Summary

Petrol Engine & Generator used by Melbourne heavy engineering firm Buchanan & Brock as a portable power supply to generate electrical power for welding equipment used in ship repair. This unit incorporates the engine and electrical dynamo from a Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric commercial vehicle.

In 1924-25 the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board operated a fleet of 13, 33-seat petrol-electric Tilling-Stevens buses to provide passenger services including Elsternwick via High Street and St Kilda Beach via Swanston Street routes. The bodies for these buses were built by James Motors Pty Ltd in South Melbourne. The Tilling-Stevens system eliminated the need for a clutch and gearbox. The four-cylinder petrol engine was used to drive the front wheels and also powered a dynamo which in turn provided power to a an electric motor at the rear which drove the rear wheels. This system provided a smooth ride without the gear noise associated with the non-syncromesh transmissions of the period. The Melbourne agent for Tilling-Stevens was Horrocks, Roxburgh Pty Ltd.

Tilling-Stevens Motors Ltd of Maidstone, UK developed this system prior to the First World War. It represents an early form of hybrid petrol-electric vehicle technology.

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