Trakcja PRKiI has prepared a Christmas gift to delight Railway Enthusiasts visiting the Museum Station (Stacja Muzeum), as well as those passionate about railway heritage. Preparing it gave our company particular joy!
During the modernisation of Warszawa Główna station, the idea was born to restore a historic water crane that stood off to the side at the Museum Station. This task was not foreseen within the scope of the contract for the reconstruction of the station. The water crane displayed on the museum grounds was manufactured at the Neusaltz Mechanical Works (Nowa Sól) in 1920. Such devices were used to supply steam locomotives with water and were placed between the tracks in locomotive depots and at larger railway stations.
Before restoration, the exhibit was dismantled, examined for damage and cracks, cleaned, sandblasted and painted with a special paint. The next important step was preparing a new location for the crane so that it would portray its former purpose as realistically as possible. After appropriate securing, the crane’s components were transported and installed on a prepared concrete plinth on the grounds of the Museum Station, in the immediate vicinity of a steam locomotive, in a place visible to future passengers. Today the restored crane proudly recalls the bygone era of steam from the early days of the railways. All the works were carried out under the watchful eye of a conservator and had no impact on the work on the contract.
