Summary

Black and white silver gelatin photograph, view south-west from Gatehouse Road of a bend section of the Reticulated Services Gantry, Kodak factory, Coburg, circa 1961.

Image of a right-angled bend and change in height in the gantry at the T-intersection of Gatehouse Road, and a side road servicing buildings south of this corner. The change in height was necessary because the gantry on the south side of Gatehouse Road had to be high enough to straddle the roof of sub-station number 2, and allow vehicular traffic to proceed under it on the side road. The lower height was necessary to follow the ground level along the side road and the take-offs to each building along this road. Building 3, Emulsion Coating, can be seen in the background with take-offs into the east wall of this building.

All services to the factory buildings were reticulated from a central power house via a gantry system. The gantry carried the following services: circulating chilled water at 3ºC for cooling and air conditioning; circulating ethylene-glycol brine at -9ºC for chill rooms, low dew point drying and emulsion chilling; saturated steam at 70Kpa for emulsion heating and air conditioning; saturated steam at 700KPa for emulsion heating; condensate return to boilers; compressed air at 550KPa for machine actuation and instrument controls; electrical cables at 415V 50Hz 3phase, distilled water and clarified water for emulsion making and testing. The steam, chilled water and brine pipes were all heavily lagged and clad for efficiency and protection reasons. The steam pipes in particular had large loop sections to allow for expansion.

Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as, film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

This photograph is part of the Kodak collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005 after the manufacturing plant at Coburg had closed down the year before.

Description of Content

Close view of steel framework with various pipes bending at a right-angle. Behind the pipework is a multi-storey building.

Physical Description

Black and white silver gelatin photograph printed on light weight paper, landscape format.

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