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Fine New Repair Depot in London
Page 65
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ANEW depot, which will be responsible for the maintenance of over 400 tractive units and 750 semitrailers, has been completed by British Railways at Battlebridge Road, King's Cross, London, N.1.
It has been designed and laid out on the most modern lines. The whole of the main shop, which has a floor area of about 20,000 sq. ft., has good natural lighting. There are two 50-ft. inspection pits which are for use by Scammell mechanical-horse units, each pit being capable of accommodating six vehicles.
For dealing with four-wheelers, there are six other pits, each 20 ft. long. At the end of each pit there are points which provide for high-pressure greasing, and, although the pits are well lighted, low-voltage hand lamps are also available for use.
An interesting feature is the means provided for disposing of crankcase drainings. Running along the sides of the pits are rails which carry a flat trolley tank. When a crankcase is to be drained, the tank is suitably positioned and the old oil run off into it. The tank is then pushed along until its drain tap is positioned over a grille and the oil is then run off and conducted to a 500-gal. underground storage tank. All used oil is disposed of.
An air-compressdr plant with a 42cu.-ft. pressure tank is disposed in a small building outside the main structure, and it supplies air to 31 points, including five air-operated high-pressure grease pumps. These in turn feed eight wall-mounted hose reels, 12 greasing points in the pits and an overhead swing arm.
A pressure-controlled electrically operated pump, positioned below floc)r level in the pit area, delivers engine oil to three wet-hose stand pipes and seven wall-mounted hose reels from a 750-gal. storage tank.
The heating of the depot is thermostatically controlled in relation to the outside temperature, and is by a lowpressure hot-water system, the water being circulated by pumps taking their supply from fully automatic oil-fired boilers to unit heaters in the main shop.
Although there is a bodywork and repaint shop they are concerned only with work of a minor character. Every vehicle which comes 'within the orbit of this maintenance depot is brought in for 'thorough inspection once every eight weeks, so that the average number of daily inspections is 10.
The vehicle inspectors and staff a 1-2 given an incentive bonus based on the time in which their work is cfre:ted. Should a vehicle break down from any cause during the following eight weeks, no bonus is paid. This stipulation, The Commercial Motor repreSentativc was informed,' was a safeguard against shoddy work. The total cost of the depot was £125,000.