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Information about the Prototype
The largest German railroad crane is called "Goliath",
was built in 1977 by Krupp and has been stationed
in Dortmund, Fulda and Leipzig. It is used in the
construction of bridges and other engineering
works, for rerailing derailed locomotives and cars,
and for handling heavy loads. It can lift 160 metric
tons within a working radius of up to 8 meters
(approx. 26 feet) and can lift 32 metric tons within
a radius of 18.5 meters (approx. 61 feet).
For the operation of the crane support arms on the
car frame are swung out to a base 7 by 7 meters
(approx. 23 by 23 feet) and are leveled into place
with hydraulic cylinders onto stacks of ties. Then,
the counterweights on the transport car are brought
up to be mounted on the crane's superstructure.
The latter is mounted on a crown gear and can rotate.
It is powered by a hydraulic system and a mechanical
gear drive with diesel motor; the winches for raising
and lowering the boom and the crane hooks are
also powered in this way. The cables for the crane
are routed through a multi-step block and tackle that
distributes the cables' load, reduces the necessary
rpm in the crane's power system and enables precise
work.
In the transport position the boom can be swung to
the side, and despite its length it still fits within the
loading gauge on curves. The set of equipment avai-
lable for work consists at a minimum of the crane
car, the counterweight car, and the boom support
car that are coupled together in a working consist.
As a rule a car for transporting cable, a repair and
tool car as well as a crew car are also included in
the train transporting the crane car. The maximum
transport speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and a perma-
nent work crew that includes specialists ensure that
this railroad crane is ready to go in a short time.
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