6.3-tonne crane lifts maintenance at Edinburgh tram depot 31 July 2013

Edinburgh's Gogar depot, which serves the new tram network, is using a double-girder 6.3 tonne travelling crane, installed by Street Crane Company, to maintain its fleet of 27 trams, and support the Unimog track maintenance vehicle.

At 42.9 metres long, the seven-section articulated Edinburgh trams weigh in at 56 tonnes each – the largest operating in the UK.

Easy passenger access is provided by a low floor that is just 300mm from the rail – made possible by a compact axle and drive design and the repositioning of all but essential auxiliaries to the roof of the tram.

So the overhead crane is essential for access and maintenance of the roof pantographs and to service the pods on the roof, which contain air-conditioning and electrical equipment.

The 19 metre crane, with a 5.5 metre lift height, spans three tracks in the depot and runs almost the full length of the building.

Elevated access platforms at the eastern end allow engineers easy access to the vehicle roof, while covered pits permit access to the undercarriage. Jacks, located in the floor in the western end of the building, also enable carriage bodies to be lifted from the tram bogies.

The crane was installed in a limited height envelope, so a top running carriage was installed, permitting maximum height of hook lift and greater safety.

The Street Crane ZX84 wire rope hoist includes safety and productivity features, such as overload protection, positive braking on the primary gear box shaft, a fully enclosed permanently lubricated gear box and a rope guide to clamp the rope in position.

In addition to servicing the trams, the crane will also be used to load and unload the track engineering vehicle, a specially designed Unimog truck that can straddle the track for maintenance and repairs.

Brian Tinham

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