New building development in Deptford

[ianrauk]

There's a huge new building development going on in Deptford in SE London on a Wharf in the River Thames.

In the past few days they have been erecting some tall cranes in the building site.
I have always wondered how they did this. It was fascinating to watch. The chaps who shim up the girders and do up the nuts and bolts must be fearless. It didn't help that it has been quite windy this week. Not a job for the faint hearted. There are now three cranes and each took only two days to erect.

Here's a few pics taken from my office window.

Piece by piece it's hoisted up by a mobile crane for the three chaps at the top to guide in and to bolt into place

The cab goes up

Close up of the cab and the three chaps at the top,

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

You must be in those offices between the Hoy and the bridge. I was just down around Millennium Quays earlier this evening and I noticed that the 2nd crane was more or less complete - they go up very quickly - a week ago there was nothing there. I knew that they used mobile cranes to install the more permanent ones but I was surprised that they didn't use the first permanent crane to assemble the 2nd.

Oops, I just reread your post - 3 cranes!! Is that including the mobile or are my powers of observation getting as useless as my stamina levels?

 

[Night Train]

This is what happens once thw cab and booms are on.
[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX-ZdPPUuhM[/media]

 

[Archie_tect]

If one permanent crane could lift another one into place, they wouldn't need the second one... if you follow me.

 

[brockers]

That's the sort of adventurous ruffty-tuffty job I wish I'd had a go at in my 20's! Bet (or hope) that the guys who do it are well paid. I think I read somewhere that there's quite a large proportion of these steeplejack types who are (unsurprisingly) into rock-climbing.

I went up to Parliament Sq today to check out the media circus involved in the royal wedding. Saw a lonely cameraman practising getting his shots down the Mall, perched on a tiny platform on the end of a mahoosive cherry-picker in Horseguards Parade, Must've been a good 150 ft up. Brave man!

 

[ianrauk]

You must be in those offices between the Hoy and the bridge. I was just down around Millennium Quays earlier this evening and I noticed that the 2nd crane was more or less complete - they go up very quickly - a week ago there was nothing there. I knew that they used mobile cranes to install the more permanent ones but I was surprised that they didn't use the first permanent crane to assemble the 2nd.

Oops, I just reread your post - 3 cranes!! Is that including the mobile or are my powers of observation getting as useless as my stamina levels?

Yup I am in those offices. Been there for 7 years now and will lose my glorious view.
There are now 3 cranes up. The one photographed being put up is the third. The first was near land end of the wharf.

 

[Dewi]

I guess the cranes are set up far enough apart that the mobile crane is required? Lots of interesting types of cranes and erection methods, these are luffing jib tower cranes, used for confined sites where oversailing surrounding properties is an issue or when several cranes are used on the same job and there's a risk that hammer head cranes could clash.

I should add my limited knowledge comes from the cranes section of a H&S course I did a few years ago

 

[fossyant]

Pharp, don't do heights!

 

[vernon]

This is what happens once thw cab and booms are on.
[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX-ZdPPUuhM[/media]

Fascinating.

That's answered the question that I never got around to asking.