Jump to content
 

Bridge bashing


Recommended Posts

3 hours ago, lmsforever said:

What was a truck that size doing on that lane probably following a sat nav not knowing just were he was.

I suspect you're right - quite possibly using a cheapo car sat nag, not one with a database suitable for large goods vehicles.

 

Nevertheless, as we (should) know, having a sat nag does NOT exonerate you from following the rules - it is merely an AID to navigation...

 

Mark

  • Like 1
  • Agree 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
22 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

That's amazing!! What's the story behind the photo??!!

 

I'm going to guess Burry Port & Gwendraeth line.....

 

 

 

Edited by newbryford
  • Like 3
  • Agree 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

I'm going to guess Burry Port & Gwendraeth line.....

 

 

 

Correct- a 'normal' shunter was sent in error to recover a broken-down cut-down one. The bridge girder was displaced, and a large cast-iron water main was ruptured. Hence the water.

  • Informative/Useful 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

I'm going to guess Burry Port & Gwendraeth line.....

 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Fat Controller said:

Correct- a 'normal' shunter was sent in error to recover a broken-down cut-down one. The bridge girder was displaced, and a large cast-iron water main was ruptured. Hence the water.

 

Ah, I dimly recall now there were some 08s once upon a time that had cut-down cabs. I'd utterly forgotten where they were for. Thanks!!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

What the heck?? A sign's a sign, & I used to carry a handy & easily available conversion chart showing all heights from about 11ft to 16'6" in imperial and metric. Of course that didn't help me when I thought my trailer was one height, but it turned out to be another, because I hadn't checked properly...

Whether a foreign driver might have one is another matter, but that comes back to experience - a well-prepared driver would be just that - well prepared for driving in a foreign country & on the wrong side of the road, so he SHOULD have a conversion chart with him.

But as I've said before, due to low wages & awful hours & conditions, truck driving has not been a career people have flocked to in droves. There has been a severe driver shortage for some years now, meaning a lot of less experienced drivers now on the road. There was a recent news item about HGV bridge strikes, which missed this point entirely.

The question I would ask; why had he turned off the main road anyway, which if I understand from the OP wasn't far away? He's on some grotty little single-track country lane - not the most obvious of routes to an Industrial Estate, Cold Store or RDC; he's not delivering to the village shop with that rig!

Re speed signs in MPH, UK trucks have run in KM for years now, as part of the EU. UK RHD truck speedo's will have KM & MPH on the dial, I'm not sure about LHD EU models, but again, an experienced driver will have a conversion chart or at least be familiar with the 'common' limits and equivalents - 50kph is 30mph. 56mph is 90kph, which is where the stupid 56mph motorway limit for trucks came from, rather than the 60mph it used to be.

the motorway limit for trucks is still 60 mph get yourself a pre limiter truck and you can rattle along at 60 till your hearts content I know have done it at whilst on agency when you get the old nail from the corner of the yard .speed limiters  are set at 56mph on every new vehicle over 3.5t since 2004 

  • Like 1
  • Agree 3
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, MarkC said:

I suspect you're right - quite possibly using a cheapo car sat nag, not one with a database suitable for large goods vehicles.

 

Nevertheless, as we (should) know, having a sat nag does NOT exonerate you from following the rules - it is merely an AID to navigation...

 

Mark

A sat nag?

 

  • Funny 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, peanuts said:

the motorway limit for trucks is still 60 mph get yourself a pre limiter truck and you can rattle along at 60 till your hearts content I know have done it at whilst on agency when you get the old nail from the corner of the yard .speed limiters  are set at 56mph on every new vehicle over 3.5t since 2004 

Which is why, when the speed limiter is being set, you put on tyres worn to the limit at the back, then replace them with good ones when it comes back!

  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
23 hours ago, roythebus said:

The bridge sign does not comply with the law, it MUST be marked in imperial and metric.

 

 

Nope!

 

The law mandating bridges to be dual signed applies to NEW SIGNS ONLY.

 

If a sign which pre-dates the 2016 TRSGD changes is still in good order then highways authorities are perfectly entitled to leave the imperial only version in place until such time as it needs replacing.

 

Naturally on routes frequently by HGVs then it would be good practice to change to dual height signs ASAP, but on a country lane like the one pictured the risk of an occurrence is lower so early replacement may not be perceived as a worthwhile.

 

 

Edited by phil-b259
  • Like 2
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Ahem, cough.....!

 

 

 

 

08 XXX.jpg

 

There's a colour picture of that loco (08898) post-incident in the book 'Looking Back at English Electric Locomotives' (Kevin Derrick, Strathwood 2009). Not so much cut-down as now at a jaunty angle !

 

  • Agree 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

 

 

On 04/04/2020 at 07:51, peanuts said:

dont know about foreigners but mine is only given in feet and inches nice little indicator panel on the inside of the passenger door tells me my truck is 11'7" high which is a bit of a puzzle as a regularly pass under a bridge on the Huddersfield - Barnsley line that is plated at 11'6" go figure !

 

On 04/04/2020 at 08:41, 62613 said:

Who do we inform about this?

 

 

The official guidelines for setting bridge height signs always maintain a safety margin between the posted and actual height. This is there to take into account minor differences in vehicles, changes to road surfaces, gradients or structural settlement.

 

Also, the sums used are different for metric and imperial measurement (i.e. a direct conversion to metric of 12' 9" is not be used to give the metric height restriction on the sign).

 

As such its quite possible for you to fit under a bridge even though the sign indicates you won't - however should anything happen then said defence will be useless in a court of law as passing a height restriction sign when you know your vehicle theoretically won't fit (based on the posted signage) will come under the category of 'driving without due care and attention'.

 

If you believe that the signage needs changing then you can of course write to the highways authority asking them to check it - but with far more pressing priorities to deal with and in an age of council budgets under massive strain, going round measuring bridges is unlikely to happen unless it is essential (i.e. as the result of road resurfacing).

  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

The 'best' bridge bash I heard about was in Germany.

I got chatting with a guy at the Enfield Pageant many years ago, he owned an

Antar tractor unit that he was 'showing' there, but no trailer.

He used to drive them in Germany as part of the NATO training exercises,

for security reasons you didn't know which route until that morning.

Anyway, this particular morning, they were using a rarely used route, set off

and were cruising at about 50 kph. He was the lead transporter, with a 

Chieftain tank on board (all up weight getting close to 100 tons).

As he went under a motorway bridge he felt a thump, looked in his mirror

to see the bridge almost off its piers!

The road had been re-surfaced, without being planed first, and the local 

authority hadn't bothered to check it afterwards, they, and the construction

company got done for 'holding up a convoy', a serious offence back then.

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
16 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Ahem, cough.....!

 

 

 

 

08 XXX.jpg

The connecting rods seem to be out of line as well.

3 hours ago, caradoc said:

 

There's a colour picture of that loco (08898) post-incident in the book 'Looking Back at English Electric Locomotives' (Kevin Derrick, Strathwood 2009). Not so much cut-down as now at a jaunty angle !

 

As can be seen in the pic.

Damaged 08898 Bescot Yard

 

  • Like 10
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

As it has been mentioned, does anyone know of a drawing of the 08s which were cut down? There is one of the 03s (eg on the Barowmore site) but I have never found one of the 08s. Rumour has it that they were done without any drawings at Canton.

Jonathan

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

On 04/04/2020 at 09:09, PhilJ W said:

That explains it. The height given is that at the two verticle white bars at the end of the horizontal bar not that at the centre of the arch. I noticed the road markings also telling drivers of high vehicles to keep to the centre of the road.

one wonders was that one subsequently turned into a class13 slave unit ?

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

The connecting rods seem to be out of line as well.

 

I think it has derailed due to the collision, leading wheels to the left, trailing wheels to the right, middle wheels still on rails and taking most of the weight, hence middle springs fully compressed and others extended, Must have been quite fun trying to extract it!

Edited by Titan
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, EddieB said:

Here's one of my photos of the unfortunate 08898, taken at Landore in February 1989.

 

_PICT2314.JPG.53f1e524077f80b761ab6f483c76134a.JPG

 

Here is what should have been sent down that line (08995 at Pantyffynon, same date).

 

_PICT2329.JPG.ac9407a1556f44ccb3fa7e5b488692a2.JPG

Were the hoods cut down, as well as the cabs? They must have been, to make a worthwhile difference in height.

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Nope!

 

The law mandating bridges to be dual signed applies to NEW SIGNS ONLY.

 

If a sign which pre-dates the 2016 TRSGD changes is still in good order then highways authorities are perfectly entitled to leave the imperial only version in place until such time as it needs replacing.

 

Naturally on routes frequently by HGVs then it would be good practice to change to dual height signs ASAP, but on a country lane like the one pictured the risk of an occurrence is lower so early replacement may not be perceived as a worthwhile.

 

 

Ah yes, forgetting the changes only came i that late. Cheapskate UK as usual! Then they wonder why there's so many bridges hit. Mind you, the one at AFK is now about 10'3 so Stagecoach could get their new higher buses under it, clearly marked in metric and imperial, yet a polak lorry decided to go under it. took the roof off his cab and the trailer ended up lozenge shape.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...