I recently completed the large Bucyrus Erie ho scale crane kit and painted it for my railroad. I also have the Walthers 25 ton Brownhoist smaller crane kit, but don’t want to add another crane to a small railroad’s inventory. I need help figuring out (other than steel mills), what are other private industries or companies that would have used such a smaller crane, as a guide to painting and decaling? Thanks for any feedback. Cedarwoodron
Sheepscott Scale Products used to have a kit to convert it to a pile driver; not listed on the site now.
Actually a small railroad would need that Brownhoist for MOW work and around the MOW shop for loading rails and bundles of ties.
Industries would include scarp yards,steel distributors and other industries that require heavy lifting.
A small line is much more likely to have a 25 ton crane than a big honking B-E sitting around. But if a road did have a wrecker, they most likely also had a small crane to handle the more numerous projects that could be served without going to the expense of calling out the big hook.
The 25-ton American can be used for all this:
fixing shifted open loads
unloading open loads
handling rail, bridge timbers, and other components that are too heavy for workers to lift
with a clamshell or dragline bucket, cleans ditches, etc
with a magnet, handles scrap, small track materials, etc
can be used for light rolling stock issues (raise cars, doors, etc)
When I worked at Newport News Shipbuilding in the early 70s, they had a number of Brownhoists used for lifting all over the shipyard. All except one were diesel, the one exception was a steam crane. It was such a precise lifter, it was rated for nuclear lifts in the submarine refueling program.
Aha! A company that makes structural components for agricultural and commercial buildings, such as silo panels and framing, metal roof trusses,etc! There we go- now to cook up a color scheme and a company name!!!
Have the same choice between ‘the big hook’ and the Brownhoist.
Although the Bucyrus Erie is impressive, I opted for the smaller crane.
Having regularly seen these types in MOW service, on multiple lines.
Have fun with your project!
The large crane is used for clearing wrecks, maybe on a rip track for heavy lifting or for picking up something very heavy (saw two PC wreckers relacing plate girder bridge sections on the High Line through Phillie once).
The 25 ton crane is used for other work, mostly on the track or structures. Picking up scrap metal, loading or unloading rail or bundles of ties, picking up or loading tie plates, spikes, rail anchors, angle bars. Loading or unloading rip rap or rock, puting coal in tenders, cleaning out ash pits. I would be used for repairing trestles or bridges handling piling and bridge timbers.
The wrecker would be owned by the mechanical department and the 25 ton crane would be owned by the engineering department.
Another use - When I was young I remember seeing a smallish crane used with a clamshell to move coal at a small power plant in Lincoln, NE. The plant was obsolete and is now apartments and the crane is long gone, but it sat beside he old Rock Island. I think that the plant didn’t burn coal regularly, but did maintain a supply for back up use.
As stated in the other posts, a modest-size crane was essential to the MoW crews. Largely replaced now by truck-mounted cranes, they still show up on occasion.
The crane shown above may also be used in a scrap yard. Often railroads spun off equipment when opting for newer and larger.
Scrap yards can be a lot of fun to model as you can use left over parts and really beat up Jordan vehicle kits. Some others are too expensive to want to hurt.
see ya
Bob