The vintage beauty of Soviet control rooms
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elbows
Well-Known Member
Very nice.
Although I have to imagine, somewhat alarmingly, that many nuclear power station control rooms across the world also have still have rather vintage aesthetics.
Take for example a Fukushima control room. Yes the vintage vibe is spoilt by flat screen monitors in the foreground, but elsewhere the original control panels are clearly still in use.
Although I have to imagine, somewhat alarmingly, that many nuclear power station control rooms across the world also have still have rather vintage aesthetics.
Take for example a Fukushima control room. Yes the vintage vibe is spoilt by flat screen monitors in the foreground, but elsewhere the original control panels are clearly still in use.
bubblesmcgrath
Well-Known Member
What is hanging from the ceiling?
elbows
Well-Known Member
The suspended ceiling tiles were displaced in the earthquake.
bubblesmcgrath
Well-Known Member
Ah .. ok.
Lazy Llama
Suburban robots that monitor reality
It makes sense really.
I wouldn't want to be the person disconnecting the old, known-working, control panel with buttons to turn things off and connecting a new shiny one with an augmented-reality touchscreen interface which might cause a bit of a nuclear "oops" moment.
If it works....
I wouldn't want to be the person disconnecting the old, known-working, control panel with buttons to turn things off and connecting a new shiny one with an augmented-reality touchscreen interface which might cause a bit of a nuclear "oops" moment.
If it works....
Lazy Llama
Suburban robots that monitor reality
I do like the look of the Soviet headwear though, straight outta KrispyKreme!
elbows
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I know that makes sense really. I guess its just the old nuclear plants still running 40+ years later that I find disconcerting, and a refit of instrumentation wouldnt quell all of that unease anyway.
Old instrumentation probably has some advantage in certain emergencies too (as well as drackbacks such as lack of remote viewing). In Fukushima they were able to get some sensors working by crudely rigging batteries to individual circuits in a manner I would expect to be far less plausible in the digital/network/computer age.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
I've just had a bakelite-gasm. 
Steel Icarus
we move
Amazing pics. Entire Steely family in agreement
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Tangerine Dream recording their first album.Oh YES!
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
This is from the basement of the building I work in. It was the control panel for an internal vacuum cleaning system.
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
There's one at Eltham Palace.
sounds different - not sure i've met one of them
Chernobyl 
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farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
My dad worked as a control room manager for the ICI fertiliser plant in Billingham for many years, and as family we went on site quite a lot (along with school trips), being able to go up on the gantries to explore the various bits of the plant. I can't find an image of the control room at the moment, but found this interesting site dedicated to the history of British industry - the link below is about the history of ICI.
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/images/8/89/Im20170322RB-ICI.jpg
Apart from the analogue dials, I remember the control room had a touch-screen computer (green DOS-type display) in the late 70s or early 80s which was space-age stuff in those days. My dad used to bring the waste perforated printer paper home for us to draw on.
There was a red emergency stop button in the control room that would completely shut down the plant in an emergency. Apparently, the company hated it when this happened as it took days or weeks to bring a plant back online, so discouraged its use wherever possible.
One of the good things about growing up in Teesside (at one point one of the most heavily industrial sites in Europe I think) is that we got to go to all the plants in the area for tours. It was fascinating stuff.
Bloody hell, this takes me back...
Fez909 probably went on trips to the industrial sites in Teesside too.
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/images/8/89/Im20170322RB-ICI.jpg
Apart from the analogue dials, I remember the control room had a touch-screen computer (green DOS-type display) in the late 70s or early 80s which was space-age stuff in those days. My dad used to bring the waste perforated printer paper home for us to draw on.
There was a red emergency stop button in the control room that would completely shut down the plant in an emergency. Apparently, the company hated it when this happened as it took days or weeks to bring a plant back online, so discouraged its use wherever possible.
One of the good things about growing up in Teesside (at one point one of the most heavily industrial sites in Europe I think) is that we got to go to all the plants in the area for tours. It was fascinating stuff.
Bloody hell, this takes me back...
Fez909 probably went on trips to the industrial sites in Teesside too.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Ooh nice and sinister orderly vibe, Grangemouth Oil Refinery control room in 1952.
You just know the guy has a white cat on his desk, and is dtroking it.
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
Amazingly - or stupidly, the button was in easy reach of any kid who visited the control room.
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