Work!

Iron Crab · 07-24-2002, 07:17 PM

Did anyone have one of those weeks at work??
The boss came out and started by saying he couldn't spare anyone for a special project but he had to (uh oh) and I was it.
They had a locomotive platform with the fuel tank out of location and they needed someone to cut it off so it could be moved an inch and a half. The fuel tank is 24 feet long and is welded into the main stucture of the locomotive.
I spent three days on it. First cutting thru the deck plates and cutting thru all the top welds holding the tank. The afternoon of the second day I had to roll it over to get at the bottom ( I had help for a couple of hours for that and a big crowd of spectators). I was 15 minutes from lifting the tank off on the third day when he pulled me off for another project

.

**schrocat** · 07-25-2002, 04:36 PM

IC,

You're gonna hate hearing this...
But that sounds soooo much cooler than my job it isn't funny.

Having to move such a large tank an inch and a half sounds lame though. Was it incorrect to begin with? Or did a new element require the change.

Iron Crab · 07-25-2002, 06:09 PM

It was cool but hot. I had a lot of sparks flying.
What happened was it was put on out of location and was ready to ship to the next building to have the engine, cab and all the final stuff put on before it was caught by final inspection.
After three days I really wanted to see it to the end.
I was pulled off to help another guy weld one of the main traction pins on another deck. Two hours into that I heard the crane horn blowing and saw the tank coming off.

MEC · 07-31-2002, 05:16 PM

Being a railfan I think I would really like your job. Which company / plant do you work at? Its really not quite the same since steam went out 50 years ago though......Mike

Iron Crab · 08-01-2002, 09:06 PM

Mike,
I work at the General Electric plant in Erie, Pa.
There at certain times I love it there but the job I'm on now is hard on the body. Today it was about 95 degrees and I'm wearing enough protective gear to choke an Eskimo at the Pole.
The goal is to end up in final test- I've been there a few times to fix some defects. A freshly painted locomotive ready to ship has got to be the neatest thing man ( and woman ) made

MEC · 08-02-2002, 05:13 PM

I remember going through there as a kid . Really awsome to see all the locos being built. Got to agree about all the PPE though. Its got to make these humid days just about unbearable.

Final test sounds cool though, Got to be a thrill to run those beasts

Myself I have run a couple of electric centercabs and a really old electric interurban at the museum where I volinteer. Loots of fun, and a responsibility too. >>>>>>Mike

Iron Crab · 08-03-2002, 01:39 PM

Yep, this month has been almost unliveable at work but during the summer we sort of slow down and watch ourselves.
Anyway, you got one up on me. I've worked on them for about 25 years and never got to ride one yet

.
At one time they were going to give us a chance to sit in on a test run if we could go a year without getting hurt but everyone shot it down ( not me!) so instead we got coats, dinners and stuff like that.
On a weird note just a few months ago one didn't stop in time on the test track and ended up in someones backyard. The company wasn't happy over that one.

MEC · 08-04-2002, 12:27 PM

Gee a chance to ride and all they wanted were jackets

I can see how someone might run one of those new locos off the track. airbrakes are sort of tricky when you first learn how to use them. Especially on those new 6000 HP jobs, there HUGE . Waite till you get a chance to run one with a few cars behind it, talk about judging distance

.......Mike

Iron Crab · 08-04-2002, 05:16 PM

My town use to be a RR town. Everyone on my road use to work on the RR - now only my one neighbor does so I hear all his stories. They run GM locos (the traitors

).
I keep busting my coworkers about the ride thing. I now have 4 jackets, a $50 gift card to the local mall, and I just turned down a dinner during work hours a couple weeks ago. I do like the sub and pizza parties that we get but would take the ride in a heartbeat.

I just worry about keep building locos in the USA. At the moment it seems shops in Erie are closing at a record pace and most of the high tech jobs at GE Erie are going to imported employees from India and Pakistan and the local goverment is pushing tourism.

MEC · 08-07-2002, 03:34 PM

I know there getting to be fewer and fewer jobs in the loco industry. Seems the ferenirs

are trying to get in on the business too. Alco went under in the 50s, they really couldnt make the transition from steam to deisel very well. They did build some very sturdy locomotives though.
I dont see any real growth in the building business, there will always be the need for newer locos, but after this round of buying things will probably slack off a bit. I think the real growth area will be the maint. and repair end of things. With a life of 20-30 years the maintence of these high tec-dollar machines is going to be the money maker.
I wouldn't worry too much though. hopfully you have enough seniority to go through any downsizing that hits.
If you ever get to the Columbus Ohio area let me know, I could probably arrange a little seat time in one of the museums locos

.
Mike

Iron Crab · 08-07-2002, 08:16 PM

It's good to see your up on all this. This year we have a lot of work with rebuilds for other countries. Right now we're making engine platforms for Syria to upgrade their fleet with modern engines. I think we have some more going to a couple "stan" countries.
If I make it to Columbus I'll let you know. Thanks, Bill

07-24-2002, 07:17 PM	#1
Iron Crab Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: N.W. Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 434	Work! Did anyone have one of those weeks at work?? The boss came out and started by saying he couldn't spare anyone for a special project but he had to (uh oh) and I was it. They had a locomotive platform with the fuel tank out of location and they needed someone to cut it off so it could be moved an inch and a half. The fuel tank is 24 feet long and is welded into the main stucture of the locomotive. I spent three days on it. First cutting thru the deck plates and cutting thru all the top welds holding the tank. The afternoon of the second day I had to roll it over to get at the bottom ( I had help for a couple of hours for that and a big crowd of spectators). I was 15 minutes from lifting the tank off on the third day when he pulled me off for another project.

07-25-2002, 04:36 PM	#2
schrocat Moderator Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Hilliard , Fl. Posts: 3,364	IC, You're gonna hate hearing this... But that sounds soooo much cooler than my job it isn't funny. Having to move such a large tank an inch and a half sounds lame though. Was it incorrect to begin with? Or did a new element require the change. __________________ "One man's vulgarity is another man's lyric" -Justice John Marshall Harlan "Send Lawyers, Guns and Money." -WZ

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07-25-2002, 06:09 PM	#3
Iron Crab Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: N.W. Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 434	It was cool but hot. I had a lot of sparks flying. What happened was it was put on out of location and was ready to ship to the next building to have the engine, cab and all the final stuff put on before it was caught by final inspection. After three days I really wanted to see it to the end. I was pulled off to help another guy weld one of the main traction pins on another deck. Two hours into that I heard the crane horn blowing and saw the tank coming off.

07-31-2002, 05:16 PM	#4
MEC Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Columbus Ohio USA Posts: 303	Being a railfan I think I would really like your job. Which company / plant do you work at? Its really not quite the same since steam went out 50 years ago though......Mike

08-01-2002, 09:06 PM	#5
Iron Crab Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: N.W. Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 434	Mike, I work at the General Electric plant in Erie, Pa. There at certain times I love it there but the job I'm on now is hard on the body. Today it was about 95 degrees and I'm wearing enough protective gear to choke an Eskimo at the Pole. The goal is to end up in final test- I've been there a few times to fix some defects. A freshly painted locomotive ready to ship has got to be the neatest thing man ( and woman ) made

08-02-2002, 05:13 PM	#6
MEC Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Columbus Ohio USA Posts: 303	I remember going through there as a kid . Really awsome to see all the locos being built. Got to agree about all the PPE though. Its got to make these humid days just about unbearable. Final test sounds cool though, Got to be a thrill to run those beasts Myself I have run a couple of electric centercabs and a really old electric interurban at the museum where I volinteer. Loots of fun, and a responsibility too. >>>>>>Mike

08-03-2002, 01:39 PM	#7
Iron Crab Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: N.W. Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 434	Yep, this month has been almost unliveable at work but during the summer we sort of slow down and watch ourselves. Anyway, you got one up on me. I've worked on them for about 25 years and never got to ride one yet . At one time they were going to give us a chance to sit in on a test run if we could go a year without getting hurt but everyone shot it down ( not me!) so instead we got coats, dinners and stuff like that. On a weird note just a few months ago one didn't stop in time on the test track and ended up in someones backyard. The company wasn't happy over that one.

08-04-2002, 12:27 PM	#8
MEC Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Columbus Ohio USA Posts: 303	Gee a chance to ride and all they wanted were jackets I can see how someone might run one of those new locos off the track. airbrakes are sort of tricky when you first learn how to use them. Especially on those new 6000 HP jobs, there HUGE . Waite till you get a chance to run one with a few cars behind it, talk about judging distance .......Mike

08-04-2002, 05:16 PM	#9
Iron Crab Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: N.W. Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 434	My town use to be a RR town. Everyone on my road use to work on the RR - now only my one neighbor does so I hear all his stories. They run GM locos (the traitors ). I keep busting my coworkers about the ride thing. I now have 4 jackets, a $50 gift card to the local mall, and I just turned down a dinner during work hours a couple weeks ago. I do like the sub and pizza parties that we get but would take the ride in a heartbeat. I just worry about keep building locos in the USA. At the moment it seems shops in Erie are closing at a record pace and most of the high tech jobs at GE Erie are going to imported employees from India and Pakistan and the local goverment is pushing tourism.

08-07-2002, 03:34 PM	#10
MEC Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Columbus Ohio USA Posts: 303	I know there getting to be fewer and fewer jobs in the loco industry. Seems the ferenirs are trying to get in on the business too. Alco went under in the 50s, they really couldnt make the transition from steam to deisel very well. They did build some very sturdy locomotives though. I dont see any real growth in the building business, there will always be the need for newer locos, but after this round of buying things will probably slack off a bit. I think the real growth area will be the maint. and repair end of things. With a life of 20-30 years the maintence of these high tec-dollar machines is going to be the money maker. I wouldn't worry too much though. hopfully you have enough seniority to go through any downsizing that hits. If you ever get to the Columbus Ohio area let me know, I could probably arrange a little seat time in one of the museums locos . Mike

08-07-2002, 08:16 PM	#11
Iron Crab Council Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: N.W. Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 434	It's good to see your up on all this. This year we have a lot of work with rebuilds for other countries. Right now we're making engine platforms for Syria to upgrade their fleet with modern engines. I think we have some more going to a couple "stan" countries. If I make it to Columbus I'll let you know. Thanks, Bill

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