Early Risers.

[PupCam]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

Incidentally, Mr. Washing Machine mentioned above

 

Hmm, do I know Mr Washing Machine Guy?   (Best be a pm to remind me methinks Mr Bear )

 

Alan

[simontaylor484]

Afternoon all 

 

I see a French heavyweight boxer has thrown his teddy out of the ring and staged a sit in on the ropes for a couple of hours. It appears he had been disqualified for giving his opponent a Glasgow kiss.

 My mother in law was buried in the family plot the bill for opening it up using a mini digger was £600 11 years ago.

 

[Barry O]

My Dad wanted his ashes spread into the Sea at Old Hartlepool (he was offered an apprenticeship as a Trawler Captain when young). My sister tried to comply.. Guess who threw them into the wind?????

 

As a high school then FE College governor it was hard to keep non art subjects going.. but we managed. Despite the best efforts of the Government and the Leeds City Council Education posse.

Baz

[New Haven Neil]

We scattered my old Dad's ashes at sea, between the entrance to the piers in South Shields (they are a mile long).  We, ah, 'rented' ahem, the Pilot boat for an hour - old pals act.  I understood at the time it was technically illegal, not sure why.  The Harbourmaster appeared to look the other way, and there were three pilots in the street where I grew up (it's, or was, a family job, most being from the Purvis family).

[TheSignalEngineer]

I went to an academic school. I wanted to go to the technical school but was directed wrongly by my junior school Head and ended up passing for an excellent Grammar instead. Although the curriculum didn't really suit me I learned plenty of what would probably be referred to as 'life skills' especially through the cadet force and the help of an excellent teaching staff. It had widened its scope by the time our son went there and even went co-ed. That was their answer to the lefties trying to close it down on the basis that a boys only selective school was unfair to girls and sexist. They doubled the size of the school and took an equal number of girls and boys.

Rather than go to university I went straight to BR as an engineering student, spending five years learning on the job and part time tech college to get HNC. Part of my railway training involved spending most of one year at Crewe starting in the Works Training School followed by the Signal Shop in the main works and then the S&T workshops. By the time I finished there I could make a passable job of welding and casting, operate machine tools, file, bend and beat metal to required shapes, heavy duty electrical wiring, clean accumulated paint and gunk from items using noxious substances, electroplating, dismantle broken apparatus and rebuild it to match the original spec, etc, etc.

I don't think not being at uni affected my career outcome that much. I may have made a grade or two higher but without privatisation I would possibly have managed that anyway. The whole playing field was ploughed up at a time when I intended to spend another 10 years in the industry, so I made the best of it and took early retirement as soon as I got to the point where it was more lucrative to draw my pension and do a bit of consultancy work occasionaly than stay full time. 

[JohnDMJ]

Good Evening Awl, for it has the potential to develop into one!

 

Shoes ordered at the shop on Saturday have arrived; will be in service tomorrow!

 

Elsewhere:

 

39 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

I went to an academic school. I wanted to go to the technical school but was directed wrongly by my junior school Head and ended up passing for an excellent Grammar instead. Although the curriculum didn't really suit me I learned plenty of what would probably be referred to as 'life skills' especially through the cadet force and the help of an excellent teaching staff. It had widened its scope by the time our son went there and even went co-ed. That was their answer to the lefties trying to close it down on the basis that a boys only selective school was unfair to girls and sexist. They doubled the size of the school and took an equal number of girls and boys.

Rather than go to university I went straight to BR as an engineering student, spending five years learning on the job and part time tech college to get HNC. Part of my railway training involved spending most of one year at Crewe starting in the Works Training School followed by the Signal Shop in the main works and then the S&T workshops. By the time I finished there I could make a passable job of welding and casting, operate machine tools, file, bend and beat metal to required shapes, heavy duty electrical wiring, clean accumulated paint and gunk from items using noxious substances, electroplating, dismantle broken apparatus and rebuild it to match the original spec, etc, etc.

 

Sounds a familiar story, although my application to BREL was declined!

 

Having flunked 'A' Levels, I was granted an Apprenticeship at British Hovercraft Corporation on the Isle of Wight. They had their own 'off the job' training school where I spent the first year and incorporated two evening classes and one HND day release. I will never forget my first fitting exercise: here's a flame cut steel block, FILE it to a rectangle xmm by ymm by zmm! Good thing they had an infinite supply of files!! Annoying irony was that my Father and the Training Manager had collaborated (obviously, with others) to devise the EP1 and EP2 training sessions to which I was now subject!

 

They sponsored me through Uni and offered the facility to use their Lecture Room during vacations. With several fellow undergrads and access to the Company's Engineers, we didn't do to badly!

 

All-in-all, a fantastic experience which, due to its diversity, has stood me in good stead to this day!

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. TV has played up a bit but is now working, problem is I daren't switch it off so I've got 'Abandoned Engineering' on while I wait for 'Secrets of the London Underground' to come on.

7 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

For an alternative view, read the Wilt novels by Tom Sharpe.

One of my favourite novelists but sadly no longer with us. If you like his books I would suggest the novels by Carl Hiaasen. The same sort of wacky characters and story lines.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Part of my railway training involved spending most of one year at Crewe starting in the Works Training School followed by the Signal Shop in the main works and then the S&T workshops. By the time I finished there I could make a passable job of welding and casting, operate machine tools, file, bend and beat metal to required shapes, heavy duty electrical wiring, clean accumulated paint and gunk from items using noxious substances, electroplating, dismantle broken apparatus and rebuild it to match the original spec, etc, etc.

 

 

Sounds dreadful......

As a comparison, one of Bear's young work buddies was not long out of Uni; he had a very good Mech. Engineering Degree (and also a second degree in some Astro Thingummy Wotsit - I didn't even understand the title, let alone what it was all about).

He spent a total of ONE DAY in a workshop as part of his entire Mech. Degree Course.  He'd never heard of a BA thread....

Clever Cookie though, make no mistake.

This Bear did a 5-year Aerospace Apprenticeship with HNC thrown in; I was also offered an Apprenticeship at BA Heathrow (Aircraft Maintenance etc.) and like a complete **** turned it down (they provided accommodation for the first year, after which you're thrown to the dogs).  Biggest mistake of my life , though in fairness the Aerospace job was ok on the whole (I got to do some interesting things and go places around the world).  Sadly in latter years the job went to rat sh1t and I ended up doing boring cr@p for the most part.  Fortunately the guys I was working with made it a good laugh, and being a final salary pension scheme (remember those?) I got to bang out very early.

[simontaylor484]

I do try to teach my sons "life skills" like my Grandad taught me. My youngest although autistic (like his elder brother) is very receptive of this we have done various little jobs together he can second guess what tool i will need next. We have cleaned out moss from the guttering on the canopy that runs across the front of the house. It's only a stepladder job the other gutters are 3 floors up and a cherry picker job.

 

He is also being taught how to look after tools to clean and lubricate when needed

To be honest I couldn't have done the decking job without him (not that we have finished yet)

[Gwiwer]

It is persisterating down.  

 

Dr. SWMBO has gone out for a walk.  I know she had to drop something around to a neighbour but couldn't it have waited?  

[monkeysarefun]

9 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Apparently Bear can drive his dishwasher from a mobile phone. 

 

9 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Bear is just showing off with the dishwasher  

You should whack one of them into your Australia house. Then you could easily scare out troublesome tenants AND make a bit of extra cash running ghost tours.

Edited August 2, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[leopardml2341]

It's getting dark noticeably earlier these days 

 

A few domestic chores and then it'll, be time for bed, so I'll say goodnight now. 

[brianusa]

9 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Bear is just showing off with the dishwasher  

Well he might!  In the hunt for the most quiet and reliable, we went for them all including the famed Bosch.  Everybody mentioned Bosch including my kia bil*.  But when it finally gave up we replaced it with a good old Yankee brand, Kitchenaid, after a lot of inspecting the local big orange store.  It had some features missing from the competition and it was also the most expensive.  Cars, I don't mind expensive, but dishwashers?

Having had it for a few years now, it has remained faultless, done its job while quieter even then the Bosch, which the salesman said it would be.

     Brian.          kia bil*  know it all brother in law!

[pH]

13 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

As a comparison, one of Bear's young work buddies was not long out of Uni; he had a very good Mech. Engineering Degree (and also a second degree in some Astro Thingummy Wotsit - I didn't even understand the title, let alone what it was all about).

He spent a total of ONE DAY in a workshop as part of his entire Mech. Degree Course.  He'd never heard of a BA thread....

 

My brother-in-law is a very clever, and very practical, mechanical engineer. He complained that the only engine he saw in a four year degree course was mounted on a rig, polished to perfection and with inputs and outputs through hoses and piping - not very real-life. In contrast, he once spent the evening before a year end exam under the family car changing big-end shells (with his mother going hysterical about the need to study!)

[figworthy]

9 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Apparently Bear can drive his dishwasher from a mobile phone.  Like I really want to....

 

 

My dishwasher can drive a mobile phone.

 

Adrian

[Adam88]

8 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Sounds dreadful......

As a comparison, one of Bear's young work buddies was not long out of Uni; he had a very good Mech. Engineering Degree (and also a second degree in some Astro Thingummy Wotsit - I didn't even understand the title, let alone what it was all about).

He spent a total of ONE DAY in a workshop as part of his entire Mech. Degree Course.  He'd never heard of a BA thread....

Clever Cookie though, make no mistake.

This Bear did a 5-year Aerospace Apprenticeship with HNC thrown in; I was also offered an Apprenticeship at BA Heathrow (Aircraft Maintenance etc.) and like a complete **** turned it down (they provided accommodation for the first year, after which you're thrown to the dogs).  Biggest mistake of my life , though in fairness the Aerospace job was ok on the whole (I got to do some interesting things and go places around the world).  Sadly in latter years the job went to rat sh1t and I ended up doing boring cr@p for the most part.  Fortunately the guys I was working with made it a good laugh, and being a final salary pension scheme (remember those?) I got to bang out very early.

 

My total aviation uncle had a very good engineering career with BA at Heathrow after interesting wartime service in the RAF and civilian jobs with Bennett's BSAA and BOAC.  He retired aged 55 on a good final salary pension and then, in a pre-internet age, spent much of the remaining thirty-odd years of his life buried in various aviation archives at places like Hendon, Kew, South Kensington and Farnborough.  He conducted a number of personal tours for my dad and me of the various maintenance hangars where we crawled round VC10s, 707s, Concordes and Jumbos.  In those days it was so much easier to arrange that sort of thing.  One of the last times we met up was to go to an RAeS talk by "Winkle" Brown.  Happy days.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 minutes ago, brianusa said:

Kitchenaid, ...

Having had it for a few years now, it has remained faultless, done its job while quieter even then the Bosch, which the salesman said it would be.

I have a KitchenAid dishwasher as well. It is indeed very quiet. Cooking and cleaning for one, I rarely use it. (I tend to avoid complex dishes that require many pots to minimize the washing up.) All the kitchen appliances are KitchenAid. I like them.

 

Samsung has a series of television commercials for their "smart" connected appliances. While I don't really need the refrigerator offering me recipes based on what is in the 'fridge or ordering food for me (advertised features) having a washer and dryer signal my 'phone when they are done would be helpful. The laundry is upstairs and I cannot hear the 'ding' when they are finished.

 

One of their commercials features someone turning on the oven to preheat (using their 'phone) while purchasing a frozen pizza. Convenient, but I'm not sure I want the oven on when I am not home.

[TheSignalEngineer]

18 minutes ago, polybear said:

Clever Cookie though, make no mistake.

Met a few of those, clever bu$$£rs but ------- useless on anything practical.

On one job I was leading the trouble shooting team on the last shift of the commissioning before the trains were due to restart. There was a fault on an FDM remote control system causing absolute havoc and the bosses were in discussion as to what to do when there were no trains on the Monday morning. I was duly dispatched to chase up what was wrong and set off for the canal bank between Selly Oak and Bournville as I had decided from the symptoms and studying the drawings that this was the area where the fault most likely lay. It was 3am and freezing fog. I found the fault at the second location that I visited. The team responsible for the changeover had involved a section head from electronics at regional HQ. The new equipment had been cut into the circuit but one redundant wire had been reconnected rather than the new one. Having identified the fault I had to get onto base to get someone to bring out the correct crimp and tool and redo the wiring. I was out there for two hours with the temperature just about zero tracing and testing that it was now working correctly. The individual concerned got close to the top of the profession. We always said that the speed of promotion was inversely proportional to the ability to perform the job and he proved the point.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

the speed of promotion was inversely proportional to the ability to perform the job and he proved the point.

The Peter Principle.

[New Haven Neil]

My training as an engineer did involve some.......large pistons. well they made hard seats so I presume thats what they are.

 

[monkeysarefun]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

 

A true story:

Bear worked with a guy who's wife said to him:

"Ray, I keep getting tingly electric shocks off the washing machine"

He told her to wear wellies and turn it on and off with the broom handle

A bloke at work told us of going over to his parents place one weekend to see his dad standing in the ingroud pool in about 5 feet of water drilling a hole in the side of the pool just above the waterline,  using a 240V hammer drill.

 

"What the @#$@# ya doing dad?"

 

"Fitting pool lights!"

 

"But you"re using a @#@#*$ drill while  standing in &#$^#  water up to your  &*$#$#W armpits!"  (he used to swear a lot at work so Im assuming he did at home too)

 

"No worries  son!" and pointed at his mum who was standing at the pool side holding the join where the drill powerlead connected to the extension lead. If he dropped the drill she was to pull them apart before he got shocked too much. Now  thats trust.

Edited August 2, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[Coombe Barton]

... and a new coffee stop ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/08/02/postcards-from-the-periphery-2021-10-cloudscapes/

[leopardml2341]

20 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Met a few of those, clever bu$$£rs but ------- useless on anything practical.

A one time boss described such people as being like lighthouses in deserts - bright as you like but no effin use to anybody 

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by leopardml2341

[Coombe Barton]

Coombe Barton is wishing he could drive his dishwasher from his mobile phone ...

However sending the dishes from Cornwall on a 600 plus mile round trip may be a bit much.

[TheSignalEngineer]

29 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I do try to teach my sons "life skills" like my Grandad taught me.

I spent most of my first six month with BR out on the track with my Grandad. He taught me lots about installing and maintaining signalling equipment and how to do a job with the minimum of effort.

Most importantly I learned from him how not to get killed or injured whilst working. He had survived nearly 50 years working trackside so I suppose he knew a thing or two.

Before joining the railway he had been wounded in France in WW1 at the age of 16 and escaped to tell the tale. In later life he related that in his first battle at Neuve Chapelle he learned to be a soldier, at Aubers Ridge he learned to be a man.