The Recovery begins ...

This is a very manly crane. It can lift 120 tonnes and has a humungerous reach.
I noticed the tare weight was 61 tonnes.

When you are recovering a truck, nothing happens till the cranes arrive.
You usually need two, to rotate the wreck onto it's wheels.

There are also support trucks and vehicles carrying counterweights, pads, chains and lifting paraphenalia.

Truckies know that when the cranes arrive the road will be closed, so the CB 's run hot as they try and beat the closure.

The pole in the background carries an 11kv power line, It runs up to the bluff in the background and is a long way off the ground.


The Driver, in white shirt, watches as the lift begins.

Up and over the power lines.

And back to road level

The next trick is to get it onto it's wheels.
In this case it will be rotated lengthways.

Each crane has an end each.

Then, alas, just as it was nearly on it's wheels the side burst.
Curtain-Sider trucks will do this.

So we know we are in for a clean up.

Now, also, you get an idea of how lucky the driver was to walk away from this crash.

Waiting in the wings is this sexy heavy tow truck.
I asked the driver what it can lift
"Most Things" he said

The trucks remaining load is secured till it can be off loaded a short distance away
and the truck is towed away.

As darkness falls, the last of the rubbish is cleared away.
The road has been liberally annointed with an absorbent mineral powder.
"Slippery" signs will be left up and a speed restriction set overnight.
Then it's hometime.....
A long hot day...

And In Breaking News...

We are presently getting organised to recover a truck which went over a bank just north of Mokau.
It could be a major, the power will have to be cut off, and a heavy lift crane is leaving New Plymouth shortly.
There will be delays to traffic on SH 3 from about 3 pm.
Just dived in to fill the thermos etc.
Could be a late one *sigh*

From the "road workers are tough" dept.

3 months in a box.

recovers from broken shoulder.

At 3 yrs of age wins $70,500

"Cato, Warm up the silver hornet ..."

With rather large toothy creatures prowling about off Taranaki, Option B of the Fart long weekend plan swung into action.

A blast down to the fair, fog shrouded, Capital in the silver hornet.

Most impressive.

They have tall buildings, lots of roadworks, and even have reflectors on the culvert marker pegs.

I waved to the poor buggers spreading sand on bleeding tar in the furnace heat of the central plateau.

Scored a feed at the Old Folks Home in Waikanae

A lovely cop flashed his lights at me, I think he liked my car.

Say Cheese...

"The Department of Conservation has issued a warning to swimmers around New Plymouth after several sightings of a large great white shark. The last sighting was last Friday." NZH

I was going to go fishing this weekend, but I've ..um.. run out of fish hooks.

Not that sharks worry me.
They were twice as big in my day.
Shark whisperer from way back, me.

I like this idea though;

At Fitzroy Beach, 17-year-old Cherish Low said she had seen stories about shark sightings in the paper, so she was not going out very far.
Miss Low had another theory on how to avoid being bitten:
"I'll stay in the middle of a group so someone else on the outside will get eaten," she said.

Another long weekend begins ...

It's been a scorcher today.
Mr Bastable has the right idea.

"Police have stormed a bus on Queen St in Auckland after a man was reportedly seen sitting at the back with a replica firearm."
NZH

I'm not surprised, there are some shady characters on public transport these days..

Meanwhile ...

I think I have found a secret Line Marker's training ground.
Either that or a little drug testing is in order...

I hear you singin' in the wire...

"About 17,000 households were without power in the upper North Island after a storm left emergency service workers struggling with arcing powerlines, fallen trees, sinking yachts and trapped motorists."

Put me under the "fallen trees" category.

Pissing down rain, a bloody gale, and running out of fags.

At least those driving by appreciate the effort.

Its good to get toots of encouragement and even offers of help.

Coping with fallen trees is one thing.

I admire those linesmen,
they earn their money on a night like that...

A Three Pipe Problem

Q: " A traffic island has appeared and disappeared over and over again (well, at least three times, maybe five) in Mt Eden Rd between Enfield St and Boston Rd."

"When you have eliminated the impossible...."

The Solution....

Things That Really Piss Me Off. No. 187

Wet Day, Early Knock, Live Cricket.
Ah, The couch, the remote.

RAIN FADE

"Due To Atmospheric disturbances...."

Short Cuts

It is amazing how far some trucks cut corners.
Usually of course it is the trailer, or trailer unit.
Sometimes they have to.
This is a not particularly tight corner on Mt Messenger, yet a set of dual wheels have straddled the marker peg.
The peg is over 2 metres from the white line.

Hello Sailor...

" Eight pranksters who dropped their pants and showed their underwear on the subway on Sunday were taken into custody and issued summonses for disorderly conduct. All were ultimately released, said Improv Everywhere, the group that organized the stunt.

The group said more than 160 riders participated in the fifth annual No Pants Subway Ride before police halted their No. 6 train about 5 p.m...."

We occasionally, (far too occasionally) have the odd ladies who flash their assets at us, as we toil away on the Queens Highway.

Maybe we could reciprocate.

Nude Stop & Go.

But harm could come to grown lads with all that hot tar about.

( That's what the barmaid at the Port Tavern says, & she knows a bit about hot tars... )

Another Worry.

While working in the wilds I have often thought of fellow roadworkers being dragged off by tigers & such.

I hadn't considered cone hurling ninja polar bears.

I better bring it up at the next safety meeting...

Sticky Situations...

MOSCOW -" Animals at zoos across Russia were being given shots, or in some cases buckets, of vodka, to keep them warm yesterday as temperatures in the European part of the country plunged towards an exceptional minus 40 degrees Celsius."

I was going to have a winge about the rain today, but if they are having to get the elephants pissed in Russia to cope with cold, I guess a little summer rain is no big deal.

A good rainfall overnight triggered small rockfalls in the Awakino Gorge.

A truck blew a front tire on one sharp rock, the remains of which also demolished an air tank fitting. The end result being immobility, and a couple of hours baby sitting him, and early morning traffic.

Further south a truck skidded into a swamp and jackknifed, fortunately only covering the driver in mud and embarrassment, and not blood and glass.

Our favourite digger driver also had a sticky encounter getting himself rather intimately involved with another swamp, again embarrassingly close to the main road.
Not to be outdone our sign truck also managed a minor excursion into the water table and I had to tow him out.

Otherwise, an uneventful day...

.

Side Issues

This is an "edge break". It is about as deep as a beer can is high.
A car or trailer wheel dropping in here would make things interesting for the driver. The fact that this is on a slight curve means that this would be quite likely.
We often get puzzled looks as to what we are doing at the side of the road, rather than digging a bloody great hole in the middle.
We fill the offending area in.
OK?

Another of lifes small mysteries solved..

Sex & The City

I haven't been to Auckland in years.
It's not the traffic that freaks me out.
It's the man drought.

I hear that there are predatory gangs of women stalking the streets, kidnapping manly road workers.

I'm not going to go to Paradise either.
72 virgins might be good for some.

I couldn't handle the phone bills...

While Doddery Works ...

Take a kid fishing day, Mokau.

I see the boss is doing the right thing taking the grandkids out.


Up river one of the workmates is pottering about having a sail.


Bit of a traffic jam at the bridge.

They all go to the local pub for a barbie later, and the kids get prizes.

To teach a kid to fish gives you a guaranteed pass into heaven.

The Good Oil

My truck is serviced in New Plymouth.
Here traditional craftsmen painstakingly toil over it's vital organs.

They do however tend to work on the more non essential items, brakes, clutch etc.

I would rather they replace my more vital Radio/CD player which has lost a channel.

They also have that annoying ability to spot a ding, scrape or scratch at 500 metres.

Amazing how vehicles respond to a bit of TLC, It positively skipped home.

On a quiet day, I sometimes show off my circus skills to my workmates.

click for biggie.

I Spend Too Much Time On This Thing ....

Cooking eggs with mobile phones.

The Formula of Sex (via orangeblog)

Just How big is $1 million US

Excuses
"Please excuse Blanche from jim today. She is administrating."

Help catch a spy

.

Tree Digging

This tree slid away at the base a few weeks ago and has been causing us concern for a while.

It was also a bit dodgy to get at with the chainsaw.
The digger soon made short work of it.

Using a "Thumb", it can grab the trunk. Hydraulic power does the rest.

Police have proposed a new offence of "driving while distracted" - likely to be a traffic infringement punishable by fine - but the idea has yet to reach the Government.

Inspector John Kelly, manager operations, road policing support, said such things as using a cellphone, women putting on make-up and men shaving, reading books and looking at maps could be "quite a major distraction".

Under a driving while distracted law, police could ticket them for doing any number of things that take concentration off driving.

There is an interesting phenomenon going on in the world of road working.
The workforce is steadily ageing.

There seems to be very few young people taking up this most noble of vocations.

The youngest on our crew once personally stopped Ben Hur with his lollypop.

Soon it will be our fate to be stuffed and exhibited at the Museum of Technology
(Typical Road Crew, circa 2006)

But who will look after the roads?

Excuse For Not Posting, No. 232

A true artist must wrestle with his demons.



And then get home.

And Unspiked Too ...

I remember those days so well.
The delicious aroma of boiled sock
The Stone Soup served in your underpants.

None of your Nutmeg like the Hoi Poiloi had.
Just good honest stones.

Now I have a whole highway to eat
God capitalism is wonderful.

Bollyfart

A lot of the bloggers out there seem to be aspiring authors.
Stuff that.
All that eating rats in a shivering garret, a flickering candle, making soup from your socks.

A Bollywood movie is more me.

Bashing Brigands, swirling saris, hot sultry babes, the Stop/Go Lollypop Dance, the decorated truck, and a triumphant finale as Doddery is raised heavenward, singing, by an elephant in tasselled flouro vest.

Mind you most of my dreams are like that....

Clean Green NZ ?

So It's back to work then.

Our pre-Xmas slip has decided to wake up and start moving again.
I have a feeling it will be an irritant for some time.

Then some unspeakable bastard left a pile of rubbish in one of the rest areas.
After a spot of forensics, I know who the culprit is.
Hopefully they will get a nasty surprise shortly, and a bloody expensive one.

This sort of thing just makes me really angry,
I should torch their house.
Bastards.

Ya, Boo, Sucks...

Well, I hope we have all enjoyed our holidays.

I've spent most of mine laid low with the Flu.

I have been so pissed off at the cruel fate of not being able to use sick leave, that I was rather hoping to start a huge pandemic of global proportions.

So far 2006 sucks.

"The Envelope Please..."

Pothole of the year
Pothole 177, "The Pinetrees", Mahoenui


Truck Crash of the year
Tar Tanker, Hanna's Corner


Balls Up of the year....

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."


Most Magical Moment ...
Opening day Whitebait season, .. Awakino River


Most exciting moment...
My new truck gets its first load.


Favourite Forwarded Link

The JCB Song