On 28th June a group of 16 from the Technology and Science had a private tour of Georges Dock Building. Starting with the old control room dating back to 1934, whose access corridors and stairs are ’tiled and corniced’, giving it a style not around in today’s buildings.
We then visited the ventilation towers themselves with glazed bricks and original massive vertical exhaust fans still in operation but only used intermittently now, as cars engines are much cleaner and lorries are no longer allowed. The original inlet fans have been replaced by modern horizontal units which pump air into the lower section of the tunnels length.
And finally down many stairs to the Tunnel itself, to walk along the windy service tunnel into one of the ‘refuge’ stations installed after the 1999 Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire, complete with its CCTV, toilets and communicators to the main Tunnel Police control room. Due to many of us having engineering backgrounds the tour was enhanced by the in-depth knowledge of our 2 guides Allison and Billy.
We then visited the ventilation towers themselves with glazed bricks and original massive vertical exhaust fans still in operation but only used intermittently now, as cars engines are much cleaner and lorries are no longer allowed. The original inlet fans have been replaced by modern horizontal units which pump air into the lower section of the tunnels length.
And finally down many stairs to the Tunnel itself, to walk along the windy service tunnel into one of the ‘refuge’ stations installed after the 1999 Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire, complete with its CCTV, toilets and communicators to the main Tunnel Police control room. Due to many of us having engineering backgrounds the tour was enhanced by the in-depth knowledge of our 2 guides Allison and Billy.