| Seven cranes needed for the Cumbrian rail crash operation |
| Tuesday, 08 April 2008 | |
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A Wigan firm is the key to salvaging the wreckage of the Grayrigg train crash. Ainscough Crane Hire is are working round the clock to remove the stricken engine and carriages from the West Coast mainline near Kendal. It took the best part of a week to reach the point where the Standish-based company could bring some of its massive cranes on to the remote Cumbrian site. Before then a temporary road had to be built to allow the plant machinery access to the scene. The Virgin tilting train was derailed on the morning of Friday February 23 by what is thought to be faulty points. An 84-year-old woman died and dozens more passengers were injured, but experts say it would have been immeasurably worse had it not been for the actions of the driver and the robust structure of the Virgin carriages. No fewer than seven cranes are being used in the rescue operation. Three of them are at the crash scene, including the largest mobile crane in the UK which is capable of lifting 1,000 tons. They are then being transported to Tebay services one by one where further cranes are loading them on to special long transporters which take the carriages and engine down to a site in the Midlands for repair. More Ainscough cranes are based there to unload them. Chairman Martin Ainscough said: "Within half an hour of the crash's happening last Friday we had someone at the scene." It may take another week to clear the scene and get trains running again, during which time rail passengers have to disembark at Preston and be bussed up to Carlisle before resuming the Glasgow-bound rail journeys. |
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