[dwb]

The swissinfo website have published another of short video of life on Swiss railways. This time the focus is a man whose job is to stand at the top of the hump in an automated yard listening for unwanted noises as the wagons are sent to their alloted collecting line. Find out more via this this link.

David

 

[goedel]

QUOTE (dwb @ 1 Jan 2008, 11:45) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The swissinfo website have published another of short video of life on Swiss railways. This time the focus is a man whose job is to stand at the top of the hump in an automated yard listening for unwanted noises as the wagons are sent to their alloted collecting line. Find out more via this this link.

David
How interesting and refreshing that in modern times someone should be paid to listen when most people are paid to talk! I imagine that the "music of the wagons" can only be heard after much practise.

The only thing that didn't make sense to me though: the SBB get a 25% increase in safe shunting speed because of the listener which means they can assemble more trains more quickly and improve their whole freight operation significantly as the manager said...and make millions of CHF...so they are getting rid of his job?! Is he to be replaced by a microphone and computer? The last bit of the video was a bit poor on my computer so did I miss the explanation? (Introduction of square wheels?!

)

 

[dwb]

I don't get perfect video playback on my PC either. I blame the fact that I'm still using a P3 800 and only 10Mbs for the network connection to the broadband hub. If that's not the problem it's the unnamed animal (the cat is top suspect) which decided to bite the telephone cable a few years back...

What I caught from the video soundtrack was that they could run linespeeds of 100kph instead of 80kph because they could be certain that the wheels were all up to spec. The guy's job is going because there is no requirement on the railway to have the check.

As for making loads of dosh, I read recently that the Cargo side of Swiss federal railways was not doing so well (See this report on Swissinfo). So it looks like the guys who stand at the side of the track are going to be high on the list of "economies".

David

 

[goedel]

QUOTE (dwb @ 1 Jan 2008, 15:46) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>As for making loads of dosh
Hehe, my meaning was more turnover and more chance of braking even...not actually a profit! To me it seems daft...save one small salary and lose 20 kmph of shunting speed in a 64 track yard - that would cost them a lot more money than they save?! Sounds like how the government run the NHS to me with arbitrary targets galore!

The world never makes sense...I would really like a job where I could just listen and have lots of time to just think and imagine.

 

[Tonyperks]

QUOTE (dwb @ 1 Jan 2008, 15:46) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I don't get perfect video playback on my PC either. I blame the fact that I'm still using a P3 800 and only 10Mbs for the network connection to the broadband hub. If that's not the problem it's the unnamed animal (the cat is top suspect) which decided to bite the telephone cable a few years back...

What I caught from the video soundtrack was that they could run linespeeds of 100kph instead of 80kph because they could be certain that the wheels were all up to spec. The guy's job is going because there is no requirement on the railway to have the check.

As for making loads of dosh, I read recently that the Cargo side of Swiss federal railways was not doing so well (See this report on Swissinfo). So it looks like the guys who stand at the side of the track are going to be high on the list of "economies".

DavidI can see why they are not making so much money that yard was rather full of wagons shoulnt an effiecent yard be virtually empty as all "jobs " have been sucsefully despatched