Locomotive Building

[George Geist]

Some really neat stuff here:

 

Might we have any railroad men on the site? Looks like a satisfying job

[stan]

Very good

[ausfire]

Amazing film, George. Thanks for posting. I have forwarded the link to our local engineers who are restoring two old Peckett steam engines. I'm sure they will find it interesting.

And how times have changed since the thirties! Those guys were legends. And not a sign of gloves, hard hats, ear plugs or safety glasses. WPHS boffins would have a field day.

[Senft]

Thank you! Great stuff. Having had some exposure to both, it's very interesting the different ideas and approaches to the same thing you see between American and British steam locos. Plate vs. bar or cast frames, they don't use mechanical stokers, they don't wear gloves while running (and look surprised if you ask!) they may hold a rag in their hand instead. Cleaner design, lighter, less appliances etc., and naturally built to smaller clearances, it goes on... Very neat! 

[Mark Ling]

"you don't put wheels on the locomotive, you put the locomotive on the wheels"

                                                                                                           Littleblacksmith

[SLAG]

George,

Many thanks for a fascinating film.   SLAG.

[Kozzy]

It'd be interesting to know how the pay scales for the various trades compared--Were the smiths paid more or less than the foundry men or final assemblers or machinists?  Often, pay was not about skill but perception and dirty jobs received lower pay even if they took specialized skills.

I chuckled at the casting supervisor in his fancy suit and hat coming out to supervise the pour.  I wonder if that was for the cameras or he showed up for that 5 minutes of over-seeing every pour.  

[SReynolds]

Yes. Right here in northern ohio is a company building steam locomotives. 

Ageofsteamroundhouse sugarcreek ohio

[George Geist]

On 6/30/2016 at 4:32 PM, Kozzy said:

It'd be interesting to know how the pay scales for the various trades compared--Were the smiths paid more or less than the foundry men or final assemblers or machinists?  Often, pay was not about skill but perception and dirty jobs received lower pay even if they took specialized skills.

In railroad work, at least here in the 21st century US, it's pretty easy to find out.

All railroad work is Union. The various crafts are all under national contracts. Blacksmiths are represented by the Boilermakers Union www.boilermakers.org

I believe most Boilermakers for class 1 railroads right now are at about $30 hr plus good benefits including railroad retirement. Electricians are at about the same scale and are both deservedly about the highest paid people on the railroad. I can't speak for what they were paid in GB all those years ago but I'd imagine comparable for the time and place?

I'm sure some of our British friends know more about it than I do.

On 6/30/2016 at 4:32 PM, Kozzy said:

I chuckled at the casting supervisor in his fancy suit and hat coming out to supervise the pour.  I wonder if that was for the cameras or he showed up for that 5 minutes of over-seeing every pour.  

Yeah very British of him of course but I think in those days there was a very clearly defined line between labor and management and the social status of both.

[gote]

I recall a British factory manager in an US plant that I briefly tried to advice.

He were wearing dark suit, pink shirt and blackish tie in the plant and "dressed up" to jeans and T-shirt when we went to a medium fancy restaurant. Although I am not a youngster, this was not in the thirties but some ten years ago.