Big Ntw Garage for L.T.E.
Page 26
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE new central area garage of London Transport at Loughton has come into operation. It provides covered accommodation for 137 buses and is equipped to handle both routine maintenance and heavy dock work. As the " parent " of a pair of garages, Loughton is also to deal with the heavy dock work required for buses from Leyton garage.
The site, which is irregular in shape and restricted in area so that it is almost entirely covered by the building, falls towards the north-east, consequently a large amount of the main floor is well above ground level. This site difficulty, however, has been turned to advantage, in that it presented the opportunity to achieve architectural effect at no extra cost by exposing the external columns which support the floors of the store buildings in the dock unit.
The parking area, covering 49,500 sq. ft., contains five pits for routine maintenance, as well as three servicing bays where buses coming out of service are refuelled, lubricated, vacuumcleaned and automatically washed.
The dock unit, which has no columns and gives an unrestricted floor space of 31,000 sq. ft., contains high-pressure plant for steam-cleaning chassis, 10 inspection pits and all ancillary stores and workshops. Services provided include vacuum-cleaning and compressed air points and a fume-exhaust plant to prevent contamination of the air.
LEYLANDS FOR IMPROVING S.A. RAILWAYS ARGE-SCALE reconstruction pro jects in South Africa have resulted in large orders for Leyland vehicles. The projects, principally designed to speed up main-line railway traffic from the coast into the interior, will shortly be put into operation at an estimated cost of Om.
Extra dostS and delays caused by steep gradients, which often demanded the use of two locomotives, will be eliminated by new and improved 'butes. To assist in levelling and cutting these routes, the Railway Administration has ordered 44 Leyland Hippos, 35 of which will be tippers, through Leyland Albion (Africa), Ltd.
LONG SERVICE WITH B.M.M.O.
RECENTLY, 11 employees of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., were given presentations for completing 40 years' service, and a further 118, from 28 different centres in the company's area, received recognition of 25 years' service.
Altogether, 1,072 employees have qualified for long-service awards to date. Of these, 92 have service of 40 years and more, including 16 with over 50 years. The total years of service represented by the awards is about 30,000.
A24 ROAD FUND GRANTS FOR THE FUTURE
THE estimated expenditure from I. the Road Fund on major improvements and new construction in 1954-55 is the same as for 1953-54— £5m. In 1955-56, it will increase by £2-im. to £74m. It is proposed in those two years to enter into commitments amounting to some £37m." The Minister of Transport gave this information last week.
BRIDGE RESTRICTION EASED
cOLLOWING representations by the Royal Automobile Club and the Automobile Association, the Minister of Transport has ruled that the 10 m.p.h. limit on the Grand Union Canal bridge at Slough will in future apply only to vehicles of more than five tons laden weight. Vehicles over 12 tons will continue to be diverted.
Whilst welcoming the ruling, the R.A.C. and A.A. deplore the fact that a bridge carrying a Class A road should have been allowed to deteriorate.
COMPANIES' OFFER REJECTED?
ANATIONAL delegate meeting of
the unions representing some 90,000 employees of bus companies considered on Monday the wage increase offered by the employers. The meeting decided to continue to press for a proper settlement, from which it is assumed that the offer was rejected.
The National Council for the Omnibus Industry was expected to meet on Wednesday to hear the unions' decision.
MEN IN THE NEWS
Co'.. A. C. R. WAITE is relinquishing the deputy chairmanship of the Austin Motor Export Corporation and has resumed the London directorship of the Austin Motor Co., Ltd.
MR. J. W. HowLErr, chairman and managing director of Wellworthy, Ltd., one of the companies in the Associated Engineering Holdings group, has sailed for India to visit the Madras plant of Indian Pistons, Ltd.
SIR ARCHIBALD J. BOYD, chairman of Metropolitan-Cammell-Weymann, Ltd., will retire from the board on December .31 and will be succeeded by Ma. H. N. EDWARDS. MR. A. T. CHEESLEY will also retire from the board and will be replaced by MR. NORMAN HADDON. The secretary, MP. C. G. WALLACE, will become a director on January 1.