[amit_mechengg]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

The most disgusting sight in Pune is, every other vehicle is using BRT track as if it is dedicated to them. Indian traffic woes will never be treated given the typical Indian mentality. Pune is the best example of how traffic rules are violated without even being bothered about them.

the reasons for violation are quite obvious. the BRT project is almost a failure. they have wasted the government treasure which we fill by paying taxes. also there has been lots of corruption in this project.
first of all most of the railings have broken up. there are no traffic police which they had kept earlier to monitor that other vehicles dont get into the BRT (initial 1 month).
mainly the BRT people themselves have removed the railings at many point because the BRT area was more than necessary and was causing problems to regular traffic.
also the anti encroachment people were supposed to remove some houses adjacent to the BRT route and widen the normal road for ease of traffic which they couldnt do due to local polititions.

if people follow the traffic rules of not entering the BRT and using the normal route there will be big queues of vehicles, ST buses, travel buses, people going to office in peak hours and what not.

cant blame anyone now. failure is failure

[fx45]

saw a new styled truck.. well not that new but first time from Ashok Leyland.. Looked quite heavy duty and futuristic. ( at least for us indians)

[Ram]

Surely this one has both front axles steerable.

Where did you take this picture fx45? Looks like some suburb of Mumbai.

In our country, one sees extra-heavy freight vehicles like this, driving in such dangerously close proximity to ultra-lights like our two-cylinder tinfoil micro-trucks (Tata Ace), autorickshaws and even scooters and mopeds.

In size and power, can Indian road vehicles get any more heterogenous?

Unfortunately, unlike in North America and Europe, India does not restrict heavy-vehicle movement in crowded downtown city streets.

[fx45]

Originally Posted by Ram

Surely this one has both front axles steerable.

Where did you take this picture fx45? Looks like some suburb of Mumbai.

In our country, one sees extra-heavy freight vehicles like this, driving in such dangerously close proximity to ultra-lights like our two-cylinder tinfoil micro-trucks (Tata Ace), autorickshaws and even scooters and mopeds.

In size and power, can Indian road vehicles get any more heterogenous?

Unfortunately, unlike in North America and Europe, India does not restrict heavy-vehicle movement in crowded downtown city streets.

yes.. both axels were turning..

this pic is of LBS Road, Kurla, Mumbai.

and everytthing is allowed in india..

because


India is Great.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by fx45

saw a new styled truck.. well not that new but first time from Ashok Leyland.. Looked quite heavy duty and futuristic. ( at least for us indians)

Actually have seen similar Volvo Dumpster trucks over 5 years ago. They were doing duty clearing debris from the Ulsoor lake as a part of the Save Ulsoor restoration programme.

May have been sponsored by Volvo tho'!

[nbr]

Originally Posted by Glifford

Actually have seen similar Volvo Dumpster trucks over 5 years ago. They were doing duty clearing debris from the Ulsoor lake as a part of the Save Ulsoor restoration programme.

May have been sponsored by Volvo tho'!

Glifford, grow up!!! What do you mean by sponsored by Volvo!!!! You sound just like the people working abroad, any new unique thing is launched in India, they say its copied!!!we have seen it before.

This forum is serious about the topics discussed.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by nbr

Glifford, grow up!!! What do you mean by sponsored by Volvo!!!! You sound just like the people working abroad, any new unique thing is launched in India, they say its copied!!!we have seen it before.

This forum is serious about the topics discussed.

Ouch!

Why does this seem like a personal insult? I just typed what I remembered regarding these multi steering axle trucks! When I first saw them, I was amused at they way they steered out of the slush when they came out of the lake.

I never mentioned that Ashok Leyland copied this or anything. That picture is a genuine effort by AL and needs kudos nevertheless.

And by "Sponsored by Volvo", I meant the programme. I could be wrong on that, but I have never seen any such excavation programme after that (there's one going on right next to my office this very moment, a sewage treatment plant extension) using Volvos as dumpsters. Hence I deduced Volvo may have provided the trucks for the Save Ulsoor Lake programme!

And coming to Volvo's sponsorship activity. Volvo did infact provide some buses to KSRTC as a part of their bus launch programme in India, maybe to garner interest in other bus operators or simply prove that they can be reliable on Indian roads.

KSRTC ran (what I heard) a fully imported bus between Bangalore and Mangalore way back in 2000 (around May-June if I remember). It was pulled out of service when the windshields of one was shattered and was "supposedly" too expensive to replace.

Volvos from other operators became popular only a couple of years later!

[amit_mechengg]

Originally Posted by nbr

Glifford, grow up!!! What do you mean by sponsored by Volvo!!!! You sound just like the people working abroad, any new unique thing is launched in India, they say its copied!!!we have seen it before.

This forum is serious about the topics discussed.

who says indian companies dont copy ? and whats the harm in copying good things? well almost every company in the world does reverse engineering by studying/ breaking / copying vehicles from other companies.

and yes the second axle turning in co-ordination with front axle is incorporated on both AL and Tata trucks

[sajo]

Originally Posted by fx45

saw a new styled truck.. well not that new but first time from Ashok Leyland.. Looked quite heavy duty and futuristic. ( at least for us indians)

So....ALL sells it as a cowl and chassis model also. Though it looks much better with their new sleeper(?) cab.



I have seen this cab before (on a tractor) and it looks rather cool. Does ALL also sell the 4921 as a chassis ?

[DWind]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

who says indian companies dont copy ? and whats the harm in copying good things? well almost every company in the world does reverse engineering by studying/ breaking / copying vehicles from other companies.

AL probably copied it from its parent, rather than VOLVO. Remember, seeing 2 axle turning British Leyland bus used in the climax of "The Italian Job" - older version.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by DWind

Remember, seeing 2 axle turning British Leyland bus used in the climax of "The Italian Job" - older version.

Oh that bus with number plate: ALR 453B in "The Italian Job (1969)"?
The front two axles were steerable and the rear had only one axle.
That was not a Leyland at all!

That was a 1964 Bedford Harrington Legionnaire

Ram

[Ram]

The British were the first to experiment with the twin-steer concept.
Why? Because the British Ministry of Transport regulations did not permit two axle vehicles to be longer than 30 feet.

Just as British cars in the mid sixties downsized their wheels to 13-inch wheels, Bedford chose to downsize their wheels from the hitherto 20-inch standard down to 16-inchers.

That led to reduced unsprung weight in the wheel and the associated suspension & steering gear. That translated to more available space. The use of two front axles made these smaller wheels practical, & allowed the floor height to be lowered, eliminating wheel arch intrusion. That in turn brought improved ride quality. Also Bedford was able to use existing parts from their TK small truck range, so didn't have to develop a new front axle.

At the 1962 Commercial Motor Show, Vauxhall Motors launched its first 36 ft public service vehicle (PSV) chassis. Known as the Bedford VAL, it was the first Bedford chassis designed specifically for bus & coach operation. Its multi-axle design was unusual for the time -- it had a "chinese six" wheelplan -- two front steering axles. The set back front axles also allowed the entrance door to be positioned ahead of them.

The VAL 14, had a 6.17 litre Leyland Tiger Cub engine (familiar to B.E.S.T. Bombay) mounted conventionally at the front, unlike in the Tiger Cub. [http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/25885-commercial-vehicle-thread-36.html#post939755]

It drove the rear axle via a Clark-Turner 5-speed synchromesh gearbox.

The VAL had power steering & a tight turning circle. The British motorway netword was new in 1964 and a feature that made the VAL suitable for the motorway was that in the event of a tyre blow-out, the coach would continue to drive normally on the other 5 wheels, & could be brought to a controlled stop.

The Bedford VAL was 36% cheaper than either a Leyland or AEC 36ft chassis. Being also more than a ton lighter, it could go 100 km in 40.5 litres of diesel.

The Legionnaire bus body was built on the Bedford chassis by Harrington coach builders.

Ram

[Car Fan]

Originally Posted by Ram

First thoughts: If the transitway is elevated, there is the issue of getting the embarking passengers up there into the transitway station. And the disembarking passengers down from there. The problem is complicated if a passenger is pregnant, old or infirm. Then there's the added cost of escalators/elevators.

BRT works well in Ottawa. The transitway channel is depressed below the terrain around, rather than being elevated.

How is a depressed channel in any way different from an elevated one when it comes to the problem of passenger embarkation?

[jagan0677]

Originally Posted by Glifford

Ouch!

...

And by "Sponsored by Volvo", I meant the programme. I could be wrong on that, but I have never seen any such excavation programme after that (there's one going on right next to my office this very moment, a sewage treatment plant extension) using Volvos as dumpsters. Hence I deduced Volvo may have provided the trucks for the Save Ulsoor Lake programme!

....

Sponsored by our tax money would sound more correct than sponsored by Volvo. It just so happened that the guy who won the contract had Volvo's to deploy on that job.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by jagan0677

Sponsored by our tax money would sound more correct than sponsored by Volvo. It just so happened that the guy who won the contract had Volvo's to deploy on that job.

Could be! So I stand corrected!

But just a thought, atleast for trucks, I assume the most important factor (I guess the only) in a transporter's brand decision would be Total Cost of Ownership that also relates to per kg or tonne transportation cost per km!

Now how does that relate to a buying decision towards a Volvo, Actros or maybe a MAN as opposed to a (maybe slightly lower spec) equivalent in a Tata, Ashok Leyland or (now) AMW? That assuming the former trucks cost much more than the Indian versions.

Afterall most clients wouldn't pay any more to a transporter assuring that your goods would be transported by a Volvo truck as opposed to a Tata one.

In a bus situation it would definitely be different as passengers are willing to pay hefty premiums for travel by a Volvo!

Any ideas? Does a Volvo (or eqv.) have any long term cost benefit for a transporter?