I have studied/worked/lived in or around Leeds for 100 years.
In the 1960s Leeds was smokestack, heavy engineering industry, forges, bridge builders, glass manufactures, gas works, steam locomotive builders,... All that has gone to be replaced by huge international legal and accountancy firms, ASDA HQ etc. These jobs brought money into the city prompting a building boom which meant Harvey Nichols moved in and John Lewis. And Leeds developed three Universities and now has one of the biggest student populations in the country bringing a vibrancy to city life.
For many years the M1 finished in Leeds. Outside London only Birmingham has a busier railway station and trains = people = wealth.
A virtuous circle.
But this didn't just happen. Take a look at the decline of Bradford less than 10 miles away. So credit is due to the vision of local politicians to bring about the transformation of Leeds over the last half century that has been a revelation and a joy. Almost sufficient to make me forget the 8 wonderful years I had working and living in and enjoying the infinite delights of London - before returning to the fell running and cycling heaven of Yorkshire.
Last edited by Graham Breeze; 08-01-2021 at 10:14 AM.
"...as dry as the Atacama desert".
Deepwater Horizon is on film4 tonight. As a CompEx sparky working in oil and gas the nature of the ignition source is of key importance to me in this film. It seems to have been natural gas getting into the intakes of the standby generators causing engine overspeed. When the crank cases overheated that was the ignition source that exploded the vapour and blew everything to bits.
Mr Brightside i worked as a Mechanical Site Engineer at both Murco and BP Oil Terminals, mechanical maintenance of the sites and supervising the transport of fuel into the sites.
Murco was interesting because the fuel was delivered by huge trains which needed to be piped up to our site pipework and pumped in. BP was a little less physical because it came in on the underground pipeline, but it was a huge site.
Fantastic jobs, but the 24/7 nature of the job and shift work was unsustainable for me for more than a few years...
Disasters don't need sophisticated chains to occur.
I used to work on a steam/naptha reforming plant and it had 900 tons of butane ("Calor Gas") stored in adjacent steel "cigar" containers which were kept topped up by delivery from road tankers, such as you see at any petrol station, using a reinforced hose. During the middle of one night the driver coupled up the hose and left his lorry to get warm in the plant control room. Unfortunately the hose had a leak ,the butane escaped and rolled along the ground (being heavier than air) until it ignited.
I came to work at 6.30 am and drove past a very blackened lorry parked next to the 900 tons of butane storage thinking "it looks as though my night shift colleague has had an interesting night!"
Last edited by Graham Breeze; 08-01-2021 at 09:53 PM.
"...as dry as the Atacama desert".
Still cracking on with the list.
Enjoyed Zodiac
Thought The Master was a bit weird.
Watched A Serious Man
Twas a bit depressing.
In fact my complaint about most of these "good films" is that they rarely have a happy ending.