Telehandlers give arch support

The Victorian Flying Buttress Arch is a rare form of railway construction and the 16 near Chorley, Lancashire, are the only ones left on the British network. So the Grade II arches could undergo restoration they had to be temporarily removed intact and handled as delicately as possible to avoid any structural damage. Rail engineering company, Stobart Rail, contacted Manitou dealer,Hessle Forktrucks of Castleford to source two Manitou MHT Heavy Lift Telehandlers (MHT10120L 12,000kg load capacity and MHT10160L 16,000kg capacity) equipped with specialist cradles, which were deployed to 'tandem lift' the arches from the railway cutting in a challenging lateral lift. The MHT10160L with its higher load capacity was then able to handle the arches to the site compound for onward shipping to a Network Rail facility at Kirkham, near Blackpool, where the MHT10160L was used again to lift the arches.

The masonry arches weighed approximately 11,000kg and covered a span of 7.7m. Once removed the arches were replaced by galvanised steel arches to maintain the support.