Shipping Forecast

[sime42]

Any fans of the Shipping Forecast out there? This is an interesting listen. One of a whole day of programs about it on Radio 4 on Wednesday.

 

The Shipping Forecast: A Beginner's Guide - BBC Sounds

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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Paddy O'Connell guides us through the history and meaning of 'The Ships'.

 

 

 

[eggsarascal]

39 minutes ago, sime42 said:

Any fans of the Shipping Forecast out there? This is an interesting listen. One of a whole day of programs about it on Radio 4 on Wednesday.

 

The Shipping Forecast: A Beginner's Guide - BBC Sounds

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

---

Paddy O'Connell guides us through the history and meaning of 'The Ships'.

 

 

 

Yep very interesting, and somehow weirdly relaxing. In the same article there was a section about lighthouse keepers, a job I'd like to have a stint at.

[sime42]

17 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

Yep very interesting, and somehow weirdly relaxing. In the same article there was a section about lighthouse keepers, a job I'd like to have a stint at.

 

Agreed, it is relaxing to listen to. There's a whole host of people out there who listen to it to go to sleep apparently.

 

Regards lighthouses. I've also been fascinated by them and their keepers. It's the romantic idea of it though, the grim reality would be just that I think, grim. I don't mind my own company but I wouldn't be able to handle the loneliness of it for long. They changed it from having just one lone guy to three blokes at some stage. That would raise a whole new set of issues though obviously.

 

 

[Steven P]

The one bloke to 3 - they had a 2 bloke step (this was on QI) till one of the blokes died early in the shift - storm season, other bloke was freaked out after a couple of days of dead bloke on the kitchen table, put dead bloke outside - tied down - winter storms broke the lashings and dead bloke vanished.... "yeah right" said the police a week or so later when they changed shift... so now 3 blokes.

[GarethM]

And now down to zero blokes, they are all automated.

 

Railway Signalman is still possible, think there are about 4 left in the whole country tho.

[sime42]

39 minutes ago, Steven P said:

The one bloke to 3 - they had a 2 bloke step (this was on QI) till one of the blokes died early in the shift - storm season, other bloke was freaked out after a couple of days of dead bloke on the kitchen table, put dead bloke outside - tied down - winter storms broke the lashings and dead bloke vanished.... "yeah right" said the police a week or so later when they changed shift... so now 3 blokes.

 

Yeah, I've heard that story a few times too. Grim.

[eggsarascal]

55 minutes ago, GarethM said:

And now down to zero blokes, they are all automated.

 

Railway Signalman is still possible, think there are about 4 left in the whole country tho.

Not sure.when it was automated but there was still a signalman at Shippea Hill on the Breckland line (the fens) when I worked for.Anglian Water 1999-2010, I always stopped for a brew with him if I was out that way, iirc there was one train a day.Mon-Fri and 2.on.Saturdays.

[GarethM]

1 minute ago, eggsarascal said:

Not sure.when it was automated but there was still a signalman at Shippea Hill on the Breckland line (the fens) when I worked for.Anglian Water 1999-2010, I always stopped for a brew with him if I was out that way, iirc there was one train a day.Mon-Fri and 2.on.Saturdays.

To be honest I don't know the actual numbers, but it's tiny for railway ones, Google says 86 in 2019 but seems a tad high.

 

The ones I know are mandatory due to the parliament agreement when built, so can't be left unmanned unless they change a document from the 17/1800s

[eggsarascal]

2 minutes ago, GarethM said:

To be honest I don't know the actual numbers, but it's tiny for railway ones, Google says 86 in 2019 but seems a tad high.

 

The ones I know are mandatory due to the parliament agreement when built, so can't be left unmanned unless they change a document from the 17/1800s

Just looked, Shippea Hill was automated in 2012, the bloke I'm talking about took over from his father, he'd worked the box with his dad all his life. I was shocked when he told me back then that he.was earning around £50k/year.

[Steven P]

I saw the wages ages ago and was tempted - no specific qualifications needed, it was £30k when I was looking (but before 2012) - which would have been a handy 1/3 extra at the time... but the obvious competition for the jobs, like thousands of applicants for each interview spot. Think the wages were equal to train drivers so I guess about 80k now?