How we live in different worlds

Today they build Jaguars in Brum  . 



78  years ago  they built Spitfires. 

Where I served my apprenticeship they still had the turret lathes in the central workshops originally use for making munitions casings.

The foundry made concrete dummy torpedoes used for training naval personnel along with many other armament components.

It was what was needed at the time

when I started the guys still raw-plug tools for fixing things to walls and if I could find mine I would still use it for the one off job( handy when you want to drift out a pin or center punch )

A few on here  used the dreaded Rawlplug tool  , including me .    I 've told this on here before ,  but as an apprentice  we were installing lighting on a new multi storey ar park in the city  ,  Holiday Street  , actually.      After chalking a line we would sit on top of the steps  , plugging the concrete ceiling for conduit saddles ....one day we could hear this strange , reverberating sound coming up from the lower floors .....  one of our guys comes up  saying the sprinkler guys have got these drills that" hammer into the concrete  ,  Hilti or something ,  you've never seen anything like them "

Just remembered, A Reyrolle (switchgear) made bomb sights amongst many other things.

Geo Ellison and Tufnol made just about anything.

Tony S said:

Geo Ellison and Tufnol made just about anything.

Click to expand...

Strangely , Geo. Ellison  , well known for bigger switchgear  also made hospital beds . 

Ellison nowadays have no interest in after sales service, all they want to do now is to sell new. I wanted shunt coils for two of their 1600A ACB’s, no chance! They would happily take our breakers and fit Masterpact units in the chassis, if I wanted that I’d do it myself. It developed in to a scrap heap challenge to find redundant breakers as donors.

Asking them about OCB’s I was virtually told to f*** *ff.

Charming  !!   Where are they based now then  ? 

Mounts Works,

Mounts Road,

Wednesbury

WS10 0DU

I thought the original Ellision went Bump ...

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01130000

George Ellision Switchgear Ltd is 75%  controlled by Dorford Electrical Limited

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/05492682/filing-history

Who do also have the same address as Ellisons.

Dorford Electrical Ltd
Mount Works
Mounts Road
WEDNESBURY
WS10 0BU

I bet most of their people with any historic technical expertise are long gone.  

https://www.instantstreetview.com/@52.548851,-2.016933,171.54h,-13.61p,0.72z

Looks just like any newish generic factory unit on a trading..

Their website looks a bit tacky to say he least..

www.ellison.co.uk/

:coffee  

Part of an exhibition by Ellison after WW2

Imagine getting a letter like that today , from your boss ....I like the bit that says ..." all we have too do is behave ourselves" .... 

The starter in photo  #1    I remember well .   Looks like one of the smaller Star -Delta  , oil  immersed  starters .   Used to maintain the bigger ones ... drop the tank  with a fork truck  and leave to drip for at least a day  before replacing  any arc damaged  copper contact blocks .  Replace the  oil & reassemble.  

Don't know if any of the Ellison family lived in Brum  ...as did  Ron Bill  from Bill Switchgear  further up the road  , he used to drive round in one of these.