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Attitudes to Safety then...

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Inversnecky

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I enjoy watching vintage films about the railways, and seeing how things were done in the past.

Though we are used to scenes without a hi-viz vest in sight, some of the cavalier attitudes to safety made a modern jaw drop, though!

In this video, there’s a segment about the construction of a new station in Manchester, and a sequence of the ‘spidermen’ walking along roof girders seemingly with no safety harnesses in sight!

 

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WesternLancer

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I enjoy watching vintage films about the railways, and seeing how things were done in the past.

Though we are used to scenes without a hi-viz vest in sight, some of the cavalier attitudes to safety made a modern jaw drop, though!

In this video, there’s a segment about the construction of a new station in Manchester, and a sequence of the ‘spidermen’ walking along roof girders seemingly with no safety harnesses in sight!

I recall another BTF film (showing electrification underway) where the method of descending a ladder involved 'clamping' the ladder with insteps of feet and hands on sides of ladder to slide down with decent slowed by friction from insteps of feet and hands on ladder sides!

Looked effective and efficient but I've not practiced it myself!
 

Inversnecky

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I recall another BTF film (showing electrification underway) where the method of descending a ladder involved 'clamping' the ladder with insteps of feet and hands on sides of ladder to slide down with decent slowed by friction from insteps of feet and hands on ladder sides!

Looked effective and efficient but I've not practiced it myself!
Yes, I remember that one too!
 

neilmc

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I of course walked around depots all the time in the 1970s including Stewarts Lane!!!
Stewarts Lane ... that brings back memories. I lived in Leeds in the late 1960s/early 1970s and we would go on organised shed bashing trips around the country with railfan groups, but more accessible places we'd do ourselves, without permits of course. We decided that London fell into that category as we could easily get around the capital and cover a large number of sheds, but we didn't always quite know where they were. We went to "bunk" Stewarts Lane and found ourselves on the wrong side of a four-track electrified third rail network with an EMU whizzing by every minute or so, under the view of a signal box.

"Umm ... maybe we should just note the locos we can see from here?" someone ventured.

It felt like a cowardly retreat, but, just very occasionally, discretion would be the better part of valour. One of the few sheds which always remained unbunked.
 

RAPC

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That's a great video. Thanks for sharing it as it made for enjoyable viewing.
 

delt1c

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Done Stewarts Lane back in 70's when the 71's and 74's were stored there. Yes less emphasis on safety but we all took rrecponcibility for each other and can never remember any of our group getting injured regardless of wether it was an official visit, unofficial visit with the foreman showing us around or a visit sneaking into depots for a look. different times
 

6Gman

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I've seen a photo of the partial demolition of Manchester London Road where a guy is prising the coping stones off at roof level with a crowbar. Probably 80+ feet up, no harness and gaily sending the coping stones crashing down to the ground beneath!
 

Inversnecky

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That's a great video. Thanks for sharing it as it made for enjoyable viewing.
There’s a few like it on YT, think this was part 2. There’s a great one called Signal Engineers from about 1962 (posted about it on another thread).

Once you start searching on YT, the algorithm will no doubt come up with similar.
 

Peter C

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I've seen quite a few old railway-themed videos on YT like that and the attitudes to safety are worlds apart from then to now - and rightly so I suppose in a lot of cases, but that's an item for another day. You just don't get scenes like that anymore - it's a lot like Fred Dibnah climbing factory chimneys!

-Peter
 

47271

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I've posted this before, but I have a very personal connection with the topic.

My screen name is a result of me having been photographed in a long since gone part of Inverness yard aged 1 and in front of 47271, so a bit of a family icon. The thought of being able to wander into a live railway with a small child and photograph them sat under the wheels of a locomotive is quite unbelievable now, blame my dad.
 

peteb

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Yard visits. Depot visits. Sadly now things of the past. The NREA used to organise a lot largely using road transport if I recall, to keep costs down. But were there really many accidents involving spotters at depots? I'm sure good old common sense often prevailed, or maybe they just didn't keep strict H&S records in those days.
 

EbbwJunction1

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When I was spotting, I often visited sheds on my own without permits.

I knew where to go to ask for permission, although there were some places where I knew that I'd be refused, so the tactic then was to walk around the shed "looking" for the Depot Foreman. This worked most of the time, although there was one occasion at Tinsley where I was walking around the yard and spotted someone coming from the shed to where I was. I increased my speed, thinking that I was about to be thrown out and got to the end of the row ... to meet the chap coming the other way! I explained that I had been looking for him, which of course he didn't believe; he said that I could continue, but he hadn't seen me, so it was up to me. Given that type of "permission", I finished my visit and said thank you on the way out.
 

GRALISTAIR

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Yard visits. Depot visits. Sadly now things of the past. The NREA used to organise a lot largely using road transport if I recall, to keep costs down. But were there really many accidents involving spotters at depots? I'm sure good old common sense often prevailed, or maybe they just didn't keep strict H&S records in those days.
Yes I used to go with NCTS, Dalescroft, RESL, ICRS, SYRS etc and of course on my own or with a group on a car bash.
 

peteb

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Did Stratford depot once with two mates, travelled up from Birmingham on an 8 car Class 312 EMU excursion (!) to Euston. Spent about 1/2 hour there before bring thrown out. c.1980. I recall white windowed class 31's a highlight of our trip.
 
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