The Canadian Pacific Railway No. 5500 locomotive has been on display at the Revelstoke Railway Museum in British Columbia since November 2011, but years of exposure to the weather had taken a toll on the mighty engine.
CPR No. 5500 owns a special place in Canadian rail history as the first of Canada’s high-horsepower diesel locomotives. To preserve this piece of history, the museum began an ambitious restoration project to bring it back to its former condition.
The project required the engine to be moved, so the first step for the museum was to find out if moving the 80-foot-long, 200-ton (400,000-pound) engine was even possible.
Donald Rigging of Calgary, Alberta, had the answer.
Working together with Straight Up Construction and Revelstoke Crane & Rigging, both local companies based in Revelstoke, BC, they made a plan to jack the 200-ton (400,000-pound) locomotive onto Hydra-Slide’s HT300 skidding system, then slide it 60 feet onto a parallel set of train tracks.
There were several obstacles the team had to overcome to make this move happen:
- Museum staff needed to move the engine 60 feet laterally onto a parallel set of tracks.
- There was no overhead crane access.
- The locomotive could not be driven under its own power.
- The move had to be done safely, without damaging the locomotive.
The museum needed to find a way to complete this move safely.
The Team That Made the Move a Reality
The team decided on Donald Rigging’s Hydra-Slide HT300 heavy track skidding system for the job. As Angus Donald, president of Donald Rigging, said, “The 300-ton Hydra-Slide was perfect for this job. Low profile, heavy-duty, reliable. This was the only option for this job.”
The Move
The team used hydraulic jacks to raise the 200-ton locomotive, then lowered it onto the HT300 skidding tracks. From there, operators moved the engine step by step along its 60-foot journey to the second set of tracks.
At all times, the locomotive stayed grounded and supported. It was never suspended from a crane, nor was there ever a risk of a runaway train (literally!). Operators pushed the locomotive in short, controlled strokes, one push at a time, until it reached its new position.
The Equipment
The HT300 system used for this move is one of the first Hydra-Slide systems ever built. In fact, our company fabricated this model specifically for Donald Rigging back in 2012, just a year after Hydra-Slide was founded. More than a decade later, the system is still going strong.
Required Equipment
The equipment loadout for a job like this one is straightforward:
- The HT300 skidding system
- A set of hydraulic jacks
- A hydraulic power unit
Each piece of equipment is available in a range of specifications that can be customized to the needs of the job. A forklift or material handler is often on site as well for positioning components. The HT300 system can also be carried by hand if needed.
Angus Donald has been using Hydra-Slide equipment for years. “The 300-ton Hydra-Slide is one of the cornerstones of our business. We use it daily. In the heat of summer and the cold of winter, it never lets us down.”
Why Hydraulic Skidding Was the Right Choice for the Job
There aren’t many options for moving a 200-ton locomotive without overhead crane access and without the ability to drive it under its own power.
A crane large enough to lift 400,000 pounds would have been expensive to mobilize to a museum site in Revelstoke, British Columbia, and there would have been real risk in suspending a long, heavy, irregularly shaped load in the air.
Hydraulic skidding made the move possible without any of those risks. The locomotive stayed close to the ground throughout, supported on tracks that kept the load stable and controlled. The 60-foot lateral slide was completed in controlled strokes while the crew operated the system through hydraulic lines from a safe distance.
Takeaways
Here are three takeaways from the story of CPR No. 5500:
1. Skidding is a strong option for moving heavy loads that cannot be lifted or driven.
CPR No. 5500 could not move under its own power, and a crane lift was impractical for the location. Hydraulic skidding provided a simple, effective alternative.
2. Skidding equipment is simple, and the loadout is minimal.
A skidding system, hydraulic jacks, and a power unit were all that was needed to move the 200-ton locomotive.
3. Skidding systems are built to last.
The HT300 used on this job was built in 2012 and is still in regular use today. With simple construction, few moving parts, and no electronics, skidding systems deliver long-term value with minimal maintenance.
If you have an unusual or challenging move coming up and want to explore whether hydraulic skidding could be an effective approach, the Hydra-Slide team is happy to help.
