One of my interesting trips was part of The Orient Express. It was for the electrical project we manufactured underneath the rails.
I was always curious as to what voltages were found on such trains and what the protection systems were.
Different parts of it. Some of it was 700 VDC, parts were 1500 Vac, some was 3000 Vac.
What were the DC circuits for?
It was air conditioning. The earlier Orient Express did not have air con. The system was both DC and AC. The power electronics was Thyristors (SCRs).
As an mechanical engineer my only travels were when the factory closed down and I stayed on to help them move all the equipment down to Tor Point in Plymouth, where I continued to work for six months in order to teach the locals how to work the specialised machinery.
During that time, I also spent two weeks in Colwyn Bay (Wales) doing the same, and one week in Nuneaton, removing all the machinery from another factory the company had bought and closed down.
As a courier, I worked the whole of the British Isles, and visited places far too many to mention. From Southampton and as far north as Dundee.
Ah, Dundeeā¦ we used to go to down to Dundee lol ! My school was Kirriemuir, famous for J. M. Barrie, Window in Thrums
Hi Bret at 75 I havenāt grown up yet but will let you know when I have and decide what I want to be ā¦
I always wanted a job that involved travel of some sort.
When I was an apprentice with GPO Telephones I knew exactly which job I wanted, I forget what it was called but it involved a bit of everything, subs fitting and maintenance, a bit of overhead and underground work plus looking after all the small exchanges between Hythe and Dymchurch. The bloke was retiring just at the right time too, what did I end up on? Transmission, coax and radio with very limited travel
I did eventually travel a lot and still do but never for work even though I did work in foreign parts the job itself was static - really annoying.
That was Dengkil in Malaysiaā¦
When very young around age 10 i wanted to be an air hostess . Then when i left school with no qualifications i asked mum if i could be an apprentice hairdresser . The wage was Ā£1 a week . I was promptly told to get a proper job to help feed the family of 9 mouths . So i reluctantly went to work in a shop . I think my wage was about Ā£3 a week . I changed many jobs throughout my life all very low paid until i went to college to retrain aged 50 .
I donāt recall having a particular aim, but I did think the job of being on television and slapping the happy suns and gray clouds on the weather map looked like something I could probably learn how to do .
Nor me, I usually followed the path of least resistance but was lucky that it usually involved well above average pay.
Also did well on the short term money market in the late 80s/early 90s and the property market which set me up for a good retirement at 60.
The only thing that rankles slightly is that I gave my ex wife a house free and clear as a property settlement thinking that eventually my kids would get it, she managed to gamble it away within three years. If Iād known I would have fought harder but of course I didnāt, anyway they donāt seem to care anyway.
It sounds like you did well for yourself, raised a family comfortably, and your kids are now happy and independent. Most importantly, they are still coming around and part of your life! I think your āluckā was more about good decisions and staying the course. You may not have aimed but it sounds like you hit the target.
Yep, I am a happy, content little bunny. Absolutely nothing to complain about.
When I was a lad, many moons ago the only route out was being a miner, the church or the military, I wanted to be a jockey
Did you grow out of it?
Old
Have you achieved your wish