I have posted other pictures of this double-ended crane elsewhere. For this picture I used a different technique, which I thought might be interesting to others. I used a panaramic process in a very simple form. I took two pictures of the crane, one of the left half and one of the right half, with some overlap in the middle. Then with the magic of Photo Suite 5 I did some electronic darkroom work and joined, or stitched the two photos into one. The crane is 90 feet form the tip of one boom to the other. I could not get back far enough to get the whole thing into one shot. In fact, I was standing between a locomotive and a hopper car to get the distance I did. The technique is relatively simple and was done without the aid of special attachments. You do have to be very careful, however. The secret is to not move the camera in any way except to pivit it horizontally. Pivot only the camera, not your whole body. The pivot point should be under the axis on the lens, ideally where it intersects with the focal plane. I do suggest that if you want to do a pan of any greater complexity than two shots, use a pan attachment that mounts on your tripod and puts the pivot point in the correct place.
That's certainly an unusual piece of equipment! Any background info on it? How much of the crane were you able to get in a frame before stitching? Boxcab E50
To answer your second question first, about two thirds, which gave me ample overlap for matching the two pieces. Briefly, this crane was desiged and built for use in the tunnels of Grand Central Terminal. It was ordered by New York Central and paid for jointly by that railroad and New Haven. The crane is electric powered, picking up third-rail power. It also could go for short distances on batteries. Its lifting capacity was 100 tons. This double-ended crane is now on display at the Danbury Railway Museum.
That is one awesome Big Hook, Peirce, or should I say double big hook? As a kid I always wanted a Lionel crane car and its attendent caboose. Leave it to the New York Central to come up with one twice as good.
Peirce that is a really great pic. All the angle shots that I have seen or have taken of that crane do not do it's size justice. Russ
Sometimes you have to resort to an unconventional technique to get the shot you want. Ordinarily, I would not have thought of using a method normally associated with photographing a mountain range or the Grand Canyon.
I was wondering what the special use for this was. Not just the unusual cab arrangement. But also that both booms appear to be somewhat shorter compared to what I remember of other cranes. Boxcab E50
In the GCT tunnels, there isn't the room to swing a conventional crane. The double end means the boom does not have to swing 180 degrees, and the crane does not have to be turned around. It may not be obvious in this shot, but each boom swings independently of the cab.
