Snowmageddon - this Friday
Discussion
Digga said:
Stockholm's Arlanda airport has never shut due to snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myaH9ClDjW8&fea...
Makes you feel kind of embarrassed doesn't it? I know people trot out the "yes but they're guaranteed snow" excuse, but you could make the same argument about only insuring your car when you 'know' you;re going to crash.
But Arlanda witnesses cold, dry snow - which we very rarely see here (although last Friday in the South was a very similar snow!).Makes you feel kind of embarrassed doesn't it? I know people trot out the "yes but they're guaranteed snow" excuse, but you could make the same argument about only insuring your car when you 'know' you;re going to crash.
Snow blowing machines can waft that type away extremely easily. The snow we typically see here is at around 0 or 1 degrees celsius and as a result is extremely sticky and wet - different machinery needed for a much more mechanical removal.
That said, the H+S culture that pervades here certainly shares part of the blame.
Puggit said:
But Arlanda witnesses cold, dry snow - which we very rarely see here (although last Friday in the South was a very similar snow!).
Snow blowing machines can waft that type away extremely easily. The snow we typically see here is at around 0 or 1 degrees celsius and as a result is extremely sticky and wet - different machinery needed for a much more mechanical removal.
That said, the H+S culture that pervades here certainly shares part of the blame.
True, but at the end of the day - as a mechanical engineer, working in earthmoving - as I see it it's all just a bulk materials handling exercise. If what we're happy to accept as a nation is that we can blithely guide a few million quid's worth of ordinance into an Afghan hillside to wipe terrorists/shepherds off the face of the earth, but we cannot fathom how to keep our own transport infrastruture going, then that's pretty backward.Snow blowing machines can waft that type away extremely easily. The snow we typically see here is at around 0 or 1 degrees celsius and as a result is extremely sticky and wet - different machinery needed for a much more mechanical removal.
That said, the H+S culture that pervades here certainly shares part of the blame.
As for teachers, the neighbours kids are at a local Academy (i.e. private) and all was functioning as normal on Friday. Make of that what you will.
Digga said:
Stockholm's Arlanda airport has never shut due to snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myaH9ClDjW8&fea...
Makes you feel kind of embarrassed doesn't it? I know people trot out the "yes but they're guaranteed snow" excuse, but you could make the same argument about only insuring your car when you 'know' you;re going to crash.
Maybe it has never closed, but during snow if it takes 10 mins to clear the runway then imagine the disruption if they had to do that between every few flights at Heathrow?Makes you feel kind of embarrassed doesn't it? I know people trot out the "yes but they're guaranteed snow" excuse, but you could make the same argument about only insuring your car when you 'know' you;re going to crash.
A lot of places tend to get big dumps of snow a few times a year. It does cause disruption while it's snowing and the next day if the snow was overnight, but then once cleared the low temps keep everything nice and forzen and they can carry on pretty well as normal.
MartG said:
5mm of snow here in Blackpool - except on the roads and pavements where it has mostly melted - and they're closing schools because staff can't get there ( though all the pupils seem to have made it OK, buses are running fine.... ).
Cue the knock on effect as people have to leave work to look after their kids.
Pathetic
Terrible. Over 5000 schools closed. Apologist of a union leader on the BBC saying they aren't opening because the roads and buses aren't running so the kids can't get in to school.Cue the knock on effect as people have to leave work to look after their kids.
Pathetic
National disgrace.
Puggit said:
Snow blowing machines can waft that type away extremely easily. The snow we typically see here is at around 0 or 1 degrees celsius and as a result is extremely sticky and wet - different machinery needed for a much more mechanical removal.
There was once a time when the Brits would develop a system for overcoming this kind of challenge. Seems like a very distant memory now.Although our media has a big part to play - hyping everything beyond recognition etc etc
The Don of Croy said:
There was once a time when the Brits would develop a system for overcoming this kind of challenge. Seems like a very distant memory now.
Although our media has a big part to play - hyping everything beyond recognition etc etc
We probably still can but 99% of the time it would be parked up and 99% of passengers wouldn't see any benefit but all passengers would have to pay for it one way or another. I think all airports would look at buying more snow clearing equipment but the cost benefit wouldn't add up for the 3 or so days a year we have a lot of snow. Although our media has a big part to play - hyping everything beyond recognition etc etc
Digga said:
Stockholm's Arlanda airport has never shut due to snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myaH9ClDjW8&fea...
Makes you feel kind of embarrassed doesn't it? I know people trot out the "yes but they're guaranteed snow" excuse, but you could make the same argument about only insuring your car when you 'know' you;re going to crash.
Blimey I got criticised on page 5 for daring to make that comparison and suggesting UK was a joke.Makes you feel kind of embarrassed doesn't it? I know people trot out the "yes but they're guaranteed snow" excuse, but you could make the same argument about only insuring your car when you 'know' you;re going to crash.
Having lived, worked over there which included a lot of time around Arlanda, even that setup can get overwhelmed and long delays result. It's usually when conditions are what is sometimes referenced by the Swedes as "snowsmoke" what we would call whiteout. Then it's a visibility issue more than anything, and comes with very cold powdery snow blown by strong winds.
What's also interesting that a couple of hours to the south at Skavsta Airport they are nowhere near as good at dealing with heavy falls.
As we can see from these pictures, the equipment and snow that has to be dealt with are quite... errr... different.
Arlanda
Heathrow
To be fair they don't use that little truck to clear the runways. They use these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedd...
A pretty similar set up to the Swedes...
A pretty similar set up to the Swedes...
Agreed, but that is why I picked photos of non runway clearance. LHR have a real issue with clearance around gates, aprons etc.
All that little truck is spreading it around with that tiny brush, but going in with a camel train of several plough + brush + blower units shifts it out of the way.
All that little truck is spreading it around with that tiny brush, but going in with a camel train of several plough + brush + blower units shifts it out of the way.
FiF said:
Agreed, but that is why I picked photos of non runway clearance. LHR have a real issue with clearance around gates, aprons etc.
All that little truck is spreading it around with that tiny brush, but going in with a camel train of several plough + brush + blower units shifts it out of the way.
Here you go - educate yourself and stop posting crap: http://mediacentre.heathrowairport.com/imagelibrar...All that little truck is spreading it around with that tiny brush, but going in with a camel train of several plough + brush + blower units shifts it out of the way.
fido said:
Well it mght be cheaper to set light to the whole damn thing!
Indeed. A garden sprinkler set up that after the landing plane passes is switched on a sprays jet fuel over the strip which is then ignited ahead of the next landing plane around 40 seconds later. 
But wouldn't heated runways be cheaper than tooling up with machinery?
Not sure if it has been mentioned, but over the weekend aunty Beeb replayed the documentary about winter 1963/64 first shown (I think) in 1964.
Fronted by Cliff Mitchelmore (sic) it cobbled together contemporaneous accounts of how the UK made it through that particular 'cold snap', with a final flourish of facts and figures on cost vs benefit of adequate machinery and systems to cope etc.
After nearly 50 years the very same arguments continue...
Fronted by Cliff Mitchelmore (sic) it cobbled together contemporaneous accounts of how the UK made it through that particular 'cold snap', with a final flourish of facts and figures on cost vs benefit of adequate machinery and systems to cope etc.
After nearly 50 years the very same arguments continue...
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