Heard the latest bit of "gossip" concerning the new class 377 units that are being delivered to South Central. All have been stopped from public use with a major problem. When a driver selects the door release on the right had side, the doors are released on the left hand side. Very handy. Secondly, as the units are now sidelined, South Central have a storage problem. Lots of 375's which they can't use, and two units per week additional being delivered. I think they are rapidly running out of space. Anybody got parking space for about thirty class 375 three-car units.
I could maybe store one unit, Ron How on earth these sort of things can be wrong with new units is a mystery! All trains are very sophisicated these days, so if they cannot get a simple thing like the correct doors to open, heaven help us with the rest of the really technical stuff!
It was the same when the 465's were brought into service in 1992. As you know half were built by B.R.E.L. and the other half by Metro-Cammell. When they tried to couple two units from different builders together - B A N G !!! Nobody had thought to make up a common wiring diagram. Result. the wiring on the coupler boxes were different, so when the contacts made contact, two useless units. So the problem is'nt new. The new class 375's ordered by Connex had a good start. So much E.M.F. from the equipment when they were powered up, it lit up track circuits all around it, and needless to say put signals back to danger. Very helpful. And secondly, when they loaded up the computers, they used Micro-soft word 2000 programms. Only problem was the computers were configured for Word 98. So that when down well. These people are supposed to know what they are doing. Probably the same people who designed the Gatwick Express stock, so that it was built out of gauge when foot boards, collector shoes where added. I give up.
To me the Networker debacle highlights just how bad the procurement process was under BR, we now have two fleets built at the same time to the same specs to work together, which outwardly look virtually identical, yet have scarcely any common parts, forcing twice as much parts inventories....shockingly bad management there somewhere....
The saga continues:- Apparently, when fitters took the panels off some of the new 375 units, they found some of the wire looms not attached to anything. No wonder things did'nt work properly. Ishould imagine that GOVIA are not happy "bunnies" at the moment. What every happened to quality control. And peopele wonder why we can't sell anything overseas. Now you know why Railtrack used to insist that new units were checked out properly before allowing them into fleet service.
Quality control? I would have thought that attaching the wiring was on the basic list of "things to do" before sending out The mind boggles Somebody should be called to account for such shoddy work, after all, these trains cost an awful lot of money!
Is this another case of .... "Get It Out The Door, Get Paid For The Delivery, Let The Lawyers Work It Out Later!"? Sad, Really Sad! [ 22. September 2002, 02:15: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
The way manufacturing works, is, each company gets a contract, then it is "negotiated" to suit the manufacturer's tooling, and facilities. His set of "negotiated" blue prints are then the binding factor that he gets paid by. Unless it is "written" in his contract, he does not have to match up to any other equipment. As a matter of fact, he can fail to perform on his contract, if he attempts, (on his own), to make any alterations at all, that would allow his equipment to match existing equipment! He must secure an "authorized" revision, before he can change anything. Revisions cost his company part of the contract price, so he is refused revisions. He is told to stick to the contract even if it is wrong! So what happens is, each manufacturer, takes great pains to "full fill" his contract to the letter, even when he knows it wont work, or can be dangerous! It is the Top Project Manager's responsibility to insure that all interfaces do meet the required specs between all the suppliers and manufacturers. His signature says that all these contracts will meet all requirements to build this train! Period. Unless he was ordered to insure "this" train will operate with any other train, he should not care, or waste any time or money to even find out if it will. If it does fit existing equipment, fine. But if not, he is OK so long as he has stayed within his written contract specs! The companys LIKE that, because then they can re-negotiate the contract, and get MORE money to make the necessary changes so "this" equipment will fit other equipment! It is considered good and most of all, legal, business now days! I had this job. I constantly visited our design group, making certain our equipment WAS compatable with existing equipment. In doing that, I thought I was saving our company money, which I did, but I was eventually fired! My General Manager was livid! He said I had sewed up all the loose ends so well, I left no chance of my company to make additional money off the customer! I should not have made the changes whithin the contract! I was to have allowed my company to add the changes on AFTER our contract was finished! That is American business ethics today! When upper management, is only interested in the bottom line (money), it helps to have people under you to lay blame on. He has me, I have the Chief Project Engineer, he has the various Project Engineers, each of them have the Designers, and they have Draftsmen, and so on down the line, untill it gets so complicated, no one is at fault, legally. If it becomes public. Heads can roll even when you did the "right" thing, too!
I agree with what Watash said ... "That is American business ethics today!" What is most sad is that this ethic is not limited to the USA, but is rampant throughout the World! It is a continuing game of "doing unto others before they do it unto you!"
Thought that you would all like to know that the door problem on the 377 units has been sorted out and they should be in service as planned at the start of the new winter timetable. Apparently Adtranz (Bombadiar) have staff especially based at Brighton so that such problems can be dealt with quickly. And for once at no extra cost to the customer.
Guess What? Those new class 377 units that were supposed to start operations at the start of the new winter timetable Wrong! Still all stuck in the various sidings awaiting clearance to enter service. and they are still delivering units at the rate of one a day. Its getting crowded. Rumour has it that these units might just get working in the summer - Next Year!!!
Not really a rail answer, but in the late 1960's I worked for Hughes Aircraft. I was an untrained biology major and was to put parts away after they were inspected by Quality Control. I quickly became a P in the A for quality control after catching many mistakes... I would get three resistors for example...marked two good, one bad. No indication of WHICH were good or bad. Back they went to QC. Fortunately for British Rail the mistakes stay on the ground. These were rocket and satellite parts. Fortunately for the manned program I never found an error. Could you imagine the wrong door opening at the wrong time on a space capsule? I think the doors opening on the wrong side on the Underground would be a hoot...especially on a busy Friday afternoon. Steve E.
