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Post by Deep Level on May 5, 2011 9:47:44 GMT
As I was walking home from work yesterday I noticed the missing Pod from the London Eye strapped to a trailer on the back of a lorry on the A406 going over the Ilford Flyover towards Redbridge. This led me to 2 questions:
1) Why was it missing? 2) I'm guessing it was going back to the London Eye but where did it come from?
Thanks
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on May 5, 2011 10:13:24 GMT
I'm guessing the answer to 1 will be for maintenance. I saw a missing pod on a barge next to the eye a few months back, presumably for the same reason.
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cso
Posts: 1,043
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Post by cso on May 5, 2011 10:21:36 GMT
I've seen them going up the M40 before now, too...
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Post by Deep Level on May 5, 2011 10:38:59 GMT
I've seen them going up the M40 before now, too... I have sympathy for the first driver to lose their load. ;D
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Post by norbitonflyer on May 5, 2011 11:32:08 GMT
This link explains all - each pod in turn is being transferred by barge to Silvertown and then trucked to Worcester for an upgrade: so in fact the ones you saw would have been going away, rather than coming back. The first pod to go was swapped for a dummy pod (required to keep the thing balanced). Each returning pod is then swapped overnight for the next one to be done. As the transfers can only be done at the right state of the tide, (and overnight, when the Eye is not running), there are only one or two opportunities a month to do it. The programme started about two years ago. When the final pod returns early next year it will replace the dummy pod. The Eye was supposed to be a temporary structure - it had to get planning permssion to remain several years ago, so a life-extension programme is timely. They reckon it will be good for at least another twenty years after this refurbishment - one reason they used a dummy pod rather than an extra real one.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 19:48:58 GMT
Merlin Entertainments, are also changing the branding on the pods to have EDF branding they also want to have Merlin Entertainments branding on it aswell. Put it this way, if they could paint the eye orange!!!! they would.
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