A prestigious UK Rail Industry Outstanding Project Award has been given to Story Contracting. We would like to congratulate Story Rail for the award which recognised “an exceptional show of capability” and within which John Sutch Cranes provided the lifting expertise.
The scheme, initiated in conjunction with Network Rail, created an over-bridge solution to close the existing high-risk level crossing at Pleasington Golf course in Lancashire and provide an alternative method of crossing the railway.
The bridge replaced a level-crossing to improve safety for users of the golf course.
In the highly time constrained plan, John Sutch Cranes had to ensure two cranes were in position by Thursday evening on three consecutive weekends, ready for the 54 hour possession of the line given over the weekend, the line needing to be de-mobbed by 6am Monday morning.
“Positioning the cranes was challenging”, explains Paul Conneely, Project Manager for the lifting operations, “Two cranes, a waggon and a rigging van had to access the site across the golf course, on a route which would cause minimum damage to the fairways and bunkers.”
Once close to the site, the cranes had to cross the railway line. Track-way was laid with a sleeper based temporary road over the lines. Before crossing the lines, all ballast had to be removed from the larger 200T crane onto a waggon using a smaller crane. The window to cross the line was given by the signalling team at Network Rail. The 200T crane, the small crane, waggon and support vehicle then had to cross the track to the final position, with the smaller crane then lifting the ballast back onto the larger crane. This process then had to be reversed ready for the line to be open at 6am on Monday morning on each of the weekends involved.
John Sutch Cranes were delighted with the smooth running of the three weekends involved and are continuing to work with Story Contracting on a program of similar projects.