Ambulances

Don, you're not wrong there, although sometime you would want somebody to evict certain children, lol



Another one, a REO Speedwagon (I think).

Green & yellow Adelaide (SA) Mercedes ambulance attending a tram passenger in King William St at Rundle Mall.
tdu.to/a36378/23-010513_0870.JPG

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Back on page 5, Paul had some photos of water ambulances in Venice.
Here's a photo from 2001 of the volunteer ambos of the Alexandra District Ambulance Service practicing a water rescue using the Eildon Boat Club rescue boat 'Austin Tuohy' (named after a local doctor who drowned in the lake). The boat carried a fire-pump with roof mounted monitor, plus a cabin fitted with black-out curtains so ambos could work on patients without the internal light disturbing the night vision of the skipper. It had a flashing red light and siren and carried ambulance logos.

I think Paul also earlier posted a shot of one of the old ADAS Kingswood ambulances which has been preserved.

Shows the Austin Tuohy with the ambulance logo etc

That was a really interesting addition to the thread, and very heartwarming. That is a versatile vessel: a fire appliance too.
For a different thread, I have a photo of the recently-commissioned fire-appliance boat for Port of Melbourne.
Another specialist vessel on Eildon may have lapsed. It conveyed a floating chaplain, and may even have been a floating chapel. However, it was commissioned just before several successive low-water years, and may have been deemed not worth the effort. Well known through the film All the rivers run is PS Etona, which was built as a floating chapel for the SA Murray. As the towns grew and permanent churches were established, it was out of a job and got cut down as a fishing boat. Into the 1960s-70s it was restored privately, and later reprised its original role in the film. One dream which didn't eventuate: my father's cousin was a Collins St dentist. He did some country circuits to towns which didn't have a permanent dentist (I don't know what equipment he used). He always wanted to set up a dental surgery on a Murray River paddlesteamer, and do seasonal work there.
I do have photos of a few hospital ships. Most cruise vessels have a doctor and clinic as part of the onboard facilities. The supply vessel RMS St Helena, serving St Helena, was better equipped. It is the sole supply line for the island, which doesn't have an airport, and is beyond helicopter range. Critical medical cases have to be kept in care in the island hospital, then transported to Cape Town next time the RMS is in.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

I have placed the Bangladesh hospital ship 'Friendship' in this thread already: it is at reply 16.

Here is the USA navy hospital ship 'Mercy', moored at San Diego (California). Similar/identical 'Comfort' is kept on the east coast.
They count as the largest (or closest to largest) hospital facilities in the nation,eclipsing most/all land-based ones.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_Navy_hospital_ships , which also mentions ambulance ships.
Some names have been recycled: the list over the years includes:
Relief, Solace, Comfort, Mercy, Hope, Bountiful, Samaritan, Refuge, Haven, Benevolence, Tranquillity, Consolation, Repose, Sanctuary, Rescue.
There is lots more information by googling.

121108Th San Diego California USA Naval Hospital Ship Mercy. R mith

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Roderick: I don't know if you have seen this or collect models but Trax have produced their first model ambulance,
a classic HD Holden.

LN 700

I try to rotate thread each day, but after that nice feedback, a reply is warranted.

I don't collect models, but that looks like a good one. My memory is that Trax has done a range of Australian vehicles, including the ubiquitous Bedford SB bus of the 1950s.
See www.topgear.com.au/index.php . Most models are limited run, to become collectibles. The wonderful buses are 1:43, which won't sit on my HO model railway (1:87), but could sit on OO, which isn't common any more.

AFAIK we haven't seen an HD in the series to date. How appropriate: the panel treatment around the grille was nicknamed 'liver scoops'.

I have fished out five photos of mobile clinics which were scanned already, and have more to find and scan. These weren't for emergencies; these were for routine visits by preventative and treatment staff. I'll start with another marine one.

MV Chauncy Maples is a very old boat, and is a hospital cum mobile clinic funded by international aid. It plies Lake Malawi, serving Malawi and Tanzania.
There is a lot available on the web.
chauncymaples.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauncy_Maples
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Chauncy_Maples

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Today's two are not emergency vehicles, but are health care.
The Queensland Maternal & Child Welfare Car was moved from town to town on regular freight trains. It had living space for the trained nurse, a clinic room, and a waiting room. On this occasion, after I had trouble with my camping stove, the nurse heating my tinned steak & veg on her stove. I was in the carvan of the overnight train to Hughenden; IIRC, her carriage was attached too.
680117W Winton Qld childwelfare R Smith

The South African one is much more elaborate: an equipped hospital and clinic, bringing doctors, dentists and psychologists to remote areas, which may have only one doctor for every 4000 people. Roche (Switzerland) sponsors the train. AFAIK the staff are all South African: a lot of interns and doctors from main hospitals do a tour of duty, then a different lot. It has been so successful that there are now two.
See:
react.roche.com/health-care-train.htm
and do follow the links to at least the data sheet.
090520W Worcester, South Africa Phelophepa R Smith

I have other Australian railway clinic vehicles, but not on the hard drive. SA ran a baby-health clinic to remote areas. CR had one as part of its famous 'Tea & Sugar' supply train. For routine hospitalising, CR had a modest facility at Cook, and would transport cases to Port Augusta or Kalgoorlie as needed. I don't know how it coped with emergency cases before Flying Doctor: a 9 h dash on a rough track trolley? Wait for a slower but more-comfortable train?

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

I have no new horse or hearse discoveries, so it is the turn of ambulances.

The preserved Drover is certainly a historic vehicle.
RFDS is etched firmly in Australian outback culture: the planes, the services, the supporting technology. I am not sure how many stamps have featured an RFDS theme.
The Drover was an Australian-designed derivative of the DH Dove, with three engines for reliability. Even so, its biggest weakness was lack of power, leading to some iffy airstrip events. This one is preserved static at Mt Isa. Another is preserved flying, and appears at Avalon and other airshows.

The Commonwealth medical service appears to be akin to clinic vehicles: routine clinics rather than emergencies.

These are Doves.

Combining two of my hobbies:
Lady on 'Ghan': Please stop the train, and radio for the flying doctor. I'm about to give birth'.
'Madam, you should never have boarded in that condition'.
'I wasn't in this condition when I boarded'.


820902Th Mt Isa Qld RFDS DH Drover R Smith
770512Th Alice Springs Dove VH-DHK R Smith
740830F Groote Eylandt NTMS Dove VH-DHE R Smith

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor