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Author Topic: Short Circuits!  (Read 1475 times)

Colin Bishop

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Short Circuits!
« on: October 08, 2010, 10:06:20 pm »

The recent postings on the Titanic topic reminded me of a little known fact about the big liners of the time.

Electrical lighting and power was a comparatively recent introduction and electrical wiring was quite expensive. So the common practice was to run a positive wire to whatever appliance was receiving power with a negative return through the structure of the ship. Cheap and effective, just like your car in fact!

However, the insulation on the wiring was rubber which tended to perish after a time and the 'working' of the ship in a seaway could also put stress on the cabling leading to a breakdown in the wiring. The exposed wire then contacted the surrounding metal and  pfffft! A short circuit, often behind nice wooden panelling which led to a fire. Many ships were lost to this cause and others were retired prematurely as to replace all the wiring would have been uneconomic.

The lesson for us modellers?

Always fit a fuse!

Colin
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DARLEK1

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Re: Short Circuits!
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2010, 10:55:33 pm »

 :-))
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