RS and I were once transporting some stuff including an RP07 from DE to
MD in an open trailer. I was behind him and saw the lid on the RP07 come
up and off the drive and land on the road intact.
Stopped quickly, backed up, got out of car just in time to watch an 18
wheeler hit it. *CRUNCH*. No more cool plastic lid.
Drat. I really need to find that RP07 and get it running again.
CZ
On 7/27/2020 3:05 PM, Norman Jaffe via cctalk wrote:
Not DEC-related, but I once had an IBM 1800 shipped from where we'd purchased
it to a storage locker in a different city, where I lived.
All was fine until it was unloaded, and the wheels sank into the pavement.
[That summer was a bit hotter than normal...]
From: "cctalk" <[email protected]>
To: "Adrian Graham" <[email protected]>, "cctalk"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2020 9:56:56 AM
Subject: Re: AlphaServer 2100s available
On Jul 27, 2020, at 12:38 PM, Adrian Graham via cctalk <[email protected]>
wrote:
...
That reminds me of the time I was transporting a Dodge box (Alpha 4100) between
customer sites in a London borough. There were 3 machines, a pair of 4100s and
a 2100. 3 of us got the 2100 and a 4100 into the van we had for this task but
the 3rd machine wouldn’t fit. No problem, I have a big estate car (station
wagon) so could put it in the back of that.
I strapped it in with occy straps (the elasticated type) and put the brakes on
the front wheels but the thing was so heavy that when the car moved forwards
the machine didn’t and burst through the back window. A small girl out on the
street said ‘look Mum, that man’s broken his window!’
Those straps are nice for holding packages weighing up to maybe 10 pounds or
so. Something non-stretchy, like cargo webbing ratchet straps, well-tied ropes,
or in extreme cases chains, are for heavy stuff. I had some fun years ago
moving a lathe, in pieces the heaviest of which was around 800 pounds. That's a
quick course in how to secure stuff well.
Your story reminds me of the -- perhaps apocryphal -- story of the RP04 (RP03?)
that was being air-freighted out of Boston airport. It wasn't correctly tied
down, so when the takeoff roll started, it stayed put. Same sort of consequence
as yours except that it left out the back of the airplane, through the
fuselage, bouncing off the runway.
The story says that it was taken back to Maynard, uncrated, set up with a
couple of bricks underneath one of the corners that was pushed in 6 inches or
so, and tested. It still worked. I guess DEC built sturdy, and from your
experience they kept doing that for a long time.
paul
