Historic Train Engine Lift

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Case Study: Download

PROJECT FACTS:

Name: Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum Bessemer & Lake Steam Engine
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Type: Historic Train Engine

MAXIM FACTS:

Project Duration: Less than one week
Total Contractors: 2 (Maxim operators, oilers and Rigging completed by Benkart Rigging)

CRANE STATS:

• Tadano AC 7.450.1 – 500-ton All-Terrain Crane 176,400 pounds of counterweight

• Liebherr LTM 1400 500-ton All-Terrain Crane with 132,000 pounds of counterweight.

• The customer hired Benkart Rigging to provide the rigging service.

The Project

When the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum needed to lift a historic steam engine (The Bessemer & Lake 2-10-4 #643 – nicknamed “The King”) and transport it from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania (located outside of Pittsburgh) to the museum in Sugar Creek, Ohio (about halfway between Pittsburgh and Columbus) they turned to Maxim Crane Works.

The company’s experience in understanding the complexities of lifting an important (and heavy) piece of U.S. transportation history made Maxim the perfect choice for this project.

The customer built a rail siding into the site approximately 35 feet from the pieces to be moved. The steam engine needed to be lifted and placed on flat rail cars to transport to Ohio.

Equipment

For this project, Maxim analyzed the problem and recommended a tandem lift using a Tadano AC 7.450.1 500-ton All-Terrain Crane with 176,400 pounds of counterweight and a Liebherr LTM 1400 500-ton All-Terrain Crane with 132,000 pounds of counterweight.

Results

A successful and safe lift of a 500,000-pound steam engine. The lift was split into two parts, a 180,000-pound boiler and a 320,000-pound chassis. The engine is now ready for its journey to the museum in Ohio.