when I was a kid I had a fascination with MOW equipment. It was just something that turned me on. I even got to see a lighter self propelled crane pushing a flat car rolling on the branch near my house. I had this car here, only in NYC orange, which looks pretty much like the crane I saw IRL. Crane Car My question is, Does anyone make anything like this for a smaller branch type layout? It seems like what one would see more often with a track repair gang and in a smaller yard. I wish MT or any other of the car manufacturers would make one in N scale. I think it would be a big seller.
Tichy Train Group makes a kit for a crane car, a boom car, and two maintenance of way crew cars. I didn't find the kit difficult to build, though I replaced the kind of cheesy weights that came with with some lead weights. Here's a link. The picture shows just the crane. The UP decal doesn't come with it. I bought some general MOW decals which I haven't yet applied. The era is prior to what it looks like you have pictured. If I had to guess, I would say the era is 1915-1945, and toward the end something like this may have been found only on little branchlines. Someone here might have a better guess.
There are only a few N scale cranes. Eventually, we will cover them all in this thread, I am sure. This is a detailed Bucyrus-Erie 250 ton steam crane by AHM? Rapido? This is currently made by Bachmann and is still available. If you search Walthers for "N scale" and "crane" you get several choices.
Con-Cor also makes one in N Scale the road is up to your request since they don't build it until they receive your request. Manufacturing lead time is approximately 4-6weeks. Con-Cor Presents All-Railroads.com, Grand Central Station of Cyberspace
Railway Express Miniatures makes a nice Burro crane that would be perfect for a branchline... http://www.fiferhobby.com/products.php?sku=REM-2041 Burros were self-propelled and able to take the MOW cars with them - probably what you saw... Dan
Thanks for the info guys. I am familiar with most of those models. I think the burro is the one that comes closest to the sort of spindly boom I am looking for. It's a lattice thing. I like truss bridges... lattice work. Industrial cranes... lattice work. LoL Pete your dock crane looks nice BTW, it has lots of.... yep. I always wondered why all the N scale cranes were big heavies.
Stewart produces a 25 ton American white metal kit and Overland makes a very nice RTR brass Ohio crane. Both have the lattice type booms
"Dimi Trains 120 ton Brownhoist crane. Some hobby shops still have them." They are available from Tichy Train Group... http://www.tichytraingroup.com/index.php?page=view_product.php&id=479&category=Freight+Car+Kits
This is exactly the kit that I built. Well, it came as a four car kit, but you can also buy the cars separately.
I have the Bmann unit and I was surprised that it's a pretty nice unit and has some good weight to it. the UP needs some weathering because it's bright... The ATSF are easier to find because the UP is recently out of production.
Mine is EL.... I bought it about 15 years or so ago. I plan on painting it to become D&RGW 028. Unless someone wants to trade a UP or something for it. http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/drgw/drgw-m028abp.jpg
I managed to get two Bachmann cranes, one UP one EL. One will become an SP crane and the other will probably end up being a gift for a friend.
The 150T steam wreck cranes lasted into the late 70's. CNJ had 2 or 3 operational until April Fools Day in 1976 (Conrail). #5 is at Steamtown in Scranton PA, right outside the entrance. Bob in IDaho, who will/may do #5 & 6 and a couple of Bachmann 250T steam cranes into RDG & LV diesel versions. Also a Stewart 'American' MOW crane
I used the former DimiTrains wrecking crane as the basis for this unit, then fabricated a regular crane boom and a pile driver. There is also a set of accessories available from another manufacturer to equip your crane with a clamshell bucket, dragline bucket, or magnet. [/url]http://[/IMG] Same crane now rigged as a pile driver, and the dragline bucket and clamshell bucket, plus wrecking ball can be seen in the boom tender cars. [/url]http://[/IMG] The other unit is another pile driver scratched from a DimiTrains rotary snow blower. And the last is another small crane from a kit modified with a set of small wheels and with rails placed on a flatcar. The crane can roll from one end of the car to the other to load or unload from flats placed at either end. [/url]http://[/IMG] The most common cranes were convertible types which could be used for any number of duties, while the wrecking crane was limited, mainly because of the boom reach and the fact that it had to be ready for quick deployment. The most common small crane was usually the Burro type. If memory serves me correctly, I think the detail parts for the cranes is by Railway Minatures.
