- 2 days ago
The Mightiest - Season 3 Episode 5 - Monsters Of Rock
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Short filmTranscript
00:04the hardest jobs on earth demand the
00:08mightiest machines hammering foundations
00:13we're out there ripping and tearing all
00:14the rock out scaling boulders it's such a
00:18rush and battling rocker blades where the power hits the ground
00:26beats the monsters of rock
00:34a constant roar echoes on the coast of
00:37Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan squadrons of steel titans attack the shoreline
00:44hammering crushing and smashing their way through the bedrock and concrete
00:48like playing a big sandbox all day
00:5350 machines moving over 900 tons of rock every day
00:58just a constant movement of dirt
01:01I love it
01:05these mechanical beasts need to be tough enough to tackle one of the biggest most
01:10demanding demolition jobs in the world
01:14the excavator
01:16the jaw crusher
01:18the trencher
01:20they're stripping things down to bedrock
01:22to make way for a new lock in the St. Lawrence Seaway
01:26the gateway to Lake Superior
01:28the Sioux Locks
01:33it's hard to overstate how important the Sioux Locks are to North American steel production
01:39about 78 million tons of cargo passed through here each year
01:44we refer to the Sioux Locks as the linchpin of the Great Lakes
01:50all of it carried by over 7,000 ships
01:53if ships can't follow this path through the Sioux Locks
01:56they have to move material overland
01:58and then down river to the Atlantic Ocean
02:01costing millions if not billions of dollars in delays
02:05the old lock has outlived its usefulness
02:08a new lock wide enough for the largest vessels on the lake is needed
02:17these machines are here to make sure that happens
02:22shipping freighters are depending on this project
02:25to continue their essential passage through this waterway
02:29so with a worksite this large
02:31a lot of moving parts
02:32a lot of swinging machines
02:33these demolition monsters
02:35remove over 408,000 tons of rock
02:38before new construction can start
02:40but they're not throwing it all away
02:43a lot of this rubble will be reused during reconstruction
02:46all of the materials on site are repurposed
02:49whether it's rock or concrete
02:51will be ground and used for aggregate and backfill
02:54when it's time to tear things up
02:57the excavators are the heavyweights on the front lines
03:03weighing in at a staggering 63 tons
03:06and armed with a hydraulic hammer or hoe ram
03:09that pounds the rock at a bone rattling rate of 540 blows per minute
03:17even the hardest stone is pulverized in minutes
03:24it'll tear down the old lock
03:26the old concrete
03:27the rock that's underneath and behind
03:31but a giant hammer is only as good as its head
03:35and this one is easily the meanest weapon in the war on rock
03:40this part right here helps contact the rock
03:42this is the chisel piece right here
03:44that's why they have a shape like that
03:46helps you get more penetration into that rock
03:48when you're working with hard rock
03:50you need top tier tools to cut down on wear and breakage
03:55the chisel is made of heat treated
03:57high strength steel
03:59that minimizes the risk of weak spots
04:01which will cause cracks leading to catastrophic failure
04:06this is the toughest two feet in the world right here
04:10the excavator is designed for rugged conditions
04:13and extreme environments
04:14it's driven by an engine that delivers the horsepower of a high performance sports car
04:20but in the world of rock crushing
04:22performance isn't measured in speed
04:25it's measured in brute force
04:30the machine's hydraulic system generates a significant mechanical force from its 436 horsepower high performance engine
04:38that force is transmitted through pressurized fluid to the whole ram's hammering piston
04:45although the machine's power is brutal in nature
04:47it does require a delicate touch
04:50rock excavation on this project is a lot like doing surgery with a sledgehammer
04:54so we're out there ripping and tearing all the rock out
05:00and then when you get down to the bottom
05:02it turns into surgery with a large machine
05:06where you're trying to take out just a few inches of rock
05:08to get that flat foundation to be able to pour concrete on
05:12the bedrock beneath the foundation of the sulox
05:16is called Jacobsville sandstone
05:18it's a very thick sequence of red sedimentary rock
05:22lying over precambrian rock
05:25engineers have gone to great lengths to design the new passage
05:30so the demolition team must do their part
05:32to make sure everything is dismantled carefully and efficiently for the project
05:42we have two active locks that are really important to the US economy
05:47and ship traffic
05:48and then we also have a lot of historical buildings and historical structures on site
05:51so we really wanted to get away from blasting
05:56at other sites
05:59there's no denying the speed and power of high explosive rock removal
06:06but the new lock is surrounded by so much life and infrastructure
06:11the demolition crew must rely on their machines to get the job done
06:18while controlled explosives have been used when absolutely necessary
06:23the bulk of the work has been handed over to the machine
06:27the advantage of using a lot of these excavators
06:29is you can put a lot of different machines in a lot of different areas
06:31and do it a lot safer
06:34the Ojibwe First Nations peoples were the first to negotiate
06:37the six and a half meter change in elevation
06:40between Lake Superior, Michigan and Lake Huron
06:44as trade increase in the area
06:46larger and larger boat became more common
06:48and moving them across the lakes became more difficult
06:52and ultimately it leads to the construction of the lock in 1853
06:56to facilitate the transportation and voyage
06:59the Soo Locks officially opened in 1855
07:03and have been operating and improving ever since
07:07this current demolition is just another phase in their evolution
07:13but before the demolition started
07:15this entire area was underwater
07:17so to bring the machines in
07:19they had to come up with a way to get the water out
07:22and keep it out
07:24the solution?
07:25cofferdams
07:27a cofferdam is basically a giant waterproof wall
07:30that you build in the water
07:32these temporary barriers hold the water back
07:34so that the site can be made safe
07:36and the work can continue
07:44two cofferdams were initially installed at either end of the lock
07:47but as the site grew
07:49more of these barriers were needed to keep the water out
07:52so demolition could continue
07:54pumps remove 181 million liters of water
07:58the cofferdams make demolition possible in the most impossible locations
08:04but the work of pumping that much water out
08:06and managing the overall water level of the site
08:08is the key to the system
08:13keeping a dry workplace is a constant battle
08:17all of the water gets pumped out to the St. Mary's River
08:20or Lake Superior
08:23in total we have about 3 miles of pipe
08:26and 16 different pumps
08:27collectively pushing water
08:294 feet a second
08:31out to the other side of the cofferdam
08:36right now we're pumping about 2,200 gallons per minute
08:40which is about 3.1 million gallons per day
08:45that's more water than 4 Olympic sized swimming pools a day
08:50with the water held back
08:53another mechanical beast gets to work
08:55one with an endless appetite for rock
09:03it can eat bedrock, dirt, concrete, limestone
09:08pretty much anything that it'll eat besides metal
09:11she'll eat it
09:12the rock crusher is massive
09:16it can pulverize the material at a punishing rate of 550 tons per hour
09:22in a 12-hour workday
09:24that's roughly the weight of 3,000 monster trucks
09:27right now you got the excavator loading the crusher
09:31it's coming down the chute here
09:33down the feeder box into the grizzly bars
09:37the grizzly bars are a simple sorting system
09:41smaller pieces fall through the gaps of impact-resistant metal grades
09:44onto a conveyor belt where they're easily ejected
09:50the large rocks rumble across the vibrating feeder box
09:54and grizzly bars
09:56and then fall into the enormous jaws of the crusher
10:01inside rocks are smashed between a fixed and moving plate
10:07the moving steel plate crushes the rocks repeatedly
10:10as they fall through the narrow opening
10:13reducing the boulders to mere fragments as small as 10 centimeters
10:20the rocks just gonna get smaller
10:22into the size we need
10:24it's just gonna go down to the jaws
10:26start getting hot all the way down to the size that we got it set at
10:31all that rock smashing has a mesmerizing effect on the people who work these machines
10:36who have a passion for what these mechanical monsters can do each day
10:43I've been running equipment and dirt for 12 years now
10:47I just fell involved with it and I knew that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my
10:51life
10:52part of the crushed material is being used to fill in the old block
10:55while the rest will act as a windbreak for ships
10:58being able to keep the material on site, crush it and reuse it is a big benefit
11:06repurposing the rock
11:07it emanates the need to truck and ferry tons of material off the work site
11:13it's a great way to be more efficient when your timelines are tight
11:17and the eyes of the community are watching
11:20following the rock crushers assault
11:22a new machine rolls into action
11:29enter the trench ore
11:31a surface mining titan that hunkers for only one thing
11:37grinding up rock
11:40and its weapon of choice is a ferocious gnarly toothed barrel
11:45that can chew up over 100 kilometers of rock in a 12 hour work day
11:51this colossus demands respect
11:53this machine shakes very violently
11:57it's not an easy ride
11:58it feels like you're riding the pole all day
12:02the trench ore, or surface miner
12:04is a 100 ton behemoth of rock ripping action
12:09we're going to rev up
12:11once we're up to speed we're going to drop the boom
12:14and we're tearing up some dirt
12:20we're excavating all this rock down
12:23to get the rock all flattened out for a new foundation
12:26so using a big drum head allows us to flatten that out
12:30and get that prepped and ready for concrete
12:34the 4.2 meter wide barrel, or drum
12:38is equipped with carbide tip steel steel
12:42a carbide is a mixture of carbon with other metal elements
12:46often toned steel
12:48the addition of carbon makes the new metal significantly harder
12:51and more wear resistant
12:53in this case, the teeth stay sharper for longer
12:56to keep on tearing up the earth
12:58the teeth are designed to chew up and spit out the hardest of rock
13:03they can dig a trench up to 1 meter deep
13:06on this drum you're going to have over 150 teeth that are grabbing the ground
13:10while this thing is rotating
13:11this is where the power hits the ground
13:13and this is what's going to turn hard rock into rubble
13:17hammering rock is hard work
13:20but on the Sioux Locks project
13:22their opponent is particularly stubborn
13:27Jackersville sandstone is a difficult enemy for the surface miner
13:30it's a well cemented coarse-grained red sandstone
13:34that will heat up lesser machine faster than we can break the rock
13:39and any breakdowns could lead to a landslide of problems
13:43you can tell the machine is doing good when it's not hopping and banging super loud
13:47and when it really starts to hop and bang is when you really need to change some teeth out
13:52when they're getting warm
13:57maintaining your machines is key to a smooth demolition operation
14:00these machines take a beating in a harsh, demanding and dusty environment
14:08if crews aren't looking after things properly
14:10if crews aren't looking after things properly
14:10it can lead to safety issues, causing down time and major repairs
14:15but before the ground crew can inspect the teeth
14:19they need to give them a rinse
14:22right now I'm cleaning off the drum
14:24because the tips are full of mud and we got to clean them
14:28make sure they're not broken
14:29every bite takes its toll
14:33and I'll have my ground guy change out the teeth while I'm rotating
14:36it takes some heavy duty dentistry to yank these rotten teeth
14:42sometimes you got to knock it a little bit loose so it spins
14:46put the thong up there
14:50and it just pops right out
14:53grab a new tooth
14:56put it there
14:59slide it back on
15:02back in
15:03I got a new fresh tooth
15:05with a new set of chompers in place
15:07the trencher can get back to dinner
15:09and shaking its operator right down to the bone
15:12I'm sitting in this machine running it for ten hours a day
15:15six days a week
15:17a little hard walking something
15:18it's a dangerous game
15:22amidst flying debris and bone crushing equipment
15:25one wrong move could be disastrous
15:27when you put laborers operators excavators all in the same hole
15:32you know there's a lot of hazard
15:34our biggest motto is you know just watching out for not only yourself but your you know be your brother's
15:39keeper
15:42more than a century ago hundreds of men toiled against this rock with crude tools and pick axes
15:49now these colossal machines are the ones who reshape the landscape
15:55their thunderous work serves a greater purpose ensuring the trade continues to flow through this crucial passage
16:01water has been critical to transporting goods for thousands of years and that's not going to change
16:07the two locks will be integral to our movement for hundreds of years to come
16:12these rock crushing behemoths
16:14have carved a path in the earth itself
16:20redefining what's possible with every hammer blow
16:29on the rugged nevada landscape
16:31rock crawlers
16:34machines that look like cars
16:37but climb like mountain goats
16:39unleash their raw power
16:42taking death defying tunnels
16:49crawling their way up 90-degree rock walls
16:51crawling their way up 90-degree rock walls
16:52and down heart-stopping drops
16:55as they push the limits of mechanical engineering
17:00yeah baby
17:06a rock crawler is a specialized four-wheel drive off-road vehicle built to slowly and very methodically tackle the
17:13most challenging terrain
17:14climbing boulders, steep crevasses, or taking stomach-churning dives for ease
17:21unlike race cars where everything on the machine is built for speed
17:25rock crawlers are all about control
17:29these are precision vehicles built to maximize flexibility, torque, and grip
17:34speed is our enemy and control is our friend
17:38sometimes slow is scarier than fast
17:45once a year, the best of the best
17:48travel from across North America
17:50to transform these rugged nevada hills into a pro-unlimited rock crawler battleground
17:56to take home a small cash prize
17:59and the all-important bragging rights
18:02we are the top of the pro class and we're running the biggest obstacles possible
18:07one of the things that appeals to me about this sport, rock crawling, is the adrenaline rush
18:13I've been over 153 miles an hour on skis
18:18I've jumped out of a plane
18:20I don't think there was as much adrenaline rush there as there is actually in driving these cars
18:25rock crawlers are the king of the hill
18:27you come out to one of these events and you will see these teams do the impossible with these vehicles
18:35the courses are tight, it's a game of inches
18:41precision driving requires precision tools
18:44and the most critical tools in the rock crawlers kit are its tires
18:48these are the hands and feet of the rock crawling
18:52this is what has to reach out and grab that rock
18:54wrap around the rock, pull you up the rock or hold you from dropping off a cliff
19:01rock crawling demands grip
19:03these machines are navigating death defying angles
19:07that no other vehicle could even attempt
19:12they need tires made from a special compound
19:15the rubber has to be extremely soft
19:17allowing the tires to bend and stretch with the jagged rock surface
19:23this is a competition compound so it's a softer durometer rubber
19:27than what you typically have on your car
19:30you can't actually flex the rubber on your passenger car tire
19:33you can flex this one and what that does is it really helps grab the rocks
19:39it's not only the rubber that makes these tires super grippy
19:43it also comes down to the tire pressure
19:46just like the tires on your car
19:48the crawlers tires need pressure to hold their shape, roll, and absorb any bumps in the road
19:54the PSI, or pounds per square inch
19:57is just a fancy way of saying how hard the air is pushing against the rubber of the tire
20:02for an average car, tires run at about 35 PSI
20:06the crawlers tires are dropped down to 6 PSI
20:10that's pillowy soft so they can hug the rock
20:14if the tire is inflated too much
20:18you're basically just going to spin on that rock
20:21I've got enough pressure in the tire that it's still holding the car up
20:26and low enough pressure that it's wrapping around and grabbing that rock
20:30when the rocks bite back
20:31these tires decide if they'll continue the climb to glory
20:35or slide to defeat
20:37tire placement is key
20:43and one wrong step
20:45either a penalty or you're done for the weekend
20:53for these tires to do their important part
20:55they need heavy-duty support
20:58trying to stop a one-ton vehicle on a dime is a challenge
21:01but when that dime is on the edge of a cliff
21:04it also needs a mighty brake system
21:10this vehicle is equipped with your traditional braking system
21:13yeah baby
21:15it also has what we call cutting brakes in our sport
21:18this allows me to control the brakes independently from corner to corner
21:25most modern cars have four-wheel disc brakes for maximum stopping power
21:29when you step on the brake the pedal makes every wheel stop at the same time
21:34but cutting brakes are totally different
21:39the cutting brake system lets the driver control each wheel's brake independently
21:44by locking just one wheel the other three can keep pushing forward allowing the crawler to spin around that point
21:51it's the same move an NBA point guard uses when pivoting on the court
21:55two massive levers control the cutting brakes
21:58there's one for each side of the rock crawler
22:01the levers are really easy to manipulate
22:04push them forward to control the front wheels
22:07beautiful, beautiful
22:09or pull them back to control the back ones
22:12use them one at a time or in combinations
22:16beautiful, yep, just like that
22:20yeah baby
22:22the result is a tremendously tight turning radius that can be created around any tire
22:29there
22:30and if the rock crawler does get stuck in a tight position
22:32you could lock two or even three tires depending on the situation
22:36the power to lock individual wheels at 12 helps the drivers stay safe
22:40while making split second decision about the direction they're traveling
22:46the braking capacity is phenomenal
22:49you get on rocks and you're in a precarious position
22:52and you know, you're teetering on whether or not you're going to roll over
22:56or actually make the obstacle
22:57and when you actually make that obstacle
22:59it's such a rush
23:01with all the complexity involved in the braking system
23:05the drivers need to depend on the car's 3-speed automatic transmission
23:09an automatic transmission is vital
23:12the driver can't be wasting time and energy shifting gears with everything else that's happening
23:16they're busy with brakes, systems and steering
23:19managing the gears by hand would be too difficult and ultimately costly
23:22especially if they make mistakes
23:26in the wild world of rock crawling
23:30things can go sideways in a heartbeat
23:41falling down is one hazard of many
23:44engine fires and machine failures
23:48drivers get pinched, trapped or knocked out
23:52and there's the constant risk of violent rollovers
23:55the danger is real
23:58the driver needs to be kept safe in the vehicle
24:01and so you've got all these gussets and braces that are providing safety
24:07there's bars in the door that keep rocks from coming in
24:11in our sport, safety is primary concern
24:18it starts with our fire suit
24:20we have a 5 point racing harness
24:22so I buckle that up
24:24cinch it tight, it locks me into my seat
24:30rock crawlers are way more rough and tumble than your average off-road vehicle
24:35safety gear is a must
24:37window nets keep arms inside vehicles
24:41helmets mitigate head and neck injury
24:44and easily accessible fire extinguishers are within grasp when you hit it
24:51rocks make for a harsh landing
24:57so these rigs are built to take a beating
25:04they stand on the shoulders of fighting giants
25:07the 4x4 heroes of World War II
25:11popularized by soldiers and civilians after the war
25:13the love of these rugged vehicles led to off-road clubs
25:16and the eventual development of the rock crawling sport
25:18the sport of rock crawling was just people pushing the limits of those vehicles
25:23and they kept getting stripped down
25:26the jeeps kept getting body panels cut off
25:28what started with factory models quickly evolved into customized machines
25:33in pursuit of conquering bigger and scarier obstacles
25:38less weight produced the stress on the engine and gave them more maneuverability
25:42every pound saved was a little bit more performance
25:47this thing's designed to go over on top and back onto its wheels and still be able to drive
25:54but drivers have to be prepared for everything
25:57because epic accidents are inevitable
26:00when I first built this car I rolled this vehicle off of a 25 foot cliff
26:05rolled multiple times
26:07but because of all of my safety gear
26:09I didn't break any bones
26:10I was completely safe
26:13disaster lurks around every boulder
26:18drivers need a second set of eyes on the ground to help them crawl to the finish line
26:23beautiful
26:26mind the rear
26:27yep there you go
26:28start curling a little on the front now
26:30go ahead
26:30don't get crazy
26:32he's telling me how close we are to obstacles
26:35hey go driver front
26:37go driver front
26:38whether or not I need him to help me with extra traction
26:41I got you
26:42come on
26:43work the rear
26:44go
26:46yup
26:47how much time we have left
26:49two and a half minutes
26:50we got it
26:51he works really hard
26:54I'll tell you when
26:54keep coming
26:55keep coming
26:56he's depending on me and I'm depending on him out there
26:59spotting is not for the faint of heart
27:01these daredevils stand within feet of these monster machines
27:05leaping from rock to rock
27:07risking trips or falls
27:09as they dodge and chase the rig around the course
27:12any distraction
27:13any slip
27:14could be fatal
27:15and not just for the driver
27:17in Cedar City, Utah
27:18we were
27:19we were competing
27:20it was a
27:21it was a little pop over
27:22much like this
27:23where I positioned myself
27:25I didn't think the car was going to do anything
27:27and then right as John came over the ledge
27:30it hit and it rocked the car over and hit me
27:33it basically folded me in half
27:35I went back and I landed right on my head
27:37if I hadn't been wearing a helmet
27:39it would have killed me
27:40it was bad
27:41it was bad
27:43we're trusting each other with each other
27:45basically live sometimes
27:46it's truly a driver spotter
27:49it's not just a one man show
27:50it's a team out there
27:53getting behind the wheel of a pro unlimited rock crawler
27:57takes guts
27:59but don't be fooled
28:01these bodies are built tough
28:03ready to take some huge tumbles
28:05and keep on kicking
28:07this is all steel structure
28:08and it's inch and a half diameter
28:12120 wall tubing
28:13it's as strong as it needs to be
28:15to keep the driver safe
28:16and make the car function
28:18the key to the rock crawler's strength
28:21is the humble triangle
28:24triangles are exceptionally strong
28:26because of their ability to spread force across their shape
28:29when a triangle does get hit
28:31that force is dispersed along its sides
28:33that's perfect for a rock crawler
28:34takes such a beating while it's running the course
28:38basically the more triangles we have
28:40the stronger the design is
28:43so when the rock crawler rolls over
28:45or falls backwards
28:46the frame can absorb the force of that impact
28:52you know you want it to take the impact
28:55and still be safe
28:56you're basically inside a full roll cage
28:58while the triangle keeps these machines in one piece
29:01it's their specialized suspension that steals the show
29:04this is how rock crawlers prove
29:07they're the ultimate terrain masters
29:09these machines handle all those hard knocks
29:12thanks to the unique structure of the suspension
29:15inside each shock cylinder
29:18oil
29:20and nitrogen gas
29:22are separated by a free floating piston
29:24the oil helps absorb impact and dissipate heat
29:28providing a smoother ride
29:29as the shaft moves into the cylinder
29:32reducing the length of the shock
29:34the nitrogen is compressed supporting the rock crawlers weight
29:37when the suspension flexes
29:39the shaft travels in and out of the shock body
29:42changing the pressure of the nitrogen as needed
29:49the crawler has incredible travel
29:51which is basically the maximum distance that the front
29:54or rear suspension can compress to absorb impact
30:01more travel allows the suspension to better handle bumps and twists
30:05preventing the crawler from bottoming out
30:09travel is the maximum expansion or lift you can get out of the shock
30:14and with up to a foot that has a flip
30:17this rock crawler can absorb the mark
30:21suspension travel on these is incredible
30:23these shocks are a 16 inch travel shock on the front and 18 inch travel shock on the rear
30:30by the time you bring one up a couple inches and bring the other one down 16 inches
30:36boy these things are completely flexed sideways to one another
30:41you can suck the suspension down so you can keep a low center of gravity
30:44you can also loosen it so you can get an extension on one side
30:47allowing the tires to grab the rock at some really wild angles
30:53like you see right here
30:54rear shock is completely compressed
30:57so it can't go up any farther
31:00and if we come over and see the other shock on the driver's side
31:04it's completely extended
31:07when I'm in this position I want the car to be as stable as possible
31:11so if you're looking at the chassis right now
31:13this chassis is almost completely flat to gravity
31:16so this car is extremely stable
31:18it may look crazy but I'm in complete control of this car
31:25rock crawlers are evolution on wheels
31:28part beast part machine
31:31and an engineering marvel from front to back
31:36this is our passion
31:37when it all hits when you are on the right line
31:41when you're on the right rock and when that thing wraps around it
31:44and it just pulls you right up the obstacle
31:48it all feels perfect it's like hitting a home run
31:50in the desolate foothills of Nevada
31:53these monsters of rock use the latest science
31:56to challenge the laws of gravity
32:03under the weight of heavy freight
32:05in what seems like an endless stream of passenger trains
32:09Sweden's 15,000 kilometers of railway lines
32:13take a daily beating
32:17all that action has an impact at track level
32:22that's where you'll find Sweden's rolling railway repair fleet
32:29they are the biggest the most powerful ones
32:32I would say they are the mightiest one that can be built
32:35these machines suck up the bad
32:40mix in the new
32:43and then shake them
32:44rattle and roll the material
32:49remaking the railway bed
32:52whether carrying freight or people
32:54trains are heavy and put constant pressure on the track
32:57and traveling along these tracks over and over
33:00causes wear, defamation and movement of the rails
33:03if the foundation of the rails isn't properly maintained on a regular schedule
33:07it can be disastrous
33:11it all starts with the rail vac
33:14a giant vacuum that sucks up rock
33:20also known as ballast, the foundation of a railway
33:24but when ballast rocks wear out
33:26they've got to be replaced
33:28when the ballast is starting to get like this
33:32then it's really really bad
33:34you see this is not correct
33:36this is very bad
33:38it's like dirt inside here
33:41ballast is usually made of crushed granite and limestone
33:44they help absorb the shocks
33:46and keep the track dry
33:47and the train running smoothly
33:49good ballast is larger rock with rough ridges
33:53allowing the material to connect together more tightly
33:55which makes it more stable on the tracks
33:57bad ballast is smaller, smoother and unstable
34:01because it separates too easily
34:04every time a train rushes over the tracks
34:07the ballast beneath gets more and more worn
34:11the longer it's used
34:13the rounder and smoother it will become
34:15eventually the ballast will be so worn
34:19it can't hold the position of the tracks
34:21or the weight of the trains anymore
34:23bad ballast leads to unstable rails
34:28and that could spell disaster
34:31potentially shutting down a line for repairs
34:33or worse, causing a derailment
34:40it's hard to imagine a more specialized rock guzzling machine
34:45the RailVac is the length of a Boeing 737
34:49and it devours everything in its path
34:53it's got more power than a lot of vacuum cleaners together
34:58so it's definitely the one of a kind machine
35:00the purpose of the RailVac is to vacuum
35:03it sucks up all the old ballast, the soil, the mud, any debris
35:07cleaning up the tracks to get them ready for a fresh new material to make down
35:12there's a flexible nozzle at the end of the suction arm
35:15that can snake under rail ties to clean up years of buildup
35:22it's much more versatile
35:24and a lot less disruptive and safer
35:26than using something like an excavator or doing it by hand
35:31think self-propelled shop vac
35:33then supersizing
35:35delivering a rock-sucking 700 horsepower
35:41it's a lot of power
35:42you don't want to get your hands in the nozzle
35:44for sure, I can tell you that
35:48when Sweden needs to remake its railvads
35:51it rolls out the RailVac
35:53to remove railway ballast at an incredible rate
35:5640 cubic meters per hour
35:58like a tornado inside the container
36:01that causes the air to flow through the machine
36:04sucking up the ballast and all the bad materials
36:08there's no human driver aboard this machine
36:10instead, the human walks beside it
36:13controlling its operation via joystick
36:15but rather than watching over video
36:17the operator can see the work in real life
36:21like operating a big RC car
36:24or something like that
36:25so it's pretty cool
36:32its belly
36:33now bulging with ballast
36:36this beast needs to unleash its load
36:40so it travels down the track
36:42and with the touch of a button
36:44a hydraulic sigh of relief could be heard
36:48side hatches on the tank open up
36:51and the old ballast tumbles out into the ditch
36:56whamped out both sides
36:57about 40 cubic meters of a dirty ballast
37:07the RailVac moves up the track
37:09to continue slurping bad ballast
37:16the next machine in the railway restoration is arriving
37:24true to its name
37:26the ballast feeder is loaded with fresh rocks
37:28ready to drop them in place
37:32the suction machine and the ballast feeder are not more than 5-10 meters away from each other
37:39to be able to be that close with safety
37:42the skillness
37:44and the trust between the operators is very important
37:47the ballast feeder uses a conveyor belt system that's surprisingly agile
37:52it can rotate effortlessly from side to side
37:56strategically placing ballast exactly where it's needed along the tracks
38:01the whole floor will move
38:04and this conveyor band is going to drive it forward so we can throw stones
38:10the other machines they can only like throw stones straight forward
38:15we can throw stones 180 degrees
38:17that's the unique part of this ballast feeder machine
38:22the ballast feeder is fully automated
38:25and the operator can control the flow of the ballast from the touch screen
38:30saving a lot of time
38:33there are train schedules to keep
38:35and delays on the line can cost millions of dollars
38:40putting the ballast exactly where it needs to go
38:43is a huge factor in keeping this operation tight
38:49the ballast feeder leads a specialized train of its own
38:54I'm coupling together the machines
38:56and we're going to synchronize it with those cables
38:59so they can work together
39:01today's rock slinging configuration comes with four wagons
39:08all together it's 90 meters of rock and roll ballast feeding action
39:13this is the four wagons then
39:16because this job will require all that stone
39:22out with the old in with the new
39:25upkeep like this is critical in keeping the railway on track
39:31railways as we know them have existed since the 1700s
39:36these tracks were laid on the ground or on wooden road beds
39:39and were prone to instability
39:42as train became heavier and faster the instability and shifting of a track laid on the ground
39:47becomes a huge problem with time
39:50and ballast is the solution
39:54by the 1800s railway builders began using beds of crushed stone or gravel to support the track and provide stability
40:02the change of ballast early days was done by shovel and buckets
40:07then you have to stop the traffic for a long time
40:10as trains evolved so did the technology to support them
40:14manual labor was replaced by machines specially designed for the task
40:24once the ballast is laid and the dust is settled
40:28a third machine comes along to shake things up
40:30the tamping machine may look unsettling
40:33but in fact it's designed to do the opposite
40:4316 prongs for times plunged into the rail
40:46and then vibrate
40:51the action forces the ballast to fit more snugly
40:55up close this machine looks more like a transformer
40:59than a maintenance vehicle with its spider-like tamping unit
41:08the operator is constantly monitoring the plunging prongs
41:15this 83-ton behemoth can tap 700 meters of rail bed an hour
41:23when everything is good to go then all my measurements in there looks good
41:29we start to time and we go up to first sleeper here
41:34and it's a rolls that grab the railroad
41:38you need and lift it up and hold it exactly right
41:43now the vibrating tamping tines plunge deep into the ballast
41:49the tines squeeze together vibrating and shaking the ballast rocks
41:53and allowing them to settle
41:55creating support for the rail lines above
41:57a few more squeezes for good measure ensure the voids are completely filled with the fresh ballast
42:03the whole process is repeated until the tamping machine registers the correct ballast pressure levels beneath the rail
42:10they do it two or three times when you have this much to lift
42:16and then the ballast gets stiffer
42:20it holds up better
42:29once the ballast is all tamped down
42:31tamper corrects the rail alignment to make them perfectly parallel in level
42:35the rails are then laid carefully over the new ballast
42:39to ensure the trains run smoothly
42:42you're responsible for the track when it's finished
42:46so I try to make it perfect
42:49if it's like this now, it's perfect
42:53this is how you want it to be
42:55all new ballast
42:58this is going to hold many years
43:00going forward and going to be much stable
43:02during winter, during rain season, all that
43:07this stretch of track is refreshed
43:10but there is a lot more railway ahead for these specialized machines
43:15it went pretty well
43:17we were planted to 45 meters
43:20and we did it
43:22so, yeah, job well done I would say
43:26and they're keeping Swedish Rail on track
43:30one kilometer at a time
43:32that's one of the most beautiful things
43:34it's a great thing
43:34and it's a great thing
43:35and we're going to be able to do better
43:36the next day
43:37that's all the time
43:38and that's all the time
43:39and that's all the time
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