The Tote Goes to the Races
Page 50
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BDour to the order of Italian horseracing authorities acting in conjunction with the Italian Government, two *vehicles recently dispatched from this country represent a new application of the artieulated unit. With bodies by Spurting Motor Bodies, Ltd., The Hyde, Hendon, London, N.W.9, the two vehicles are mobile totalizators. Orders for two further such vehicles for use in the United States have followed the completion of the first two,
The vehicles arc based On Tasker dropped-frame semi-trailer chassis and are draws] by Bedford-Scammell tractors. Each unit is 37 ft. 6 ins. long, 7 ft. Ii ins, wide and 11 ft. 2 ins. high. These overall dimensions permit an interior 29 ft. 4 ins. long, 7 ft. wide and 9 ft. 6 ins. high.
The first semi-trailer carries the win, place and doubles machines, and the second operates the forecasting machines. The two function as a team. The valuable equipment housed in the vehicles was supplied and installed by Standard Telephones and tables Co., Ltd., New Southgate, London, N.11. The bodywork had to be particularly substantial to ensure accurate alignment of the instruments.
The framing of the bodies is of hardwood, reinforced with mild-steel gussets. The interior is panelled in 4-mm. plywood and the exterior in I8-gauge aluminium. Four Vent-Axis 6-in, fans are fitted in the roof and all four windows in the front of the body are of the full-drop type, two windows on the right of the body and two at the back being of half-drop pattern.
These are in addition to five fixed windows on the left and two on the right sides of the body. Through those on the left—beneath which arc the " selling " windows—can be seen the aggregators which show all the bets issued by the ticket machines.
These are operated by the personnel, seated at the selling windows which are 2 ft. high and 1 ft. wide and covered with heavy-gauge bronze mesh, leaving only sufficient space for receiving or paying out money. Flush-fitting hinged doors cover the ticket hatches when not in use. The two windows on the right of the body are the paying-out windows.
Benches underneath the windows run the whole length of the body and are built over the wheel-arches. At the front, over the turntable, there is a crew and storage compartment reached by three steps from the main floor. The ticket-issuing machines are concealed under the benches and are mounted en small trestles.
These also contain the eight 6-volt 100-amp.-hour batteries which provide power for operating the totalizator machines, fans and interior lighting. Flush-fitting hinged flaps provide access to this equipment. A trolley is carried in the vehicles to move extra ticketissuing machines up for emergency operation.
Entrance to the vehicles is by a 6-ft. by 2-ft. 6-in, door on the right, and in the crew compartment forward of the main body there is a full-width storage compartment. Exterior and interior finish is in cream, the outside being set off by a blue waist-line and skirt board. Floor covering is in fawn jaspe linoleum.