Dirty Great Machines

[lastlid]

ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME

1/4. "The might of the biggest, most awe-inspiring and technologically advanced drilling, excavation and tunnelling equipment known to man, as it takes on some of the world's most challenging engineering projects. Programme one features diggers burrowing below the world's cities - a massive boring machine facing the challenge of excavating Britain's deepest-ever tunnel in London and a giant mechanical worm making the earth move just metres beneath Mexico's soaring skyscraper."



http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/qg...-1---episode-1

[Jamesey]

I'm watching it now..... it's a brilliant program!

[grahamw48]

Brought back memories of when I was working on a big tunnel project in Hong-Kong.

Horizontal 'Probe-drilling' ahead was fun for a 10 hour shift...sitting on top of the TBM at the front with 18" headroom, manning what looks (and sounds) like a giant M60 machine gun, adding heavy drill sections while gallons of mucky water and granite particles are spraying in your face.

[lastlid]

That thing on TV tonight was colossal.....

[grahamw48]

It was a biggun, although the shaft wasn't particularly deep, as they go (75m).

The 11 different access shafts on the 23 kilometre Hong Kong project I worked on varied between 100m and 150m deep, and at 8m, probably half the diameter of the one on the programme, so they seem even deeper when you look over the edge.

We were going through granite too, and under the sea...none of your soft stuff.

This is the one I worked on:
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http://www.civcal.ust.hk/Tech/Sites_Tunnel.asp

[lastlid]

We were going through granite too, and under the sea...none of your soft stuff.

[grahamw48]

I've put an arrow on the section I worked (8kms long, and 100m shaft down to it)....not drawn to scale.

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Attachment 6333

[lastlid]

How was it? Dangerous? It seems like a different ball game being in the very hole you have been drilling, more akin to mining. I imagine the granite might have been quite competent, so no tendency to fall in around your ears.....

[grahamw48]

All tunnelling (well, construction work for that matter) is potentially dangerous, but when you're working with such powerful and incredibly noisy machinery, 10,000 volt electric supply lines, an unsupported tunnel with a rough rock surface, a foot or more of water on the floor and gallons pouring in all the time...all in partial darkness and restricted space...

I used to call it 'a vision from hell'.

It was always 'interesting' probing the ceiling with long steel bars to locate insecure rock so that it would come down....hopefully in front of you, before falling on someone else's head.

I injured various parts of my body on that job...but all par for the course really.

The majority of the foremen and safety staff were ex coal or gold miners.
There is still a fair amount of blasting on these tunnels.
The initial shaft is normally 'blasted' out, and then you have to blast out a short tunnel back and in front of the bottom of the shaft to accommodate the full length of the TBM and its 'train' attached to the back of it. (Imagine an upside down T). Also rail lines laid for its 'train' to be pulled along.

[lastlid]

All tunnelling (well, construction work for that matter) is potentially dangerous, but when you're working with such powerful and incredibly noisy machinery, 10,000 volt electric supply lines, an unsupported tunnel with a rough rock surface, a foot or more of water on the floor and gallons pouring in all the time...all in partial darkness and restricted space...

I used to call it 'a vision from hell'.

It was always 'interesting' probing the ceiling with long steel bars to locate insecure rock so that it would come down....hopefully in front of you before falling on someone else's head.

WOW. I kind of get the picture. Potential for injuries and dare I say it fatalities...

I would have said that I imagine it paid well but no doubt they used Philippino labour...

[grahamw48]

It took a years preparation before we were ready to put our TBM down the shaft.

[lastlid]

It took a years preparation before we were ready to put our TBM down the shaft.

You mean preparing the shaft? Or preparing the crew?

[grahamw48]

WOW. I kind of get the picture. Potential for injuries and dare I say it fatalities...

I would have said that I imagine it paid well but no doubt they used Philippino labour...

I was in charge of a gang of HK-born Pakistani workers.

Chinese either wouldn't go down there because of superstitions, and when the govt did send some on a work programme, they were either lazy so and so's or just couldn't cope with the (surface) work. None would go down the tunnel.

We did have some very capable Chinese engineers and the odd fitter/welder, so I won't rubbish all the Chinese staff.

[lastlid]

I was in charge of a gang of HK-born Pakistani workers.

[grahamw48]

There were plenty of injuries on the job, but only fatality we had was the Chinese gantry crane operator.

This gantry crane (like those at container ports) used to sit over the top of the shaft.

For some inexplicable reason he'd walked out onto the body of the crane, slipped and fell the full 100m depth of the shaft.

We had a lot of cleaning up to do after that.

[lastlid]

I see. So how long did you spend on that? Till the end of the project? What made you jack it in?

[grahamw48]

Well, I originally went to Hong Kong to join a friend of mine (experienced construction worker) as a way of being closer to the Phils where my family were living.

I had no previous construction experience and was over 40 years of age at the time...but I'm up for anything.

I found a job driving the big dump trucks on the new airport first, and did about a year on that project.
Back to the Phils for a long holiday, and then to the tunnel project, initially because I was a qualified 'plant op' by then. I finished up doing a variety of hard physical work there as well as operating plant and the train in the tunnel, and was also promoted to working foreman...about a year in all.

Back to the Phils with the famly, and then joined a suspension bridge project where I helped lay the track bed for the MRT railway through the inside of the bridge. That lasted about 6 months, during which time I brought the family over to Hong Kong, in preparation for bringing them to the UK before the handover of HK to the Chinese in 1997. I went back there again after we found a place in England and the kids were at school here.

[stevewool]

have you thought about writting a book about your life graham, you have so many stories about yourself and your places that you have visited

[lastlid]

have you thought about writting a book about your life graham, you have so many stories about yourself and your places that you have visited

I asked him that a few weeks ago and asked him what he might call it....

[grahamw48]

If I had my life over I'd have gone into this kind of work from school, because it was the most enjoyable and interesting (if hard) work I've ever done.

[stevewool]

your past stories no matter where you are, are so intresting and with pictures too, makes me laugh about your early days as a pioneer in the phils, bumbag and all

[grahamw48]

My first tiddler of a 6x6 truck on the new airport, but still 26 tons of fun... empty.

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[grahamw48]

Home sweet home after a 9 hour night shift + 5 hours of travelling.

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[grahamw48]

The bridge I worked on...should I say...INSIDE.

If you go from HK airport into town, you'll either drive over this if on the bus, or through it if on the train.

Built that way so that no need to close during typhoons.
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[stevewool]

is that your multi pocket coat hanging there and whats with the 1 sock hanging

[stevewool]

on the bus over there last year

[grahamw48]

is that your multi pocket coat hanging there and whats with the 1 sock hanging

Yes, it's one of the earlier models of my 'fishing'
jackets. You missed the bumbag hanging off the end of the bunk.
I think the 'sock' is actually my mates' underpants.

There were 7 of us living in that 20ft x 10 room...3 sets of bunks + 'Man Utd Mike' kipping on the floor.

Bottom left on pic you can see his feet.

[stevewool]

again what memories you have, cant buy them

[grahamw48]

At that time I was helping this....
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Turn into this (same control tower, but from different angle) :

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Lot of work needed.

[grahamw48]

again what memories you have, cant buy them

I'm glad you like reading about my 'unconventional' life Steve...thanks mate.