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21 Days North of the Arctic Circle
- Thread starter Lyndon
- Start date
Lyndon
Bronze Member
A Cat 572 or 594 "Side Boom" for building pipelines is quite different from a regular Cat D9 Dozer. It weighs in at 50,000+ Lbs, has a rigid undercarriage and cannot be converted into a dozer because of this. On one side is the Boom that can move in and out. on the other side are hydraulically controlled counterweights that move away from the machine to counterbalance the load.
At a cost of close to a million $ each, they are a very specialized piece of equipment. It's begining to look like they may not move the "RIG" and it's camp today,... it may be too cold. At negative 45 (current temp),equipment starts giving trouble and people can only be exposed for short durations. More up dates on this as it progresses.
At a cost of close to a million $ each, they are a very specialized piece of equipment. It's begining to look like they may not move the "RIG" and it's camp today,... it may be too cold. At negative 45 (current temp),equipment starts giving trouble and people can only be exposed for short durations. More up dates on this as it progresses.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
Guess? Well it has to do with "Arctic Gear". They are all "CREW CAB'S. So that you can carry your artic survival gear inside a warm place. Would you want to put on artic survival gear that was frozen to 40 below if your truck died or got stuck? NO WAY! Prudho is the 'Crew-Cab' capitol of the world.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
BOY is it cold out! The drag created by the thick oil in the front differential on my PU is so stiff that it will barely drive in 2 wheel drive. After running in 4 wheel for a while it warms up. When I first started driving, even after the truck sat warming up for an hour, the dense greese and oils make it appear that the brakes are on. When I let off the gas the truck stops right away like I used the brakes. >
They have cancelled the Rig move for today because of extreem cold. Good day to stay inside. The Drilling crew was kind enough to let me inside the Mobile Rig Camp to take these pictures of their "Chow-Hall". This is the interior of Doyan Rig 14's Chow hall. It's the 3 Story, Drab yellow, man camp in post #5, 13, & 16 of this 'Thread'.
They have cancelled the Rig move for today because of extreem cold. Good day to stay inside. The Drilling crew was kind enough to let me inside the Mobile Rig Camp to take these pictures of their "Chow-Hall". This is the interior of Doyan Rig 14's Chow hall. It's the 3 Story, Drab yellow, man camp in post #5, 13, & 16 of this 'Thread'.
Priceless stuff Lyndon! Thanks again!
Lyndon
Bronze Member
In the spirit of this Tribute to our truckers take a look at what these guy's just saw: About 100 miles outside of Fairbanks they crossed the Yukon River Bridge:
Lyndon
Bronze Member
This is the only Bridge over the 1800 Mile long Yukon in the state of alaska. It slants down! and has a WOOD deck! it is a full 2880 feet long. Inspecting for the pipeline I crossed it perhaps 500 times. The 48 Inch pipeline is carried along one side. The big PA horns are to yell at people who stop on the bridge. It is watched by TV cameras from a nearby security post. the signs say NO STOPPING, but tourists do it anyway.
This is the view the truckers saw perhaps 8 hours ago.
This is the view the truckers saw perhaps 8 hours ago.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
Along about the Arctic Circle the trees vanish. The stumps are out of the photo, but near-by from where the previous trees were stolen. they just move the sign down to the next tree. I had a photo of myself in this tree, about 3 feet off the ground holding on tight. The appropriate caption read: "The Original Tree Huger".
![Furthest North Spuce Tree[1]...dead just this side of Atigun pass on the Dietrich River.jpg](https://www.forumsforums.com/data/attachments/31/31930-89134fe4ce6d668a64c7c89108a0e514.jpg?hash=iRNP5M5tZo "Furthest North Spuce Tree[1]...dead just this side of Atigun pass on the Dietrich River.jpg")
The sign reads:FARTHERST NORTH SPRUCE TREE ON THE ALASKA PIPELINE, DO NOT CUT
The sign reads:FARTHERST NORTH SPRUCE TREE ON THE ALASKA PIPELINE, DO NOT CUT
Lyndon
Bronze Member
When they bring those specialty Heavy Haul trailers with modules on them across this pass, they chain up all the truck wheels, and all the trailer wheels. With 2 tractors pulling the trailer and three behind it pushing, it amounts to a lot of tires and chains, and takes quite awhile to 'Chain-up' and an equal amount of time to Un-Chain. They will have several escort vehicles.
This is the Mount for an Avalanche Cannon, a "French 75" that fires big explosive shells to initiate the avalanches. This is something to witness.
This is the Mount for an Avalanche Cannon, a "French 75" that fires big explosive shells to initiate the avalanches. This is something to witness.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
Module in transit.
This one has 4 pushing and 1 pulling. That 'Leed' Tractor is such a specialty unit that it never get's driven home. It get's a Ride! It, and the trailer broken down into pieces get hauled back to Fairbanks or Anchorage on conventional low-boy truck trailers. So now you've seen what the 10 truck drivers delivering our new pipe just saw yesterday. Enjoy.
This one has 4 pushing and 1 pulling. That 'Leed' Tractor is such a specialty unit that it never get's driven home. It get's a Ride! It, and the trailer broken down into pieces get hauled back to Fairbanks or Anchorage on conventional low-boy truck trailers. So now you've seen what the 10 truck drivers delivering our new pipe just saw yesterday. Enjoy.
Snowcat Operations
Active member
Keep on posting LYNDON! These are great!
Great photos Lyndon. Post #194 - you gotta be kiddin' me!!!!!
Would it be OK with you if I put together a "slide show" of your pictures and captions for my classes in economics and human geography that I teach at a community college? They'd really be interesting material and would demonstrate the lengths we'll go to to produce oil and profit.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
You like that Atigun from a plane shot? Remind me to tell you about the trucker that rolled the Tandem tanker there>
good morning, Day 14, -37, warmed up a bit. 2 Weeks! only one to go. gotta scoot to a meeting, but probably Rig & Camp Move Pic's today.
The only disappointing thing about this whole thread is realizing that you only work 21 days straight. Back in days of steel men and wooden derricks we worked 28 days. North slope 
Just kidding man. Looking at those photos makes you realize that it's a young man's game up there. A lot younger than me at any rate. What is the average age of the people working and living in those conditions?
Great thread. Keep them coming for another week. I'm going to miss it when you go home... bet you don't though.
Just kidding man. Looking at those photos makes you realize that it's a young man's game up there. A lot younger than me at any rate. What is the average age of the people working and living in those conditions?
Great thread. Keep them coming for another week. I'm going to miss it when you go home... bet you don't though.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
They have decided to go ahead and move the Rig Camp and the Rig. Several of the really BIG trucks have arrived. As the Drill Rig is at one of the farthest extremities of Milne Pt., "F-Pad", they wil completely tie up 17 miles of our road system. It's still dark out so limited Pictures.
(2) 12 foot wide 1,000,000,000 Lb "SOW's"
(2) 12 foot wide 1,000,000,000 Lb "SOW's"
Lyndon
Bronze Member
NEWS FLASH, MILNE DOWN! At 8:00 AM Alaska time, we lost a big substation out at one of the "Pads". It knocked out power to 4 major locations and we had to go to "Flair". Some 13,800 Volt equipment failed. This has never happened since I've worked here so everyone is hopping. Normally the Flare has just a small Pilot flame. Anytime there is an "UPSET", surplus gas being compressed has to have somewhere to go or pipes and vessels could get over pressurized. Flaring is NOT good as these things go. More on this as it progresses.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
Were back "ON-LINE", partially anyway. One of our electricians was at the location of the Substation failure and said it was some pretty spectacular fireworks! The pad that we lost was one of our big producers so there will be quite a push to get it back on-line. Anytime we have a big upset like this, the entire Fire Department Rolls, The ERT (Emergency Response Team) Rolls, all work permits are automatically cancelled, and everyone goes to their "Assembly Area". There they do a head count and positively account for everyone. Anyone not accounted for thay start an immediate searching for, by radios that we all carry. The Fireman and the ERT guys go looking for them at the last place they were working. With hearing protection and eye protection on and all the other protective gear it is possible not to be aware of a evacuation alarm. There are seperate different alarm bells and horns for Fire, Gas, and other Events, 4 in all. Some mean "Head for the Hills!" some mean evacuate the area, some mean go to your assembly area.
The Rig Move is slated to go ahead. This is the Maintenance Shop that stays with the RIG. It's big enough to pull a 966 Cat laoder in, and has full machining and welding equipment as well as an overhead crane. Actually it's one of the smallest loads, but there are alot of snow cat owners out there that would like to have it delivered to their place, including me.
The Rig Move is slated to go ahead. This is the Maintenance Shop that stays with the RIG. It's big enough to pull a 966 Cat laoder in, and has full machining and welding equipment as well as an overhead crane. Actually it's one of the smallest loads, but there are alot of snow cat owners out there that would like to have it delivered to their place, including me.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
The only disappointing thing about this whole thread is realizing that you only work 21 days straight. Back in days of steel men and wooden derricks we worked 28 days. North slope
My first job on the Pipeline was a 4 X 2, so 28 days on. I eventually worked up to 7 week hitches regularly. On one ocassion I worked 18 Weeks, took 10 days off, and worked 19 Weeks. 2/3s of a year. Not anymore thank you!
Lyndon
Bronze Member
Between scrambling to get work done and the Upset, didn't get much time for the forum. The crisis is over, we lost 3 production pads, and all power to the busy A-Pad fabrication facility. A few hours later power was restored to everything but one pad. This is where the "Problen" was at some 13.8 KV Switchgear. It started arcing around one of the insulators. Dirt trapped with snow was the culprit.
All those HUGE Trucks that were here to move the 'Rig' and it's associated Camp have left. They put off the move until tomorrow. They even left that shop, sitting on the trailer right where it was. There were some 7, 8 or 9 of them, and they rent for about 500$ an Hour, each. So one 24 hour day for say 8 trucks is 96,000$.
All those HUGE Trucks that were here to move the 'Rig' and it's associated Camp have left. They put off the move until tomorrow. They even left that shop, sitting on the trailer right where it was. There were some 7, 8 or 9 of them, and they rent for about 500$ an Hour, each. So one 24 hour day for say 8 trucks is 96,000$.
Lyndon
Bronze Member
One last story for today: A Tandem Trailer Tanker looses control on Atigun pass. The Truck and it's 2 Trailers rolled like 50 times and was a full half mile off the road. Shortly along come 2 Alaska Pipeline employees. They imediately call it in. "Yeah, it's really bad, send the wrecker and the ambulance, but no hurry, there's NO WAY the driver survived". Unnoticed by the 2 pipeline employees, sitting maybe 100 feet away in a snow bank is the trucker who shouts at the 2 guy's:"To Hell With That Send The @#% %*#@ Ambulance!" The 2 Pipeline employees are astonished to find that the driver was thrown clear on the first roll, and only has a broken arm! True Story. The pictures of this wreck are impressive.
