April 1 - Deep under the Austrian Alps, engineers tasked with the installation of a 220 tonne transformer in a power station cavern required massive yet delicate handling of the cargo by SPMTs.
In order to reach a pumped-storage plant in Kaprun, heavy load specialists Felbermayr Transport und Hebetechnikrequired a a low-bed railway car and 16 Scheuerle SPMT axle lines for the 300 km journey to the site.
Scheuerle handled the 10 m transformer after a dry run had seen engineers test the 5 km Limburg tunnel system with SPMTs. After successfully completing the test run, the actual transport could take place.
After the arrival of the transformer by rail in Maishofen, the load was placed on 16 axle lines of Scheuerle SPMTs, made up of two 8 axle units. By means of electronics along with a data cable link between the two engine units, this combination could be steered using only one remote control and by one person.
For mastering the 20 km route up to the construction site and the subsequent 12 percent gradient, a special construction was required. Five of the last six km passed through the Schrahnbach tunnel, presenting extremely narrow conditions and a particular challenge to the transport team.
Scheuerle is a supporting industry manufacturer member of the Cargo Equipment Experts (CEE), a global network for cargo equipment owners such as hauliers, crane operators, tug and barge operators, stevedores and export packers, port operators and air cargo handling equipment owners and supporting industry serving the heavy and outsized cargo industry.
