mbsieg said:
"DITTO"
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Alaska Cat Trains
- Thread starter Lyndon
- Start date
Re: Tundra Driver Award
The Road system depicted is deceptave because it's actually 4 to 15 feet above the ground. The constant 'Snowhara' winds have made the drifting fill in many areas. If you were to drive only a foot or so past the Delineators(plastic reflector posts) you would immediately be Stuck! the snow on the side of the road might be 15 feet deep! then you might end up getting the dreaded "TUNDRA DRIVERS AWARD". This is a certificate indicating that you messed up and you would have to put up with a bunch of harrassment by your coworkers.
The Road system depicted is deceptave because it's actually 4 to 15 feet above the ground. The constant 'Snowhara' winds have made the drifting fill in many areas. If you were to drive only a foot or so past the Delineators(plastic reflector posts) you would immediately be Stuck! the snow on the side of the road might be 15 feet deep! then you might end up getting the dreaded "TUNDRA DRIVERS AWARD". This is a certificate indicating that you messed up and you would have to put up with a bunch of harrassment by your coworkers.
Lyndon, so now we all want to know do you have a TUNDRA DRIVERS AWARD ?
Good Morning. It has warmed up significantly from -30 to just -1. But we are in the middle of a Phase 2 Blow. Can't work, convoy only. the "Cat Train People" are on hold too. Visibility is about 50 feet. No sign of Spring today. I'll try to get some pictures.
Our Phase 2 Storm moved to Phase 3 and they restricted us to the camp. Visibility dropped to zero and I couldn't get out to my office where the camera and my computer are, sorry, no more pictures. I head south today for R&R. Looks like for some folks in the "Lower 48" winter's not over yet too. Happy sno-cattin!
R & R was Great! Ironic that I would travel 3000 Miles South to go Skiing. In the greater Seattle / Tacoma area it was warm, spring conditions. No sign of snow. Meanwhile back up here on the "Slope" it's warmed up to 10 or 15 degrees but we are in the middle of a Phase 2 Blow. Had to bust my way thru a dozen 4 foot drifts on the way to the office this morning. Visibility was down to about 100 foot. At my office someone had left the door ajar and there was a bunch of snow IN the office as well as a 3 foot drift preventing me from opening the door. Next door, at the Break Shack there was a 6 foot drify blocking one door and I ended up climbing over a 8 foot drift to get into the other door. Had to climb over the bigger drift to get my Arctic Gear which was stashed there while I was on R & R. I was supposed to go to North Star, an Island Oil Production facility this morning to do some inspection work but it means travelling about 20 miles in phase 2 conditions to catch a bus that transports us 7 miles across the ocean(Beaufort Sea) on the frozen Ice surface. There's a lot of "IF's". If the Engineer and I can get another truck to escort us to Prudhoe(Convoy only in Phase 2), and If the bus runs, and If I can get the camera then you'all will get to see some pict's. Don't get your hopes up as it's likely they won't let us out of camp. >
PS: Yesterday when I flew in, after a 3 hour delay, we landed in 40 Knot winds, youu couldn't see the runway or any sign of buildings untill we had already touched down. Landing a 737 in a complete white-out is quite exhilarating! Just heard on the radio that there is a Rig Move in progress that will tie up the main road for 3 hours so no trip to North Star today.
PS: Yesterday when I flew in, after a 3 hour delay, we landed in 40 Knot winds, youu couldn't see the runway or any sign of buildings untill we had already touched down. Landing a 737 in a complete white-out is quite exhilarating! Just heard on the radio that there is a Rig Move in progress that will tie up the main road for 3 hours so no trip to North Star today.
Man that is some work enviroment!
LOVE those pictures of the "Ski Bucket"! What a blast they must of had building that beauty!!! Did you see it run? Stay warm and safe.
LOVE those pictures of the "Ski Bucket"! What a blast they must of had building that beauty!!! Did you see it run? Stay warm and safe.
This morning I drove 40 miles on snow covered gravel roads, changed trucks and drove another 7 or 8 miles across the frozen Arctic Ocean(Beaufort Sea) to an artificial Island called Northstar. Unfortunately it was too foggy for pictures.
The Cat Train People are wrapping up their operation for the year, or in oilfield slang "Demobing".
The Cat Train People are wrapping up their operation for the year, or in oilfield slang "Demobing".
After another 8 mile trip across the ocean we had to wait for a mobile rig camp to that was being moved. It was about 65 feet wide and roughly as long and 3 stories tall. Not an especially big load for the "Slope". Then after another 40 mile treck I made it back to my office in time to post these picts and my 12 hour day will be over, just in time for dinner.
The Cat Train Sizemic Survey probably cost about 12 to 20 Million dollars and covered an area of 94 Square Miles. Larger than the city of Anchorage.
The Cat Train Sizemic Survey probably cost about 12 to 20 Million dollars and covered an area of 94 Square Miles. Larger than the city of Anchorage.
Lyndon,
About what time of the year do they stop transporting over the ice (ocean)?
About what time of the year do they stop transporting over the ice (ocean)?
When the Kuparic River "Goes Out" it will flood over the sea ice and they will suspend over the ice transportation and start using a big hovercraft. If I get a chance I'll get a picture of it and post it. The River wil start to run well before the Ice here in Prudhoe melts. The river runs North and thawing will occur south of here causing massive flooding and huge Ice Flow's. This happens every year and closes the road from the Kuparic/Alpine/Milne Point fields to Greater Prudhoe Bay area for a week or two. Huge Ice Flows jamb up causing massive flooding and damages the bridge every year. They even pre plow right down the river bead and blast with dynamite in preperation for the flood. We have Airstrips on both sides that are capeable of handeling a commercial jet, so we won't be stranded. I'll try to make pictures of that too, but it happens pretty fast and it may well occur while I'm out on my next R&R.
Sounds pretty damn cool! What a sight it must be.
very interesting I might add. Hope lyndon's plans include the pipeline for oil to the us!!!
Alyeska Pipeline: I worked for the Pipeline for about 8 years. I have a mountain of pictures at home including one at the start(0 Mile Marker) in Prudhoe, and one at the END(800 Mile Marker) in Valdez. Also pictures all along the line, maps , drawings, posters and of course pictures in and out of Snow Cats, both tucker's and bombardier's. I scoured all 12 Pump Stations for their left over Service Manuals from when they had Snow Trac's and Snow Manuals. Get this: They still have a Trailer that once carried a Snow Master that has a wood deck with the 45 degree angle cleat marks on it at one of the Pump Stations. They sold all their ST4's around 82/83 and replaced them with Tucker Crew Cab Pick-up's that had detroit diesels, a winch, a 150 Gallon Tank, Allison 5 speed automatic, 2 tranceivers (Private channel FM, and 150 Watt CB) and incorperated them into a headphone system for the driver/operator and 3 more passengers. They could talk to each other as well as over the 2 radio systems, one of which was capeable of dialing into the Alaska Phone system. I suppose that if I could become proficient at scanning the pictures in and attaching them I could generate an entire thread on Alyeska, Snow Cat's and all. I'll post one "Story" from those years today. Pictures will have to wait until I go on R&R.
