I was able to catch the Milwaukee Road Skytop Observation Car “Cedar Rapids” being moved from the Milwaukee Art Museum down to the old Coachyards in front of Milwaukee’s Summerfest grounds. The car was lifted by two cranes one 100 ton and one 200 ton crane. The Cedar Rapids was moved by a large semi tractor and a 13 axle trailer. Each trailer axle had 4 sets of dual wheels. Also each axle could be steered to allow for manuvering.
The trip was made from the museum to the coachyards in reverse. Only one glitch occured in the trip. As the rig started to turn into the parking lot where the railroad tracks are the rear of the trailer swung out and the rear of the Cedar Rapids actually scraped the top of a car parked on the street. Luckily they stopped the rig quickly and the damage was kept to a minimum. Still I wouldn’t want to have to write that accident report. They were able to lift the Cedar Rapids on trailer by using hyrdualics and they were able to continue into the parking lot.
With the cranes back in place in the coachyards the trucks were first placed back on the rails and then the two cranes worked together in their ballet and placed the Cedar Rapids back onto the rails.
Related question for you Milwaukee natives: is the art museum considered a safe and reasonable walk from the Amtrak station? What’s the distance (trying to convince my wife that Amtrak would be the way to do this)?
I would have to say that a walk from the Amtrak Station to the Art Museum would be a safe walk. Most of way is downtown with large office buildings. The distance would make it a good walk. I would have to say it is about a mile to a mile and a half from the Amtrak Station to the Musuem. If you get a chance, try and get to the Art Museum when it opens at 10am. This is when they open the wings of the Brise Soliel. Also at Noon the “wings flap”. They open and close them.
Good Luck on convincing your wife, hopefully this will help.
I would walk north from the Amtrak Depot to Wisconsin Avenue, and then due east on Wisconsin Avenue. Keith is right it is a good walk. You are looking at about a 1 1/2 mile walk I’d say. On Wisconsin Ave there are red trolley like buses that do not cost much, fifty cents or some such, if your feet get tired.
Dave Nelson
Thank you both. We can’t catch the earliest Amtrak departure (no Metra trains that early!), so we couldn’t make it for the museum’s opening, but noon should be doable. The bus trip might be a good option for us fifty-somethings after walking to and through the museum (I think we’ve convinced her!).
An Amtrak trip will cost considerably more than driving up and parking, but it’s an ideal opportunity for us to put our money where our mouths are, and do it in a day.
I was able to catch the Milwaukee Road Skytop Observation Car “Cedar Rapids” being moved from the Milwaukee Art Museum down to the old Coachyards in front of Milwaukee’s Summerfest grounds. The car was lifted by two cranes one 100 ton and one 200 ton crane. The Cedar Rapids was moved by a large semi tractor and a 13 axle trailer. Each trailer axle had 4 sets of dual wheels. Also each axle could be steered to allow for manuvering.
The trip was made from the museum to the coachyards in reverse. Only one glitch occured in the trip. As the rig started to turn into the parking lot where the railroad tracks are the rear of the trailer swung out and the rear of the Cedar Rapids actually scraped the top of a car parked on the street. Luckily they stopped the rig quickly and the damage was kept to a minimum. Still I wouldn’t want to have to write that accident report. They were able to lift the Cedar Rapids on trailer by using hyrdualics and they were able to continue into the parking lot.
With the cranes back in place in the coachyards the trucks were first placed back on the rails and then the two cranes worked together in their ballet and placed the Cedar Rapids back onto the rails.
Related question for you Milwaukee natives: is the art museum considered a safe and reasonable walk from the Amtrak station? What’s the distance (trying to convince my wife that Amtrak would be the way to do this)?
I would have to say that a walk from the Amtrak Station to the Art Museum would be a safe walk. Most of way is downtown with large office buildings. The distance would make it a good walk. I would have to say it is about a mile to a mile and a half from the Amtrak Station to the Musuem. If you get a chance, try and get to the Art Museum when it opens at 10am. This is when they open the wings of the Brise Soliel. Also at Noon the “wings flap”. They open and close them.
Good Luck on convincing your wife, hopefully this will help.
I would walk north from the Amtrak Depot to Wisconsin Avenue, and then due east on Wisconsin Avenue. Keith is right it is a good walk. You are looking at about a 1 1/2 mile walk I’d say. On Wisconsin Ave there are red trolley like buses that do not cost much, fifty cents or some such, if your feet get tired.
Dave Nelson
Thank you both. We can’t catch the earliest Amtrak departure (no Metra trains that early!), so we couldn’t make it for the museum’s opening, but noon should be doable. The bus trip might be a good option for us fifty-somethings after walking to and through the museum (I think we’ve convinced her!).
An Amtrak trip will cost considerably more than driving up and parking, but it’s an ideal opportunity for us to put our money where our mouths are, and do it in a day.