On its way from Minnesota to Auburn, Maine, the massive Kalmar RT240 rough terrain container handler made a cameo appearance in Concord.
The green cargo hauler with an extending boom arm arrived at the tracks at New England Southern Railroad in Canterbury on Wednesday and was loaded onto a flatbed Monday morning and sent down the highway to its new home.
However, getting a vehicle that’s 48 feet long, 12 feet wide and weighs 57 tons loaded and unloaded is no easy feat.
Just getting it off the rail car took about an hour, and getting it loaded onto the back of a truck took even longer, said Pete Dearness, the owner and manager of New England Southern Railroad. One of the complicating factors was that the width of the axles was wider than the trailers, meaning the hauler’s tires hung dangerously over the edge until lateral planks were added to give it greater stability.
“I’ve never dealt with something that wide,” Dearness said. “It’s pretty amazing to see.”
After it was loaded and ready to go to the Army National Guard base in Auburn, Maine, the rough terrain cargo hauler was driven south from Exit 18 of Interstate 93 through Concord down to Route 101 heading east.
The Kalmar cargo haulers are used to move and stack standard shipping containers and are designed to operate in areas with no roads, like sandy beaches. The vehicle is semi-amphibious and can operate in 5 feet of water.