42
SITEREPORT
LIFTING& TRANSPORT
ACT
JANUARY 2015
100machines ranging from rubber-tire
backhoes to110-ton crawler cranes,”
Baldock said. “Wewanteda trailer that
couldhaul our largepiecesof equipment,
but stillmoveour smallerpieces
efficiently.”
HeknewaTalbert trailerwouldprovide
thedurability theyneeded, andhe also
knew exactlywho to call.
“Ben calledmeupandasked if I could
get himaquoteonaTalbert trailer,”
Shockey said. “Iwashappy tohelphim
out.We’veknown eachother since
kindergarten, but thiswas the first time
we’vebeenable towork together.”
Shockeyhad sold severalTalbert trailers
andwas familiarwith theirquality.
“I always recommendTalbert trailers
because they’re sowell built,”he
said. “Thequalityof steel, the
workmanship, thewelds– they
takepride in theirwork.”
The friendsbegandiscussing
options and features that
wouldworkbest for Scott
&Murphy. Baldock chose a
multiplekingpin setting that
allows theoperator to shorten
thekingpin-to-rear-axle
dimension so the trailerwould
be compliantwith requirements
indifferent states.He also
addedgooseneck fenders and load-bearing
wheel covers toprotect thepayload from
rocksordebris kickedupby truckand
trailer tires. Baldockopted for strobe
lightswithabatterybackup that keeps the
lights flashing evenwhen thegooseneck is
removed.
“Talbertwas extremelyhelpful,”Baldock
said. “Theyworkedwithusover thephone
almost everyday for fourweeks. The
specificationswereverydetailedand they
got it right.”
Shockeyagreed. “At onepointBen called
withaquestion. Thepresident ofTalbert
calledhimback, andwithin20minutes,
wehadananswer,”he said. “It’snot often
that thepresident of a company emailsor
calls you.”
Retrieving the cars
Scott&Murphyordereda55-ton tri-axle
trailerwitha26-foot longby9-footwide
deckandpin-on fourthaxle. The26-foot-
longdeckallows the company tohaul as
muchas three smallerpiecesof equipment
at a time. The9-foot-widedeckoffers
greater stability forwidermachines like
articulateddump trucks, large excavators
and cranes. Talbertmanufactured the
trailer to the exact specifications in just
over amonth.And luckily for Scott&
Murphy, delivered it just daysbefore the
sinkhole collapsed.
With thenewTalbert trailer in its fleet,
Scott&Murphywas ready to tackle the
job. Retrieving classicCorvettes froma
massive sinkhole inside amuseumwould
bedaunting in thebest circumstances, but
toadd evenmore stress, the companyhad
toworkunder thewatchful eyesof the
national newsmedia.
“Therewasmoremedia coverageon this
thananythingwe’ve everdone,”Baldock
said. “Itwas verynerve-wrackingand
made the jobmore challenging.”
Before thinkingabout the cars,
Baldockandhis teamhad to ensure the
sinkholewouldn’t cause furtherdamage
to thebuildingor endangerhis crews.
Theydrilled30micropiles around the
perimeterof thebuildingdown to the
bedrock to secure the foundation. They
alsodrilled fivemoremicropiles around
the foundationof the tall spire in the
centerof theSkydome to ensure itwould
stay intact during the recoveryprocess.
Once the foundationwas secure, they
designeda framework that allowed
them to remove a columnandmake a
temporarydoor so that excavators and
evena crane could enter thebuilding.
At last they could start recovering the
cars from the sinkhole.Of the eight cars
that had fallen in, threewere completely
buried. Theother fivewerepartially
visible. Like anarchaeologist unearthing
treasures, Baldockandhis team exercised
caution topreservewhat integrity the cars
had left.
WesternCraneService, Inc.was
contracted toassistwith the rigging
plan, beamdesignand extractionof the
eightCorvettes thatwere claimedby the
sinkhole. By lateFebruary2014, crews
were able to safely suspend engineers ina
manbasket into themiddleof the sinkhole
area to examine the conditionof thehole
and finalize the recoveryplan.
First, theyuseda crane to remove the
exposed cars.Next, theybrought ina
Sunken cars
The sinkhole swallowed eight historic
Corvettes – two on loan fromGM and six
owned by themuseum:
1993 ZR-1Spyder
(on loan)
2009 ZR1 “BlueDevil” prototype
(on loan)
1962 Corvette
1984 PPGPaceCar
1992 1-millionthCorvette
1993 40thAnniversary Corvette
2001 “Mallett Hammer” Z06
2009 1.5-millionthCorvette
After a cranewas brought in to remove the
exposed cars, a large vacuum truck came
in to vacuum dirt from around the buried
cars. Once the loose dirt was removed, the
team used a long-reach excavator to remove
boulders. Then they brought the crane back
in to pull out the remaining cars.
