Blasting and breaking have been interrupted up to 8 times a day so debris can be cleared from the busy railroad line nearby.

Tight Spaces and Tight Timing
Wayne Concrete of Barboursville, WV has been hammering hard to remove a 700' long, 100' high rock cliff along State Route 10 in Logan County. According to Bud Daniels, President of Wayne Concrete, this has been a problem spot for the past 80 years–at most, the width of the road at this dangerous point is a lane and a half. When the rock cliff is removed, the Department of Transportation will begin widening the road to two full lanes and a “bench” to receive fallen rocks.

While work is being done, the road must remain closed. Since Route 10 provides access to area schools, Wayne Concrete began work as soon as vacation began in June. They have been working 12-hour shifts every day and hope to complete the job early in the new school year in September.

This timing has presented a real challenge because work is interrupted between 6 and 8 times each day to clear debris and remove the rubber blasting mats from the CSX railroad tracks that abut the other side of the highway. As Bud Daniels tells us, CSX owns the right-of-way in this area and their chief concern is moving coal. (Initially, CSX thought that here would be 4 trains each day but, thanks to healthy coal sales, trains re more frequent.) When asked how this is working, Daniels says that they are given approximately an hour’s warning before a train comes through. Blasting and hammering are stopped, and cleanup begins.

Using all the Power They Can Get
Wayne Concrete needed all the power they could muster in order to complete the project on time. Their original plan called for major blasting, then using hammers to break the resulting rocks into removable pieces. Because of the proximity to the railroad, CSX restricted the use of blasting. After further evaluation and help from Eddie Rowan of State Equipment in Cross Lanes, WV, and Tramac’s Jim Lafon, it was decided that the most effective approach would be to drill pre-slits and use limited blasting. The major breaking work is being done by a powerful V55 on a Daewoo Solar 400, working alongside a V45 on a Komatsu PC300.

While some of the rock is being hauled away to waste sites, much of it is being stockpiled on CSX property for future use.

Tramac’s V55 is likely the largest hammer working anywhere in the state of West Virginia, and Daniels reports that it is doing the job very well. They’ve had no maintenance stoppages. The BRV™ Automatic Blow Control System has been particularly valuable since the hardness of the sandstone cliff varies considerably. The V-Technology automatically adjusts the impact power and striking rate according to the material, preventing damaging shock waves from being transmitted to the boom and excavator.

Wayne Concrete has had a great deal of confidence in Tramac since they purchased their first hydraulic hammer in 1989—a BRH501. They felt that Tramac gave them the best product and liked the fact that it ran on lower flow and lower pressure than competitors’ models. Amazingly enough, Daniels tells us, their BRH501 has been rebuilt and is still in their fleet. He says it works as well today as the day they bought it.

Daniels also had compliments for Jim Lafon…the kind of things we like to hear. He has known Jim for years, consulting with him on many projects. According to Daniels, “Jim may not always tell you what you want to hear, but he’s always right. His knowledge is one of Tramac’s selling points.”