AlphaServer 2100s available

[Norman Jaffe]

Not DEC-related, but I once had an IBM 1800 shipped from where we'd purchased it to a storage locker in a different city, where I lived. 
All was fine until it was unloaded, and the wheels sank into the pavement. 
[That summer was a bit hotter than normal...] 

From: "cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> 
To: "Adrian Graham" <binarydinosaurs at gmail.com>, "cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> 
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2020 9:56:56 AM 
Subject: Re: AlphaServer 2100s available 

> On Jul 27, 2020, at 12:38 PM, Adrian Graham via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote: 
> 
> ... 
> 
> That reminds me of the time I was transporting a Dodge box (Alpha 4100) between customer sites in a London borough. There were 3 machines, a pair of 4100s and a 2100. 3 of us got the 2100 and a 4100 into the van we had for this task but the 3rd machine wouldn’t fit. No problem, I have a big estate car (station wagon) so could put it in the back of that. 
> 
> I strapped it in with occy straps (the elasticated type) and put the brakes on the front wheels but the thing was so heavy that when the car moved forwards the machine didn’t and burst through the back window. A small girl out on the street said ‘look Mum, that man’s broken his window!’ 

Those straps are nice for holding packages weighing up to maybe 10 pounds or so. Something non-stretchy, like cargo webbing ratchet straps, well-tied ropes, or in extreme cases chains, are for heavy stuff. I had some fun years ago moving a lathe, in pieces the heaviest of which was around 800 pounds. That's a quick course in how to secure stuff well. 

Your story reminds me of the -- perhaps apocryphal -- story of the RP04 (RP03?) that was being air-freighted out of Boston airport. It wasn't correctly tied down, so when the takeoff roll started, it stayed put. Same sort of consequence as yours except that it left out the back of the airplane, through the fuselage, bouncing off the runway. 

The story says that it was taken back to Maynard, uncrated, set up with a couple of bricks underneath one of the corners that was pushed in 6 inches or so, and tested. It still worked. I guess DEC built sturdy, and from your experience they kept doing that for a long time. 

paul