Bedford Fire-engine with 81-ft. Ladder
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BASED on a specially reinforced Bedford SL chassis, a fire appliance incorporating a Magirus 81-ft. turntable ladder and Dennis No, 2 500 g.p.m. pump has recently been completed by Prestage, Ltd., Birmingham, for operation in Invercargill, New Zealand. Power from the Bedford 115 b.h.p. petrol engine is taken to the turntable .through a Prestage power take-off mounted on the vehicle gearbox. A Martin Harper transfer box connects the drive to the fire pump, which is carried mid-way along the chassis. A heat exchanger and sump-cooling element Sire also provided. Four Magirus built-in screw jacks fitted to the rear of the chassis can rapidly be brought into operation. It is necessary only to pull one lever to lock the springs on the axles, and work a second to release the jacks, which unwind by gravity and are self-braking as soon as they reach the ground. ln addition to its normal duties, the battery powers a network of limit switches to prevent the turntable ladder from assuming a position which would endanger stability. Other electrically powered accessories include two 11-in. searchlights, an intercommunication system between the top of the tackler and the ground, and automatic lights for the cab and lockers. Because of these demands, two Exide 12-volt heavy-duty batteries, type 6-KHVI5JL, have been installed, each having a capacity of 94 a.h. All connections are duplicated, and a manual switch is provided so that in the event of an emergency, discharge loads and dynamo output may be transferred to the reserve battery. By virtue of the power-take-off design the fire pump can be used on the move to douse large areas of farm and heath fires, through sparge-pipe connections.
DAMAGES FOR DRIVER: EMPLOYERS NEGLIGENT QTATING that he thought the company had been negligent in failing to make the edge of a tip safe, Judgc Diplock awarded £1,208 damages at York Assizes last week to Harry Buckley, lorry driver, Redcar, against his employers, T. Mouget and Co., Ltd. Buckley said that his tipper slid over the edge of a tip being built into the mouth of the Tees in November, 1954. It fell into the water. He dived from the cab and injured his back. The defendants pleaded contributory negligence, or that the accident was unavoidable.
NEW MAIN BRANCH FOR SIMMS
A NEW main branch and service station—the 17th in the United Kingdom—is to be opened next autumn by Simms Motor Units, Ltd., at. Castle Boulevard, Nottingham. A large garage, full-scale stores, and electrical and oilengine workshops will be included.