CRANEMASTERS RAIL SERVICES INNOVATION
Innovation for Efficiency, Safety, and Loss Control
Cranemasters Rail Services Innovation
Cranemasters Innovations in Rail Services Keep Operations at Peak Capacity
America’s freight railroads move approximately 1.6 billion tons per year on a network of nearly 140,000 miles of track. When service disruptions occur, they can incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses per hour. Cranemasters innovations in heavy-lift machinery and procedures make it possible to complete tasks faster and more efficiently, keeping operations at peak capacity while reducing the total cost of ownership.
Outdated Equipment and Past Practices Result in Losses and Safety Concerns
Challenges Facing Railroads:
- Increasingly larger cars and heavier loads
- Massive track structures
- High levels of wear and tear from constant usage
- Exposure to extreme weather conditions
- Tight budgetary constraints
Railroad operations demand specialized solutions for many challenges, which Cranemasters addresses with their deep expertise and inventive approaches. Cranemasters is equipped and certified to work with all Class I railroads. Their team includes experts with advanced degrees in Aerospace, Structural, and Civil Engineering, working alongside seasoned professionals with years of hands-on experience in design-build and fieldwork. Cranemasters has built a strong reputation for innovative problem-solving in partnership with Class I railroads, short lines, regional networks, and private industrial siding customers.
Cranemasters collaborates directly with clients to ensure that solutions are tailored to their specific needs and offer measurable value. Customer feedback is integral to Cranemasters’ product development process, which speeds up innovation and increases the efficiency of product adoption.
Cranemasters Strategic System OperationTM
Safety and Efficiency On The Job
Examples of Cranemasters Equipment Innovations
200 RS Super-Duty Crane
Designed and continuously refined by Cranemasters, this versatile crane is engineered to handle today’s heavier locomotives, cars, and complex rail infrastructure projects. It can lift to 100 tons and features a telescopic boom, adjustable track widths, and a recovery winch rated at 140,000 pounds.
200 RS Extended Boom
The 200 RS can pick and carry 360° at full load rating, walk, and swing larger loads at longer radii. With these capabilities, the 200 RS can better handle large switch panels and complex track structures.
200 RS Tunnel Derailments
The Cranemasters 200 RS dynamic envelope—with its lifting ability in confined spaces coupled with a forward or backward recovery winch—is the industry’s most efficient equipment for tunnel derailments and track repair.
200 RS on Water or Land
The 200 RS on spud barges can retrieve train cars and equipment from lakes and rivers.
Read the 200 RS Super-Duty Crane Brochure >
Learn how the 200 RS can reach and retrieve cars trapped in tunnels and clear tracks without disrupting traffic on adjacent tracks. All with increased safety, faster setup, and less equipment.
Traditional
Cranemasters
200 RS
Tank Car Saver
The Cranemasters Tank Car Saver is another custom-designed, patented device. Unique in the industry, it is the only equipment to lift tank cars without damaging them. With a capacity of 180,000 pounds, it prevents costly damage during derailment recovery or lift-and-move operations and ensures that operations proceed safely.
The Cranemasters Tank Car Saver securely attaches to the car by locking it in a rigid configuration and positioning the lifting point directly above it. The legs make contact only with the car’s bolsters, which are the strongest frame points. This system enables safe handling of empty and loaded cars, even leaning cars, without risking further damage during derailment projects. The Tank Car Saver’s legs are also foldable when it’s time to store the tank car out of the way.
By preventing additional damage to tank cars, Cranemasters’ customers realize significant savings that would otherwise have been sacrificed by the old “two booms and a bucket” technique.
(Design protected by U.S. Patent Nos. 10,150,651; 10,577,226; D930,052; and D931,342. Other patents pending.)
Hi-Rail Track Loading Vehicle (TLV)
The Cranemasters Hi-Rail TLV—also known as the Puckett truck—allows track geometry inspections without extensive manpower or equipment shutdowns. Its hydraulically loaded axle simulates actual train loads, and its algorithms identify track defects and incident risk in real-time. And the TLV paints the location of any issues and tags it with GPS coordinates as it prints a readout.
As such, the Cranemasters Hi-Rail TLV is a highly efficient way to conduct predictive maintenance.
- Eliminates human error from inspections
- Speeds up the inspection process
- Improves the quality of track reports
- Provides real-time read-outs of your track
- Reliably detects defects and incident risks
- Minimizes downtime and technical breakdowns
- Reduces costs of ownership for a higher ROI
Federal regulations require manual inspections. The Cranemasters TLV complements these efforts, enabling you to conduct safety inspections more frequently, detect more flaws more reliably, and respond more quickly.
Spreader Beams
Cranemasters Spreader Beams stabilize long or unbalanced loads during lifts, enhancing the capabilities of other equipment, including the Cranemasters 200 RS. Spreader Beams increases the precision and speed of track installations, especially huge, complex track structures. This efficiency also reduces damage to switch panels and other fragile structures.
Cranemaster Spreader Beams Advantages
- More precise control during lifts
- Faster installation of large and complex track structures, including:
- Multi-diamond assembly installations
- Master or group retarders in hump yards
- Number 20 fully-assembled switches with concrete ties
- Number 20 crossovers in a single piece
- Protection of fragile structures like complex switch panels during lift and carry operations
Traction Motor Cart
The Traction Motor Cart is a Cranemasters innovation for a faster, more efficient, and safer replacement of traction motors. It allows crews to accurately position the angle of the traction motor for installation in the field. And it is equally effective for use in emergency and non-emergency (scheduled) changeouts.
Cranemaster Traction Motor Cart Advantages
- Improves safety: Reduces the risk of injury during equipment changeouts
- Saves time: Reduces the time it takes to change out equipment
- Increases accuracy: Allows for precise positioning of the traction motor’s angle