Snow Cat Proving Grounds

Prudhoe Bay Alaska run by a consortium of oil companies is and has been one of the proving grounds for experimental Snow Vehicles. The Oil companies spend more money in a single year on their operations there than are spent on the South Pole experiment stations collectively in 10 or 20 years, but unlike the South Pole the petrochemical industries get more out of the "North Slope" in a year than have gone into all the developments at the South Pole since the Scott Expedition. It's not quite as cold here, as temperatures run about 30 degrees colder on the south Pole.

Lyndon, nice looking doggy you have there! :rollingla Does he bite

A normal day on the "Slope" starts out with a 4 star breakfast. You might go out and start up your Truck since it's 30 below so that it's somewhat thawed out half an hour later. Put on your FRC (Fire Retardant Clothing), hard Hat, Steel Toe Boots, Eye Protection and Arctic Gear. Sit thru a Safety meeting 7 days a week. Oh yes did I mention that we work 7 days a week, 12 hour days. This morning I'll drive 35 miles on a SEA ICE road( A streach of the Beaufort Sea) to inspect some work on one of the artificial Islands. Last night they had a show on the HIstory Channel that showed Doyans Rig 14. Rig 14 is one of the nicest portable Arctic Drill rigs on the Slope, and it happens to be less than a mile from our camp drilling an experimental hole. It can drill down 2 miles and out(sideways) another 5 miles. 7 miles of pipe is alot of pipe! What's more is that it can hit a spot within about half a meter from that distance.

It's super clean up here, even though various environmentalists would rather not believe it. They run a cleaner show than more than 75% of the worlds hospitals and significantly cleaner than any other oil operation in the world. I'm just one of several hundred inspectors that make sure it stays that way. At almost any given time we have more inspectors than all the personell combined at the South Pole Expermint Stations. That would have something to do with the fact that we produce a desireable comodaty. Even the wild life like it up here!

Today it's warm, only minus 17, -29 with the wind chill. But I'm having a hard time finding pictures of all the neat Snow Machines we have up here. There are these "Snow Trains" or "Cat Trains" tha consists of about 10 single wide trailer house sized units on Ski's that are pulled along by a D9 Cat. 2 of these mobile camp trains that house about 50 people each will go out to do sizemic survey work for most of the winter. Western Geophysical and Northern Geophysical have the biggest collection of "Snow toys" perhaps anywhere in the world. From Bombardiere B12 Snow Coaches and Tucker Terra Sno-Cats to Nodwell SuperChieftans and some one of a kind track 'Rigs'. They also have a Fleet of specialty Wheeled Snow vehicles, mostly Foremost and Rolligon. I've posted some of these pictures elsewhere on the Forum, maybe Bob S can figure how to attach them.

It's a ways to where I can take new Picts of their collection and since it's winter most of the Cat Trains and other equipment is out working so I may not be able to get pictures this 'Hitch'. I work a 3 & 3 which translates to 3 weeks on, and 3 weeks off and I go home the day after tomorrow! I'll have to look at the Nodwell/Foremost web site and see if I can get some pictures of their stuff. They always bring it up here to test it. We are also their biggest customer so we get a bunch of promo stuff like Tucker Hats!

Lyndon said:

View attachment 10479 It's super clean up here, .... I'm just one of several hundred inspectors that make sure it stays that way.

Click to expand...

That poor little bear looks a little dirty. I hope you got some nice shampoo and cleaned him up!

Lyndon said:

They also have a Fleet of specialty Wheeled Snow vehicles, mostly Foremost and Rolligon. I've posted some of these pictures elsewhere on the Forum, maybe Bob S can figure how to attach them.

Click to expand...

Lyndon, I remember the photos and I can attach them, but it may take me some time to find them. One problem with our Forums is that we don't have a good way to index things.

By the way, how do you get a grizzly bear out of your hallway?

The vehicle of choice up here is a Diesel Crew Cab Pick-up. In fact we don't have practally anything else. There are a few suburbans and ford explorers, but 90% of the vehicles are the Crew Cabs. There are ZERO cars! Not one! Once in a blue moon some tourists shows up in one in the summer. This next shot is, or should be, Dead Horse, the only town, and the end of the road for the public. To go anywhere else you must be a bonified, Badged, employee of one of the oil companies. So don't bring your boat thinking that your going to put into the ocean! It Aint happening! You would be amazed how many people show up expecting to do exactly that even though its posted back at the start of the 500 mile 'Haul Road' that is the only way up here besides by plane.

If you watch the History Channel or the Discovery Channel you will eventually see some stuff on the Alaska Pipeline and the 'Haul road'. When I used to inspect there I drove the "Haul Road" every day. I, as well as all of Alyeska's other employees drive it every day. Right before 'Y2K' I traveled the length of the pipeline 4 times in one hitch(3200 Mi). Most of that was in a Crew Cab GMC 3/4 ton, 4 wheel drive diesel on solid Ice roads. Once the gravel roads are Iced over they are nice and smooth. As long as the Ambient temperature is 20 below or colder the surface tends to not be a slippery as one might expect.

I'll see what I've got for pictures of the Pipeline at home. What I really wanted to show you is the Fleet of Snow Equipment up here and so far I have kind of 'tilted out' in that department. The Trans Alaska Pipeline should be in this Caribou picture if I down loaded the right shot. It's 800 miles long, the internal dimension is 4 foot, but with it's insulation and outer aluminum skin it's more like 6 feet. There are some 800 river and stream crossings that get inspected at least once a year. This is one of the primary functions of their fleet of snow cats. The Line itself get's inspected every day by truck, planes, and helicopters. It is also watched by satellite!

Yep: I guess I'll have to write that Bear up for not living up to BP's Cleanliness standard! You'r in trouble mister!

Yo in a Heap of Trouble mister!

This used to be the Post Office and General Store. It's abandon now. The Store and Post Office moved. There are no permanent residents of Dead Horse, except a bunch of Arctic Foxes.

We sell some parts to these companies and they supply artic and antartic stations Intresting equipment

www.trackindustries.com

www.rolligon.com

Lyndon, Love the info. Those Rolligons are pretty damn cool! So how does someone get hired to drive the line in a snowcat? That would be a pretty cool job to me at least.