Big propeller
- Thread starter Cap'n Jack
- Start date
Take down fences.... It can be a real PITA. There are some trailers where the wheels turn as well.
Cap'n Jack
Final Approach
These didn't have wheels that could turn. The trailer was telescoping, I suppose so they could carry different sized blades. They also had a leading & trailing "Wide load" vehicle.
What driving around objects more PITA than fences? Phone poles, traffic lights, ...
Or do they just scout the route carefully first?
What driving around objects more PITA than fences? Phone poles, traffic lights, ...
Or do they just scout the route carefully first?
AdamZ
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2005
- Messages
- 14,866
- Location
- Montgomery County PA
- Display Name
Display name:
Adam Zucker
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2006
- Messages
- 5,128
- Location
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Display Name
Display name:
Jason W (FlyNE)
K
KennyFlys
Guest
Ouch!
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2006
- Messages
- 5,128
- Location
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Display Name
Display name:
Jason W (FlyNE)
That's what I thought. Makes you understand how much a blade failure on a piston single would suck.
tonycondon
Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
well at least all of the blades shed at pretty much the same time. the thing that scares me about losing a prop blade is if i only lost one blade.
crazy video though!
crazy video though!
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
Overdimensional loads are given permits by each state they pass through which specifies a route which will be possible for them to drive. The need for pilot cars and/or police escort varies not only with the size of the load, but also with the state (I've seen windmill blades in MI with no escort whatsoever, for example).
I've seen loads that were so overweight that they had four state troopers escorting them and when they approached a bridge the troopers blocked the entire bridge until the truck made it across.
I've also seen specialized overwidth trailers that took up both lanes on the interstate and had well over 100 wheels!
Here's one example of a big 'un:
The back end has nine more axles and is steerable.
tonycondon
Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
they pull the wind blades (1 at a time) on highway 9 across iowa regularly with no escort. pretty cool to see them go by.
CJones
Final Approach
Overdimensional loads are given permits by each state they pass through which specifies a route which will be possible for them to drive. The need for pilot cars and/or police escort varies not only with the size of the load, but also with the state (I've seen windmill blades in MI with no escort whatsoever, for example).
I've seen loads that were so overweight that they had four state troopers escorting them and when they approached a bridge the troopers blocked the entire bridge until the truck made it across.
I've also seen specialized overwidth trailers that took up both lanes on the interstate and had well over 100 wheels!
Here's one example of a big 'un:
The back end has nine more axles and is steerable.
Holy cow!!! That must be one heckuva press that they're hauling to have to spread the load out THAT much!! Unless they're in California I guess. Doesn't Cali require extra axles on loaded pickups now?
jwriteclub
Line Up and Wait
The big presses are absolutely gargantuan.
On the windmill: "Whoops, meant to feather that"
~ Christopher
On the windmill: "Whoops, meant to feather that"
~ Christopher
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
Holy cow!!! That must be one heckuva press that they're hauling to have to spread the load out THAT much!! Unless they're in California I guess. Doesn't Cali require extra axles on loaded pickups now?
That was actually in Missouri.
As for California... well... yeah. That's all I'm gonna say.
AdamZ
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2005
- Messages
- 14,866
- Location
- Montgomery County PA
- Display Name
Display name:
Adam Zucker
Kent, any idea what the permits cost to transport that stuff? Its got to be astronomical.
955
Pre-Flight
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2008
- Messages
- 79
- Location
- Lake County IL
- Display Name
Display name:
Robbie Culver (955)
That's gotta be from the Siemens Wind Plant....I do some work with that facility and it's an amazing place...in Fort Madison, I think...
RMCN172RG
Pattern Altitude
They are building a windmill farm in the Thumb NE of Bad Axe. I've seen them going up river on freighters, piled three high, a number of times but sorry no pictures.
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
Man, it would have to be. Can you imagine having to back that rig for 5 miles because you came to a place where you couldn't go forward or turn around?
Cap'n Jack
Final Approach
Overdimensional loads are given permits by each state they pass through which specifies a route which will be possible for them to drive. The need for pilot cars and/or police escort varies not only with the size of the load, but also with the state (I've seen windmill blades in MI with no escort whatsoever, for example).
I've seen loads that were so overweight that they had four state troopers escorting them and when they approached a bridge the troopers blocked the entire bridge until the truck made it across.
I've also seen specialized overwidth trailers that took up both lanes on the interstate and had well over 100 wheels!
Here's one example of a big 'un:
The back end has nine more axles and is steerable.
So- what is that- a 64 wheeler? That guy is his own convoy! Gives real meaning to the term "big rig".
How is the back steered? Like the long fire trucks that had a driver in the back end?
Keith Lane
Pattern Altitude
Last year, we did a ride quality study for a mindmill manufacturer, looking at designs for moving 1 megawatt units by rail. Each windmill will require 7 flatcars to move, and they want to move 10 windmills at a time in "special" trains. See the attached pictures of the blades and of the "nacelle" which sits atop the pole. The hub is not present. Each blade, of which there are three is 33 meters long.
Attachments
RMCN172RG
Pattern Altitude
I found a picture of windmill parts on the ship.
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images-07-3/ELB-08-25-07c-dl.jpg
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images-07-3/ELB-08-25-07c-dl.jpg
gkainz
Final Approach
How are those blades attached to the multiple rail cars and still go around curves? I began pondering that a few weeks ago after reading about windmill manufacturing kick starting in Greeley, CO.
Also pondered, while sitting at the RR Crossing one evening, where I seem to sit multiple times per week ... how much longer is an accelerating train than a decelerating train?
Also pondered, while sitting at the RR Crossing one evening, where I seem to sit multiple times per week ... how much longer is an accelerating train than a decelerating train?
bkreager
Pre-takeoff checklist
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
74, that particular one. 18 axles x 4 tires = 72 plus the steer axle's two is 74. I've seen some with over 100.
I'm not familiar with the long fire trucks... Some of the smaller overlength rigs have a single driver and tend to go reeaaalll slow around corners as the one driver has to contend with both the front and rear of the rig. I've also seen larger ones with two drivers, though I'd bet the rear driver either gets really bored for most of the trip, or they only have a rear driver present for the ends of the trip where they're really needed.
BTW, "rear driver" = the guy who steers the rear. They both sit in the cab up front.
You'd have about 2 seconds to shut it down before the engine tears off. I lost just a counterweight of a prop on a 1340, shut it down immediately & put it in the crop, it had already broken 3/4s of the motor mount.
The old ladder truck we had was a fifthwheel unit with a small drivers compartment on the back with a steering wheel and worked the back axel just like the front steer axel. It was a fun spot....
Cap'n Jack
Final Approach
looks like this:
I think the cab in the back is for someone to steer the back? In NYC, I think they were called tiller trucks or hook & ladder trucks. It's been a long time so I expect my memory's bad...
Keith Lane
Pattern Altitude
Actually, they put it on one 89' flat car, with an empty flat ahead and behind for the overhang. Then a pretty expensive study is conducted to see if the overhang, both on the inside and the outside of the curve will be a problem due to any obstructions. We sometimes conduct these for smaller railroads such as when a pipe manufacturer wanted to move huge pipes across Oregon by rail instead of truck and did not have in-house expertise. Last, a special instruction can be issued restricting speed, and whether the train is allowed to meet other trains anywhere but on tangent (straight) track or even if it can be moving during either a meet or a pass by an overtaking train.
As for the length of a "stretched" train vs. a "bunched" train the short answer is "depends". All cars have compressible draft gear which connects the coupler to the car. Coal cars, for example only compress about 8" and even then only with about 400,000 lbs of compressive force, and couplers will fail around 500,000-600,000 lbs of draft (pull) force. Auto haulers and cars that haul sensitive cargo have End-of-car cushioning draft gears which can extend/compress up to 14". So, the longer the train (more cars), the more the train shrinks or grows. From a standstill, it's to the train's advantage to start out bunched up as then the locos are only starting to move the train a car at a time instead of trying to pull all of it at once. Locomotive pulling force is expressed as a percentage of the weight on wheel of the locomotive itself. A typical 6 axle loco weighs about 410,000 lbs and under ideal conditions generates 30% of that weight in pulling force at the coupler. ~~125,000 lbs. Thats why you need multiple locos. And those locos on the rear and middle are radio controlled from the lead locomotive.
Probably more than you ever wanted to know about trains.
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2006
- Messages
- 5,128
- Location
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Display Name
Display name:
Jason W (FlyNE)
Thanks, Keith. Believe it or not I found that incredibly interesting. 
Probably more than you ever wanted to know about trains.
Brought back memories. When I worked for Sperry Rail Service, the CN put me through the full engineers course at Gimlie Manitoba. I remember when the Trainmaster passed the word to me to get packed to go to school, he said "When you see the tits, hit the brakes". I kept that in the back of my mind, and when cresting a rise(in the sim) there was a totally hot gal standing there with a green eye off in the distance. As you come up near the gal, she lifts her top and flashes you. At that moment, the green eye goes red.
jwriteclub
Line Up and Wait
Boeing does something similar with the 737s. The fuselages are assembled at the big body plant in Everett (where the 747, 757, 767 and 787 are built). They then load them onto a train and run them down the east side of lake Washington to the old Renton Facility which is where they do everything else. They have special train cars so that the fuselage sits on car one and overhangs an empty car two.
They run right past the Woodinville office of Dynon, and I think my first week working there, when one was parked on the tracks I got called outside and someone said "Damnit Chris, I know we said you had a procurement budget, but don't you think that three quickbuild 737s is a little much."
~ Christopher
They run right past the Woodinville office of Dynon, and I think my first week working there, when one was parked on the tracks I got called outside and someone said "Damnit Chris, I know we said you had a procurement budget, but don't you think that three quickbuild 737s is a little much."
~ Christopher
gkainz
Final Approach
Thanks, Keith. I was hoping you would weigh in with your good stuff! Since I seem to spend time watching the trains go by every day - directly proportional to how big a hurry I'm in, I found it very interesting. Especially since the crossing that most loves to hold me up usually has a loaded coal train coming down off the foothills into Denver, or an empty one heading back west again, interspersed with the occasional Amtrack and the once in a while Ski Train.
CJones
Final Approach
Yeah, but the 1340 throws a boat paddle around as a prop! You could get another 200# on a load if you could find a way to fly with one blade on a 1340!