New track-bound cranes for Swiss market
The new metre-gauge track-bound KRC500 crane has been in successful operation since spring 2020. In summer 2021, the new standardgauge track-bound KRC1200 crane will follow, with the main focus on switch renewal.
The commissioning of the first metre-gauge track-bound KRC458 crane in 2001 initiated a continuous change in construction sites. The metre-gauge railways, in particular the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway (MGB), developed new procedures that made optimum use of the possibilities of this machine. One example is the standard procedure for bridge refurbishment at the RhB, where the track-bound crane installs auxiliary bridges and plays a central role in erecting the scaffolding. In 2018, the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group in Switzerland began initial investigations into an additional track-bound crane for metre-gauge railways. The manufacturer KIROW (Leipzig) and Sersa Maschineller Gleisbau AG analysed the construction sites of the KRC458 and developed the new KRC500. The latest technology made significant improvements possible. In this way, the so-called lifting capacity curves have been significantly optimised in comparison to the previous track-bound KRC458 crane. Another focus is the safe operation on the network of metre-gauge railways, especially with gradients up to 70%. A modern brake system including electromagnetic rail brakes from the Swiss manufacturer FACTO (Olten) ensures that the crane can be operated precisely and safely even under such extreme operating conditions. In spring 2020, the crane was transported by road from Leipzig to Landquart on three lorries and put into operation. The inspection by the RhB lasted just under a month and included functional tests on the Bernina railway.
The new KRC500 went into operation in mid-June 2020 and, together with the experienced crane operator Sepp Rohner, is proving its efficiency. The new standard-gauge track-bound KRC1200 crane will go into operation in summer 2021. Together with the manufacturer KIROW, the previous KRC1200 and its applications were analysed in detail and a new version, optimally adapted to the construction sites for switch renewal in Switzerland, was developed.
