Hi Leo:
The method of choice out here on the Alliance division was a hollow rubber
kid's ball, about 1-1/2" in dia., with a slot cut in it so's it would fit
over the recording arm on a Chicago Pneumatic. The speed movement was top
to bottom, slow to fast, and you would put the ball under the stylus arm.
With the little bit of "spring" that the ball gave you, the tape would not
have a "flat" speed line (a dead giveaway) but it would bounce up and down a
little as the arm fought a losing battle with the ball to show a higher
speed. Leaving the lid open was a good way to remember your "attachment"
:>) There were also lots of speed tapes decorating the sagebrush, like
rolled out rolls of toilet paper :>) I still have a half-dozen speed
recorder seals stuffed inside an old speed tape cardboard core that I used
to carry in my grip.
Best,
Mike Decker
----- Original Message -----
From: <BRHSlist@egroups.com>
To: <BRHSlist@egroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2000 3:28 AM
> From: qutlx1@a...
> Subject: Recalibration
>
> Gabe and others. While I, of course, never saw an old mechanical speed
> recorder "recalibrated" I did hear many stories of how it was done.
(Snip)
>One did need to remember to remove his device upon arrival at the crew
change >point. There are also many stories of tapes disappearing after
certain unfortunate
> incidents and various rivers and creeks became repositories for speed
tapes.
> Also if you go far back in this lists archives there is a discussion of
the
> fireman's duties on #21 @C.U.S. I believe that the first duty was to get
the
> morning papers for the "paper route" and the second job was to go done in
the
> nose of the unit and adjust the overspeed.
> Leo
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