A trio of cranes built by Sheffield-based Mechan is standing sentry at Northern Rail’s Allerton depot in Liverpool, following a £23 million project to increase its capacity.

The heavy lifting specialist has built two bespoke jib cranes for Allerton, to work alongside an existing unit that is used to remove train engines.

At the request of the Buckingham Group, the main contractor overseeing the refurbishment, Mechan has supplied a 12.5t Powermaster jib crane to work outside the depot, handling bogies off incoming transport and onto the rail line. A smaller 250kg Miniman jib crane was also specified to work inside, removing pantographs from the roofs of electric vehicles.

Lindsey Mills, Mechan’s key account manager, said: "We have worked with the Buckingham Group at various sites and its team know our products will be delivered on time and on budget. Allerton has been using one of our cranes for some years, so it is an excellent endorsement of its build quality that the addition of another two products has been welcomed so warmly by Northern Rail. The installation was carried out smoothly and all three units are now working in harmony, streamlining the depot maintenance process."

The Allerton depot is located close to Liverpool’s South Parkway and was upgraded to accommodate up to 100 trains, following the introduction of a new electric fleet on the Manchester to Liverpool line.