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Vehicle Parking Systems

Nairobi, Kenya

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A Vehicle Parking System in Nairobi, Kenya

Ian Blackman, a British lift engineer employed as the General Manager for Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd. in Kenya, East Africa, sent me these images of a parking structure in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ian wrote:

"I recently inspected an old car parking system in downtown Nairobi. In the 1970's it was a fully-automated car parking system, but as you may notice, many of the systems are now slightly more manually operated...actually everything is now manually operated apart from the vertical lifting.

"The main entrance, at ground, is 3 floors above the pit, and sadly there have been a few occasions where people forgot to apply the handbrake, and the lack of landing doors allows them to roll into the shaft and straight down into the pit. Apparently this was the only time a VW Beetle has gone over 50 mph.

"There are 3 cars each with a single counterweight. Originally, the vehicle was parked in front of the (closed) ground floor landing doors, you punched in your ID number, and the system selected where your vehicle was going to be parked. It would have been automatically rolled into the shaft and onto the car platform, hoisted (or lowered) to the relevant floor, shifted sideways to one of 3 options, then pushed onto the parking bay. When you returned, you'd put your number in, and your vehicle would be returned via the opposite sequence.

"Over the years things broke down and I guess eventually repairs turned into 'short it out and keep it going' until the situation it's in now, with about 20 people needed to operate the system. The ground floor landing doors are wedged open and the interlocks bypassed, and the vehicles are actually driven onto the car platforms when they arrive, driven manually by operators with some kind of 'car top control'. The sideways movement is also controlled manually with toggle switches.

"The vehicle is then driven off the platform into the parking bay - quite hard on the suspension when the 'up and down' driver misses the floor by 6", or the 'sideways' driver makes the car hit one of the concrete bay dividers.

"I might actually go and take a video shot one day - it's got to be seen (and heard) in action to be believed!"

Ian cautioned me that "this has never been under maintenance contract with us!"

Thank you Ian for the fine collection of images!

 

Parking System
Image 1   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Nobody move...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 2   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Looking down on the three lifting platforms...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 3   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
One of the Von Roll driving machine gear cases...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 4   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Another view of the Von Roll driving machine...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 5   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Here you can see the size of the Von Roll driving machine...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 6   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
As you can see each platform services every floor but only three rows or parking bays on each side...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 7   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
The platforms have a corner-post style construction...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 8   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
A 'car top' 2:1 sheave, part of the safety device and also a bit of rust...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 9   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Much cleaner and you can see the governor rope as well...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 10   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Ian says this is one of the 'better' counterweight guide rollers...
All three counterweights operate in a separate runway enclosure.
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 11   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
A vehicle in transit...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 12   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
A vehicle moving between the platform and the parking bay...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 13   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Another look at one of the upper roller guides, safety actuating lever and governor rope...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 14   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Mechanism for the device that is designed to automatically move the vehicles on and off the platform...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 15   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
I say 'designed to automatically' because practically everything is manually operated today...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 16   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
These gentlemen are 'driving' the platform and 'manipulating' the vehicle retriever and positioner device...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 17   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
The traveling cables for the vehicle retriever and positioner device...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 18   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
The driving machine controller...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 19   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
Fully compressed isolation springs on the suspension ropes...
"They don’t seem to do much nowadays though; the whole building shakes when the platforms are moving."
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

Parking System
Image 20   Click to view a larger and higher resolution image
One last look...
Image provided by: Ian Blackman of Marryat and Scott (Kenya) Ltd.
 I know more! 

 

 


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