Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[tikay]

LOL you guys don't half think about some totally random shit 

Just saying, like.

Haha!  Where did that quote come from?

Woodsey is one of the good guys, and fairly handy himself in the random stakes.

Yesterday!

[tikay]

I was hoping that Tony would shed some light on the issue of overloading railway trucks.

There have been lots of occasions where I have been guilty of overloading lorries. When I was buying scrap metal, or engines for export, tarmac, turf etc.

I can't tell you how many police patrol cars I've passed with the cheeks of my arsenic squeezed so tightly together you couldn't get a fag-paper between them.

Very rare these days, non-existent, I'd say.

Even back in the day, it was very rare. It was the Guards job on the old "mixed-freight" trains to note the weight of each & every wagon, before setting off, & they were pretty fussy about the weight not being too much - as much for financial reasons as anything else.

Most of the rail freight back then was coal, for which the charge was per ton, so the more weight, the more the Railway got paid, but Railway Guards have always been - still are I would hazard a guess - stroppy & independent little buggers, with ideas above their station. They liked to think they were a class above the footplatemen. Pfft.

LOL. I love those old rivalries. You used to see them everywhere, and probably still do in proper professions.


No. What I mean is, I wouldn't have thought it possible to fit enough coal into a railway truck to overload it.

Different coals have different density, & thus weight.

The best coal is "anthracite", see....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite

This is pretty heavy compared to, say, coking coal.....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_(fuel

I would say (just guessing) that anthracite is 5 times heavier than coking coal. So a heaped (open) wagon of one is far heavier than the other.

[tikay]

The Union rivalries fascinate, we have seen it on the Railways, the Print (it destroyed the Print industry as was), Teachers, Airlines, Media, Telecoms, Local Government.

I presume the Management encouraged the rivalries, too. Divide & rule ftw.

[Laxie]

Trying to decide whether or not I like the word scurryfunge.  It's kinda cool, but a little gross too.  Once I've decided, I'll resume nagging you about something or other.  Although I really should be writing out Christmas cards.  Sigh.  [ ] love that job.

[RED-DOG]

Trying to decide whether or not I like the word scurryfunge.  It's kinda cool, but a little gross too.  Once I've decided, I'll resume nagging you about something or other.  Although I really should be writing out Christmas cards.  Sigh.  [ ] love that job.

We usually leave our cards until the last minute, and them panic when we receive one from someone we've forgotten.

I have to say, I admire the way Tony avoids all that bollocks.

[kinboshi]

Tom, this is a good piece going back to what we were talking about quite a few pages back now, on this cultured diary:

http://www.campaignfordignityindying.org/pages/blog/485/in_memory_of_geraldine_mcclelland_.html

and an open letter from the lady herself:

http://www.dignityindying.org.uk/news/general/n323-my-dying-wish-please-talk-about-my-death.html

[RED-DOG]

Tom, this is a good piece going back to what we were talking about quite a few pages back now, on this cultured diary:

http://www.campaignfordignityindying.org/pages/blog/485/in_memory_of_geraldine_mcclelland_.html

and an open letter from the lady herself:

http://www.dignityindying.org.uk/news/general/n323-my-dying-wish-please-talk-about-my-death.html

Powerful, poignant stuff Dan.


"We wouldn’t treat a dog so badly". 

[RED-DOG]

I was hoping that Tony would shed some light on the issue of overloading railway trucks.

There have been lots of occasions where I have been guilty of overloading lorries. When I was buying scrap metal, or engines for export, tarmac, turf etc.

I can't tell you how many police patrol cars I've passed with the cheeks of my arsenic squeezed so tightly together you couldn't get a fag-paper between them.

Very rare these days, non-existent, I'd say.

Even back in the day, it was very rare. It was the Guards job on the old "mixed-freight" trains to note the weight of each & every wagon, before setting off, & they were pretty fussy about the weight not being too much - as much for financial reasons as anything else.

Most of the rail freight back then was coal, for which the charge was per ton, so the more weight, the more the Railway got paid, but Railway Guards have always been - still are I would hazard a guess - stroppy & independent little buggers, with ideas above their station. They liked to think they were a class above the footplatemen. Pfft.

LOL. I love those old rivalries. You used to see them everywhere, and probably still do in proper professions.


No. What I mean is, I wouldn't have thought it possible to fit enough coal into a railway truck to overload it.

Different coals have different density, & thus weight.

The best coal is "anthracite", see....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite

This is pretty heavy compared to, say, coking coal.....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_(fuel

I would say (just guessing) that anthracite is 5 times heavier than coking coal. So a heaped (open) wagon of one is far heavier than the other.

When I come to think about it, my Granddad and I used to go picking out bits of coal from a slag heaps. (Hessian bags again) When we had filled our bags, we would drape them over the cross bar of our bikes and push them home.

Sometimes a bagful was quite light, and sometimes it was almost more than we could lift. 

[david3103]

Moving powder around is a very well considered problem in the chemical industry due to the explosive potential of a lot of powders. A lot of powder is moved by blowing it through pipes, often/usually with pure nitrogen rather than air to remove the explosive potential. There is a fairly big industry built around producing machines to do this in the most economical way possible (ie fastest flow rates with the smallest nitrogen loss, as it's fairly expensive).

I feel a bit dirty writing about this in the cultured diary though. Sorry.

Yet, despite the hazard, cement tanker drivers aren't required to hold an ADR Certificate. The official licence to carry dangerous loads.

I'm beginning to understand why they move powders around in tankers and pipes now though. Not because it behaves like a liquid, but because they can keep the air out.

I wonder what you have to learn to get an ARD certificate? There must be more to it than "If owt goes wrong, run like buggery".

ADR Training generally involves 4days of fairly intense classroom work and then a day of exams. Costs anything from £400 upwards but does mean drivers can ask for higher pay rates.
The training covers how to handle task of carrying the different classes of materials covered. What paperwork is needed, what the appropriate response is when there's a spill or leak (including 'run like buggery'). Nine classifications including flammable liquids; flammable gases; corrosive materials and Class 9 which is our old friend miscellaneous.
Nuclear and  explosive materials don't get covered in that basic training and in my 11 years of asking for people's qualifications whilst I've had hundreds of ADR qualified drivers through the door I've only met two who had the Nuclear option.

ADR stands for Accord Dangereuse Routiere - an agreement for the transport of dangerous goods. Ex-Military drivers call it HazMat.

[RED-DOG]

Moving powder around is a very well considered problem in the chemical industry due to the explosive potential of a lot of powders. A lot of powder is moved by blowing it through pipes, often/usually with pure nitrogen rather than air to remove the explosive potential. There is a fairly big industry built around producing machines to do this in the most economical way possible (ie fastest flow rates with the smallest nitrogen loss, as it's fairly expensive).

I feel a bit dirty writing about this in the cultured diary though. Sorry.

Yet, despite the hazard, cement tanker drivers aren't required to hold an ADR Certificate. The official licence to carry dangerous loads.

I'm beginning to understand why they move powders around in tankers and pipes now though. Not because it behaves like a liquid, but because they can keep the air out.

I wonder what you have to learn to get an ARD certificate? There must be more to it than "If owt goes wrong, run like buggery".

ADR Training generally involves 4days of fairly intense classroom work and then a day of exams. Costs anything from £400 upwards but does mean drivers can ask for higher pay rates.
The training covers how to handle task of carrying the different classes of materials covered. What paperwork is needed, what the appropriate response is when there's a spill or leak (including 'run like buggery'). Nine classifications including flammable liquids; flammable gases; corrosive materials and Class 9 which is our old friend miscellaneous.
Nuclear and  explosive materials don't get covered in that basic training and in my 11 years of asking for people's qualifications whilst I've had hundreds of ADR qualified drivers through the door I've only met two who had the Nuclear option.

ADR stands for Accord Dangereuse Routiere - an agreement for the transport of dangerous goods. Ex-Military drivers call it HazMat.

So does an ADR cert cover you for all nine classifications, or do you need a separate one for each?


"I've had hundreds of ADR qualified drivers through the door"

Which door would that be then?

[Rod Paradise]

No. What I mean is, I wouldn't have thought it possible to fit enough coal into a railway truck to overload it.

Suppose it depends on the train - saw a picture of one that was almost overloaded with 1 tree.....

http://www.bloglovin.com/m/1710951/335668961/fb

I think you'll like the picture after the train Red - that's a hell of a mobile home!!!

[tikay]

No. What I mean is, I wouldn't have thought it possible to fit enough coal into a railway truck to overload it.

Suppose it depends on the train - saw a picture of one that was almost overloaded with 1 tree.....

http://www.bloglovin.com/m/1710951/335668961/fb

I think you'll like the pic ure after the train Red - that's a hell of a mobile home!!!

It's a hell of a tree, too!

[RED-DOG]

No. What I mean is, I wouldn't have thought it possible to fit enough coal into a railway truck to overload it.

Suppose it depends on the train - saw a picture of one that was almost overloaded with 1 tree.....

http://www.bloglovin.com/m/1710951/335668961/fb

I think you'll like the pic ure after the train Red - that's a hell of a mobile home!!!

Now that's what I call a log cabin.


Great find Rod. Those trees are amazing.

[david3103]

Moving powder around is a very well considered problem in the chemical industry due to the explosive potential of a lot of powders. A lot of powder is moved by blowing it through pipes, often/usually with pure nitrogen rather than air to remove the explosive potential. There is a fairly big industry built around producing machines to do this in the most economical way possible (ie fastest flow rates with the smallest nitrogen loss, as it's fairly expensive).

I feel a bit dirty writing about this in the cultured diary though. Sorry.

Yet, despite the hazard, cement tanker drivers aren't required to hold an ADR Certificate. The official licence to carry dangerous loads.

I'm beginning to understand why they move powders around in tankers and pipes now though. Not because it behaves like a liquid, but because they can keep the air out.

I wonder what you have to learn to get an ARD certificate? There must be more to it than "If owt goes wrong, run like buggery".

ADR Training generally involves 4days of fairly intense classroom work and then a day of exams. Costs anything from £400 upwards but does mean drivers can ask for higher pay rates.
The training covers how to handle task of carrying the different classes of materials covered. What paperwork is needed, what the appropriate response is when there's a spill or leak (including 'run like buggery'). Nine classifications including flammable liquids; flammable gases; corrosive materials and Class 9 which is our old friend miscellaneous.
Nuclear and  explosive materials don't get covered in that basic training and in my 11 years of asking for people's qualifications whilst I've had hundreds of ADR qualified drivers through the door I've only met two who had the Nuclear option.

ADR stands for Accord Dangereuse Routiere - an agreement for the transport of dangerous goods. Ex-Military drivers call it HazMat.

So does an ADR cert cover you for all nine classifications, or do you need a separate one for each?


"I've had hundreds of ADR qualified drivers through the door"

Which door would that be then?

Most people take the course and exam for seven categories (not including explosives and nuclear). Some, generally those whose training and exam are funded by their employer, take just one or two. If you need a driver licensed to carry bottled gas you don't want to waste money on training them to carry flammable liquids or corrosives for instance. Also, you probably don't want the driver to have surplus qualifications, gained at your expense, which make him more attractive to other employers.

My door? I run a small employment agency which specialises in drivers of commercial vehicles. Or, as I usually describe it, I'm a lorry drivers' pimp...

[RED-DOG]

Moving powder around is a very well considered problem in the chemical industry due to the explosive potential of a lot of powders. A lot of powder is moved by blowing it through pipes, often/usually with pure nitrogen rather than air to remove the explosive potential. There is a fairly big industry built around producing machines to do this in the most economical way possible (ie fastest flow rates with the smallest nitrogen loss, as it's fairly expensive).

I feel a bit dirty writing about this in the cultured diary though. Sorry.

Yet, despite the hazard, cement tanker drivers aren't required to hold an ADR Certificate. The official licence to carry dangerous loads.

I'm beginning to understand why they move powders around in tankers and pipes now though. Not because it behaves like a liquid, but because they can keep the air out.

I wonder what you have to learn to get an ARD certificate? There must be more to it than "If owt goes wrong, run like buggery".

ADR Training generally involves 4days of fairly intense classroom work and then a day of exams. Costs anything from £400 upwards but does mean drivers can ask for higher pay rates.
The training covers how to handle task of carrying the different classes of materials covered. What paperwork is needed, what the appropriate response is when there's a spill or leak (including 'run like buggery'). Nine classifications including flammable liquids; flammable gases; corrosive materials and Class 9 which is our old friend miscellaneous.
Nuclear and  explosive materials don't get covered in that basic training and in my 11 years of asking for people's qualifications whilst I've had hundreds of ADR qualified drivers through the door I've only met two who had the Nuclear option.

ADR stands for Accord Dangereuse Routiere - an agreement for the transport of dangerous goods. Ex-Military drivers call it HazMat.

So does an ADR cert cover you for all nine classifications, or do you need a separate one for each?


"I've had hundreds of ADR qualified drivers through the door"

Which door would that be then?

Most people take the course and exam for seven categories (not including explosives and nuclear). Some, generally those whose training and exam are funded by their employer, take just one or two. If you need a driver licensed to carry bottled gas you don't want to waste money on training them to carry flammable liquids or corrosives for instance. Also, you probably don't want the driver to have surplus qualifications, gained at your expense, which make him more attractive to other employers.

My door? I run a small employment agency which specialises in drivers of commercial vehicles. Or, as I usually describe it, I'm a lorry drivers' pimp...

Oh how I hated the tachograph when it was first introduced.


What are the rules on driver's hours these days David?