[PRCo] WORKING IN THE MILL AND GROWING UP

[TEP]

On 22/10/2013 14:44, John Swindler wrote:
> ..........As other's have said, many of these work experiences were lessons on what NOT to do........
Agreed, but summer work also taught me what I wanted to do. First job, 
fresh out of high school, was at a coal fired peaking power plant. The 
furnaces were stoked up for the am and pm peaks, very quiet the rest of 
the time. You cannot shut down the boilers completely--it takes hours to 
rebuild steam. So mid evening they get "banked"--the pulverised coal is 
fed as slowly as possible and some turbines taken off line. Night shift 
in the control room one man watched the instruments, the others pulled 
mattresses out of a locker and slept behind the instrument panels. Going 
out into the yard where a small tank loco fed the boiler hoppers--via a 
conveyor. The crew took unofficial breaks-- sent the loco, unattended, 
up a grade with a small head of steam. We all sat in a shed for twenty 
minutes smoking until, out of steam, the train slowly came back down the 
grade.

Next year, the electrical department of a third-rail subway--Merseyrail, 
Liverpool. Cleaning mercury arc rectifiers--live. Eating lunch with the 
crew sitting on top of the third rail wooden cover. Handing tools to a 
mechanic as he repaired a door--open, in service, the train hurtling 
through the tunnel. Cleaning and lubing switch machines with service 
trains going by at speed. No protection except your wits and common 
sense. Little Work Safe or Health and Safety in those days. Glad there 
is more care with safety nowadays but I think we may have gone too far. 
Saw the widespread feather bedding and pilfering. One man had wired his 
home so he could use stolen traction lamps (Edison screw, 130 volts, 
five in series, normal lamps in England use a bayonet base and run on 
240 volts--so he used two.)

This job made me decide on a career in electric railways and Merseyrail 
had one waiting for me on graduation. But the Beeching study got 
underway and all hiring was frozen. The only traction job on offer (and 
I was offered five jobs from six interviews) was with Westinghouse in 
Pittsburgh. And so that is how in 1962 I was flown across the pond, 
housed in a rooming house in Wilkinsburgh, and rode my first PCC. 86 
Ardmour, to and from East Pittsburgh each day.

How I got to Canada is another (long) story. I've worked for numerous 
Government Agencies and private companies in my career. I've seen highly 
efficient government ones and grossly inefficient private ones--and vice 
versa.*
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Tom Parkinson P.Eng, Vancouver BC Canada 604-733-5430, cell 604-733-5437