A tie crane is a piece of rail transport maintenance of way equipment used to move and handle the railroad ties (sleepers) used in rail tracks using track relaying. The machines are used as an alternative to the manual labour once used.
Mounted on a lightweight chassis with rail wheels, the operators cab and lifting arm pivot on a base, enabling 360 degree rotation. The end of the lifting arm has a gripper for picking up sleepers, and a movable wrist to allow the tie to be positioned. Often a small trolley is connected to the tie crane by a drawbar, for either storage of new sleepers to be placed into the track, or for taking away old sleepers that have been removed.
Famous quotes containing the words tie and/or crane:
“Go tie back your hair, said my mother,
and Why is your mouth all green?
Rob Roy, he pulled some clover
as we crossed the field, I told her.”
—May Swenson (1919–1995)
“There are no stars to-night
But those of memory.
Yet how much room for memory there is
In the loose girdle of soft rain.”
—Hart Crane (1899–1932)