This bit of snow

I agree, although the current thinking from those that can change things seems to be, do nothing (its cheap) and in a couple of weeks people will forget about it.

Where we live they have recently moved from 4 or 5 councils to one super-council, that brings efficiency savings. Well no we live at one end of the county with the council offices at the other, as a result we get no satisfaction. I spoke to one of the local council managers the other day, and he had sent a couple of people to get salt, to grit the local roads, when they got to the depot they were refused the salt by a senior manager from HQ. I have fired off a toxic email to my "locally" elected official and advised neighbours to do the same. We have council elections in May this year, and I have made my position clear, it is the only way things will change. Just a shame that we cannot also vote for the council head. It would be interesting to see what would change when they realise they could be unemployed.

Reply to
Vernon
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A sound management practice. Masterful inactivity.

When I look back at all the hot issues that I used to have to deal with, only one in ten proved to be a topic that lasted more than one or two monthly meetings in a row.

One lasted 18 months 'Can we have a second file server' After 18 months, we had screwed the max out of teh one we had, so I said 'yes'

"What caused you to change your mind?" "I haven't changed my mind: merely noted that the cost benefit optimisation has swung in favour of a new server now, after 18 months of you actually managing with one".

If only councils were run as profit and loss centres, rather than as fixed income 'how can we spend it' budget places, we might see saner decisions.

We dealt with things better in the 60's because no one expected the government to be able to do anything. So people cleared their paths, gritted their drives..I mean last year someone said 'I cant get out of my drive'!

Well dear, try digging the snow away. And putting some salt on it.

Of course in those days of coal, we all had a shovel and lots of cinders.

And lots of warm clothes and ex-army blankets, ALL of which went into the car boot. If you had a car.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Moi? Perish the thort! :-)

Reply to
Tim Streater

So how were B&H gritting their hills prior to last year then? Or perhaps they weren't.

Reply to
Tim Streater

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Tim Streater saying something like:

I suppose a bloke or two walked in front with a bucket of grit when necessary, but it might be a bit hazardous (perish the thought). I'm utterly sure I've seen a pic of a gritter wagon with a railed platform mounted on the front of the cab where a couple of blokes stood, throwing grit in front of the truck. Don't recall whether it was a UK or a Continong one.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

There have always been a few impassable hills; I guess they are now trying to fix those. Braybon Avenue and Bear Road come to mind...

Reply to
Bob Eager

I suspect they used the sort of vehicle TMH talks about - flat bed trucks that can have a gritting attachment fitted at the back. In most years, when they only need to put grit down in advance of an occasional ice warning, that is not a problem, as they are out and about before the ice. It is only when they need to grit aafter the ice has formed that they need a lorry that spreads the grit under its own wheels. However, they are usually specialist vehicles that do nothing for most of the year, unlike the convertable type.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

In message , The Natural Philosopher writes

Reminds me of a phone call received during the worst of the snow last winter. Dozy woman calling to complain that she had not received any mail for a few days. I politely explained that the posties were making every effort to reach all accessible addresses, but, in the event of a problem, she was welcome to collect her mail from the PO. I can't do that, she said. Why not?, says I. We're snowed in ...

Phone call yesterday from another woman, complaining about no mail, so I speak to the postie. No, he says. Remote track, not cleared, cannot get there. Explained to woman, who insisted access was OK. She knew, because her husband had got down the track in his tractor. WTF do these people think the posties have as vehicles?

Reply to
Graeme

Don't forget that the trains themselves are much wider ~9ft (2750mm) than the track. The track gauge is only 4ft 8 1/2in (1435mm), so there is quite a bit of overhang.

The centre of the third rail is 1' 4" (405mm) from the inside face of the adjacent running rail so where there are short overlapping lengths of 3rd rail on both sides of the track they are on ~7' 4" (2245mm) centres - in other words, there is still a fair bit of room left!

The spacing between running tracks 'the six foot' is ~6' 6" (1970mm) measured between the outside faces of the running rails so there is no problem with any multiple track sections (which most railways are!)

Reply to
Terry Casey

Thanks - so it sounds like it might indeed be practical, then.

Reply to
Tim Streater

changeover

Having been involved in detail with collector systems, I have to say that there is far more to be considered than you seem to appreciate.

What you need to be sure of is that the collector will always remain within its permitted space envelope, never foul track or trackside equipment, yet always make adequate contact with the conductor rail where it is present. This has to be true for track and train at the limits of their design tolerances, and taking account of dynamic movements and wear.

With your proposal, you now have to do this for two systems at the same time. Even for existing systems, this is quite tricky, and so tight are the requirements that the primary suspension travel (that between wheelset and bogie) cannot be allowed to affect the pickup position.

Chris

Reply to
Chris J Dixon

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Graeme saying something like:

Why on earth doesn't she have a drop-box at the end of the track?

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

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