There is NO spring in the “splitter” /compensator box.
Dave

Harry,
Are you sure all is OK with the brake shoes and the springs inside the drums and the run of your cables ?
I ask because have two late Shipley Scotts with twin drum front brakes and the ‘Splitter Box’ fitted and neither of these has any
trouble returning the shoes and pulling the cable taught without any extra springs being fitted.

Mark

Yep, I’ve always understood that lubing nylon-lined cables makes the inner lining sticky hence making the situation worse.

My ’47 still has the compensator assembly + new linings from Saftek. Happy to report it works a treat!

My first Scott, nearly 40 years ago, was a 1950 Flyer with the double front brake and the balance box on the mudguard, with the ‘rising pulley’ thing inside it. It was a poor brake….

I think you may be over-thinking this. The system of two seven inch brakes operated by a common lever is never going to be great by 2018 standards simply by the brakes being relatively small and the “pull” being split in two, but it’s “of it’s time” and was probably thought of as being really technologically advanced back in the 1940s.
The splitter isn’t the cause of any problems (unless the pulley were to seize) nor is wear in the lever pivot, so provided the cables are suitable (ie not too lightweight) the shoes are of good quality and contact the drum uniformly etc there’s no reason why the front brake shouldn’t be perfectly useable on today’s roads.