Window into the past.

[MoreCoffee]

Technology marches on and on. People speculated about job losses in 1968 as computers made inroads into accounting, banking, insurance, and government. Most of their speculations about job losses were conservative but some were excessive. We live in an age where computer technology has not stopped advancing and many manual labourers and a good number of clerical workers have lost their jobs. Bank clerks are a diminished part of the banking work force. No more Train and bus conductors, no more station masters and baggage handlers at bus and train stations. Even drivers in mining sites are replaced by computerised large vehicles. Train drivers in the mining industry are pretty much a thing of the past.


Here's a 1968 video from Australia about the issue. I thought it was interesting. I hope you do too.

 

[Lamb]

Here in the US we still have train conductors for some of the commuter trains.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Here in the US we still have train conductors for some of the commuter trains.

What about the local suburban rail (light rail) systems?

 

[Andrew]

What about the local suburban rail (light rail) systems?

I know Houston has them

 

[MoreCoffee]

I know Houston has them

Suburban rail, brother DHoffmann, or conductors on the trains that use the suburban rails?

 

[tango]

Much of the London Underground still has human staff on board. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which feeds the part of East London known as the Docklands is, I believe, entirely automatic. The overground railway has staff although typically not much staff - a driver and a conductor. The automated announcements that tell everybody to watch for beggars, terrorists and however many other undesirables there are today always used to invite people to "tell a member of staff". Which was comical, given the commuter trains were so packed you could barely move let alone get through the carriages to find the elusive member of staff. More recently they suggest calling the British Transport Police.