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Post by Rob on Sept 29, 2014 12:17:51 GMT
so far as the south wales coal tips are concerned there are no H & S issues as suggested by robp since the merthyr vale (aberfan) horrific and tragic slip. There are always issues as far as health and safety fairies are concerned. I recall in my previous job a decree in the name of H+S that stated no fork trucks could be driven across public walkways without approval and supervision from management. Considering public walkways criss-crossed every area, and the fork trucks would need to cross them hundreds if not thousands of times an hour for every movement (Oh, and management went home at 4!), you can see how ludicrous this idea was. But, I digress! My comment regarding H+S issues was more the colliery sites in general, rather than the slag heaps. Sites and features that I used to frequent when I was younger are now under 10 feet high piles of railway ballast as apparently the fencing surrounding them was not good enough. And this is only in the last 5 or so years, those same fences did perfectly fine for the previous 25-30 years! Sadly, instead of preserving 130 years of history for the future, it's now all but invisible.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 22:05:46 GMT
Sorry to digress a wee bit but in a similar vein on Management decrees, I used this fictitious story to illustrate to my Apprentices a possible result of a decision that's not been thought through..............."During WW2, at the height of the 1,000 bomber raids on Germany (Americans by day, the British by night) Air Chief Marshall "Bomber" Harris ----- who was in complete control ---- was allocated a young, junior officer as a No.2 and as such he had a small amount of control himself......Eager to make a favourable impression with the great man he made a few enquiries amongst the various squadron Technical Officers as to what small part of a plane might cause it to fail total readiness for combat ........... Back came a general consensus that a spark plug could foul-up or fail entirely...."Ah-ha!!" thought he, here's a simple thing with which I can make my name"........So he issued a RED PRIORITY order to all Squadron Commanders that before the next 1,000 bomber raid ALL spark plugs were to be changed.......Simple enough, you might think ??......Now lets do the maths together}-----Americans used the B17 Flying Fortress which had Pratt & Witney 18-cylinder radial engines ( 9cyls.per bank x 2 banks =18)--- x 4 engines = 74 plugs x 2 (twin-plug heads) 148 x 1,000 planes = 148,000 plugs.............British used Lancasters with V-16cyls. Merlin engines and twin plug heads. This gives 16 x 2 =32 per engine x 4 engines = 128 x 1,000 planes = 128,000 plugs......TOTAL so far = 148,000 + 128,000 = 276,000 plugs...... PLUS, it was Stores Standing Procedure to bump-up an order by 2.5 % to allow for transit losses, duff items etc so}----- 2.5% x 276,000 = 6,900 plugs to add on................GRAND TOTAL = 282,900 plugs !!! ".................We could go on and consider the weight and logistics problems for the manufacturers, railways etc........... But I think you get the point !!...............PLEASE, don't send in technical corrections etc...it was just a bit of make-believe to get the message across about engaging brain before selecting mouth...........
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
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Post by smallbrother on Sept 29, 2014 23:32:03 GMT
To digress a little further.....
I was mentored by a fine engineer who had stood there in Aberfan, in late 1966, looking at the dozens of colliers frantically trying to rescue their children from the school. There he was, a holder of a first class degree in Mining Engineering unable to figure out what exactly had gone wrong and could another dollop come down and bury the colliers.
He determined to study the subject and became a very good geotechnical engineer - and he passed a lot of his knowledge on to me. I was later involved in analysing spoil tips and putting them into a safe condition. I also looked into safety of tips and excavated slopes on working opencast mines
It never ceased to amaze me how reluctant managers were to allow time to do the job properly - you would think Aberfan never happened. On top of that, you could at times steepen up the slopes to win more coal, quite safely because we knew what was going on.
I regret having written this as it reminds me of the bad times but sometimes you have to get things out of your system.
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jma1009
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Post by jma1009 on Sept 30, 2014 0:08:42 GMT
pete,
you share the thoughts of everyone affected by the terrible aberfan disaster.
it has caused an awful shadow over coal mining in south wales, and we both know people who were in that school on that fateful day on 21st october 1966 and survived, whereas 116 childern and 28 adults did not, plus know those who tried so valiantly to rescue survivors.
cheers, julian
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Post by Roger on Sept 30, 2014 7:34:25 GMT
I wasn't that old at the time, but I remember the pictures vividly and imagining myself in that school at the time. It was a truly shocking disaster that gripped the whole nation, one that will never be forgotten.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2014 7:35:35 GMT
I had joined the RN in SEPT '65 and was doing 1st Year basic training at HMS FISGARD, PLYMOUTH............One of the lads in our Division was called away to report to our Divisional Officer ( A "not unusual" occurrance for "active, teen-age lads" shall we say)...............We never saw him again!!........Turns out he'd lost a younger relation and had been allowed to go home on "Special Leave" immediately...Soon after he left the Service on "Compassionate grounds"...................One life lost, one promising career ruined !!..........I can still see his face but can't remember his name.............Don't have regrets Pete..........It doesn't pay to dwell on these things I know but by the same token " We will remember them".....
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Post by ejparrott on Sept 30, 2014 9:02:44 GMT
I know it well, wasn't around at the time, but with Dad in the coal board, Mother a history teacher, me with interest in industrial history and having lived in the valleys for many years, not too surprising!
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by smallbrother on Sept 30, 2014 9:52:16 GMT
Even engineers get emotional, and not just over things of a practical nature!!!
Normal service resumed today after a terrible night's sleep....sorting the water supply from my riding truck to the injector.
I can keep Julian happy as I won't need to use the axle pump! Well, maybe not so much.
Sorry to go so way off topic for this thread.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2014 10:28:49 GMT
I'd say you were bang-on target as the word "Sundries" covers a multitude of sins, so to speak......
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monkeyhero97
Part of the e-furniture
Got a 7 1/4" Stafford and 2 1/2" WD 2-10-0, building Ayesha and thinking about Q1.
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Post by monkeyhero97 on Oct 7, 2014 21:03:27 GMT
Right.... after a bit of shipping issues... the loco is finally on the way to me... on a plane so it really should not be too long before my face lights up and I become like a toddler with a bear .... so back to steam sundries .... I have some steam oil... and the only thing missing now is coal. A friend has some 14/20 anthracite to sell me but he is not availbile the next coming week so I can just buy it from the local coal merchant. They sell 20/30 anthracite... or nuts for 7.25" engines. Could I just get a chisel or/and hammer and break them into smaller parts or will this not work.... may seem a stupid question but I really am not whether it would break into smaller pieces without a considerable force or will it just crumble into dust...... Marc
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Post by ejparrott on Oct 7, 2014 21:21:38 GMT
It'll break, chisel not required, back of the shovel usually works for me.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2014 21:27:16 GMT
Or use a proper Coal Hammer >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by smallbrother on Oct 7, 2014 21:33:46 GMT
I assume you have the blower and a battery too?
Also some charcoal soaked in paraffin to get the fire started. You can use a fire-lighter and small sticks as well.
Use some small bits of coal to start but once alight if it fits through the door it is going to burn. Push it into the corners to get a good spread of heat over the grate.
Best of luck!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2014 23:04:41 GMT
If you do have to break some lumps put a tarpaulin on the ground---then a fine grade garden riddle on top and break the lumps in that....Coal dust can get everywhere if you're not careful..... A bucket of cold water with a cloth soaking in it for when you burn your fingers or something catches fire.............Close any windows in the house and keep well away from neighbours washing that's out drying !!--------------expect little children to soon find out on the "Jungle Telegraph" of theirs....
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
Posts: 5,901
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Post by jma1009 on Oct 8, 2014 0:03:03 GMT
hi marc, anthracite is quite hard. whilst welsh steam coal (friable and softer) can usually be broken easily, i have had to break up large (ie too big for our locos) anthracite on a hard surface with a hammer. it is quite fun breaking up coal - (always outside in the garden) - and teaches you a lot (about coal)! i once broke up a load of 'coventry hard' from the fullsize 'Stepney's bunker i was given for my locos. it was like trying to break up slate, but it burnt extremely well! cheers, julian
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Post by steamcoal on Oct 8, 2014 1:29:38 GMT
Every kid should get a piece of coal, its and education.
I offer them a small lump. They go all shy , hide behind mummy and have not a clue what it is. Just one of the building blocks of mankind. Maybe they all should spend time breaking up coal Julian.
The size of an iphone makes the world go around it seems these days. I say the bigger they are the less likely I am to lose it!
What a strange world we live in now.
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monkeyhero97
Part of the e-furniture
Got a 7 1/4" Stafford and 2 1/2" WD 2-10-0, building Ayesha and thinking about Q1.
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Post by monkeyhero97 on Oct 8, 2014 4:37:07 GMT
HI there all After watching probably every single video on youtube about 5" engines and firing locos.... I have a decent idea how to. I do have previous experince firing and driving... but I dont really think a wonderful SAR 15F 5" has any similarity with my simplex hihi. I did last week soak some charcoal in this bbq gel liquid.... hopefully should do the trick. As a blower, my friend in SA pack in a chiney extension and an adapter from my air compressor I am set ..... until the next problem Marc
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bhk
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Post by bhk on Oct 8, 2014 5:21:36 GMT
On a side note anyone used charcoal soaked in kerosene?
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monkeyhero97
Part of the e-furniture
Got a 7 1/4" Stafford and 2 1/2" WD 2-10-0, building Ayesha and thinking about Q1.
Posts: 423
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Post by monkeyhero97 on Oct 8, 2014 5:50:46 GMT
Thats seems the norm from what I've heard...but everything is so hard to find in switzerland Marc
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 8:46:38 GMT
I assume you have the blower and a battery too? Also some charcoal soaked in paraffin to get the fire started. -------------------Paraffin is Kerosene by another name..
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