Fan blades on joint line in Denver

traingeekboy Aug 31, 2014

  1. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

    5,677
    580
    82
    I was on my way to the mountains yesterday morning with my father, when we spotted something really cool. It was a mile long train of giant fan blades. Not sure which way they were going, but they sat there all day. We took photos at around 9 am. It was still there after 3 pm. For all I know it's still there. They may have held it there to wait for a wind storm to pass through either north or south of us. The things were huge! I expect a wind storm would be a severe tipping problem for those cars.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I will upload some more shots in a bit. :)

    For all I know it's still sitting there just south of 6th ave.
     
  2. Eagle2

    Eagle2 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    5,727
    479
    82
    I remember seeing one similar a little bit ago (two months?) down by Fountain. Of course on a day when I'd forgot the camera....An impressive sight.
     
  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,561
    22,735
    653
    You may be correct about wind issues. True, or not, I have heard these items are a bit fragile. Any damage ruins them.
     
  4. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

    5,677
    580
    82
    Oh man, the things I've seen when I didn't have a camera. I know THAT feeling!
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,561
    22,735
    653
    If railfanning was a sport, and forgetting your camera was a penalty, it might be a one game suspension!
     
  6. Mike VE2TRV

    Mike VE2TRV TrainBoard Member

    4,872
    12,456
    92
    Those things are made to catch the wind and they're made light so there's little weight going round and round. So a bit too much wind and it's tipping time...
     
  7. wcfn100

    wcfn100 TrainBoard Member

    1,049
    63
    30
    Saw it this morning stopped in Springs when I was on the way to the fair. It was still there as of an hour ago.

    Jason
     
  8. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

    5,677
    580
    82
    Where do they build them?
     
  9. SW1200

    SW1200 TrainBoard Member

    51
    5
    11
    In Colorado Vestas Wind Systems operates blade manufacturing plants in Windsor and Brighton.
     
  10. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

    5,677
    580
    82
    I will have to use the google on t'internets and see more stuff. :)

    Thanks!
     
  11. dstjohn

    dstjohn TrainBoard Member

    234
    8
    16
    The blades are made in Windsor and they are a lot stronger than you think! They survived the tornado in Windsor just fine. After being built, they sit outside till they get a trainload
     
  12. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,561
    22,735
    653
    What happens if there is any damage? Can they be safely repaired? Just thinking about a recent derailment, where six Boeing fuselages were all lost.
     
  13. Mike VE2TRV

    Mike VE2TRV TrainBoard Member

    4,872
    12,456
    92
    They're quite strong in the long axis (centrifugal forces and all that) but I don't know if they can survive a derailment with a flat car landing on top of them! Aircraft fuselages are strong too, but if they're stressed the wrong way (as in a plane crash or derailment - which is a zero-altitude plane crash...;)) they break.
     
  14. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,561
    22,735
    653
    That's what I mean. Getting banged around some, are they at all repairable? Not as a rail car landing upon them, but such as if the car went on the ground and bounced around very roughly. Can they withstand that kind of impact?
     
  15. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

    13,966
    6,905
    183
    Major concerns would be weaknesses caused during repairs leading to failure with high centrifugal forces. Also out of balance conditions between blades if materials had to be added during repairs.
     
  16. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,561
    22,735
    653
    This is what I am thinking. That with even minor damage, they'd be unusable. So that was one reason this train was sitting, as weather might jostle those cars hard enough to cause problems. Big $$$ lost.
     
  17. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

    3,032
    8,079
    82
    Mark Watsonis 3D printing these in N scale. They look good. Check out his Shapeways store

    carl
     
  18. CHARGER

    CHARGER TrainBoard Member

    947
    71
    25
    On UP headed east from STL this week

    Click to expand
    FB01.jpg
    FB02.jpg
    FB03.jpg
     
  19. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

    13,966
    6,905
    183
    I'm amazed as to the number of wind farms operating around the country, and how many generators are in each farm. As of this past July, wind farms are generating almost 5% of all power on the national grid. That amount is forecast to be more than 20% in just 15 years, by 2030. That may not sound like much until you consider that there are about 20,000 generators in 7,000 power plants nationwide.

    OK, so I'm a Troglodyte, but when I went to college (Columbia University, NY), 50% of its power (all dormitories) was generated by double-acting steam engines turning 120VDC Edison generators. Every dormitory room had signs saying "Do NOT use for AC appliances, including electric razors".
     
  20. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,561
    22,735
    653
    It will also be very interesting to learn what the real costs are for this method. Perhaps by that year we will better know actual unit life span, maintenance costs, and have retired some initial expenses.
     

Share This Page