Sturgis, Michigan | June 2014
Sturgis, Michigan, a friendly town of 11,000 residents in Southwest Michigan had a plan to move and revitalize its aging Railroad Depot. The Depot was in need of repairs in an out-of-the-way area of town.
Plans called for relocation to the vibrant downtown area for better visibility, where it could be re-purposed and restored as an interactive children’s museum.
Wolfe House & Building Movers partnered with the City of Sturgis, the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society, and the Sturgis Area Community Foundation to plan, design, and execute the move in the middle of the city’s annual Sturgis Fest.
Excavation work on site began in mid-June.
Holes are jack-hammered through the stone foundation walls.
Openings for the lifting steel beams.
There was a 12-inch dirt crawlspace under most of the Depot.
Tunneling begins to install the 90’ main beams.
Two 100' tunnels are made.
Main beams, or “mains,” are the solid foundation that the building stands on during all of the relocation work. These custom-fabricated 27″ beams weigh 228 lbs per foot for a total of 20,520 lbs each. They are leveled up and supported on solid oak cribbing under the building.
Two 90' main beams are placed under the Depot.
The main beams are carefully maneuvered into place. Each beam weighs approximately 10 tons.
Mains are leveled on oak cribbing.
A 35-foot long, 14-inch wide steel crosser is carried and set into place on top of the mains.
“Needle Beams” are placed between crossers to support the end walls.
Oak wedges support the stone where it rests on the steel beams.
Oak wedges support the stone where it rests on the steel beams.
More oak wedges supporting the stone foundation.
A Unified Jacking System lifts the building. The design of this hydraulic system ensures that each jack will go up at exactly the same rate, regardless of the load on any particular jack. A unified lift is essential in preventing any out-of-level condition as the building is raised.
Hydraulic PSI gauges show the exact weight.
Lifting begins with a Unified Jacking Machine.
One of many 60-ton jacks used to lift the building.
The building is lifted 7' and supported on 12 crib piles. The height is necessary to install the Buckingham Dolly System.
After the building has been lifted enough for the Buckingham Power Dolly System to be installed, the old foundations are pushed in and the basement/crawlspace hole is backfilled. Fill dirt is placed and compacted around and under the building.
The Buckingham Power Dolly System with SmartSteer® is the most advanced dolly moving platform in the industry. Controlled by a central hydraulic power unit, each dolly is individually controlled, yet works in unison with the other dollies.
A 173hp hydraulic power unit controls the system.
Each dolly is connected with hoses for jacking, driving, braking, and steering.
An overnight storm left the site muddy, but 1/2" steel plating ensures a solid surface.
Ten Power & Coaster Dollies distribute the 300-ton load to 30 tons per dolly.
With the Depot now loaded and ready to go, the day is spent preparing the new foundation at the relocation site. Crib piles are built and steel beams are placed as bridges spanning the new foundation. The building will be driven sideways across the foundation.
At 4:00 pm, the wheels begin to turn. The first phase of the move calls for a 300-foot journey down the railroad right-of-way in order to reach the highway. A move road of solid cribbing is built as the depot slowly moves in order to protect the tracks and create a solid surface to travel on.
The labor-intensive process of building the move road and traveling on the railroad tracks takes several hours.
Oak cribbing protects the rails and creates a solid surface.
The Depot travels at a snail’s pace to allow workers to place cribbing as it rolls.
Approaching the highway, the load begins to move off of the railroad right-of-way.
A crowd looks on as the Depot is secured for the night partially on and off of the railroad tracks.
Thursday the 26th dawns calm and clear. At 6:00 am the main roads through town are closed and traffic is rerouted. The streets are quiet except for the MDOT crews getting an early start preparing traffic signals for the move.
Constant measurements and adjustments are made as the depot moves at a crawl of only a few inches per minute.
The Depot goes back on cribbing. Dollies are removed and the Jacking System will lower it to the permanent elevation.
After breaking for lunch, each Dolly is rotated 90 degrees in preparation to move the Depot across the new foundation.
Constant measurements and adjustments are made as the Depot crawls along at a few inches per minute.
Dollies are removed and the jacking system will lower it to the permanent elevation.
The final alignment is virtually perfect. Lasers show the new foundation lines up within 1/4" all the way around.
