Tunnelling machine part; part of peripheral bucket scraper (also known as bucket tool or cutting tooth) from Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Elizabeth, used for tunnelling on Crossrail, 2012

Bucket scrapers are positioned at the ends of each of the cutter head arms and cut out the periphery, or the excavation profile. This allows a clearance of approximately 15 mm for the TBM to pass through without becoming wedged in.

This object was part of one of the two giant Crossrail Tunnelling Boring Machines, Elizabeth and Victoria, which were launched in 2012 to drive westbound to Farringdon via Canary Wharf, Stepney Green shaft, Whitechapel and Liverpool Street at depths of up to 40 metres deep. At approximately 8.3 km in length, Limmo Peninsula to Farringdon was the longest of the five Crossrail tunnel drives.