On Sep 30, 10:45*am, Mark A wrote:
On 30/09/2012 09:25, Phil Cook wrote:
On 29/09/2012 23:56, Mark A wrote:
On 29/09/2012 21:28, CJB wrote:

Yup - a collapse of one of the main driving towers just west of Royal
Oak Station. It is currently being hoisted upright by a huge crane. I
guess it was lucky the train was underneath otherwise the wreckage
could have / would have fallen across adjacent tracks.

Four photos of the situation as of Friday afternoon, with a mobile crane
supporting the structure. It is quite close to the GW main line. Also,
it leaves some of us wondering how quickly it's possible to spot hire a
very large crane ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2587633...in/photostream

looking at this one in particular ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2587633...n/photostream/

I wonder just who signed that design off? The structure under the loader
seems no more robust than the rest of the conveyor.

A bit of background?:

http://industrialreporter.wordpress....usive-accident...

If the train had not been there then the collapsing gantry could have
fallen on the HEX / HConn overhead wires causing high tension sparks
all round.

Interesting that Metro and the Evening Standard haven't mentioned the
snafu yet. Nor have they mentioned the union picketing and the
reported 'lack of safety' issues with the Crossrail project. PHmm -
probably 'cos the ex-KGB Russian owners of the Standard are censoring
the news.

Another report - of this not so squeaky clean Crossrail project is at:

http://union-news.co.uk/2012/09/spar...tion-sackings/

And I see that Spanish-owned Ferrovial are also involved with
Crossrail. They are (or were) majority shareholders of BAA who own and
operate Heathrow Aiport. [Ferrovial recently sold a percentage of its
BAA holdings to the mega-rich Royal Family in Qatar. But quite why a
bunch of oil-rich Arabs would want a stake in a failing and bankrupt
company (BAA) is a moot point.

CJB.

On Sun, 30 Sep 2012 03:57:29 -0700 (PDT)
CJB wrote:
Interesting that Metro and the Evening Standard haven't mentioned the
snafu yet. Nor have they mentioned the union picketing and the
reported 'lack of safety' issues with the Crossrail project. PHmm -
probably 'cos the ex-KGB Russian owners of the Standard are censoring
the news.

"Conveyer mechanism tips over" - not exactly headline news is it?

And would these unions be representing the same type of selfless hardworking
salt of the earth heros who kept nicking cabling from the JLE causing it
to go overbudget and be delayed?

B2003

"CJB" wrote in message
...

If the train had not been there then the collapsing gantry could have
fallen on the HEX / HConn overhead wires causing high tension sparks
all round.

I think you exaggerate.

Pictures of the original set up suggest it is further away than it looks in
some of the pictures of the damaged condition. If the complete height
including the whole supporting structure had fallen over (ie pivoting at the
ground) it might reach the tracks, but I suggest the top section shown
would not reach as far - unless defying the laws of gravity...

Paul S

On Mon, 1 Oct 2012 10:39:11 +0100, "Paul Scott"
wrote:

"CJB" wrote in message
...

If the train had not been there then the collapsing gantry could have
fallen on the HEX / HConn overhead wires causing high tension sparks
all round.

I think you exaggerate.

Pictures of the original set up suggest it is further away than it looks in
some of the pictures of the damaged condition. If the complete height
including the whole supporting structure had fallen over (ie pivoting at the
ground) it might reach the tracks, but I suggest the top section shown
would not reach as far - unless defying the laws of gravity...

IME there is a tendency to erect a suitable scaffolding barrier if
there is a more than just a remote possibility of something falling
towards or onto a railway.