Why is Crane Rail Better?

Mills execute all the heavy-duty work. The steel mills also do all the high load uplifts. Most of us know that the pressure and temperature are high at the mills. So, the crane rails might be damaged due to high temperature and pressure. This adverse environment needs continuous welding on crane rails. General crane rails cannot undergo this tremendous pressure. A continuously welded crane rail can take the strain. But, the rail also needs swiftness. So, a continuous crane rail gives both stability and speed. Not only steel mills but every mill has to do high capacity load work. A continuous crane rail is best for heavy mill duties.

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Advantages of Continuous Crane Rails for Mill Duty Cranes.

There are several advantages of continuously welded crane rails. They provide smooth travelling. The easy travel gives the benefit of heavy load transport. The advantages of a Continuous Crane Rail are,

• The wheels attached to the crane get damaged from the transportation. Heavy load also exerts pressure on the wheels. So, it is tough to maintain the wheels of the cranes in the mills. A rail track for the crane is the best solution for this problem. The crane rail track provides easy travelling. So, the wheels do not get damaged easily. The crane rail tracks help to extend the life of crane wheels.

• runway of the cranes

  The crane rail track gives a smooth transport path to the mill duty cranes. Most of the time, mill fields are very rough and uneven. So, the cranes travel with many hurdles&#;many times, an uneven path causes accidents such as falling cranes up-down. But, the rail tracks help the crane in steady transport. It reduces the stress on the

• The heat is always high in the mills because of the heavy work environment and other necessary industrial processes. Friction with the crane wheels also exerts heat. So, the metal crane rail tracks can expand or contract at different temperatures. But the joints between the crane rail tracks help in the expansion and contraction.

• metal

  Continuous welding is the most important part. The welding provides frictionless smooth travel. Thedoes not get damaged easily due to welding. Thus, the crane rail tracks are best when welded continuously.

• The crane with heavy loads in the mills needs much time to travel from one place to another. Moreover, general cranes cannot withstand the pressure of heavy loads during transportation. The steady travelling with the crane rails reduces the time of transportation.

Structure of Continuous Crane Rails For Mill Duty Cranes

The structure of continuous crane rails is very simple. Typically, the crane rails look like rail tracks. But, the structure of crane rails is different from ordinary rail tracks. The crane rails are approximately 20 feet to 30 feet long. The rails have many sections with joints and splices. The engineers prefer carbon and manganese to make crane rails. Each section of crane rails is a maximum of 300 meters long. The crane rails have a large cross-section with high metallurgy. The welding becomes difficult from thickness and metallurgy.

The Processes of Forming Continuous Crane Rails

The engineering of making continuous crane rails is impressive. The making procedure also affects the functionality and place of work. You will know about the different processes of making crane rails in this article. See more of this article to learn more about forming continuous crane rails.

1. Welding By Electric Arc: This is a basic level of the welding process. The engineers use manual arc equipment like saws, electrodes, copper moulds, and grinders. At first, they use saws for cutting the ends of the rail in a square shape&#;the rails weld with the help of a small camber peak. Shrinked liquid weld then covers the rails giving a smooth flat finish. Melted welding fills the joints of the rails. Each side of the crane rails has copper moulds. The slag is then collected by the small gap between the mould and the crane rail. The welding is a few millimetres thick. Then a heat-insulated blanket placed on the top of the rails helps in cooling down the rails.

2. Flash butt: Most of the crane rails use a flash butt method of joining crane rails. Engineers around the world are fond of this process. It needs skilled workers and modern technologies. The welding done by the Flash Butt method is expensive but long-lasting and faster than any other method. The welding process includes complicated equipment and complex functionality. Only some special clients can supply the equipment for Flash Butt welding.

3. Welding with Thermite: This type of welding for easier joining is elementary. First, heat is given to the ends of the crane rails for melting. It helps to connect with the liquid metal moulds. The metals used in this type of special moulds are aluminium and iron oxides. Thermite welding costs less but gives outstanding operation. But the low point of this type of welding is &#; the welding is easily damaged or broken&#;the quality of this is relatively lower than other types of welding.

Disadvantages of Using Continuous Crane Rails For Mills Duty Cranes

You can get the flexibility, smoothness, and long-lasting performance for the mill duty cranes with continuous crane rails. But the maintenance cost is very high for the continuous welding process. If you have a tight budget, continuous crane rails can give you a headache.

Type of crane used on a railroad

Rail Crane Rail SPA Crane (750 mm) Czech PW maintenance crane Electric crane replacing track on the Toronto streetcar system ()

A railway crane (North America: railroad crane, crane car or wrecker; UK: breakdown crane) is a type of crane used on a railway for one of three primary purposes: freight handling in goods yards, permanent way (PW) maintenance, and accident recovery work. Although the design differs according to the type of work, the basic configuration is similar in all cases: a rotating crane body is mounted on a sturdy chassis fitted with flanged wheels. The body supports the jib (UK; North America: boom) and provides all the lifting and operating mechanisms; on larger cranes, an operator's cabin is usually provided. The chassis is fitted with buffing (UK) and/or coupling gear to allow the crane to be moved by a locomotive, although many are also self-propelled to allow limited movement about a work site.

For cranes with a jib that extends beyond the length of the chassis, an idler car (also known as a 'jib carrier' (UK) or 'boom car' (North America)) is provided to protect the jib and to allow the crane to be coupled within a train. The idler car is usually a long, flat wagon (i.e. a flatcar) that provides a means of securing the jib for transportation; storage areas for special equipment or supplies are usually fitted too. It was not uncommon for the idler car to be built on a withdrawn revenue-earning wagon, such as on the Great Western Railway after the Grouping and in the s (where they were referred to as 'match trucks').[1]

Usage

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Railroad cranes are usually designed specifically for one of three purposes:

Goods yard cranes

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Usually the smallest of the railroad cranes, goods yard cranes were used in the larger goods yards to provide lifting capability in areas away from the ground-mounted goods cranes normally provided in such yards.

They were often small enough to be operated by hand, and were not normally self-propelled, instead requiring the use of a shunting engine to move them into position. Once cheap road-going mobile cranes were available, these superseded the rail-mounted variety due to their greater flexibility and mobility.

Maintenance cranes

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The most varied forms of crane are used for maintenance work. General purpose cranes may be used for installing signalling equipment or pointwork, for example, while more specialised types are used for track laying.

Breakdown cranes

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The largest cranes are used for accident recovery work, usually forming part of a breakdown train that includes staff accommodation and recovery equipment. These are large enough to lift derailed rolling stock back onto the track, although two or more cranes may be required to safely recover a locomotive.[2][3] In North American terminology, a 'breakdown crane' is often referred to as a 'wrecker' and the train of which it is a part is referred to as a 'wreck train'. The members of the crew that recovers the wrecked car(s) or locomotive(s) are referred to as 'wreckers'.

Construction

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A railroad crane generally resembles a conventional fixed-location crane except that the platform the crane sits on is a heavy-duty reinforced flat car. Directly underneath the center of gravity for the crane is a pivot point that allows the crane to swivel around 360°; in this way the crane can locate its boom over the worksite no matter what its location is along the track. The trucks on the car under the crane will often include traction motors so that the crane is able to move itself along the track, and possibly tow additional cars.

Larger cranes may be provided with outriggers to provide additional stability when lifting. Sleepers (ties) are often carried on the idler car to put under the outriggers to spread the weight applied to the trackbed.

Breakdown cranes (sometimes called wrecking cranes or 'big hooks'[4]) were necessary to every railroad to recover derailed rolling stock and locomotives, while also assisting with bridge building and yard construction.

History

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If you want to learn more, please visit our website Railroad Track Parts for Sale.

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In the early days of the railways, locomotives and rolling stock were small enough to be re-railed manually using jacks and tackle, but as they became bigger and heavier this method became inadequate.

A breakdown crane lifting a derailed LNER Thompson Class B1 steam locomotive back onto the tracks on the Great Central Main Line,

Enter into this the steam crane and cable winch. Appearing about , the cranes (the proper rail terminology is &#;Derrick&#;) increased in size, commensurate with the rise of steel Pullman cars, so by steam cranes reached their peak of development (on the railroad). Many of these -era cranes were so useful and powerful, that they remained in service until the s. The combination of a quick-firing steam boiler, heavy steam winch, and cable hook could little be improved upon, and thus remained in service. Also, steam engines did not mind being parked for months, with a little care, and were ready to go to work when needed.

In the s, big, hydraulic controlled diesel cranes appeared. Also, these cranes had the ability to travel on the highway so as to better able to get to the scene of an accident. They are much more mobile, and are able to manoeuvre around an accident scene, better than a crane only limited to rail access. In the United States the advent of contractors to cleanup and re-rail a line to productive status came in around the late s and early s. The use of caterpillar tractor mounted sidebooms (pipelayers) enabled the contractors to mobilize around a site without having the need for crane mats and multiple lifting locations.

In the s a new generation of railway cranes was developed. While the conventional diesel hydraulic road cranes were adopted with some small trolleys to move on the rail track, the new generation had a professional high speed railway chassis for up to 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph). The superstructure is also diesel hydraulic with telescopic boom and counterweight and designed to the railway's specific needs. These cranes can travel with suspended loads and keep levelled even on an elevated track, due to the automatic cant compensation. It is possible to work on one outrigger only, work with boom in horizontal position under bridges or under the overhead wires. Capacities are as high as 200 tonnes. It makes this new generation useful for maintenance work and switch and crossing renewal, as well as recovery work.

Manufacturers

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Germany

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Schienenkran von Gottwald

Great Britain

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An LMS 10-ton Hand Crane made by Cowans Sheldon

United States

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Russia

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&#;&#;-971 Kirov Machine-Building Plant

Preservation

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Canadian National Railways derrick car (Sylvester Manufacturing Company, Kalamazoo Railway Supply Company) a crane mounted on a push car, pulled with a speeder or draisine

Most heritage railways in the UK have one or more preserved railway cranes, either just as historic exhibits, or as fully functioning examples assisting with the operation of the railway. Although not normally required for re-railing activities, they are exceptionally useful for track relaying and the restoration of locomotives and rolling stock, and help to avoid expenditure on outside contractors.

Three cranes of various sizes are preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California. They are all cranes once owned by the Western Pacific Railroad and two of them, a small, self-propelled Burro Crane and a large, 200-ton capacity Industrial Brownhoist crane, are maintained in operable condition.

All Japanese railway cranes had already retired. Road cranes are used for re-railing and maintenance works. Type "so-30" railway crane for accident recovery is preserved at Otaru synthesis museum. Type "so-80" railway crane for accident recovery is preserved at Sakuma railpark. Type "so-300" railway crane for bridge construction is preserved at Usuitouge tetsudo bunkamura.

Several breakdown cranes are preserved in the various Australian states. Examples preserved in New South Wales as X10 Class and include a 30T steam crane built by Cowans Sheldon, preserved at Rothbury. a 50T steam crane built by Craven Bros, preserved at Dorrigo. a 35T steam crane converted to diesel built by Ransome & Rapier, preserved at Canberra. a 120T steam crane converted to diesel built by Krupp Ardelt, preserved at Dorrigo. a 70T steam crane built by Craven Bros converted to diesel, preserved Richmond Main. a 50T steam crane built by Industrial Brownhoist, preserved Junee. a 50T steam crane built by Industrial Brownhoist, preserved Dorrigo.

ex NSWGR 70Ton Craven breakdown crane unloading an end platform of an ex BHP Newcastle Steelworks Treadwell hot metal car in

See also

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References

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Further reading

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