The Latest in Gas Maintenance Units
Page 51
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THE accompanying illustration depicts one of five interesting travelling maintenance units which have recently been put into service in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., by the Brooklyn Union Gas Co. This concern covers a territory in which 2,197 miles of mains and 29,172 services have to be attended to.
Each unit consists of a Ford 30-cwt, chassis, on which is mounted a specially designed van body, with a pipe-carrying rack and a number of compartments for tools, access to which is afforded by small doors on each side.
Immediately behind the driver's cab there is a two-cylindered vertical aircooled compressor driven by a splitpropeller-shaft power-take-off through five V-shaped belts. The compressor has an output of 140 cubic ft, of free air at 650 r.p.m. and 160 cubic ft. at 750 r.p.m.
One compartment of the body contains a hose-reel carrier for the operation of the pneumatic tools. These consist of two pavement breakers, wall drill, digger, tamper, caulking hammer. grinder and a reversible close-quarter drill, which operates a tapping machine and a pipe threader.
For night work the unit is equipped with a small electric generator, operated by an additional power-take-off. The generator develops 250 watts at 110-120 volts at the compressor idling speed. For lighting purposes, five portable trench lights of 50 watts each can be used. The generator also makes it possible to operate electric tools within its capacity. Other equipment includes a standard gas mask and leak detector.
Each vehicle carries two men capable of effecting any type of street work, one of them also acting as the driver. We learn from Mr. F. M. Roeseh, superintendent of the street division of the Brooklyn company, that it is planned to use the vehicles for all emergency operations, in addition to the regular repair work.