Where there’s smoke

Two mechanics in the Ukraine recently took a close interest in a rusty old Russian tank sitting on a plinth, a memorial to the Red Army’s offensive in WWII. The two crawled into the JS-2 tank and after poking around in the engine for a period, managed to fire it up. As the diesel started, a thick black cloud of smoke spewed from the exhausts and the engine then settled to a steady tickover.
September 29, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

Two mechanics in the Ukraine recently took a close interest in a rusty old Russian tank sitting on a plinth, a memorial to the Red Army’s offensive in WWII. The two crawled into the JS-2 tank and after poking around in the engine for a period, managed to fire it up. As the diesel started, a thick black cloud of smoke spewed from the exhausts and the engine then settled to a steady tickover. The diesel engines used in Russia’s WWII tanks were noted for their longevity and simplicity but being able to start following a long period of neglect highlights this rather effectively. Luckily the daring duo decided not to take the tank for a quick spin around their neighbourhood, switching it off instead and quickly walking away. The tank had been previously rusting peacefully while used as a memorial in the city of Kostiantynivka, in the east of Ukraine and local officials are now looking into why it had been left with its engine still capable of being started. Police are meanwhile considering if charges should be brought against the pair for tampering with the tank although it is not clear whether the two broke any laws. It is worth noting that Russian tanks were designed to be able to lay down smokescreens using the exhaust from their engines, although in this case it seems that the dirty emissions were due to a lack of use.

Related Content

  • Holiday traffic jams
    October 3, 2018
    In the Northern Hemisphere the summer means time for families to head off on holiday. At this time of year, many busy routes become jammed as holidaymakers head north, south, east or west, all in search of some rest and recreation. In the UK for example, the start of the school holiday period typically leads to families taking to the roads, with massive spikes in traffic volumes as a result. Some areas are particularly bad. The highway routes lying roughly between Munich in southern Germany and Milan in no
    Read More
  • CECE 2018 conference Rome: the sector powers up for digitisation
    March 20, 2019
    Getting the human-machine interface for equipment automation right is a lot trickier than expected. David Arminas reports from the CECE conference in Rome For many contractors, digitisation is key for improving on-site operational efficiency. But it may be time to take stock of progress and examine what does and doesn’t work. That is not to say that the anchors should be thrown out to halt development. Far from it. In the past eight months, the CECE - Committee for European Construction Equipment – led
    Read More
  • Asphalt paving design advances
    June 15, 2012
    A diverse array of advanced paver designs is now being offered in the asphalt paving sector – Mike Woof reports With the World of Asphalt and INTERMAT 2012 events having both taken place in recent months, a series of innovations have been introduced for the asphalt paving market. Developments have come to market that widen the array of both US and European asphalt paving systems and all the major manufacturers have developed new pavers and materials feeders to meet the latest emissions requirements. Demand
    Read More
  • Efficient earthmoving builds new road links
    February 7, 2012
    Efficient earthmoving is allowing productive road construction in the Egyptian desert, Mike Woof reports. Despite ferocious desert temperatures, efficient earthmoving operations will help build new road links in Southern Egypt. Close to the Egyptian city of Assuit, the contractor Orascom is working on three key desert highway projects that will provide vital transport connections for the country's growing economy.
    Read More

Highlighted Content