We may only be into the first few weeks of 2012 but we think we’ve already found the ultimate prize of the year. How would you like to go down as the person who named a pair of tunnel boring machines? Apparently only a select group of people have had this privilege, so forget chasing iPads and holidays and start thinking about names for tunnel borers!
This competition is being run by Crossrail. They are sending machines, which wouldn’t look out of place in Ocean’s Thirteen, underground in London to dig out some new rail link tunnels. They “will work 24 hours a day beneath the streets of London, excavating large volumes of ground and erecting the concrete tunnel lining”! Blimey!
Anyway, it’s traditional to name these Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). They can’t undertake their work until they’ve been named and it’s done as a sign of good luck for the forthcoming project. The names have to be feminine too, just like ships.
This is where you come in! Crossrail would like pairs of names for their TBMs. They suggest that “history, geography, architecture/ landmarks, transportation or names of famous Londoners might make good names”. Have a good think as you only get one shot at it!
A panel of judges will select their three favourites but the overall winner will be chosen by a public vote. The winner gets the glory of naming the machines, but all three finalists get £500 Eurostar vouchers or a Merlin Annual Family Pass.
You have until 1pm on 6th February to enter this one.
Crossrail Tunnel Boring Machine Competition
Image borrowed from Crossrail.
Entered – what a fab idea!
Thanks Jason. Just need to warm the old grey cells up a bit before I have a crack at it.
aw chucks! Just nipped over to check out the comp it looks interesting but not sure whether to enter or not now as the winner will be invited to the launch in March and not sure if my chemo will have finished by then.
Good luck to all Loquaxers that enter.
Interesting competition, when I originally looked at the blog heading ‘boring machines’, I didn’t realise that these machines bored tunnels.
I’m going to try and come up with a name, it should be fun, definitely not a ‘boring’ competition.
This is an excellent competition had to think long and hard about this one
Thanks Jason…..entered! I’m not very creative….I said Ellen and Emmeline, after Dame Ellen MacArthur and Emmeline Pankhurst
if the machines are half as powerful as those tenacious two they’ll be good at the job!!!
Thanks Jason, I entered too