7.• 4E04 Hospital Coach with Several Use)' Pr save the cost
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of hiring a special ambulance in London to take incurable and bedridden patients for short outings, the Barnet Group Hospital Committee have had an Austin coach converted into a dual-purpose vehicle by W. L. Thurgood (Coachbuilders), Ltd., Widbury Hill, Ware.
The original Mann Egerton body has been modified by the removal of the rear section. with its luggage locker, and its replacement by a pair of full-width doors. The floor was levelled at the rear and the seats were made quickly detachable after flynuts screwed into locking plates in the floor were removed.
To enable chairs to be wheeled in and out after the seats have been withdrawn, there is a four-piece ramp. It is hinged and, when folded, three sections slide into a recess under the floor and the fourth Wits to the floor, making it flat throughout. The full number of seats can thus be fitted when the coach is required to carry staff or sitting patients. The wheelchairs are held by their brakes and are strapped to the side of the vehicle.
As the ramp occupies the space formerly used to house the spare wheel, and there was insufficient ground clearance for the wheel under the side of the chassis, it is mounted inside the door.