German lifting specialist Schares used its Cometto SPMTs to move several precast parts and bridge segments of a double-track railway bridge in Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The loads included two main elements weighing 1,000 tonnes each. The work was part of the renewal of the 120-year-old railway bridge.
To keep the bridge replacement closure period as short as possible, the bridge manufacturer Eiffage Infra-West preproduced the new structures close to the installation site.
Schares transported the required driving and lifting equipment to the construction site in 22 truckloads.
On site, two six-axle SPMT combinations in four-file configuration were used to move the retaining walls and one 14-axle combination in six-file configuration was used for the bridge itself. In total, 66 axles and four Power Pack Units were used.
Due to the narrow entrance between the bridge bearings, it was not possible to mount the Power Packs on the front of the large combination. “As a practical solution, we positioned them on the loading platform of the Cometto SPMTs”, explains Jan van der Linde, division manager at Schares. Two Liebherr large cranes were also working on-site alongside the SPMTs.
Shortly before reaching the final position, a surveyor monitored the alignment and gave precise instructions for the exact placement point.
“Once the bridge sits, it sits forever,” said Jan van der Linde. “Thanks to the ability to finely adjust the motor power of the Cometto Power Packs via the potentiometer, highly precise driving manoeuvrers down to millimetre accuracy are easily achievable even with such heavy loads.”
Through close collaboration among all parties involved, this project was completed successfully and ahead of schedule.
