lual-purpose Coaches
Page 71
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE coachbuilding division of Appleard of Leeds Ltd. has recently produced couple of special dual-purpose coaches which a feature is the 3-ft. 3-in, nearde door with Edbro hydraulic lift that nable chairs to ascend directly from, or escend straight to, the pavement. By ow one of the units will be in action ith the Monmouthshire County Welfare ervice whilst the other should be on its 'ay to the Vale of Usk Hospital lanagement Committee for use in the lanfrechfa Grange Hospital.
The vehicle 1 inspected was carried on
B.M.C.• 3-ton F.G. chassis. In this esign there are comfortable passenger :ats for 13 whilst provision is made for )ur wheelchairs, with suitable securing evices, in the forward part of the saloon. , fifth wheelchair can be accommodated ver the double step well of the nearside ritrance, a flap being lowered to cover te recess. When not required for carryig wheelchairs, detachable forwardicing seats can be fitted in the free space.
lodern Fire-fighting
LAST autumn Monmouthshire gave the rst-ever order for that very modern iece of equipment—the Simon Snorkel re-fighting and rescue platform. Liver)01 and Johannesburg fire brigades have 3W followed suit whilst a similar unit, tr employment on industrial mainmance, is going to Motokov of zechoslovakia. Instead, of the convenonal ladder the Snorkel employs a edraulically-operated arm at the end of hich is mounted the cage that carries te firemen and water nozzle. This device ill reach 65 ft. high and rescue work is icilitated by the fact that it is adequate n. as many as six adults.
Considerable amounts are spent by local authorities in keeping fire-fighting equipment right up to date and I see that for the 1963-64 financial year the London County Council Fire Committee has accepted a tender for six turntable units with 100-ft. hydraulic ladders and automatic chassis lubrication. This contract. worth £73,302, has gone to Merryweather and Sons Ltd., Greenwich.
For Loading Refuse
GLASGOW recently took delivery of five Dempster Dinosaur-bodied vehicles on the latest Dodge six-wheel chassis. Each is equipped with three 20-cu.-yd. containers. They are to be used for
loading refuse at the Kelvinhaugh and Polmadie incineration plants and for the reception of the contents of gullyemptiers and roadsweeping machines. Whilst the motive unit takes one fully laden container to the tip the others are placed at convenient points for filling. Rail haulage was formerly used for this work and the change is expected to result in ezonornies amounting to £18,000 per year.
Soft Rides
DELIVERIES of Busmar ambulances are now in full swing for the Lancashire County Council contract for 66. Although recent entrants to this market, the Blackpool manufacturer has long experience of coachbuilding and especially of obtaining the best value out of the suspension. The company's reputation has been built up on motorcycle sidecars where, to achieve modern standards of comfort, a great deal of well-controlied springiness has to be confined within strictly limited dimensions. The main stretcher unit of the ambulance is of Busmar's own design, as are the emergency stretcher carrier and the retaining mechanism which prevents the doors from being closed whilst the steps are lowered.
Further evidence of the gradual swing in favour of the petrol engine for ambulances is contained in the announcement that Hertfordshire is not to purchase oil engines in the. future. During one period a few years back diesels were comprising something like half of the new orders but my impress:on is that their share. is now about
10 per cent. Ambulance authorities have devoted much study to the matter and various factors have influenced this trend, chiefly the fact that petrol engines are the quieter.