[Erasmus]

I worked as a maintenance trainee for IBM in Chicago's Loop when there were still a few of the tube computers/calculators at our customers.

I saw a 604, a couple 650's, and a 709--but never had to train to work on them.

Many of our customers were transitioning from exclusively punch card equipment directly to transistor computers such as the 1401, 1410, and 7070. Of course, they still had rooms full of punch card operators banging away on model 24's, 26's and the equivalent verifiers. And still needed duplicating punches, interpreters, and sorters.

I saw a 604, a couple 650's, and a 709--but never had to train to work on them.

And changing the oil on a 407 accounting machine was about like overhauling a beetle engine. At least as messy, anyway.

Gracious, some of us old f4rts go back a ways, don't we? ≤}B^)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I remember those keypunches...and the well endowed ladies striking the keyboard with other parts than their fingers....LOL!