I didn't mind at all waiting for this train. The whole thing.
Might have been 100 blades. Each blade 3 cars long. Sharing on each end.
Neato. Where?
Bozeman, MT. Headed West.
Been seeing them, along with generators and nacelles since 2002 on UP's Spine going to Manly Terminal. I am sure now most of the major projects up here are finished, so they are using it as a staging for smaller projects or as a distribution point. It supported projects in the North Central Iowa and S. Minnesota area, where I would say roughly there are about 1,000 turbines.
We are dwarfed however by Buffalo Ridge, which is rapidly seeing a wind turbine density increasing in Iowa, Minnesota, and S. Dakota. In keeping with the area's renewable energy assets, the plants in Lakota and Superior in Iowa, and Winnebago in MN use only wind generated power for their ethanol plants. Winnebago, MN located along the IC&E might very well qualify as the most energy efficient project of them all, with it's use of wind (which they own), corn, and a fluidized bed combustion for bio-mass as process heat. To be sure, they are the most innovative! And for such a small plant, highly price competitive.
....Good Catch...! And good pic.
Quentin
When I saw the picture I thought I was looking at snow-banks. Wow! I had no idea they were that big! Thanks for the posting!
You need to drive through a Wind Farm sometime. I-65 between Indy & Chicago has a decent one.
Firelock76 When I saw the picture I thought I was looking at snow-banks. Wow! I had no idea they were that big! Thanks for the posting!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
The ones near me are over 300 feet in Diameter. The Towers they are on are close to 500 feet high alone. We have over 400 in my area.
Wow: They just keep getting bigger (longer?) and bigger. I suppose that the longer they are the more efficient and the slower the blade tip speed will be. Appies to airplane props. It may be the blade size will be limited by the oversize capability of the various RRs?
RRKen . Winnebago, MN located along the IC&E might very well qualify as the most energy efficient project of them all, with it's use of wind (which they own),
. Winnebago, MN located along the IC&E might very well qualify as the most energy efficient project of them all, with it's use of wind (which they own),
Okay, you have me on this one: how the heck does someone own the wind?
Tagging on:
The ones I photographed heading toward Michigan's Thumb were anchored to special flatcars. The base of the blade was anchored to a fixture on the car, and the overlapping one was pointing the opposite direction. Two blades spanned three flatcars. That would give them a length of over one hundred feet. That's a WAG. Yes, the towers are between three and four hundred feet tall. The FAA is currently looking at them to be lighted as hazards to navigation, and possibly require painting and lighting.
The turbines and their nacelles were loaded about one to three to flatcar if memory serves.That would make the blades over one hundred feet long. They should have some paint on the towers and blades to identify them.
Norm
Norm48327 Tagging on: The FAA is currently looking at them to be lighted as hazards to navigation, and possibly require painting and lighting.
The FAA is currently looking at them to be lighted as hazards to navigation, and possibly require painting and lighting.
cannot touch that with a 10 ft pole. Clearance requirements have changed so much over the years that who knows?? FCC used to require all radio broadcasting towers to be lighted and painted but that has changed. Just look at most cell phone towers. If a tower or building breaks a certain slanted plane (maybe 100/1) they still have to be lighted but don't quote me. That is from any certified landing whether airport, heliport, or some sea ports? Also building above a certain height above ground level and also so close in altitude to a federal airway.
What the rules are now I give up.
Great and unique photo - well worth the wait. Have never seen anything like that, and wouldn't much believe it without seeing it like this - but it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing !
Now: Think about how to erect and especially inspect and maintain those wind turbines . . . Here's a link to a photo of one tool for that - a "Bronto Skylift", which presently can go to 112 meters (367.5 ft. +/-) - just looking at this photo and thinking about the swaying in any kind of breeze or resting on ground other than a real rigid slab kind of gives me the willies:
http://www.bronto.fi/imagebankview.aspx?id=569&s=2
Windpower brochure: http://www.bronto.fi/sivu.aspx?taso=1&id=282#409
Home page - you fellows in the fire service probably already know about these: http://www.bronto.fi/sivu.aspx?taso=0&id=10
- Paul North.
I looked over the obstruction light requirements a few years ago due to a project near an airport. Then the requirement to submit plans to the FAA was if the obstruction is 150 above ground level. The elevation decreases near airports (and helipads). There are two slopes, one for runways longer than a certain length and another for runways shorter than a certain length. The FAA would then determine what was necessary.
Was that train really 300 units long (those look like spine cars)?
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
I don't know how long it really was.
I was just surprised that the train cars kept coming; more and more and more...
I thought maybe one of you might be in the business and would come up with the manifest for that load to tell us how many there really were and where they came from and where they were going...
Each blade is 3 cars long, 100 blades= 300 cars, I would like to see a train with 300 cars, is this possible? ?
I am amending my original statement.
The blades share a car on the narrow end. So it is only 2 1/2 cars per blade, isn't it? Plus the extra one on the end...
The blades share a car on the narrow end. So it is only 2 1/2 cars per blade, isn't it? Plus the extra on the end...
Well, not 300 cars long, only 250! are there trains 250 cars long travelling the rails in the U.S. ?
Most of the ones we load out at Greensport have the round end that mounts to the hub riding on a "sled" that can move side to side on the flat car, and the pointed end in a fixed rack.
The blades are quite flexable, I can push on the pointed end and "bend" the blade easily.
The pointed ends are set so that for a pair of blades, they point at each other, and share an idler or spacer car between the two.
This way, you only need 3 cars for two blades.
Clearence is not much of a issue, the blades fit inside a plate C or D clearence even with the ends hanging over an idler.
23 17 46 11
Tower height - my understanding (from dealing with a tower for a radio system) is that the magic number is 200', barring mitigating circumstances like an airport.
Most of the unpainted, unlit towers you see are probably 190' to 195'.
I think the convention on the wind farms is that the towers have to be lit with synchronized lights - which can be pretting impressive when seen from a distance. All on, all off, all on... I believe they use GPS to time them.
Not all of the towers are necessarily lit, either.
The components for the windfarm near here came via the St lawrence Seaway, then by truck to the site. There were a couple of corners along the routes they used that posed some real clearance problems.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
.....First iteration of wind powered towers back in our home area of Somerset Co., Pa., were installed starting back roughly, 20 years ago, and more installations continue.
Size of those generally have been, 200' tall towers, and 95' blades. In general they are installed in the highlands {plateau area} of the Alleghenies. And of course, up on the appropriate ridges of said mountains.
Many have been installed since....There are dozens spread around in that {highland}, area now...Believe the size is still roughly the same as the earlier ones. Remember reading on an info plaque, next to one of them, they operate with wind speeds from 8 to 55 mph. Other wise the computer "feathers" the blades, and they stop.
I believe those blades are made of some kind of composite material.
More towers continue to be built. Many consider them to be an "eyesore"......I really don't see it that way....See nothing unsightly about them. Certainly, they are there for a good purpose.
As a side note to this concept of producing electric power....here in Muncie, we have Brevini preparing to produce gear boxes for such installations. Massive in weight / size. Must get out there {just a few miles from us}, and check to see what has been done to get a rail spur back into that Industrial Park, {Park One}....Haven't checked for a while. The manufacturing building is up and it's a nice one.
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