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Improved Facilities at Ribble Liverpool Depot

21st April 1961, Page 48
21st April 1961
Page 48
Page 48, 21st April 1961 — Improved Facilities at Ribble Liverpool Depot
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The Construction of a Servicing Bay and Maintenance Workshop Adjacent to the Bus Station Opened Last Year by Ribble Motor Services in Liverpool, Besides Improving Maintenance Facilities, Will Result in Savings in Dead Mileage

ANEW servicing bay has been brought into operation by Ribble Motor Services at Hotham Place, Liverpool, adjacent to the new bus and coach station in Skelhorne Street, which was opened last year.

Lack of space prevented vehicle maintenance facilities 'being made available within the new bus and coach station. The land next to it was therefore acquired, and it has been possible to provide a drive-through servicing bay, with provision for two pits, a workshop, and an open yard, the latter as additional space for coach parking and loading.

Economies Effected

With more facilities available, economies have been effected by closing Ribble's two garages, nearly one mile • away. in Collingwood Street, arid using the new bus and coach station—as originally planned. Ribble's Liverpool depot fleet consists of 35 vehicles, 18 double-deckers and 17 coaches, and it is estimated that the saving in dead mileage will total about 18,000 miles a year.

As each vehicle passes through the servicing bay the fuelling, washing of the complete vehicle and interior clean

ing of upper and lower saloons is accomplished.

-Fuel is delivered by gravity feed from two 6,000-gallon overhead tanks, giving a flow at the nozzle of 15 gallons per minute. Brodie Kent fkmmeters register the quantity required by each vehicle. Fuel wastage or over-filling is prevented by each hose being equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle.

At the same time as the fuelling operation, the front and rear of the vehicle are washed by 'hose brushes and the interior of the vehicle is cleaned by vacuurn—a British Vacuum Cleaner and Engineering Co., Ltd., ticket and litter removal installation. This method ensures that no dust is raised to settle on seats and window ledges, and gives improved working conditions for the cleaners themselves.

The plant used for this operation is housed in a room situated between the ,servicing bay and the workshop, and consists of a large turbo exhauster driven by a 15 h.p. electric motor.

The vacuum created is used, via flexible hoses, to remove all dust, used tickets, and other refuse from the bus floor_ staircase and, platform, one cleaner working in the upper saloon and one in the lower saloon. The vacuum hoses are also used for emptying used ticket boxes and for cleaning drivers' cabs.

Between the suction hoses and the turbo exhauster are two large receivers. The first one separates by gravity the heavier particles of dirt, whilst the second is equipped with a number of bags, sitnilar in principle to those in a domestic vacuum cleaner, which filter the smaller particles of dirt from the air passing through.

Washing Started Automatically

Following the cleaning and fuelling operations, which are carried out with the vehicle stationary, the bus is started and almost immediately breaks a light ray falling on to a photo-electric cell. This causes, an electrical control gear to start up the brushes and pumps af the Widney washing machine, which is located at the exit to the bay.

After leaving the servicing bay, washing being completed in the process, the bus is driven to the bus station for night 'parking, and attention by cleaners who complete any tasks outstanding.

The workshop area, adjoining the servicing bay, is provided with two maintenance' pits, one having a side bay to facilitate repair work' on underfloorengined vehicles. Both pits are illuminated by fluorescent lighting and equipped with low-voltage plugs and compressedair points.

When not in use each pit is protected by a system of handrails, which are detachable to facilitate access to any part of the vehicle. The need for pit planks or metal pit covers is also eliminated.

Heating of the workshop is carried out by a floor-standing " Wanson " unit. Oilfired and fully automatic in action, this distributes warm air through trunking Domestic fuel oil is supplied to the unit from a 2,000-gallon tank housed on tit( roof of the servicing bay.

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Locations: Liverpool

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