Did anybody else get caught up in the aftermath of the 500 tonne transformer that trundled down the M1 today?
I was driving from Birmingham to Chesterfield today and heard of its progress on the radio. It was so heavy that the police closed both sides of the M1 over the River Trent bridge near junction 24 to all other traffic - over reaction maybe? I was stopped on the northbound for about 15 minutes whilst it crossed. Quite pleasant sitting in lane 3 with the window down eating my sarnies with no traffic on the other side.
Soon we set off again and I soon saw the load with an ALE Faun on the front and a DAF95 pushing on the back (and a support convoy about 8 miles long!!)
Apparently it was shipped from Swansea to Goole by boat and was then en route to Burton on Trent.
This is the press release I read. You have to add another day to its journey so Friday is the day
22/03/2006
The electricity transformer due to be transported from Goole Docks to Drakelow substation in Derbyshire will be moved on Tuesday 28 and Thursday 30 March.
The transformer, which weighs more than 200 tonnes, will be carried on a 65metre-long vehicle travelling at speeds of between four and 12 mph.
The journey has been planned in three stages.
The first will take the load from Goole to the M18 along the following route:
Leave Goole Docks
Cross Bridge Street onto A161 Goole-By-Pass
Continue along A161 Bridge Street, Normandy Way, Anderson Road
Turn left onto A614 Rawcliffe Road
Join M62 to junction 35 (Westbound)
Join M18 (Southbound)
The vehicle is due to leave the docks at 10am and will take around an hour to reach the M18 where it will park for the rest of the day. The journey will resume at 11pm along the following route:
Join M1 to junction 23a
Turn right onto A42 (Southbound)
This stage is expected to take around four hours to complete before the vehicle parks Thursday morning.
On Thursday 30, the final stage of the journey will begin at 9.30am when it will take the following route to its destination:
At Junction with M42 turn right onto A444 to Linton
Turn left into Linton Heath
Turn right into Main Street
Turn left into Hillside Road
Turn right into Cauldwell Road
Turn right into Main Street
Turn right into Burton Road
Turn towards Walton upon Trent and into Drakelow substation
The vehicle is expected to reach Drakelow by midday.
All the start times will be approved by the Police and will depend on traffic conditions at the time.
The transformer began its journey three weeks ago in Swansea from where it was loaded onto a ship and sailed around the coast to Goole. The final leg of the journey was delayed by a week after poor weather prevented the ship from reaching the docks.
The transformer will replace a failed unit at Drakelow to enable National Grid to meet the growing demand for electricity in the area. Transformers are essential to increase and reduce voltages so that electricity can make its way safely from power stations to people’s homes.
Project manager Neil Hindmarch said: ‘This is a huge piece of equipment to move over such a long distance and its route has needed very careful planning. We have tried to avoid causing too much disruption but, with a vehicle of this size, it’s not easy. We have worked closely with the Highways Agency to devise the route and the vehicle will have a Police ■■■■■■ throughout its journey.’
Bloody hell i think i will be in attendance , that is a narrow set of lanes for it to get down , worth a look …Drakelow is only over the back from me .
Turn left into Linton Heath
Turn right into Main Street
Turn left into Hillside Road
Turn right into Cauldwell Road
Turn right into Main Street
Turn right into Burton Road
Turn towards Walton upon Trent and into Drakelow substation
The vehicle is expected to reach Drakelow by midday.
i bet they had fun running that lot through linton and thats a right [zb] of a turn in walton . funny thing is all these areas are 7.5 weight limits. but i suppose its exept for access.
Coffeeholic:
You were eatimg sarnies when you should have been taking pictures?
I thought that as well, when I rembered where the camera was (at home - sadly)
Can I plead mitigation my lud, as when the transformer passed I was on the move again.
I quite often go to the Airfield Industrial Estate at Hixon and always look over the fence at ALE’s yard there. Still some old stuff lettered for Econofreight parked up.
