Has any manufacturer ever made a powered crane car that swivels under its own power and maybe has a powered boom that can be controled with DCC?
Brent
A European firm made one some years ago, can’t recall the name. I saw one in action on a club layout. Don’t recall if it could move on its own, but the boom could swivel, the hook could raise and lower, and there was an electromagnet that could be used to pick up iron pieces. It was really compact, with all of the internal motors well hidden inside a 250-ton type body, with European couplers and buffers. Think it was around $300.00 at the time. Maybe someone else can come up with more info,
I think that would be an item manufactured by ROCO. The following website has a description, but no picture, http://www.central-hobbies.com/otherdcc.html (you’ll have to scroll down to where it says ROCO).
Friend of mine has one. I think the crane did what it was advertised to do. Unfortunately, and this is my opinion, after the initial ecstasy of having a new toy wore off, it now seems to sit at the end of an enginehouse track as an expensive static display. Might as well have bought the $20 Athearn item and sat it in the same spot. But then, that’s just me.
Regards
Sure. It was made by Roco about 11 years ago. I saw one demonstrated at my old club by Debbie Ames of Lenz, and we moved out of that club by December, 1998.
Digitrax has an app note on their website:
http://www.digitrax.com/appnote_rococr.php
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Walthers made one - a 25ton that was offered in both static & self-propelled versions. I have one - good to perhaps move around in a junk yard, but nothing more. Top speed about 10 smph, only good over live frogs in switches, but something a little different.[:)]
I have tthe self-propelled version, but still in its box, unassembled. The crane boom and hook can be adjusted using a manual tool/crank which should be useful for changing their static positions, as I can’t imagine using the crank to routinely model real action. Since the model is self-propelled, it won’t work within a train with another locomotive. But as said above, useful for moving itself or a car or two in an industrial setting.
Mark
The Walthers model did travel under its own power, at least part of the time if it operated as you describe. However, the boom on the ROCO model raised and lowered, and the cab swiveled, and the hook went up and down, all under DCC control. I think that it cost several times the price of the Walthers model, in the neighborhood of $200 to $300. As I said above, it became a very expensive static display.