Trix Ardelt 57t Manual De Instrucciones página 5

Information about the prototype
Maintenance and expansion of a rail network are essential
for smooth railroad operations. Among the work required for
this are the changing out of turnouts, the trimming of trees
that have grown too high, or the rerailing of locomotives
and cars. After accidents, locomotives and cars must be
salvaged, rubble has to be removed, and rescue measures
often have to be led quickly and efficiently under enormous
time constraints. The conditions for this are often only
suboptimal or simply bad. Sometimes a rail line has no road
next to it or it is completely isolated such as in tunnels, on
grades, or in deep cuts in the landscape. Often there is also
a quantity of obstacles such as catenary, station platforms,
masts, pillars and poles, or signal installations to manage.
The railroad therefore needs cranes specially adapted to
perfection for its requirements. These units must ensure
appropriate maneuverability and mobility on the track with
and without a load, efficient power for lifting, supporting,
positioning, and excellent maneuverability even in tricky
areas difficult to access.
There was a lot to clear away in the Western Zones after
World War II and the DRG thus ordered four steam cranes in
1948 from the firm Ardelt. These units had a lifting capacity
of 57 metric tons and were delivered in 1949. They were
rostered by the just established DB as Essen 6660,
Mainz 6600, München 6664, and Wuppertal 6602. These
cranes were designed in such a way that their counter-
weight could be stored on the sub-frame of the crane car
and the lower parts of the counterweight could be stored by
means of two spool wheels in the "hawker's tray" between
the buffer beam and support arm pivots. This allowed an
adequate boom swing on this six-axle unit without exceed-
ing the center axle load of 18 metric tons and an acceptable
support width of six meters / 19 feet 6 inches while still
maintaining a maximum lifting capacity of 57 metric tons.
During transport, the smoke stack addition merely had to be
removed and secured behind and above the weights. The
crane car's total weight was 106 metric tons. A stake car put
in front with a mounting block as a boom tender prevented
the boom from swinging out during transport. This
22.6 meter / 73 foot 5 inch long team was allowed a maxi-
mum speed of 80 km/h / 50 mph when used in freight trains.
The main tasks of these cranes were placing locomo-
tives and cars on the track, bridge construction sites, and
reloading, whereby even the heaviest locomotives could
be put back on the track by two cranes working together.
A reversible 75 horsepower two-cylinder steam engine
in the steam-powered crane provided the required drive
mechanism. All four cranes were retired in 1978/79, but one
remains preserved at the Auto & Technology Museum in
Sinsheim. The former "6600 Mainz" can be admired there
coupled to a fireless steam locomotive.
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