The ultimate toy for your toolkit

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DarthKermit

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#114901 6-Mar-2013 18:21

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/site-resources/content/about/img/media/tmb1.jpg

This puppy is costing the NZ taxpayer $54 million.

Herald article:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869584

I think that four of these machines made by German company Herrenknecht were used to bore the world's longest railway tunnel in Switzerland - 57 km!

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

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#775819 6-Mar-2013 18:33

lets hope they dont dig too deep and unearth some unspeakable terror

DarthKermit

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#775820 6-Mar-2013 18:39

NonprayingMantis: lets hope they dont dig too deep and unearth some unspeakable terror

What, like a Balrog?

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

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Mad Scientist
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#775821 6-Mar-2013 18:41

Digging into dormant volcanic dorkland ... hmm ...

ilovemusic

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#776138 7-Mar-2013 12:04

sleeping taniwhas

"made in germany" so why test in china ?

does the test involve digging a tunnel from china to the customer ?

Lias

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#776140 7-Mar-2013 12:07

ilovemusic: sleeping taniwhas

You can guarantee there will be "taniwhas" that can be "banished" for a few million quid..

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trig42

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#776142 7-Mar-2013 12:09

I see that they are buying it back at the end of the project.

Why don't NZTA just keep it, move it a little closer to the CBD and start drilling a tunnel under the harbour?

Or put it at MOTAT.

BlueShift

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#776145 7-Mar-2013 12:12

NonprayingMantis: lets hope they dont dig too deep and unearth some unspeakable terror

But Gerry Brownlee is already loose.

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kiwitrc

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#776168 7-Mar-2013 12:50

BlueShift:
NonprayingMantis: lets hope they dont dig too deep and unearth some unspeakable terror

But Gerry Brownlee is already loose.

If they do unleash some unspeakable terror they can plug the hole with Gerry.

1eStar

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#776308 7-Mar-2013 15:25

Tunnelling beneath a motorway reserve to preserve the reserve defies all logic. Which stands as testament to the flawed implementation of the Resource Management Act.

sittingduckz

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#776324 7-Mar-2013 15:54

This conversation is boring.

I reckon when they have finished with it, point it straight down and leave it running and see what happens... well that's what I would do! :)

I'm not a complete idiot, I still have some parts missing.

Klipspringer

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#776328 7-Mar-2013 15:59

sittingduckz: This conversation is boring.

I reckon when they have finished with it, point it straight down and leave it running and see what happens... well that's what I would do! :)

I believe thats what they did with the moles in the euro tunnel. But switched them off LOL

Cambo

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#776343 7-Mar-2013 16:36

NonprayingMantis: lets hope they dont dig too deep and unearth some unspeakable terror

4 days of drilling and then "'Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn" (or something like it).

Oblivian

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#776355 7-Mar-2013 17:11

You want interesting oopsies around digging tunnels with these things, get the docco on expanding the London Underground. And about big machines focused on tunneling.

Theres some scary stuff in there that you don't realise occurred at the times since its all out of view.

Like the fact when they went under big ben, it started to lean over. So some clever thinking (like mixing concrete and mud) had to be done rather fast to counteract it.

Theres also been cases where they get.. stuck. And need to dig up perfectly good road above to service them.

And building a station, floating it in the harbour, then sink it into place while machines bore toward it.

NonprayingMantis

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#776362 7-Mar-2013 17:38

really the only thing I can think of when I see these things is the mining thing from Total Recall (the original)

toyonut

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#776483 7-Mar-2013 21:24

Doesn't everyone need one of these for their evil villain plans. If someone pisses you off, just send it off on a low arc under their house. Neighbours blocking your view... not any more, just sink em. The possibilities are endless as long as you are planning to make things disappear into the ground.

Try Vultr using this link and get us both some credit:

http://www.vultr.com/?ref=7033587-3B

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