Record journey – rail transport of 482 tonnes
December 20, 2016 | Markus Lackner
It was with relief for those involved in transport, when the stator reached its final destination at the Polish Jaworzno coal-fired power station, near Katowice, on 5 December 2016 at 4 pm. This had been preceded by years of planning, starting in 2012. In April of the same year, the ITB division was commissioned by Siemens Erlangen to carry out a feasibility study for the transport of a stator, together with transport equipment, from the German supply works in Mülheim/Ruhr to the Polish Jaworzno coal-fired power station.
High performance
While the initial leg by ship to a Polish landing port could be very quickly established as feasible, special attention had to be paid to onward overland transport in Poland. The port of Gdynia was the first preference for landing. The port in the Gdansk region can also be operated by floating cranes, thus ensuring feasibility of transfer from the seagoing vessel to the rail wagon. After detailed investigation, it was finally confirmed that such a transport would be possible by rail using special equipment from ITB. Further detailed clarification of technical, logistical and commercial aspects spanned the next few years, until the project finally came to the implementation stage.
Rafako, the company responsible for the assembly of the entire power station unit, was also responsible for the Polish leg of the transport operation. The company's subsidiary BEST Logistics, which was also responsible for the overall project, served as the contractor for performing transport upstream and downstream of the rail transport stage. For contractual reasons, the point of delivery between seller and buyer should now lie at the inland port Opole. A rail transport solution had also previously been established from Opole.
At the end of November 2016, the heavy load was transferred at Opole onto a special 32-axle wagon from ITB. The stator was lifted into a tension strap support frame provided by the shipper. The purpose of this framework was to absorb the pulling forces, from the jib carriers of the special vehicle. The compressive forces were carried by pressure supports, which were also provided by the stator supplier. As a result, a total of 482 tonnes were suspended in the jib carrier wagon. Such a weight has never been transported by rail in Europe before! Following various operational challenges, the stator arrived at its destination on 5 December 2016, in the late afternoon.
This project was tended by several “proud parents”. Such a project would not have been possible without the prudent project management of the Managing Director of BEST Logistics or the professional expertise and the exceptional fleet of ITB, but also without the dedicated representatives of ITB in Poland. However, special thanks should be given to the representatives of the Polish railway authorities. Without their professional expertise, flexibility and, above all, their willingness to assist, it would not have been possible.
Single Source Solutions
Apart from the core, rail transport task covered by the ITB division, Felbermayr and its subsidiaries also delivered solutions for all upstream and downstream services. For example, Siemens entrusted Haeger & Schmidt, in Duisburg, with the transport of the stator from Mülheim/Ruhr to Opole. The Polish customer, on the other hand, commissioned BEST Logistics with all services downstream from the rail transport to the machine shop. The impressive display of service was completed by the supply of a 1,000 tonne lifting mast by Felbermayr-Krefeld and a 24-axle self-propelled transporter by Felbermayr Wels, for work within the Jaworzno power station. The various transport legs and overall sequences were coordinated by BEST Logistics.
And just for the record, ITB surpassed its own previous best with this rail journey. That was for a trailer weight of 475 tonnes, dating back to 2000, which was also a Siemens stator with tension strap support frame and pressure supports, for the Niederaußem coal power station in the Ruhr region.
