Fan blades. Caution, five not so hot photos included.

A very awkward load. And I still don't believe that those things are going to replace coal fired power plants.

Still, who can read the future? If windmills became our major source of power, maybe I wouldn't have to look at those ugly coal trains going past my house on the BNSF, You see one coal train you've seen them all.

     About 15 miles south of my city, there is a ferilizer plant with a ballon track to unload.  For the past couple of years, there has been an operation run out of that facility by BNSF Logistics that unloads windmill trains.  Maybe the windmill blades shown are heading my way?

There has been a wind farm north west of Mason City, Iowa for several years and recently it has been growing almost as fast as corn.  It has spread to the east side of Interstate 35 and there is another one farther south.

43°19'52.01" N  93°24'44.53" W

Just highlight the Lat/Lon above and type Ctrl-C, then run Google Earth and paste (Ctrl-V) it into the Search box, then click the magnifying glass icon and you will be taken directly to 1 of the towers.  It is about the southern most of the set visible west of I-35.  Zoom in (scroll wheel away from you) and wait for the image to fully update.  The white tower is the windmill, casting a shadow to the north-northwest.

Then zoom out (scroll wheel toward you) and notice all the narrow white lines of the maintenance roads to each of the windmills.  Pan to the north and west to see more of them.  Pan to the east to see the "farm" on that side if I-35.  I count over 100 in the present Google Earth images.  There have been more built since the images were taken.

There are a number of wind farms in current existance.  There are more coming.  Over the past several months several train loads of wind mill parts have been shipped from the Port of Baltimore.  The GE Plant at Laura Point, FL is shipping out several mills and their associated parts every week.

.....In comment to the question about wind mills replacing coal fired power plants. 

I would not expect the wind mills to replace coal or any other kinds of power plants, but why not take advantage of the power from the ever present {someplace}, wind.  Use it to add to our capacity to produce power using mother earth's {wind}, power supply.....

Perhaps they will reduce the numbers of new power plants required to be built extending out into the future. 

PS:  There are windmill farms back in our home area of Pennsylvania, Somerset Co., starting back over 20 years ago.  The numbers keep growing too.  Some people have opposition to them.  I'm not one of them.

Another PS:  That's neat Ed, of the "bending" of the props as they travel around curves on the rail route.  Enjoyed the photos too.

California has long been a 'hot bed' of wind generated electricity. The Altamont, Tehachapi and Beaumont pass areas are covered with the thrumming beasts.

Ameron is a local fabricator of wind tower components in Fontana, CA. - see the plant at lat/long N 34.063157, W 117.519164 . It is common to see trainloads from here heading to their destination via the UPRR.

Ed, Ed, Ed....

You claim these photos are "not so hot".

I can't judge very well on photographic ability, as I have absolutely none.  But as research tools, I consider them worthy of bumping up by a few degrees--they gave me quite a few enjoyable and challenging hours of updating files yesterday. 

Anyone who wishes to know where all of those late-1970s, early 1980s piggyback flat cars for the shortline railroads disappeared to, there are several hundred of them--maybe close to a thousand--in PEYX reporting marks, doing nothing but hauling windmill parts.  There should be some old Erie Western, Providence & Worcester, Crab Orchard & Egyptian, Texas Mexican, NOPB, and TASD flats in this bunch (many were later operated by Santa Fe, DT&I, HS (naturally!), and Iowa Traction).  PEYX is the reporting mark for Transportation Technology Services, Inc.  

"...Ed, Ed, Ed....

You claim these photos are "not so hot".

I can't judge very well on photographic ability, as I have absolutely none.  But as research tools, I consider them worthy of bumping up by a few degrees--they gave me quite a few enjoyable and challenging hours of updating files yesterday..." 

Carl said this very well! 

Nice photos, ED!

Kansas has been fertile ground for construction of new wind farms, until recently. Gov. Brownback has stopped at least one county's efforts recently (May 2011) in Cowley County in the Flint Hills area

Apparently the Gov. has has a small change of heart, see linked article:

http://cjonline.com/news/2011-08-16/brownback-supports-new-wind-power-infrastructure#.TmUBEWqwWcM

Statement made at a wind energy conference in Hutchinson, Ks ( area is working to become a center for wind farm equipment construction0

The following website is a list of wind farm projects in Kansas, completed and proposed: Makes for informative reading.

http://www.kansasenergy.org/wind_projects.htm

Close up of the carriages.

Outstanding Mike...

And everyone should note the same lock down used for containers are used here too.

They can get one of these blades out of the boat and on the flat in about five minutes.

Well just an Obervation they had to do something with all those 89 foot Flats when the US went to 53 foot trailers. 

The windmills are growing and growing along 127 between Paulding and Van wert here in nw ohio.Leipsic is also starting a wind farm as well.

stay safe

joe

I live near Interstate 29 nearly an hour south of Murphy's office.  Every day you see these blades on trucks, usually in convoys of 3.  The interesting thing is that they are moving in both directions -- I used assume that indicates there is one manufacturer to the north of me and another to the south.   Now it appears that may be the result of two transshipment points.

Also, each convoy requires a total of six escort vehicles to warn of long loads. As long as they stay on or near the interstate, I view that as another manifestation of irrational regulation on the part of the government.

Ishmael

A very awkward load. And I still don't believe that those things are going to replace coal fired power plants.

You haven't been to Albertaaa-AAAAAAAaaaa *blows away*

Those escorts are required for SAFETY.  Every state will have different rules for oversize loads. While not familiar with S.D. most states will also require State Police escorts along with the escort vehiclesof super loads. These escorts are all very important to block interstate ramps and other intersections of roads to protect the loads from being  hit while the load is being turned onto another road.

Dakguy201: 

    I tend to agee with you about the irrationality of some government regulations, but

having hauld my share of escorted loads, the number of escort vehicles has more to do with the irrationality of the auto traffic flowing around those long loads. In some cases the carriers utilize remote or self-steering trailers that are controlled by by either an escort car following the unit or in a few cases  a cable steered rig (which at times can be problematic!).  It is the drivers in the cars who seem to not understand what they are on the road with and preform manouvers that can cause a crash in a heartbeat, around loads where the driver has limited rearward visibility, or no visibility to the rear. That is where the escort earns their keep.  

P.S. In many states the Escort Vehicle is the one carrying the loads insurance(?) if that law has not changed recently.

Dakguy201

As long as they stay on or near the interstate, I view that as another manifestation of irrational regulation on the part of the government.

When they were building the wind farm near here, the parts came into the port of Oswego, as I recall, and were trucked onto Tug Hill, mostly over 2 lane roads.  One corner they had to make pretty much required shutting down the downtown of one village - and that's just the one I know about.  I think the police were involved in that one, too.

Even if they didn't need all the escorts on the interstate, they sure needed them once they were off the four lane.

I was out at the unloading site one time.  They got a blade off the flat and onto the truck in 5 minutes or less.  Special trailers with steering axles at the rear. 

    Just a note referencing the movement of those large blades. Within the last few day I was down at the East end of the Wellington, Ks. BNSF yard. I noticed a rather large pad under construction, in addition to a couple of very large, long boomed, 1 a Manitowoc  crawler crane.

   I was told that the aforementioned pad was to be the origin point for Wind Generator parts going to the area of about 70 to 80 miles East of Wellington. Near Moline and Howard, Kansas. (?)         I think, the blades are all made overseas, while several companies are gearing up to make them close to Wichita here ( near Hutchinson are several start ups, to make wind turbines)  Will be interesting to watch.

While the may not replace coal fired power plants....take a ride up I-65 from Indy to the Chicago area - there is quite a Wind Farm on both sides of the Interstate for about 5 mile along the Interstate and as far as you can see to the horizon about midway between Lafayette and the junction with I-94.

Ishmael

A very awkward load. And I still don't believe that those things are going to replace coal fired power plants.