I was expecting Musk's company to improve the back end of the TBM. Nobody seems to pay much attention to that. There's spoil coming back, and ring segments going forward. The usual setup is to lay a temporary narrow gauge railroad behind the TBM. The back end of the TBM does much of the track laying. Much of the TBM's length is for laying track, filing spoil cars with dirt, taking ring segments off segment cars, and getting cars from the incoming track to the outgoing track.
All those rail cars could be replaced with battery-powered self driving vehicles. That would get rid of the railroad track and simplify operations at the back end of the TBM. Self-driving work cars would be more maneuverable than rail cars; they can get out of the way and pass each other.
All those rail cars could be replaced with battery-powered self driving vehicles. That would get rid of the railroad track and simplify operations at the back end of the TBM. Self-driving work cars would be more maneuverable than rail cars; they can get out of the way and pass each other.