Transferring Container Cranes Around Corners Using Curved Rails – Design Considerations

Many wharves have nonlinear berths that meet at a corner, and sharing cranes between them is often economical. Getting the cranes around that corner is no simple task, and by 2001, the curved rail had become the most popular solution. In this paper, Erik Soderberg and Michael Jordan explain why this seemingly simple method is actually quite complicated to design, with considerations ranging from yard space and gage change to switches and power transfer.