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Gas Bag Car

How were these gas bags filled? From the town gas mains? We had a system at work in late 1990's that compressed natural gas that could be used to fill tanks on "stacca trucks" or specially adapted road cars . Remember that some government minister (Margaret Beckett?) came to give the system her blessing as a "green" initiative.
 
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I have seen these gas bag cars on other media too, I have a feeling that they put a trailer behind buses for the gas bag.

I would imagine that they would have been filled from the gas mains. I know that town gas does not lend itself easily to being bottled, apparently it will only liquify under very extreme high pressure. I have a friend who was a scientist for British gas, who said that they were researching ways to bottle town gas, but the government pulled the plug on all research with the arrival of north sea gas.
 
The trailer behind the bus actually produced gas some discussion about them around this post
There is this pic of a gas powered bus in in the Birchfield Road..Perry Barr thread...
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https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ingham-buses-part-2.39072/page-13#post-496954
 
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The 71 tram route never went anywhere near Soho Road, Handsworth, Carolina. It ran from Navigation Street to Rubery, along the Bristol Road direction.
 
A bit more on the gas car and where to go to get one. The last clipping attached shows cars could be gas driven in 1917. Viv.

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If the Birmingham Gas Dept could deliver the gas under pressure in metal cylinders why couldn't such a cylinder be fitted on/in a car instead of filling such a huge bag on the roof of the car which had the range of all of twenty miles. Something like a calor cylinder in the boot. I know that actual calor cylinders are butane or propane.
 
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I suspect that the cylinders would have been lager and heavier than calor gas, and might have reduced range considerably because of having to carry the weight in the car
 
I have an idea that the metal, which would be needed for the cylinder, would be needed for more pressing things; such as aircraft or tanks.
 
If the Birmingham Gas Dept could deliver the gas under pressure in metal cylinders why couldn't such a cylinder be fitted on/in a car instead of filling such a huge bag on the roof of the car which had the range of twenty miles. Something like a calor cylinder in the boot. I know that actual calor cylinders are butane or propane.

It was not for want of not trying, Birmingham Gas Dept's town gas was not under high pressure. I cannot remember the figure but I think it was 12" on a water gauge, only a couple of pounds per square inch. Also town gas does not lend itself to be compressed, like propane or butane can be. I mentioned in a previous post that the gas board invested a lot of research into ways of trying to do this.
 
Experiments on Guy buses (not cars, but might be of interest) and the use of cylinders. Afraid this is all scientifically way over my head. Viv.image.jpeg
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Parallel to this use of coal gas for propulsion, coal was used to produce a form of petrol, "national benzole".
 
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