James Watson CEng, FIET
@engineerlondon.bsky.social
Engineer. Historian. Beer-Drinker. Publican's Friend. Hi-Fi Anorak. Technocrat. Patriot. Improving Husband. Feminist. “The Attenborough of the Relay Room”
Pinned
We are not the BEST commissioning engineers on the British power system, but we are in the top two 💁🏻♂️
!⃝ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 ⚡️👆🏻
!⃝ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 ⚡️👆🏻
Holiday in Britain folks. The beer is much better anyway 😆🍺🍺
Major airport suspends
'disaster' post-Brexit checks as Britons face six-hour delays
Travellers report 'horrific' queues due to EES checks in Spain, with Portugal postponing the system after severe delays at Lisbon
inews.co.uk/news/airport...
'disaster' post-Brexit checks as Britons face six-hour delays
Travellers report 'horrific' queues due to EES checks in Spain, with Portugal postponing the system after severe delays at Lisbon
inews.co.uk/news/airport...
Major airport suspends ‘disaster’ post-Brexit checks as Britons face six-hour delays
Travellers report ‘horrific’ queues due to EES checks in Spain, with Portugal postponing the system after severe delays at Lisbon
inews.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Holiday in Britain folks. The beer is much better anyway 😆🍺🍺
AEI A Unit MCU removed from service 2009. On my office wall 💪🏻
January 1, 2026 at 11:14 AM
AEI A Unit MCU removed from service 2009. On my office wall 💪🏻
Reposted by James Watson CEng, FIET
From everyone at GMB - we wish you all the best for 2026!
January 1, 2026 at 7:35 AM
From everyone at GMB - we wish you all the best for 2026!
Reposted by James Watson CEng, FIET
2025 has been a historic year for clean energy in UK, with renewable project approvals reaching a record-high 45 GW — nearly double of 2024.
This surge was driven by an exceptional rise in battery storage capacity, which almost doubled to 28.6 GW, alongside strong growth in offshore wind & solar.
This surge was driven by an exceptional rise in battery storage capacity, which almost doubled to 28.6 GW, alongside strong growth in offshore wind & solar.
December 30, 2025 at 11:53 AM
2025 has been a historic year for clean energy in UK, with renewable project approvals reaching a record-high 45 GW — nearly double of 2024.
This surge was driven by an exceptional rise in battery storage capacity, which almost doubled to 28.6 GW, alongside strong growth in offshore wind & solar.
This surge was driven by an exceptional rise in battery storage capacity, which almost doubled to 28.6 GW, alongside strong growth in offshore wind & solar.
Tidying up my man cave with a Fullers BR1 by @fullersjohn.bsky.social 👌🏻
Still drinking beautifully 😍 Sure it’s got darker and stronger but the single malt notes are coming through nicely. Only got half a case left now. But one cannot take good beer with one 🤷🏻♂️🍺🥰
Still drinking beautifully 😍 Sure it’s got darker and stronger but the single malt notes are coming through nicely. Only got half a case left now. But one cannot take good beer with one 🤷🏻♂️🍺🥰
December 27, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Tidying up my man cave with a Fullers BR1 by @fullersjohn.bsky.social 👌🏻
Still drinking beautifully 😍 Sure it’s got darker and stronger but the single malt notes are coming through nicely. Only got half a case left now. But one cannot take good beer with one 🤷🏻♂️🍺🥰
Still drinking beautifully 😍 Sure it’s got darker and stronger but the single malt notes are coming through nicely. Only got half a case left now. But one cannot take good beer with one 🤷🏻♂️🍺🥰
New fairy / Angel for our tree 🌲
December 12, 2025 at 5:55 PM
New fairy / Angel for our tree 🌲
Reclaim time on a T4DA1 J Unit
Always have a variety of lolly pop sticks in my line of work
Always have a variety of lolly pop sticks in my line of work
December 9, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reclaim time on a T4DA1 J Unit
Always have a variety of lolly pop sticks in my line of work
Always have a variety of lolly pop sticks in my line of work
The electrical widow and idol of my life in front of England’s only Grade II listed transmission substation 😍
November 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The electrical widow and idol of my life in front of England’s only Grade II listed transmission substation 😍
Reposted by James Watson CEng, FIET
@engineerlondon.bsky.social - saw this and thought of you... Since I first saw your feed I have become an engineer in corporate and now know exactly what you, and this book, mean 🤣
November 16, 2025 at 11:53 AM
@engineerlondon.bsky.social - saw this and thought of you... Since I first saw your feed I have become an engineer in corporate and now know exactly what you, and this book, mean 🤣
The perfect beer before a transient feeder simulation with reversion and hot standby auto close 👌🏻 As our saviour taught us- TPSO be damned!!!
November 8, 2025 at 11:18 PM
The perfect beer before a transient feeder simulation with reversion and hot standby auto close 👌🏻 As our saviour taught us- TPSO be damned!!!
Transient feeder fault with FR. Double F3 flap to quench and then auto restoration. This is what it’s all about 💪🏻🙌🏻👌🏻😍
October 21, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Transient feeder fault with FR. Double F3 flap to quench and then auto restoration. This is what it’s all about 💪🏻🙌🏻👌🏻😍
Morning ☀️😘
October 19, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Morning ☀️😘
Reposted by James Watson CEng, FIET
The other afternoon, a small-scale electricity supply failure to a domestic supply run at shallow depth beneath the pavement, just the sort of thing that, were it to happen on his patch, wouldn't be @engineerlondon.bsky.social's concern.
October 16, 2025 at 11:23 AM
The other afternoon, a small-scale electricity supply failure to a domestic supply run at shallow depth beneath the pavement, just the sort of thing that, were it to happen on his patch, wouldn't be @engineerlondon.bsky.social's concern.
Reposted by James Watson CEng, FIET
@engineerlondon.bsky.social Well-designed transformer with convenient mug shelf.
October 12, 2025 at 8:24 PM
@engineerlondon.bsky.social Well-designed transformer with convenient mug shelf.
Reposted by James Watson CEng, FIET
How do you isolate a gas main?
Pinch it! 😬
Pinch it! 😬
October 6, 2025 at 2:11 PM
How do you isolate a gas main?
Pinch it! 😬
Pinch it! 😬
Case of my 1967 ‘A Unit’ having a cheeky respray ready for the new installation in my study, under construction
October 2, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Case of my 1967 ‘A Unit’ having a cheeky respray ready for the new installation in my study, under construction
Typically 11 kV (or 6.6 kV) to 400 volt. Capacity ranges from 300 kVA to 2 MVA. In London we call them TCs (transformer chambers) and there are 30,000 of them. Elsewhere they are known as distribution substations, mostly fed via cable, a few by woodpole OHL in rural areas
@engineerlondon.bsky.social Hi. I have a question, which I hope you will answer for me. You know these buildings on our streets? Are these substations with transformers that feed 230V to a few streets? Are they fed by bigger high voltage cables underground?
September 23, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Typically 11 kV (or 6.6 kV) to 400 volt. Capacity ranges from 300 kVA to 2 MVA. In London we call them TCs (transformer chambers) and there are 30,000 of them. Elsewhere they are known as distribution substations, mostly fed via cable, a few by woodpole OHL in rural areas
Just examining the phasing on a tee off as I was trying to find an every day regular phase cross for my trainees. But this is a single phase tee off so it’s arbitrary. Still worth surveying tho. My wife loves our walks ⚡️
September 11, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Just examining the phasing on a tee off as I was trying to find an every day regular phase cross for my trainees. But this is a single phase tee off so it’s arbitrary. Still worth surveying tho. My wife loves our walks ⚡️
Reposted by James Watson CEng, FIET
Ceci n'est pas une usine! The Brush factory in Loughborough has a distinguished history building locomotives. It also supplied electrical equipment for the original eurostar class 373 (TMST) trains.
#Rail200
#Rail200
September 5, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Ceci n'est pas une usine! The Brush factory in Loughborough has a distinguished history building locomotives. It also supplied electrical equipment for the original eurostar class 373 (TMST) trains.
#Rail200
#Rail200
Op test on Reyrolle OBYR-14 132 kV, 5000 MVA, 2000 A ABCB 💥
September 4, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Op test on Reyrolle OBYR-14 132 kV, 5000 MVA, 2000 A ABCB 💥
Building up the cooler bank on a new 120 MVA 275/33 kV YNd1 transformer. The radiators work just like yours at home. We put warm fluid through them and the surface area cools the fluid and extracts heat from the transformer core and windings, allowing it to function at a safe working temperature 👍🏻
August 20, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Building up the cooler bank on a new 120 MVA 275/33 kV YNd1 transformer. The radiators work just like yours at home. We put warm fluid through them and the surface area cools the fluid and extracts heat from the transformer core and windings, allowing it to function at a safe working temperature 👍🏻
Hard at it ☀️💪🏻
August 17, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Hard at it ☀️💪🏻