About Us

Our Mission

As a full-service railroad contractor, Cranemasters aspires to be the industry leader by providing the most diversified offering of support services and equipment.

This diversification allows Cranemasters to offer a “one stop shop” to our customers, adding value to their businesses while being easy to use.

Through innovative engineering and sound business practices, we are dedicated to meeting our customers’ needs in a safe, professional, cost effective, and expeditious manner while developing employees in an environment built on teamwork and mutual respect.

Our Story

Cranemasters started with two brothers, their father, two cranes, and a dream.

Brian and Barry Isringhausen grew up around railroads and tagged along on train derailments with their father, Loren. This experience from their earliest years sparked their love for the railroad business and ignited an entrepreneurial spirit that led to the founding of Cranemasters in Richmond, Virginia, in 1986.

The company steadily built a reputation for reliable, professional and high-quality derailment services to the railroad industry. Then in 1988, Cranemasters took its first major step to become an integrated service provider with broad service offerings for rail and industrial clients by adding track repair and maintenance and then, a few years later, railcar repair services.

In 2002, Cranemasters started the five-year research and development effort to create a specialized, 100-ton, hydraulic, telescopic-boom crawler crane that was specifically designed to meet the needs and unique challenges of the railroad industry. These machines have proven to be far superior to and more versatile than any prior or current equipment in service to the industry.

Other notable innovations include:

• Rubber-padded excavators with hydraulic winches to support derailment services and engineering projects
• Custom-designed lifting apparatus, including giant tank car lifting arms that prevent damage to railcars (patent pending)
• Custom lift beams to support derailments and various engineering projects

Cranemasters’ scope goes well beyond railroad services and support. Our facility in North Chesterfield, Virginia, houses operations for equipment rehabilitation, custom design and equipment manufacturing, as well as our research and development center.

Cranemasters has grown to eleven facilities in nine states with plans for additional locations. These operations centers have supported customers in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Cranemasters also has provided technical support services in Canada and the Middle East.

Cranemasters attributes its continued success to long-term relationships and partnerships with customers, and a dedicated team of employees who are inspired daily to create solutions and exceed their customers’ expectations.