T Break thread 2023

[delta]

Heading up to Portimao soon . Pouring with rain at moment .

[Peter Mallett]

That'll be fun then.

[356sc]

Originally Posted by delta

Heading up to Portimao soon . Pouring with rain at moment .

Portimao in the wet is a challenge- although one of my most enjoyable races was there in the wet probably 10 years ago now…GTSCC, you were in an e type we were in the 356, you sneaked past me in the last stint! Great fun!

[delta]

Originally Posted by 356sc

Portimao in the wet is a challenge- although one of my most enjoyable races was there in the wet probably 10 years ago now…GTSCC, you were in an e type we were in the 356, you sneaked past me in the last stint! Great fun!

Yeaaaaaaaaaa. That was so much fun

[Mike Harte]

Thank you Viv and Gordon for replies about Java; it will be gone.

Gérard, what message about Adobe PDF are you getting?

[Tel 911S]

Originally Posted by Tel 911S

Anyway , something completely different .
Had a very large truck load come through the area today .
Have never seen anything like it . About 100 Meters long , load was about 320 tons , and front and rear truck units . 36 axles , nearly all with 4 wheels .

Have driven a lot of different vehicles in my time , but this one was quite amazing .

It seems that there is another big one coming through this weekend .
The actual load is over 500 tons , and over 80 meters long .
Difficult to believe that things like that can actually get along the roads .

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Tel 911S

It seems that there is another big one coming through this weekend .
The actual load is over 500 tons , and over 80 meters long .
Difficult to believe that things like that can actually get along the roads .

I remember years back when a part of a nuclear reactor was being transported the team had a forward party that were dismantling road signs and jacking up power cables etc, and in one village they actually had to knock a part of a garden wall down.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I remember years back when a part of a nuclear reactor was being transported the team had a forward party that were dismantling road signs and jacking up power cables etc, and in one village they actually had to knock a part of a garden wall down.

Organising the movement of abnormal loads is not a spur of the moment task. It can sometimes take weeks to organise, to get permits and to survey the intended route. They also need, with these very heavy and/or very large loads, to organise police escorts which may require different forces when travelling from one force area to another.

The hauliers often need, as Gordon mentions, to get local councils/authorities to remove road signs and obelisks in the centre of roads plus even traffic lights, road side barriers and metal grill type pedestrian fencing.

[Peter Mallett]

I don't recall the town, but there is a roundabout with a fenced off road traversing it. When large loads are moved they remove the fence and simply drive across rather than around the roundabout. I'm sure there are a few of them but I suspect the one I've seen is in the Barrow-in-Furness area.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Organising the movement of abnormal loads is not a spur of the moment task. It can sometimes take weeks to organise, to get permits and to survey the intended route. They also need, with these very heavy and/or very large loads, to organise police escorts which may require different forces when travelling from one force area to another.

The hauliers often need, as Gordon mentions, to get local councils/authorities to remove road signs and obelisks in the centre of roads plus even traffic lights, road side barriers and metal grill type pedestrian fencing.

Yes - a very complex task at times.

A few years back I was part of a group organising a road move of an overly long load from South London to Lincolnshire.

The constraints meant that the load had to move on a Friday afternoon, and as part of the move we had to travel the wrong way down some one-way roads, close roads near a primary school, and temporarily close the Dartford Tunnel!!!!

[John Elwin]

When we were going through the mania of having windmills thrown-up everywhere around here, it was interesting to see the very long trucks carrying the poles negotiating the quite tight roundabout in the nearby town of Frevent. Not much room for error there!

[justracing]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

When we were going through the mania of having windmills thrown-up everywhere around here,!

Crikey!

[Mike Harte]

I've been involved in two such movements, both many years ago, the last in about 1983, which was to transport multiple machines and equipment. They both happened after I bought out two companies and brought everything down to our factory in North London, one from the Midlands and the other half way between Carlisle and Newcastle. Because it involved quite a few over wide trucks in convey, the police requested that we travelled at night, which was not a problem.

The headache was that we couldn't get the trucks through our entrance as they were far too wide, so we had to arrange for a long jibbed crane to lift the machines over a row of buildings that lined Tottenham High Road, and for the obvious reason that it would require that extremely busy road to be closed, that meant a second night's working.

Talking of cranes, a friend of mine was responsible for the architectural steelwork for the Coca-Cola illuminated sign that used to adorn the building overlooking Piccadilly Circus in Central London. Before he retired, his company made at least two frameworks for different versions that they had there, and that involved having to close that whole are down over two nights, starting after 1 PM, one to dismantle the old sign and the second to erect the new one.

Now it doesn't exist as all the signs are digital screens.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Gérard, what message about Adobe PDF are you getting?

Something loke no more up to date and no more supported by the editor. I wont delete it because the one I have works fine and has been legally downloaded for free. I dont want to invest a single penny for a "new thing" before testing it. Have been on Mac for decades and don't quite appreciate this kind of "offer".

The PDF message comes once a week or so.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Organising the movement of abnormal loads is not a spur of the moment task.

Sure it is not! The most spectacular we have at night on our B roads is for Airbus parts. Not that the trucks are really that big but the orads are narrow and the towns are tiny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCHrHlJbbJg

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Sure it is not! The most spectacular we have at night on our B roads is for Airbus parts. Not that the trucks are really that big but the orads are narrow and the towns are tiny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCHrHlJbbJg

There have been TV programmes about that in the UK; transporting parts from all over, with the A380 wings having to go by sea before the short road journey in the middle of the night through sleepy villages.

Now, of course, most stuff travels in the Beluga. And what an ugly plane that is.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Now, of course, most stuff travels in the Beluga. And what an ugly plane that is.

Ho yes!! Did you see one when its loaded? The clearances are more by millimeters rather than centimeters. OK, tenths of inches…

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Ho yes!! Did you see one when its loaded? The clearances are more by millimeters rather than centimeters. OK, tenths of inches…

We only get excited when it's down to thousandths!

[Tel 911S]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I saw something on the TV a few days ago concerning the transport of abnormal loads because the police were concerned that many hauliers were not complying with the regulation. Their experience was that something like 90% of those checked were not correct in some form or another.

This programme covered a recent check session that they ran alongside the various agencies to look at the hauliers documents, to weigh the vehicles and so on. If I am correct, not one of the vehicles passed their all of the checks, whether they were overloaded, their documents were in order, the loads secured properly and safely or that the drivers were moving the vehicles during the hours permitted in the permits provided for moving the loads.

The voice-over stated that it was believed that pretty well every case was driven (no pun intended) by the hauliers trying to squeeze more profit the contracts that they were fulfilling, like on haulier that had loaded five tractors on the trailer they were moving, which was also over weight, when it was considered that it was only safe to carry three tractors on that size of trailer - it was overhanging front and rear.

Looking at the planned run for this weekends large load , it seems that it is only going about halfway on 1 day then carrying on on another day .

The first one took about 12 hours to do its route , under 30 miles .
So although this one is heavier , it might be that the first one was going beyond the drivers max hours per day , so something was said along the lines of not complying with regulations , and they have had to change the original idea.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

There have been TV programmes about that in the UK; transporting parts from all over, with the A380 wings having to go by sea before the short road journey in the middle of the night through sleepy villages.

Now, of course, most stuff travels in the Beluga. And what an ugly plane that is.

Beluga - what are a marvel of engineering. Have seen one fly over East Mids Airport. Yes ugly, but very impressive.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by andy97

Beluga - what are a marvel of engineering. Have seen one fly over East Mids Airport. Yes ugly, but very impressive.

I never understood why the didn't incorporate a nose similar to A380 which would have also increased the capacity a little.

[John Elwin]

I think that is what I saw on the ground at Farnborough Air Show some years ago.

It is indeed an impressive sight close-up!

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I never understood why the didn't incorporate a nose similar to A380 which would have also increased the capacity a little.

May be by bearing in mind that the thing must fly. Actually.

[Lancsbreaker]

There was a picture in the Times yesterday of a 65m long wind-turbine blade being transported through Hawick in the Scottish Borders - one of 21 for the Pines Burn wind farm. Seemed to be anchored at the neck of the artic trailer, sticking up at a 45 degree angle, it redefined the definition of a high load!

[GORDON STREETER]

We have had a few cars and vans nicked in our area in the UK lately including a mate just up the road who had his van plus tools taken the other week. Most of them have been stolen off of driveways right outside of the houses and not parked on the road. Being in the motor trade I am aware of how easy some cars are to steal including keyless expensive ones. If they want to steal my daily transport they will have to tow it away and do a fair amount of work on it ( especially if they want to use it) as I take the ECU out of it most of the time as it is instant and takes 30 seconds !. One of my friends years ago had his Range Rover stolen and was in the middle of negotiations with his insurance company, but he wasn't too miffed about it as the auto box had a major fault at the time and was getting undrivable. However before they paid him out the police found it during a road stop a few weeks later. The insurance company offered it back to him plus some money and he decided that it was worth it as the money would easily cover a new box to be fitted. Well he got it back and guess what ? someone had already fitted a new one ! talk about a result