A somewhat different item today….
Recently, the Eye boldly ventured where no man has been before (a bit of an exaggeration) and visited Bracknell. In Bracknell, of course, much of the town centre is being redeveloped. But, one of the things that caught our attention was a crane. This crane:
Unlike the toy cranes that we used to build years ago, this real crane has a simple horizontal jib. A trolley – from which hangs the hook – runs along the jib.. It’s a very different design from that of the crane being used to build the new care home in Pembroke Broadway.
The care home crane IS just a larger version of the Meccano efforts of our youth. Which caused us to ponder; why the difference?
It’s obvious – now. We’ve discovered that “The luffing jib [our toy Meccano crane] is used in situations where circumstances do not allow using a horizontal jib tower crane. It does not have a trolley, and its main advantage is that both jib and the suspended load can be kept away for avoiding intrusion in unwanted areas.” Which, if we interpret it correctly, means that a luffing crane is being used on the Pembroke Broadway site so that there’s no need for the jib and load to pass near, or over (or into!), the adjacent Churchill Homes building.
(Isn’t it nice to talk about something mundane, instead of the referendum!)
The Camberley Eye 