New LR 1600 in bridge replacement

Breuer & Wasel used its new Liebherr LR 1600/2 crawler crane for the first time to lift a 454 tonne railway bridge near Cologne in Germany.

The first job was to take down the original bridge, which carried railway tracks dating back to 1903, in a number of sections. The work was carried out mostly at night to minimise disruption to railway traffic.

The Liebherr LR 1600/2 crawler crane was rigged with a 42 metre main boom and a derrick boom. There was 150 tonnes of ballast: the central ballast weighing 65 tonnes and the derrick ballast 320 tonnes.

This crane configuration was necessary because the new bridge weighed 454 tonnes and was 46 m long. It was placed on the pre-assembly area, raised, and then slewed through 180 degrees.

With a total load of 475 tonnes, the crane then travelled 20 m towards the final location. Once there the bridge was lifted into its final position with a reach of 17 m onto the bridge abutments.

The new LR 1600/2 joins one other LR 1600/2 in the Breuer & Wasel fleet, and four further Liebherr crawler cranes. Some 80% of its 115-strong mobile crane fleet also comes from Liebherr, said the manufacturer. The company also operates 340 Liebherr tower cranes.