Train Carrying New Boeing Fuselage parts derails

keith16

Linky


I wonder if these were due to go to Ryanair? Would be just their luck the way things are going for them recently :pac:

Pic:

http://imgur.com/EJVBCzL

Comhrá

[IMG][/img]

P_1

Where would they have been moving those from via train?

Davy

P_1 wrote: »

Where would they have been moving those from via train?

Having been built in Wichita, Kansas, the 100-foot fuselages are loaded onto freight trains to be transported over the Rocky mountains where they are assembled on a literal giant conveyor belt as part of the Boeing 737 Next Generation program.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2572445/Planes-train-Boeing-737-fuselages-arrive-firms-huge-Seattle-factory-assembled-2-000-mile-rail-journey-Kansas.html

P_1

Seems a bit impractical building the hulls in Kansas and shipping them to Washington

What about airbus building parts all over Europe ? It's just easier for both.

markpb

Deleted User wrote: »

What about airbus building parts all over Europe ? It's just easier for both.

Airbus was a consortium of European companies, some of them state owned so keeping or having plants across Europe is more of a political or legacy decision than a practical one. Additionally, when most of the large European airlines were state-owned, it made sense to keep a plant in several counties because the purchasing country also benefitted economically from the work.

I'd guess a lot of the same applies to Boeing, especially since a lot of their income comes from the federal government. Having a plant in various states keeps lots of congressmen happy which means military orders will keep coming in.

gctest50

P_1 wrote: »

Seems a bit impractical building the hulls in Kansas and shipping them to Washington

Ask the Beluga

adam88

gctest50 wrote: »

Ask the Beluga

What an ugly plane. What body is that built off of

P_1

Do Boeing use the Airbus Beluga? Wouldn't have thought they did

markpb

adam88 wrote: »

What an ugly plane.

And yet you quoted the photo so we all have to look at it twice, thanks!

Karl Stein

Poor things.

smurfjed

They actually use this for the B787. Boeing has manufacturing plants all over the USA, the only assemble the aircraft in Washington State. There are various tax breaks associated with moving from state to state and this was the primary reason that Boeing moved their headquarters from Seattle to Chicago.

gctest50

P_1 wrote: »

Do Boeing use the Airbus Beluga? Wouldn't have thought they did

:pac:

they've had superguppy for teh important stuffs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRI5IpdrbH8

smurfjed

The Boeing 377 Superguppy isn't flying for them anymore. Strangely enough Airbus also used the B377

markpb

markpb wrote: »

Airbus was a consortium of European companies, some of them state owned so keeping or having plants across Europe is more of a political or legacy decision than a practical one. Additionally, when most of the large European airlines were state-owned, it made sense to keep a plant in several counties because the purchasing country also benefitted economically from the work.

I'd guess a lot of the same applies to Boeing, especially since a lot of their income comes from the federal government. Having a plant in various states keeps lots of congressmen happy which means military orders will keep coming in.

And Boeing is the same having bought many companies over the years they have kept many of the original plants open and operating.

Many companies do this, ship builders do this, car manufacturers do this.

P_1

Ugly looking blighters all the same aren't they

L1011

adam88 wrote: »

What an ugly plane. What body is that built off of

A300 B6. Constant rumours of an A330-300 based replacement.

Aphex

I love this users comment from the picture link:D

"As you see here, the newly born Boeing 737's emerge from their birthplace and start their new life out in the world."

Lapin

When they arrive in Seattle, the fuselages are checked for any damage incurred on the train journey.

Many of them arrive with bullet holes and need to be patched up.

A few drunken redneck hillbillies in the woods of Montana enjoy using them as moving targets to shoot at as the trains pass by.

andy_g

Well to be fair one looks like its cracked at rib 6 ish so that will be written off as ya can see in the pic.

Others look ok

gctest50

andy_g wrote: »

Others look ok

be grand for a bit of target practise - might make the rednecks all patriotic

ya need

Bye-Bye-Miss-American-Pie-they're-Taliban-Toast-guy for the job

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z1Mh_qkhTQ

sunnysoutheast

Lapin wrote: »

When they arrive in Seattle, the fuselages are checked for any damage incurred on the train journey.

Many of them arrive with bullet holes and need to be patched up.

A few drunken redneck hillbillies in the woods of Montana enjoy using them as moving targets to shoot at as the trains pass by.

I'm reminded by the quote from Blackadder when Francis Drake says something like "..the rain is so hard it makes your head bleed" and Edmund's smart alec reply is "well perhaps some sort of headgear is in order".

Any reason why they don't use covered wagons, like for cars? Seems like a very high value item to be carried on an open wagon.

L1011

sunnysoutheast wrote: »

Any reason why they don't use covered wagons, like for cars? Seems like a very high value item to be carried on an open wagon.

Weight. Comment on another forum that they did try kevlar coatings but it scratched the protective green coating badly.

shedweller

So am i right in thinking some of these fuselages will enter service?

sunnysoutheast

MYOB wrote: »

Weight. Comment on another forum that they did try kevlar coatings but it scratched the protective green coating badly.

Fair enough, I assume the cost accountants have worked it through but seems a bit odd to me to have to repair bullet holes rather than a few scratches! Might be more to do with the 40m+ length of the wagon.

A 737-800 is only 41 tonnes empty, and a fair bit of that is the engines. UK aggregate and coal hoppers take approx. 70t load. on top of a 16t tare and they are piddly compared to the US.

murphaph

Yeah these fuselages weigh very little compared to a laden coal wagon. Must be more to do with loading gauge.

Bazzy

the fact someone hasnt blamed MOL or ryanair is a miracle in itself

L1011

Bazzy wrote: »

the fact someone hasnt blamed MOL or ryanair is a miracle in itself

Going on other forums, the frames were for Delta and some Chinese airlines so he's safe

sunnysoutheast

They overhang a single wagon so that explains it. Wing root looks very close to the loading gauge too.

Bubble wrap maybe?

gctest50

sunnysoutheast wrote: »

Bubble wrap maybe?

Better to be able to see a mark on it and inspect it than have no mark to warn you of damage and it crack there a few years later ?

sunnysoutheast

gctest50 wrote: »

Better to be able to see a mark on it and inspect it than have no mark to warn you of damage and it crack there a few years later ?

Well I wasn't being entirely serious.

Not sure if these movements are out of gauge or not. Anyway, given that BRK owns the company that moves them I'd assume they would have worked all this through.

Lapin

There isn't the room to cover them as the trains take in a number of tunnels en route that simply aren't wide or high enough to accommodate covered wagons.

LoonyLovegood

Probably a stupid idea, but could they even just put a huge canvas sheet over it? It disguises the shape, and they'd be able to see if there was any damage.

crosstownk

Aphex wrote: »

I love this users comment from the picture link:D

"As you see here, the newly born Boeing 737's emerge from their birthplace and start their new life out in the world."

David Attenborourgh wrote:

Unfortunately, it's quite the opposite

:pac:

FuzzyDunlop100

CTYIgirl wrote: »

Probably a stupid idea, but could they even just put a huge canvas sheet over it? It disguises the shape, and they'd be able to see if there was any damage.

There's a number of those trains running that same route every day, the "sharpshooters" would know exactly whats underneath the sheet/tarpaulen. The rail company isn't going to volunteer for extra work either.

Cookiemunster

The fuselages damaged in the derailment are being scrapped.




A bit more on it here