Heavy tow team called in to lift three historical train cars in Honesdale, PA
Our heavy tow team had the pleasure of moving three historical passenger train cars in Honesdale, PA. The three railroad cars were sitting on a 150 foot long dead track. It was now time to move them onto a live track where they would start their journey to be fully-restored in New Jersey.
Each of the train cars weighed between 110,000-120,000 lb! They would need to be moved 20 feet from the dead track to the live track. With low-hanging electrical cables above the tracks and not a lot of space on the ground around them, moving them would be no easy feat.
Situations like this are when rotators come in very handy! They have the same lifting capabilities as a crane but are able to work in much more confined areas, including areas with low clearance issues.
Falzone Towing Service brought in two 75-ton rotators to do the heavy lifting. Tackling one train car at a time, they positioned one rotator on either side of the car. The train cars’ shape made them prone to rolling if both ends were to be lifted in the air. In order to avoid this, the rotators used a pivoting motion to move one end at a time.
They would lift one end, move it a few feet sideways, and place it back on the ground. They would then repeat the same process on the other side of the train car. Using this step-by-step process allowed the team to safely move the historical train cars to the live track without damaging them.
Are you a historical train aficionado? Can you tell us more about the train in the pictures below? We know a whole lot about towing … but not nearly enough about trains!
Details of heavy tow team called in to lift three historical train cars in Honesdale, PA
The heavy tow team at Falzone’s was dispatched to a railroad track in Honesdale, PA. Two heavy tow operators made their way to the customer’s location driving two 75-ton rotator tow trucks.
Falzone’s heavy tow operators worked on one train car at a time. They positioned each rotator on either end of the train car. The heavy tow operator on one end would slowly lift the train car and pivot it to the side. Once the train car was back on the ground, the heavy tow team would repeat the process on the other end of the carriage.
With the railroad crew guiding them, the heavy tow team continued to lift and pivot the railroad car until it was on the live tracks. Once the first carriage was on the tracks, the heavy tow team repeated the lift and pivot process with the remaining two railroad carriages.
The railroad carriages would then be brought to a restoration facility in New Jersey. With all the heavy lifting done, the heavy tow team made their way back to headquarters at 271 N Sherman St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.
