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L.C.C. FLEET 4AINTENANCE
ONE of the most up-to-date maintenance and repair depots in the country was opened a few weeks igo at Merton Road, Wandsworth, London, S.W., by the London County Council. It is known as the Mechanical Equipment and Repairs Branch of the Supplies Department, and is part of the extensive organization controlled by the Chief Officer of Supplies, Mr. F. W. Mackinney, C.B.E., with offices at the County Hall, Westminster, the officer in charge of the repairs depot being Mr. Charles L. Sladden, M.Inst.T., A.M.I.Mech.E., M.I.A.E. The area available is two acres, and the building is a single-storey with north lights. Five bays are now complete, whilst three more, each 210 ft. long and 50 ft. wide, are contemplated.
The need for such an extensive establishment will be readily understood, when we mention that the fleet maintained is approximately 500 vehicles and appliances of both ordinary and special types. There are ambulances of Clement-Talbot, W. and G., Daimler, Austin, Dennis and Crossley makes ; buses of Lancia, Dennis, Ford, Bean and W. and G. makes ; lorries and vans ranging from Ford Eights to steam wagons and including vehicles of Morris, Dennis, Leyland and Thornycroft makes ; and about 70 private cars varying from the big Rolls-Royce to the Austin Seven.
In addition, there is shortly to be issued a tender for 24 new ambulances and three buses. A fleet of approximately 20 superseded ambulances is kept ready for emergencies, the policy being to dispose of these one year alter their supersession.
Careful maintenance plays a great part not only in retaining the overall efficiency of the fleet, but also in extending the economic life of the vehicles as much as possible.
The vehicles are garaged in many parts of London, and there are subsidiary workshops so far away as Dartford—in fact, the activities of the vehicles extend from Lowestoft in Suffolk to Wokinghani in the west, and Littlehampton the south.
The departments catered for are extremely varied in their needs. They comprise public assistance, public control, mental hospitals, public health, education, engineer's, architect's, valuer's (estates), parks and supplies. In addition to vehicles the Supply Department buys and maintains a variety of other equipment, e.g., farm
tractors, motor ploughs, cultivators, mowers and even outboard motors for the little boats in the parks.
• This comprehensive depot resulted from a process of co-ordination. Prior to the transfer of public assistance to the London County Council, on April 1, 1930, the council had a fleet of ambulances for street-accident cases, the Metropolitan Asylums Board had another fleet for the conveyance of infectious cases to and front hospitals, and the Boards of Guardians Possessed ambulances and other vehicles for various purposes.
On and after the above date all these fleets were coordinated and their repair and maintenance concentrated at the old repair works at Fulham, which was transferred from the Metropolitan Asylums Board to the London County Council on the appointed day and placed under the direction of the Chief Officer of Supplies, The new works have taken the place of the old transferred works, which were no longer suitable.
Some brief notes on the types of vehicle and the work they perform may be of interest. What are known as children's ambulances are supplied to the Educational Officer for the transport of physically defective children. Vans carry food and other supplies to hospitals and institutions. Special vehicles with trailers are equipped
for disinfection by hydrocyanic gas, which is pumped into them. For this purpose the bodies are equipped with special valves and exhausting apparatus.
At one time the council used to run a river service to the smallpox hospitals at Dartford. This has been replaced by special Dennis vehicles to carry either six or 12 persons, according to whether one or two tiers of bunks be used. The arrangement resembles bunks on a ship. For safety purposes these vehicles have sunshine roofs and wide doors at the sides and fear ; in addition, to lessen the danger in case of fire, two tanks, each holding 20 gallons of petrol, are fitted, each baying its separate outside filler bui: only one tank is used at a time except for specially long journeys.
An interesting dual-purpose vehicle is supplied for the hospital service. Thisis equipped for both sitting and recumbent patients, and a speciality is that the windows are arranged with two frosted panes side by side below and a clear pane above. The inner of the lower panes can be lifted over the upper, thus giving total obscuration.
The L.C.C. is putting into service several institution-staff buses for nurses, etc. Each will have an emergency platform for a stretcher or sitting patients, and, normally, will hold 12 persons. Vans are also supplied to the weights and measures section of the public control department ; they travel with the inspectors checking coal deliveries, the scales of tradesmen, etc.
The latest Clement-Talbot ambulance has Wilson preselective gear and a body mounted on the chassis through the medium of rubber bushes, whilst in the cab is a separate inspection lamp which is charged from the electrical circuit, making connection when it is replaced in its holder. The frame height of this vehicle is only 1 ft. 6 ins., which is achieved by using a special double reduction axle with a first reduction of about 5 to 1 by double-helical-spur gear ing at the axle ends. The ratio at the centre is practically 1 to 1, except for a " hunter " tooth, thus permitting the reduction of the centre casing to 6 ins. diameter. This axle has proved so quiet
1334 in ambulance service that the maker is now using the same type on some of its private cars. In those vehicles which require internal heating, Clayton equipment has been practically Standardized, whilst Dunlopillo is being used extensively for the upholstery, on account of its cleanliness and non-absorption of moisture.
In the maintenance depot, particular care is paid to the welfare and comfort of the staff. There are two messrooms, one for the office staff and another for the men. These are supplied from a kitchen equipped with gas appliances. Every man has a steel locker for his clothing, and for washing there is a large fountain with ft central pillar carrying tipping containers for liquid soap and sprayers for warm water, and an interesting appliance provided is a hot-air handand-face-drying machine.
The main heating is by hot air from coke-fired boilers in an adjoining building. Hot water in wall panels is used for heating the three drying rooms for cellulose spraying. Incidentally, this spraying is carried out on the low-pressure system which emits very slight fumes.
There is an extensive machine-tool plant which is divided into three sections, each with its 5 h.p. electric motor, thus avoiding waste of power when only one section is required. We noted that the tools included radial drills, cylinder borers and grinders, camsbatt straighteners and Lucas vahc refacers. There are also a woodworking s e ctier' and an electrical shop with Lucas testing equipment. Compressed air is supplied from .a. nuttber of A.I.D. electrically driven automatic plants.
Owing to the proximity of the River Wandle it was found impossible to sink pits, therefore use. is made of ramps (I-Milt by Steel Con•
structors, Ltd.), whilst a number of Tecaleinit hoists is also employed.
Full Tecalemit equipment is employed for greasing and car washing. The washers are mounted in the garage to avoid freezing, but are provided with remote control to be used by the operator outside. Naturally, a wide variety of stores has te be kept, and this section has expanded-metal walls which are also employed for partitioning off other departments.
Supervision is on the most Modern system. The othees are all on a platform, and the foreman's , office , projects to give a view of the whole of the ,shop.
What may be termed side lines in the workare the Maintenance of tractors, ploughs; 'cultivators, lawn mowers, weighingmachines, and a quantity of hospital rubber equipment.
The building was erected by Messrs. Rowley Bros., Tottenham, to designs prepared under the direction of the architect to the council (Mr. G. Topham Forrest, F.R.I.B.A.), the heating and lighting being carried out by the Fretwell Heating Co., Ltd., and Messrs. Barlow Bros. respeitively under the direction of the chief engineer of the Connell (Mr. T. Peirson Frank, M.Inst.C.E.).