According to HyperCubeMD over on LL,

They are truck rails, most likely used in overhead or longshore cranes. Joints mean less smoothness in operation. Larger than regular train rails which indicates a very large load and so I would guess probably used for the latter.

Your video, Crane Operator moons quadcopter, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

This achievement has earned you your "Pop Star" Level 29 Badge!

Prefabricated construction has a long history both in China and the west, and to some degree almost every modern building uses the technique. There is a video on here about the construction of the Empire State building for instance, and the WTC twin towers were quite prefabricated too. (*related: Steel erecting on the Empire State Building -1930s, Building the World Trade Center Towers 720p HD)

It was particularly popular in ancient Rome, and combined with the use of cranes and concrete their construction times weren't that different to the modern era (actually sometimes faster, I think the planning process must have been more streamlined).

The standardised look of ancient Chinese buildings is for the same reason, the parts were standardised to make prefabrication easier, certainly by the Ming dynasty if not earlier - see http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/705 for instance.

This particular building just does a particularly good job of it.

Yes! I love the crumpled paper bag building

I haven't been back to Sydney since I heard about it, but I do plan to check it out when I next visit.

It's just near central station, https://goo.gl/maps/PgYSS and last time I was in Sydney I was actually at that station several times... I probably even saw the scaffolding and cranes for its construction, but didn't realise at the time

This might be a corner of it here in streetview - https://goo.gl/maps/6oNs3

It always surprises me how people tend to stand so close to things going wrong. They seem to have no idea how much more wrong things can go. If you can get a good look at an imminent train collision or falling crane, you are standing much, much too close.

4:08---the cascading crane collapse---was sort of terrifying.
Fails are sort of funny horrifying---because they can be at the edge of snuff flicks with the weights and objects involved in some of these...

Your video, Train VS crane in Mer Rouge, LA 10/05/14, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

If it was called the "Denny Crane" instead, I'd have to buy one.

Since when do tow trucks use a crane - Bad idea from inception.

Your video, Russian Pedestrian Avoids Falling Crane, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Is this an attempt to remove the jeep from a concrete-like substance? I note nobody is even remotely sinking into the "mud" on foot anywhere near it. Looks like they came back after the ground dried out.

I saw this wicked rescue setup once. It basically was a crane they assembled on site, using those three-sided trusses people use for radio towers, and would lift the vehicle mostly up out of the mud instead of just drag it sideways.

Thanks Dolbs, that's good to know even if I will almost certainly never encounter a tornado. So, windows rolled up then. After further thought, I think the truck probably is the best idea in this scenario. Belted in and covered with a heavy blanket to protect you from flying glass should the windows break (and it's safety glass anyways) or other small debris, would be the way to go, or just curled up in a ball against the firewall if that's the only option. In the truck, you're insulated from lighting strikes or downed high tension lines, and it would provide reasonable protection from small whirling debris. You also have the mobility option should that need arise.

Granted, the truck could get hit by large missiles such as tree trunks, other cars, fat old ladies, cranes or other heavy machinery, or indeed itself be lofted hundreds of feet into the air. If any of that sort of thing happens, though, you were screwed anyways.

So, when it comes to this, I'm not really sure this is EIA in the truest sense. Given the (apparently) 30 seconds they had to plan, I think they made a reasonable choice among the options available to them. After all, it's definitely a situation where an okay plan now is better than a brilliant plan in five minutes. And yes, they probably should have come up with a plan as soon as they realized they were moving to a trailer park in ND, so a bit of EIA there. At least they kept on top of their priorities and realized the very first item of business was to film it happening, and I commend their presence of mind to hold the phone properly even in such a life-and-death situation.

Of course, since we're betting on the tornado not scoring a direct hit anyways. It could be that under a bed or in a closet in the trailer might have been just as well (losing the mobility, of course). Maybe having a trailer collapse on you is bad.

I dont' know why I find this scenario so fascintating to dissect.

Your video, Crane Truck Hits Every Bridge Crossbeam, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Cranes in Love - Trailer has been added as a related post - related requested by RFlagg.

*related=http://videosift.com/video/Cranes-in-Love-Trailer