M62 commuters - those giant cranes

[Orb the Impaler]

Do any regular M62 commuters notice - as I have done - that during the morning and evening rush hours there are very often those enormous 18 wheeler cranes (with their support truck) on the move - usually Ainscough or Killelea (spel?) which create dirty great tailbacks. Nothing odd there though - they need to move.

However there always seems to be one going the other way too.

Is there a shortage of mahoosive cranes in Yorkshire, and a corresponding lack of bloody massive cranes in Lancashire? Why don't Yorkshire firms use the Yorkshire cranes and Lancashire firms use Lancastrian cranes?

It just seems a bit wasteful and curious; they myst cost an utter fortune to move. This is not a rant or anything - just an observation.

(Of course one could say the same about all of the commuters - why don't they work on their own side of the Pennines).

[darkyoung1000]

There are crane depots all around Otley, Harrogate etc. owned by a relatively small number of firms. There's usually a high demand for all different types of crane depending on what is to be erected, where the lift is to take place, what the access is like and how long they're required for.
A lot of the mobile crane movements....are to erect static tower cranes, hence the need for the mobile ones to trot around the country to all manner of sites. e.g.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Rele...

Given of course the weight of these mobile beasties, you should see the amount of admin that goes into plotting all of their movements across the country...

[Eviltad]

Also when a contract is won by one country, it doesn't matter where it is coming from so long as it gives the best value.

Cant say i've noticed that many crane movements. Maybe the occasional one but not with a frequency which would make me want to start a new thread.

[Parabola]

Haha - I travel Manchester- Leeds & back every day.. I always see at least three cranes going in each direction.
I always think the same... Are all the cranes in Lancashire going to West Yorkshire & all the ones in W Yorkshire going to Mcr?!

[Pigeon]

The M62 is a device which allows some cranes to drive from point A to point B very fast whilst other cranes dash from point B to point A very fast. People living at point C, being a point directly in between, are often given to wonder what's so great about point A that so many cranes of point B are so keen to get there, and what's so great about point B that so many cranes of point A are so keen to get there. They often wish that cranes would just once and for all work out where the hell they wanted to be.

[skip_1]

The cranes often don't park up overnight at their depot. We used to have an Ainscough crane park up at our yard so it could do dayworks around the Leeds area.

[Orb the Impaler]

Eviltad said:

Cant say i've noticed that many crane movements. Maybe the occasional one but not with a frequency which would make me want to start a new thread.

Parabola said:

Haha - I travel Manchester- Leeds & back every day.. I always see at least three cranes going in each direction.
I always think the same... Are all the cranes in Lancashire going to West Yorkshire & all the ones in W Yorkshire going to Mcr?!

See! I knew it wasn't a delusion!

BTW - what time are you on the road, Parabola? I'm generally on the M62 Milnrow junction at about 6.40ish heading east and hit the M621/M62 junction at around 16:50 going west in a teal blue green metallic (god knows how to descrive it) SL500, usually just sat with the wagons in lane 1. Give me a beep and wake me up!

[Parabola]

Hi. I normally get onto J12 at 6.45am. I know I'll be in work on time if I pass the farm in the middle of the M62 at 7am!
Normally head home a bit later than you. Black 156 estate.

Not seen much interesting stuff doing the commute recently. Sometimes see a couple of MG Midgets & a Stag. When it gets a bit warmer, I'll be using my yellow MGB a bit more!

[Nickyboy]

I think its more the fact they cost over £5m so arent exactly ten a penny