Implosion fells power plant unit.

Residents of Eastern McLennan County were jarred by an explosion Friday morning as a demolition crew used explosives to implode a large tower at the old Tradinghouse Creek Power Plant.

The implosion happened at around 9:10 a.m. Friday and the steel tower was no more than a mass of rubble within seconds.

Luminant, the plant’s owner, is dismantling the plant, which includes two inactive natural gas-powered steam units.

“This is a very deliberate, fairly lengthy process and at this time, no definitive date has been set for the demolition to be complete, Meranda Cohn, spokeswoman for Luminant said Friday.

Cohn said Tradinghouse is among the older facilities that Luminant owns.

It was mothballed in 2010.

Read more here, or view the video below:

Don’t look down…unless you have some suitable reading material.

Ever since the Demolition magazine burst onto the scene in a blaze of fiercely independent, sexy black gorgeousness, we have been astounded at the reach of the magazine.

We have regular readers as far afield at Brazil, Japan, China, New Zealand and in both old South and New South Wales. With a readership spread across almost 70 countries, it is fair to say that the magazine reaches far and wide.

However, thanks to UK reader David Swift of Swift Steeplejack Services, it appears that the magazine now also reaches high as well; 180 feet high to be precise.

Thanks for the photo David; and happy reading!

Contractor clarifies position following departure of Greg Lannon.

Hughes and Salvidge has sought to quell the rumours surrounding the future of its Northern Office following the departure of former Operations Director Greg Lannon just a few weeks ago. Lannon has since joined KDC Contractors but speculation on the future of Hughes and Salvidge’s Northern Office has continued, forcing the company to issue the following statement:

Hughes and Salvidge would like to clarify rumours following the recent restructure of our Northern Office in West Yorkshire. In January, following a company review, we decided to restructure the Northern Office which unfortunately meant we made our Operations Director redundant.

We hope this clears up any uncertainty surrounding this matter.

As Bretec launches in the US, the company unveils a new model for the world.

ConExpo 2014 marked the introduction of the Bretec hydraulic breaker range to the important US market, and the global launch of an all-new model.

Hydraulic Breaker Service (HBS) extended its product portfolio at the ConExpo-Con/Agg exhibition in Las Vegas when it became the first US company to unveil a new range of hydraulic breakers bearing the Bretec trademark.

Furthermore, the ConExpo exhibition served as the global launch pad for the all-new Bretec L30C model that is suitable for carriers in the 27 to 40 tonne operating weight class and which is offered with automatic lubrication and Idle Blow Protection as standard.

Bretec first made its mark in the hydraulic breaker OEM business back in 1994. Now 20 years after that initial impact, HBS has broadened its offering to include the Bretec range of silenced and pin-on hydraulic breakers. The eight-model Bretec range has been strategically placed to offer competitive products that are good quality and cost-effective for the middle segment market.

New 100 tonne class high reach is the first of many from the Kobelco family.

The name Kobelco has been strangely absent from the North American market since its licensing agreement with CNH petered out ore than a year ago. But ConExpo 2014 marked a remarkable comeback for the popular brand and, perhaps more importantly, a new direction too.

The company is building a new US headquarters in Texas that is scheduled to open later this year. Furthermore, the company expressed plans to open a manufacturing facility in the US in the not too distant future.

Most exciting of all, however, was the unveiling of several new excavator models including the SK1000 DLC high reach demolition machine; the first of 19 demolition spec excavators destined for the North American market.

The SK1000 DLC competes in the 100 ton class and boasts a reach of 38 metres (124 feet) with a 2.5 tonne (5,500 lb) attachment.

European demolition contractors will have to wait to get their hands on the new SK000 DLC and the other variants from the Kobelco range. While the manufacturer admits that it is keeping an open mind, there are no plans to offer these models in Europe at present.

Industrial tank falls on excavator and operator.

A demolition worker has been killed in an industrial accident at a West Texas job site.

Terry County Sheriff Larry Gilbreath says 43-year-old James Croft of Tyler died at the scene Thursday afternoon when a silo tank fell on him.

Authorities say Croft was operating an excavator and helping take down a structure when the tank fell on him

The machine behind The Beast and the Red Devil improved for ConExpo.

It is the base machine that lurks beneath two of the demolition world’s best-known behemoths: The Beast and the Red Devil. And at ConExpo 2014 in Las Vegas, the Hitachi EX1200 received a Dash-6 upgrade.

You can check out the key improvements in this exclusive Diggers and Dozers film from the Las Vegas show ground.

South Yorkshire contractor on the expansion trail.

Sheffield-based contractor Hague Plant is on the lookout for a new contracts manager to solidify its expansion plans.

The company reports that the successful candidate will be primarily responsible for for managing project teams from pre commencement phase to hand over to client; client relationship, project team management and delegation, contractual administration, program delivery, financial control, resource and task scheduling, production of method statements and method statements, quality assurance implementation & monitoring, governance of sub-contractors and the on-site project management teams; and day to day leadership, direction, decision making and management of the overall operations.

Full details of the position are available here.

Electro Chlorination Plant at Dungeness A falls to Erith power.

Kent-based Erith Group is making good progress on the demolition of the Dungeness A power station.

As this video shows, the company is currently tackling the facility’s electro chlorination plant.

Erith won the contract at Dungeness – which is located in the only location in the UK to be officially designated a desert – as part of the £304 million Magnox framework announced in November 2011.

Crane cables severed, the CDI way.

When a large piece of capital equipment like a mine dragline reaches the end of its working life, there are generally two options: 1. leave it to rot; or 2. invest a considerable amount of time and money to disassemble the steel hulk.

Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) has a third and far more spectacular option, however.

Acting as sub-contractor to Southern Salvage, CDI brought down the jib of this monster machine using the method that it knows best.