| rleete |
07-09-2014 05:08 PM |
I worked at Morrison-Knudsen in the late 1980's to mid 1990's. I was a checker/coordinator, meaning I checked other people's work, and made sure that systems form different departments worked/fit with parts from other areas. So, yeah, everything that went through there in that timeframe.
CTA, Metro, R-44, Bombardier (who makes sno-cats), and one other that I can't remember right now. We went from me being the 3rd contractor hired, with 8 direct drafters, to well over 120 by the time I got myself booted out.
R-44 was interesting, because I got a very free hand designing the cab/control consoles, so it was sink or swim all on my own efforts. I also did all the heater cover panels, which was sort of mindless work. R-44 chassis were made a very long time ago, and they varied in length by over a foot from shortest to longest. That made it a challenge to design interior components, which had to fit no matter the dimensions of the actual existing shell.
After 3+ years there, I had developed a very bad attitude. My favorite saying was, "What're they gonna do, fire me? Not that briar patch!" After butting heads with the drafting dept. manager, I finally got let go. That started a cascade of people leaving, thinking it was heads rolling time. That cost them so much that M-K got out of the subway car business. I was directly responsible for a multi-billion dollar company closing one of it's divisions.
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