Railroaders' Nostalgia > Govement work

Years ago while I was sill an apprentice boy,I would see
some guys from time to time not doing their job.They were
working on things like building a grill,or working on their car
or whatever.
Being young and dumb,I asked about this because they
were on the clock and somtime using company material.
I was told they were doing "gove ment" work.
Any of you guys out there ever heard of that?

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

Back in the 1960's while on a work/study job at Pitney Bowes Postage Meter Company as part of my Northeastern University program, I worked in Quality Control and heard that term many times especially when it came to inserting something into the chrome plating line. It took but a few minutes thought to see that "government job" was short for getting some free work done for yourself. I suspect that many a machining job or plating job was done under that lovely term. Thanks, have not heard that for many years!

Also has been referred to as a "G"-job.!

Oh yah! As an electrician’s apprentice I was given jobs by the boss that fell into government work. Heavy duty extension cords, 100’,cases of light bulbs, living room lamps needing fixing, the list is endless. Sometimes I was given car keys to deliver the work done to the trunk of a car. Started keeping “a little black book”. Just Incase the situation went south! Job, date,time, names,materials, ect.
More then one time the book came out of the bibs pocket, found the right page and presented it to the person asking questions. My only response would be, “ I’m only the apprentice following orders!”  Deer in the headlights look, and they walked silently away.
Most or all are passed on, book is still in the top desk drawer.
CM80.46

Harley Footpegs at the Dental Drill company!  Hard to hide!

I was told by a person that his father was a machinist at the Raceland car shop, they would save brass turning shavings, then cast them into door knockers,candlesticks,door kIck panels,etc.  One day the accounting department showed up and for the shavings and thought it wonderful that the conscientious employees were going so far as to save the brass shavings for reuse by the rr and took them and reused them in the shop.

A long time ago, our roundhouse had a small, two man night shift.  I was working the night switcher and went over to  get towels or something for our power and found them making crude jewelry with a torch and bench grinder.

Before the railroad I worked in a sheet metal shop that included a number of G jobs. Redrilling old Athearn handrail holes, a pizza cutter out of stailess steel I still have, and use, forty six years later, small washers to put between HO trucks and frame just to name a very few.
JB 

Power plants were always good for getting a government job done. I've got  belt buckles made from stainless tubing and stainless bar stock, various weldments for many things around the house, etc. One of the manufacturing shops of the company I retired from had a program set up on the cutting line for pick-up bed rails. I've still got a set, cut feom 309 stainless no less. 

Northeaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "... when it came to inserting something
> into the chrome plating line."

Years ago I was talking with the owner of a plating firm.
He told me that he had quit chrome plating a while back.
I asked why?
"Because when I did chrome I had too many 'friends'!"
...Lorenzo

Where I work Government Work or a "G" job is a very important and essential task.

TAH

Posted from Android

DD40.
Your story reminds me of a few unique buckles I was given by Western Pacific Maintenance people at the Stockton Shops.
They were extremely generous and pissed off that their jobs were moving to Salt Lake City.

TAH

Posted from Android

Older locomotive engineers where I worked had distinctive galvanized steel lunch boxes.  The roundhouse had a back shop and a small foundry. The lunchboxes survived long after the roundhouse and its staff of machinists were gone. Today, some of the lunchboxes survive. The older engineers told me that for a donation to the "benevolent fund", the apprentices would make a lunch box for you.The bigger the donation, the fancier the lunch box.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/20 11:37 by eminence_grise.