Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to sell hard rock TBM in unreserved Los Angeles auctionRitchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer, is selling a single shield 450 ft-long, hard rock self-propelling tunnel boring machine at an unreserved auction in Los Angeles on May 22, 2009. The auction will be unreserved with no minimum bids or reserve prices; every item including the TBM will be sold to the highest bidders on auction day. The 820 t TBM, built to specification by German-based manufacturer Herrenknecht, was used in the construction of Southern California's Arrowhead Inland Feeder, a utility tunnelling water transfer project. Designed to advance through hard rock strata at an average of 20 ft/day, the TBM was customized with a soft ground shield that allowed it to also operate in earth balance pressure mode to control ground water volume and pressure while mining. Other unique features of the TBM include a specialized cutterhead configuration, drilling and probing capabilities, and a sophisticated laser guidance system. For more specific information and photos of the TBM for sale in the Los Angeles auction visit the Ritchie Bros. web site at www.rbauction.com/tbm. 17/09.