NEW
P. W. D.
WORKSHOPS
AT
CAROLINE
HILL
Photgraph of the preseid 2.4 35. Workshops, shornet atele in progress of new fuaidi+La
New workshops for the Electrical The Electrical and Mechanowi The planning of the new Workshops und Mechanical Office of the Puble Office of the P.WD was formed on was started in 1949 and various sites Works Department are bolag erected 1st February, 1948 as an amalgama- et North Point and Morrison Hill of an estimated cost of 93.000.000.00. Llun of the existing Electrical and were considered. But it was eventual- Land Transport Ofices WILL the ly decided that the Caroline Bill Few people have any conception allotted task of rehabilitating Gov- location was, by far, the most sult- al the extent and the importance, ernment's electrical machinery and able, even though it meant rebuild- Traum the point of view of the services installations, and of organising Gov- ing in sections and involved a con- rendered and savinga «ffected, of the rnment's transport fleet - which at siderable amount of incunventener in work done by this
Department that time consisted of a large and the process. Progīnas was. however Generally speaking. It is responsible varied assortment of ex-Army and further delayed on account of Anan- the maintenance. repair and requisitioned vehicles into an effec- cial stringency and the difficulty in rorhaul of all Government electri- Live unit and thereafter to establish obtaming structural steel, The latter ral and mechanical equipment, con- a Workshops Organisation for the difficuity resulted in the original -lling of motor vehicles, engineerios Effiment maintenance and repair of design for a steel frumed building plant, lits, mours, pribling mall ectrical and mechanical equip being dropped and a new design was clifmus, boiler installations. air-con- ment
produced for a reinforced concrete structure.
toning plants. refrigerators and domestle appliances Motor vehicles alone total 891. and Include cars Inrties, light vans, motor eyeles and special purpose vehicles,
The workshops of the Electrical Sectiim were at that thro, and still are housed in the old Sailors and Boldiers Home In Johnston Road.
be
The building programme can divided into two main parts, viz.. Part I Construction of New Mr- chanles! Workshups and Demolition of the Existing Workshop Buildings. Part 2-Construction of New Stores. Bectrical Workshops and Office Ac- commodation and Demolition of the Existing Office and Stores Buildings The Arst part it the programme is the Junior Technical College and now under way and is expected to be during the Japanes Ocupathin, two completed by the end of September single storey buildings of hollow con- and this article will now be concern- crete block construction were erected Ed solely with this part of the pro-
The old to serve us Workshops
Of special importance in the ruster Wanchal, and the Land Transport this Department's responsibilities Section had been set up in buldings Is the design and construction of all- at Caroline Alll. the greater part of matul bodies on vehicle chassis to which had bern efected by the suit the particular requirements of Japanese during the occupatio various Cinvernment departments. This area was pre-war the site of
An Idea of the variety and special character of this work may be ob- fained from the fact that bodies hare been fitted to such widely diver gent types of vehicles as ambulances,
wagons,
1
-
gramme.
plak-up trucks station wagons, mail school buildings have bren used as The dimensions of the main work- rans. Insulated meat delivery vans, offices and stores by the Electrical stops bulding are 403 fert long by Office Id the 131 Iuet broad with a centre aisle. 78 police mobile canteens. light and and Mechanical heavy cemetery vans, police patrol Japanese built workshops, although it wide, completely free from struc-
mobile police
additional command several
temporary wood tural poris palice persulinel carriers, and framed bullding have been added to & new type of conservancy collector cupe with the expansion of the While this Department designs all workshops pending the construction the bodies. at the present time, of complete new buildings. owing to lack of facĹitles, most of the actual building is done by local
The Electrical Section has cup Cutitachurs when the new work- turned to uporate in very unitstac- shops. which are the subject of this tory conditions at Johnston Road article, are completed. It is anticl- but will eventually be accommodated pated that it will be possible for all at Caroline Hill, when the rebuilding of this work to be carried out there scheme is completed.
pillars and danked on both sides by aisles 26 ft. wide for 368 IL of the length; the remaining 40 11 being a guntry block running cross- wise to the main shops and accom- modating a 5 ton powered gantry travelling the full length of the shup The roof over the pwo outsile aflés is cantilevered oft the main supports and the aist ubong the front of the workshops is open to_provide_unob structed" entry to the Vehicle Insper-
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