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This document was produced during my time with the British Rail
Interchange Unit, where I spent two or three (short!) days a week for six
months, preparing for being jobless, despite the fact that I was officially
retiring and drawing my pension. A useful way to wind down! It might seem a bit pretentious to include it here but it struck me as
a useful way of letting long-lost friends and colleagues know the details of
my professional life. |
CURRICULUM VITAE
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Name: |
Gerry Bates |
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Date of Birth: |
21 August, 1942 |
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Previous Employer: |
British Rail Research |
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Other Information: |
UK
Nationality Married
- daughter 9, son 18. Home owner |
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PROFILE: |
Chartered Electrical Engineer with wide experience
in instrumentation and condition monitoring equipment as applied to the
measurement of electrical and other physical parameters on high voltage
overhead lines, distribution equipment, traction equipment and in the
laboratory. Wide knowledge of railway history, development and current system
and practices in Britain and overseas. |
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Professional Qualifications: |
B Eng |
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Professional Skills: |
· Ability to design and develop novel devices and
systems for specialised measurements on energised high voltage equipment. · Ability to identify new techniques and technologies
and to recognise their practical application in the railway and high voltage
environment to fulfil present and future needs for improving the performance
of data measurement and collection. · Practical general engineering skills. |
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Computer Skills: |
· Good general skills using various word processing,
data base, spreadsheet and graphical packages and use of the Internet. · Development of customised software for analysis and
graphical presentation of data. · Use of communications software including
development of automated data transfer from remote and mobile
instrumentation. · Practical “hands-on” skills in installation and
configuration of both hardware and software and upgrades to existing
equipment. |
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Language Skills: |
Basic
grounding (in descending order of ability) in: ·
French ·
German ·
Catalan |
PERSONAL INTERESTS
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Folklore: |
I am interested in all aspects of British, Irish and world-wide
traditional music, dance and song, with particular emphasis on performance
and participation. I have been a member of Sheffield City Morris since its
formation in 1975, being an officer of the team for much of that time. The
group has become well known for the standard and entertainment value of its
displays and has performed as far afield as Ecuador. I am a musician and caller with a folk dance band which plays for barn
dances, etc., in the South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire area. I have been involved in folk song and dance clubs since the mid-1960s
as a performer and organiser. |
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Photography: |
At present I am restricted to colour print and slide photography,
professionally processed, but have carried out my own black and white
developing and printing in the past and hope to revive this aspect in the
future. |
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DIY: |
I
have tackled many household projects including the complete re-equipment of kitchen,
bathroom and toilet, involving plumbing, electrical, tiling, plastering and
fitment installation. |
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Fell walking: |
I enjoy family walks of moderate adversity, a favourite area being the
Langdale Valley in the Lake District. |
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Cookery: |
I cook regularly for family and friends and I am interested in exploring world-wide styles of cuisine. |
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
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·
Overhead Line Condition Monitoring ·
High Speed Automatic Vehicle Identification ·
Partial Discharge Tests on West Coast Main Line ·
Loss-of-contact Detector |
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
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Principal Scientific Officer, BR
Research, |
· Continued development of condition monitoring
systems for HV overhead lines, cables and transformers. · Developed laboratory high voltage measurement and calibration
techniques. · Provided consultancy for privatised and franchised
British railway companies, Local Government agencies, Channel Tunnel and Far
Eastern administrations. |
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Senior Scientific Officer, BR
Research, |
· Developed techniques to determine residual life of
25kV cables, transformers and bushings. · Investigated novel techniques for detection of HV
insulation breakdown. · Carried out voltage surge measurements on rolling
stock and overhead lines. · Developed techniques for overhead line and
pantograph condition monitoring and associated data communications, automatic
location, vehicle recognition and software requirements. · Evaluated fibre optic sensors for measurements on
HV systems. · Assessed various forms of terrestrial and satellite
navigation systems - including Global Positioning System (GPS) - for
determining train location. Determined relative performance merits under 25kV
overhead wires. · Evaluated radio frequency “tags” and readers for
automatic vehicle identification at high speeds. · Installed instrumentation and carried out line-side
measurements for high-speed current collection tests on Advanced Passenger
Train (APT). · Designed radar structure marker/camera
synchronisation system for overhead line uplift measurements |
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Scientific Officer, BR Research |
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1973 - 1977 |
· Investigated insulator, cable and bushing problems
on 25kV overhead line and power supply equipment. · Developed techniques for HV voltage surge detection
and recording. · Designed and developed live-line loss-of-contact
detector for non-powered pantograph. · Evaluated transformer “fingerprinting” technique
for detection of winding movements. |
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1971 - 1973 |
· Designed and installed instrumentation systems in
APT-E train laboratory coach and associated test equipment. |
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1968 - 1971 |
· Investigated plasma torch for improvement of
wheel/rail adhesion. Responsible for development and installation of
associated power and control equipment and operation and maintenance during
field trials. |
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Senior Technical Officer, BR
Research, |
· General responsibilities in electrical/high voltage
laboratory. Carried out laboratory and field measurements of wheel/rail
adhesion. |
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Technical Assistant, CM&EE Dept, Eastern
Region, British Rail, |
· Locomotive Technical Office, Doncaster. Responsible
for assessment of casualty reports, workshop repair and maintenance schedules
of ER diesel locomotive fleet. |
PUBLICATIONS
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