Sun, Apr 9, 2006
Join us on two treacherous trips as we follow two separate structural moving families in their struggles to relocate and save a 100-year-old homestead and an 1890 Queen Anne Victorian house. In Colorado, a father and son have to fight fierce weather and the fragility of a purported haunted log cabin and decaying barn to move them two miles across a rugged mountainside. In Illinois, three generations of movers are pushed to their limit when they are hired to transport a 180-ton monster house across town. Will these historic homes reach their final resting places in one piece and find peace?
2006
Oil is the lifeblood of the world's economy, and it's up to the Mega Movers to make sure that this flow is uninterrupted. Off the coast of Singapore, one of the largest and most unusual ships ever built will transport an entire 22,000-ton oil rig to the Gulf of Mexico. Making the 14,000-mile trek across two oceans will test the skills of both man and machine. And in Alaska, the pressure is on to move an 80-by-60-foot pump station on the Trans-Alaskan pipeline. But an approaching winter storm threatens to stop this move cold. Will these vital oil industry components successfully reach their destinations?
Tue, May 9, 2006
Relocating of one of the largest 2-10-4 type locomotives in the world weighing 502,600 lbs. It was built in 1930, ran up 1,700,000 miles and put to rest in 1953. In 1957 it was donated to the city of Amarillo, Texas. The Railroad Arifacts Preservation Society moved it in August of 2005 with the The History Channel documenting it in one of Mega Movers episodes. Messer Construction Company was the power behind the move. Front loaders and side boom tractors moved the engine and its 300,000 pound tender car about one half a mile in the town of Amarillo, Texas where it will be preserved by a new railroad museum.
Tue, May 16, 2006
Mega Movers are called upon to lift two hidden treasures out of obscurity. In Pennsylvania movers must lift an entire historic1938 diner out of a building that has covered it for more than 50 years. But moving the cherished landmark unscathed will pose quite a challenge for everyone involved. Meanwhile, a determined mining historian must rescue a gigantic 1923 steam shovel that has been hidden high up in the Colorado Rockies. Will 30 years of sludge and the rugged terrain stop this move before it even begins?
2006
In America's heartland, few structures are as iconic as the country barn and the local church. In Nebraska, Mega Movers will attempt to transport an historic Gothic horse barn to a new farm. Working in sub-zero temperatures they'll have to maneuver the massive structure through 26 miles of extremely narrow unpaved country roads to reach their destination. And in Texas, a 115-year-old church will have to be cut into five pieces before being relocated to a new spot 2 miles away. Will the workers be able to reassemble this cherished chapel and preserve it for future congregations?
Tue, Jun 6, 2006
When it comes to working in extreme environments at the bottom of the Ocean or in a deadly rain forest Mega Movers are ready. In this episode we travel from Florida to Hawaii. In Florida, they battle the elements to preserve a hurricane-ravaged beach by moving nearly 3 million cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor to the coastline. In Hawaii an old plantation house is moved deep into a rain forest on the edge of an active volcano. You will see the ways pros who know the conditions get the job done.
Tue, Jun 13, 2006
Whether it's dangling from a tower crane 40 stories in the air or battling a flooded field packed with tree stumps to move an historic farmhouse if it's got to be moved, the Mega Movers are always up to the challenge. In this episode, we look at two very different moves. In California, Mega Movers must disassemble and move a tower crane in Los Angeles. And in North Carolina they struggle to move a pre Civil War house. In this episode you will see the unique methods and tools that these movers use to get the job done.
Tue, Jun 20, 2006
When it comes to moving giant structures, few moves are as impressive as those that take place at sea. These types of moves require a unique set of techniques and tools as well as careful, detailed planning. In Canada, a team of engineers will attempt to move a gigantic 702-ton ship-loading device from the coast of Vancouver to a small mining island 70 miles away. Meanwhile, off the coast of Virginia, Mega Movers will try to save an endangered island house by loading the entire structure onto a barge and sailing 5 miles to the mainland. But there is little margin for error in this chaotic environment, requiring all of the skill and ingenuity that the movers can muster.
Tue, Jun 27, 2006
Bridges move people and cargo everyday, but what happens when the bridge itself needs to be moved? In this episode of Mega Movers, we look at how two very different bridges are moved using two very different methods. In Missouri, local bridge preservationists will attempt to transport a 137-ton railroad bridge right through the heart of downtown Kansas City. And in Iowa, the National Guard is called in to save a 129-year old bridge using one of the most modern mega moving tools available: a Chinook helicopter.