One of the problems faced by the railroads as they pushed west into the mountains was the challenge of building railroad trestles across steep canyons. One of the solutions to this was the Milwaukee Traveler. This device used the dynamics of both counter-balance and cantilever for heavy lifting of I-beams, trusses, and girders. The Milwaukee Traveler offered the unique feature of design which enabled it to be broken down and reassembled for going through tunnels or for flatbed rail transport between sites. One of the displays in the Northern Pacific Depot Museum in Wallace, Idaho shows this important machine.
According to the display:
“Weighing 150 tons, which included a 30 ton stack of ties and rails used for counter balance. It was 12 feet 6 inches wide at the base and 60 feet long, and the height of the trolley was 12 feet to allow trains to pass through. The Traveler was 32 feet wide at the top deck and the booms were 60-75 feet long. 5/8-inch hoisting cables fasten on each side added sideway stability, and the 1-1/2-inch robes were used through the pulleys. The Traveler took a crew of 37 to operate.”
Using construction drawings, the crew would know the exact order in which pieces were to be lifted. A series of hand signals would let those who controlled movement to know what was needed. The crane boom, locomotive, and guiding line operators worked together. According to the display:
“High steel work was one of the most dangerous occupations during construction. These men seem to have little fear of height on their perches 300 feet or so above an unforgiving forest floor. They must have also been trusting people as locomotives are not really intended to move precisely an inch at a time: precision and care was so much needed with the ‘Traveler’ that the hand on the throttle of the steam locomotive had to be an especially experienced and steady one.”
Historic Photographs
More Museum Photo Tours
Museums 101: Logging Train (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Railroad Handcars and Motorcars (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Railroad Food Services (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Model railroad in Wallace, Idaho (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Railroad Office in Wallace, Idaho (photo diary)
Fort Missoula: A model railroad display (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Caboose (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Railroad (Photo Diary)