Ainscough Crane In Action

[Western SMT]

Ainscough crane lifts derailed rail carriage from embankment to the road near the Falls of Cruachan Power Station by Loch Awe in Argyll and the carriage will be taken away by lorry.
The train came to rest balancing over the A85 on Sunday evening – the main road between Glasgow and Oban.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/182343-derailed-train-lifted-from-track/

[robertdavey6]

A spooky thought for you all. The guard on that train had been involved, in 1997, in a previous derailment. In almost the same location!

Don't the mountains in the background show just how small man-made ginormous cranes really are?

[G-CPTN]

http://donaldstirling.fotopic.net/c1860414.html

[G-CPTN]

OK you crane experts, now you have seen the photographs, please explain at what stage would the ballast weights be added? What amount of ballast would be required? Would the vehicle be driven along the A85 with the weights attached? (at that location the A85 is on stilts raised above the Loch.)

It looks like the jib was 'back-stayed' with another 'strut' tied to the ballast weight bed.

This video is interesting, I would be pleased to read a description of what the various sections are called:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w41qRNOzArQ
Is this a 'fly' or a 'luff'?

[robertdavey6]

G-C. As I understand it, the lattice work bit is the fly jib. Luffing is the action of raising it. however, I'm no expert and stand to be corrected.
(my definition of an expert:- EX is something tha Has Been and, a SPURT is a drip under pressure!)

Superb bit of stop-motion video you found, there.

[audiman m6 aen]

I very often see this crane with the jib in the upward position from my kitchen window. Ainscoughs yard is about a quarter of a mile away in Leyland, Lancashire

Alan