This week’s Sepia Saturday inspirational photo shows linesmen maintaining electrical cables in Tasmania around 1969.
As soon as I saw the prompt I knew that, by some bizarre coincidence, I had the perfect photo in Douglas and Elsie’s album from their road trip to Monte Carlo (Part one) in 1955.
I know I’m still in the very early stages of planning our re-enactment of their trip but I had to zoom ahead 1026 miles from home to Grindelwald – a village in Switzerland.
Grindelwald
I wondered if this man with a good bunnet for heights was working on the cable car system.
After a considerable amount of time spent Googling, I think it is the precursor to the Grindelwald–Männlichen gondola cableway which links the two villages.
The Wengen–Männlichen Aerial Cableway officially opened in July 1954 so presumably this guy was just greasing a few cables?
Whilst Douglas and Elsie may not have been ski enthusiasts in their younger days, they were both very active after retirement. Elsie, in particular, was always game to try anything at least once. Douglas was rather more reserved but any form of transport fascinated him, and he tried out a couple of options on snow.
Douglas had a motorbike from a very early age and spent his working life in the motor trade – cars and bikes were his thing. He was equally at home whizzing about on some new-fangled contraption.
It’s just a glorified motorbike!
I’m sure that they had a wonderful trip to Monaco and back and we’re looking forward to doing (almost) exactly the same!
The Silly Girl’s Project continues…
See what the other Sepians made of this week’s old photo prompt.
Jo Graham
Images Past 
I hate to think how that fellow had to wriggle & scoot his way out to the end of the pole to grease that cable while holding his grease gun.
A great photo for this week’s prompt. I’ve travelled by train between Wengen and Grindelwald back in 1992, when we took our family for a skiing holiday at the Wengen Club Med, which was an interesting experience. Unlike the rest of the family, I’m not into skiing.
I haven’t heard of a good bunnet for heights – sounds as though it could be a Robbie Burns saying. I’m guessing it’s the same as us saying a good head for heights. Whatever. I won’t volunteer to change places with him.
Hard hats are so important, so very true! Now to hang out there on the edge, so not for me!
You wouldn’t catch me re-enacting that first shot.
I suppose someone has to do the work on those high poles but I’m very glad that safety precautions are more important these days.
How do people get up the nerve to scoot out on a beam like that? One slip and . . . . UGH
Ahhh, Grindelwald. I hadn’t thought of that little village for years. And Wengen, so beautiful.
For some reason I never even think about the people who have to keep the lifts working. It makes me think of the Mohawk ironworkers who basically built Manhattan.
http://www.wnyc.org/story/192807-sky-walking-raising-steel-mohawk-ironworker-keeps-tradition-alive/