What really matters when choosing or replacing rail clips

At Inform Rail, we regularly review drawings that specify an existing rail clip for crane rail, a rail clip that’s no longer manufactured, or the two classic words: “or equivalent.”
But what does it really mean for you when pricing a project, replacing rail clips or designing a new crane rail system?

Let’s break it down.

What Brands of Crane Rail Clips Exist?

Widely recognised brands such as Grantrex and Gantrail are manufactured by Gantry Railing Limited, a UK‑headquartered company with a strong global presence. Molyneux rail clips, located in the United States, are also well known for their durability and reliability in heavy‑duty applications. Bemo Rail, based in the Netherlands, has supplied some of the world’s largest container terminals for many years. They have a wide range of rail clips designed to suit several rail systems.

Inform Rail is able to source all types of rail clips available on the market.

Today, most manufacturing occurs in China and Malaysia and these rail clips, and other brands on the market, are engineered to:

Secure crane rails to their support structure
Allow controlled lateral movement caused by thermal expansion, wheel forces or operational loads
Reduce wear and extend the life of the overall rail system

While Grantrex, Gantrail, Molyneux and Bemo are commonly known, numerous other manufacturers produce clips with similar form, function and load performance.

Regardless of brand, the primary purpose remains the same:
Hold the rail securely while allowing movement and reducing stress on the rail and structure.

How to Verify the Clips You Have

At Inform Rail, we specialise in identifying legacy and hard‑to‑find clip types. Feel free to send us photos of your existing clips – we’re happy to help!

Most crane rail clips, no matter the manufacturer, include identifying marks, often stamped or cast, such as:

The manufacturer’s name or logo
A model or series number

These markings are usually found on the cam or body of the clip.

For accurate comparison or replacement, product data sheets remain the most reliable source for:

Load capacity
Material specifications
Installation requirements
Performance characteristics

We have an extensive archive of historical product data sheets, enabling us to assist with identifying older or discontinued clip types.

Replacing Existing Clips: Should You Use the Same Ones?

Not always.

While replacing your clips with identical models might feel like the simplest choice, it may not be the best or most compliant one.

Your current installation may:

No longer meet modern design standards
Have been originally built with non-optimised components
Use clips that are now obsolete or outperformed by newer designs

Before replacing any clips, it’s important to review:

Original design intent – does it still apply to current operations?
Changes in operational load or crane frequency
Rail alignment issues or new wear patterns
Why the existing clips failed or wore out

Updated product alternatives may offer better:

Load performance
Adjustment capability
Installation efficiency
Long-term durability

Giving Inform Rail a call, engaging an engineer or reviewing the original design documentation helps to ensure replacement clips are fit for purpose and align with current standards and site conditions.

We Built a Free Crane Rail Design Tool. A Worldwide First.

Clip selection, rail profile, lateral loads, clip spacing, fishplates, sole plates, accessories it all stacks up fast. And unless you have someone experienced on the end of the phone, or you happen to have the right manufacturer datasheets in front of you, the process can take longer than it needs to.

That bothered us. So we did something about it.

The ARBED Story Behind Crane Rail (including CR73 Rail)

ARBED turns up on legacy drawings, in supplier literature and in the technical specifications behind some of the most widely used crane rail profiles in heavy industry. The company itself no longer exists as a standalone entity, but the catalogue it built lives on inside ArcelorMittal, and the story of how it came to be is one of the more remarkable chapters in twentieth century European industrial history.

The Research That Put Australia on the Heavy Haul Map: 73kg and 86kg Crane Rail

If you’ve come across the 73kg or 86kg crane rail in an Australian port or industrial context, you’re looking at profiles that arrived here on the back of one of the most significant chapters in Australian rail engineering history.

47kg and 53kg Rail in Australia: From Imperial Roots to Modern Networks

If you work in Australian railway engineering, maintenance, or procurement, the designations 47kg and 53kg are immediately familiar — not just as dimensions, but as historical markers. These two mid-weight rail profiles, trace a lineage that runs from the imperial steelworks era, through the metrication of the 1970s and 80s, right up to modern network approvals.