neilw
now that's what I call a garden railway
Posts: 284
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Post by neilw on Feb 9, 2008 17:03:11 GMT
Could someone clear up something which has bugged me for years, please? Travelling around on the Central during the 60's, I'm sure there used to be warning signs on the cable bridges around Newbury Park-Hainault which said something like "danger-carbide of carborundum". I never did understand what it said, and as a kid I probably never read it properly either! Can anybody shed any light for me please?
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towerman
My status is now now widower
Posts: 2,886
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Post by towerman on Feb 9, 2008 21:55:47 GMT
Don't know about PWay & signals,but rolling stock staff used carbide lamps until the 70's.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2008 23:57:14 GMT
Didn't you tell a story once about a carbide lamp that was left unsealed inside a tightly closed tool locker, and the resulting emissions caused the locket to explode when a 62TS DM motored away using the shed leads, generating sparks in the process?
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towerman
My status is now now widower
Posts: 2,886
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Post by towerman on Feb 10, 2008 0:07:05 GMT
That's right,carbide mixed with water makes a very explosive mixture,although the lights used to be very bright esp if you got one of the guys who religiously polished the brass reflector.
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Post by railtechnician on Feb 10, 2008 9:05:20 GMT
Don't know about PWay & signals,but rolling stock staff used carbide lamps until the 70's. When I started on the signal department in 1977 we used Tilley paraffin lamps as did the P-Way. The P-Way really used to shine their reflectors so you could see them coming for miles at night especially in the tube tunnels where a glowing ring preceded them before the walkers were actually visible. There always seemed to be something rather holy about that although many might say ghostly! |
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Post by 21146 on Feb 10, 2008 10:23:10 GMT
Hmmm this is jogging memory. Didn't the signs read "CAUTION - CALCIUM CARBIDE" in upper case white-on-red Johnston typeface? It was a real shame when those hissing yellow-tinged tilley lamps went.
Reminds me too of the standard "IN CASE OF FIRE TELEPHONE LINE CONTROLLER AND SIGNAL REPORT CENTRE ON AUTO 188" or similar that were on IMR/relay room doors. Still there in many cases but reversed after the Line Service Centres (now Fault Report Centres) were introduced c.1992.
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