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The Engineering Side of London Transport

22nd October 1943
Page 36
Page 36, 22nd October 1943 — The Engineering Side of London Transport
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

AT a meeting of the Association of Czechoslovak Scientists and Technicians, Section of Mechanical_ and Electrical Engineering, held on October 13, Colonel V. A. M. Robertson, C.B.E., M.G., M.Inst.C.E., Engineerin-Chief, London Passenger Transport -Board, reada most interesting paper on the engineering activities of the Board. Unfortunately, we cannot do justice to it in the little space at our disposal, and must;therefore, confine ourselves to a few points referring mainly to the road-transport side.

Colonel Robertson said that, prior to the war, the population of the City of London and its suburbstotalled 9,750,000, and in 1938 the average weekly number of journeys on the Board's buses was 42,000,000 and those on trams and trolleybuses 17,500,000.

It would, however, be unfortunate if our friends from the oppressed countries of Europe obtained, from their experiences now, a wrong notion of how London Transport tries to serve its public.

The Board s area covers some 2,000 square miles in and around London. The maximum distance served by buses and coaches extends to. 30 milesfrom the centre, trams and trolleybuses reach their termini in about eight miles, whilst the Board's own railways extend to 15 miles from the centre. • The organization includes one department under an Engineer-in-Chief, responsible for all such engineering activities, and there are five main sections, each under the control of a chief engineer, three being mainly concerned with the maintenance and repair of vehicles, the fourth furnishes electrical energy for all operations, whilst the last maintains fixed properties and executes new construction of a civilengineering character.

The peace-time staff under the Engineer-in-Chief numbers over 30,000, but during the war it is about 27,000 including 3,500. women. There are about 5,740 buses, 505 lorries and service vans, and 1,762 trolleybuses. Of the buses, over 4,000 use oil fuei, only the older types running on petrol. To-day there are 200 miles of single tram track, of which 130 are on the conduit system, the only example' in the British Isles.

As regards buses, the main maintenance works are at Chiswick, with sub' works at Chiswick Tram Depot, Alperton, Reigate, and Elmers End, and 82 garages within a radius of 30 miles of Charing Cross.

The maintenance system has been built up over many years, -It includes day-to-day and period• inspection and dock overhauls which provide for thorough inspection and adjustment of all parts, overhaul of engines, gearboxes, and other major units as and when required and chassis and body overhauls every two years. Each major unit is completely dismantled and loses its identity; its puts are inspected to definite limits, reconditioned or built up by nickel depositing, etc., those likely to cause danger' being tested on the magnetic crack

detector. Radiators are stripped of their tanks, and each tube is bored to renew its cooling area. Magnetos, dynamos, and all other electrical units are overhauled, but do not lose their identity..

A special organization is provided at four garages to deal with major. accidents to vehicles. This consists of four specially equipped breakdown vehicles, located at convenient points in the area.

The war has brought many difficulties in the way of shortage of labour, material and spare parts, but the salvaging and reconditioning of worn parts has been largely instrumental in keeping the central bus fleet.operating satisfactorily with the minimum of

trouble. •.

There is the problem, after the war, of the conversion of the remaining trams south of-the Thames. There are about 1,000 in service and they constitute a somewhat embarrassing financial problem. It would be premature to forecast whether they will be replaced by trolleybuses, but that they will be replaced by -some type of postwar vehicle is certainly the intention of the Board.


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