LTM 1450-8.1 lifts historic suspension railway carriage in Wuppertal

The lift has given Wuppertal Central Station an unusual new landmark. Crane rental company Bracht used its 450-tonne Liebherr LTM 1450-8.1 to hoist the historic Series 50 carriage into its designated spot on the station forecourt, assisted by a Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 from local firm Wilden acting as support crane.

Working above a shopping level and car park

Site conditions left little room for error. The LTM 1450-8.1 could only be positioned on the narrow access road leading to the station, directly in front of a basement-level shopping area and an indoor car park. Under the operational plan, only vehicles of up to eight tonnes were permitted to drive in that zone, which ruled out any conventional set-up close to the final position.

The crew therefore rigged the crane with a reduced outrigger width of 7.95 metres, while the 134 tonnes of VarioBallast were retracted to a five-metre radius. The telescopic boom was extended to 31 metres and fitted with a 56-metre luffing jib, giving a maximum reach of 65 metres. With carriage and rigging weighing a combined seven tonnes or so, the combination of VarioBase and VarioBallast allowed the crane to match its footprint to the restricted space and complete the lift safely.

A classifieds find from 1950

Car 76 belongs to the Series 50 fleet built in 1950. It is not from the same series as the famous Kaiserwagen of 1901, although its styling recalls the older vehicle. After being withdrawn from service it passed through several hands, first to a restaurant in Düsseldorf, then to Siegen and finally into storage in Witten, until Markus Bürger, the new owner of the station building, spotted the decommissioned carriage on a classifieds website and bought it.

On 31 August 2026 Bracht loaded the carriage onto a flatbed trailer from Kahl Schwerlast, and a crowd of onlookers watched it arrive at the station the following day. It was hoisted into place on 1 September and towed to its final position on 18 September, just in time for the celebrations marking 125 years of the Wuppertal suspension railway on 19 September.

Registry office with a past

Refurbishment work was still under way during the anniversary weekend, but the carriage was already drawing attention. Once complete, the historic vehicle is to serve as a registry office and a hireable events venue, keeping a piece of Wuppertal’s transport history on public display in a new role.