I just picked up an old (yellow box) athrean 200 ton crane unbuilt kit. I have a few questions. First is it a model of a deisel or steam crane? if it’s a steam crane, would it have a tender (like a locomotive)?
Also I’m planning on painting and lettering it for Canadian National, does anyone know what they were painted and letters in the late fifties?
Thanks for any help.
I don’t know if it was just me, but the instructions on that model are hard to understand. I tried building one for a friend and just could not get it to go together, especially all the parts for the boom like wires and the brass things. I gave up after a few days and it is still sitting in the box at his house.
soumodeler
The Southern Serves the South!
Steam. Don’t quote me but I think it’s an American Hoist and Derrick. The flat springs for the spools are a snare and a delusion so pick how high you want the boom and leave it. First drum for single hook at end of boom. Second drum for double hook mid boom. Third drum for boom. Cable for end hook and double hook goes through boom at bend. Boom cable goes under the movable block structure in the cab, to pully on boom, to pully on same side on the movable block structure back to pully on opposite side on boom, back to opposite pully on movable block structure and terminates at tie-off point between pulleys on boom. I found the best way to attach the lines was to string it, tie off at appropriate points then wind onto drum. Don’t worry to much about mucking up the pins and pulley installation as you’ll find it’s better as a static display and is not built robust enough for continual fiddling. Mines marked BN which research shows didn’t exist. Everything was diesel when BN was created from GN, NP, SP&S, CS, and ST. L & B. Appropriate additions would be flat cars or gondolas.
The cranes started out as coal burners and most were converted to oil burners by the 60’s. Remember they were steam powered the fuel for converting the water to steam is what changed. I am sure there were some external differences but they retained smoke stakes and such. The fuel was carried on board (inside the cab) from what I can tell.
mstein, don’t forget the CB&Q (C&S and FW&D were subsidiaries of it) was where the “Burlington” came from in the Burlington Northern.
Rick
Rick, Knew I muddled it. And the ST. L & B is supposed to be whatever the Frisco was. Mike
My impression perhaps mistaken is that the Athearn crane is a Bucyrus Erie
Ancient and unreliable memory is that Athearn first made this kit in cast zinc alloy and then later in plastic.
Dave Nelson
No problem mike, I model the CB&Q and couldn’t resist!
I have the crane painted for a CB&Q Bucyrus 150 Ton wrecker and an Athearn 50’ gondola with access “doors” cut out of its side. It may not be 100% but it looks good to me.
Glen, this must be your lucky day (maybe), found this at Castle Graphics, follow the link
http://www.castlegraphics.com/graphic/transportation/mow_001.html
Rick
SL & SF: St. Louis and San Francisco Rwy. The Frisco was not, however, part of the original merger. It was unfortunately taken over by the Nasty Green Giant in 1980.
I do believe that several steam powered Burlington hooks survived the merger. The Burlington Route Historical Society put out a bulletin on this very same subject recently … I’ll check my stuff when I get home and let you know…
Regards & Everywhere West,
Burlington John
Thanks Rick! That’s just what I’ve been looking for. I guess it is my lucky day. Excuse me but I think I’ll go and buy a lottery ticket!
Glen, hope you win!
Not sure if it helps with the color but it seems most steam cranes were balck, regardless of railraod.
Rick
Southern Pacific had at least one of their 200 ton cranes repainted In Daylight Colors in the early 80s, matter of fact the entire Roseville wrecking train bore Daylight paint!
Unsure if this particular crane was converted to diesel, but this example, or a similar Daylight hued steam powered speciman has been perserved by the California State Railroad meuseum.
It was not uncommon for railroads to remove the steam equipment and install diesel engines. I dont remember the year, but in the mid seventys WP converted the Oroville derrick to diesel, shortly thereafter the following winter, the Portola Steam derrick iced up at that their roundhouse. Do remember the officials of WP very mad, as the derailment could only be worked from the Oroville side.
Is a easy modificatio, remove the steam stack, glue a sheet of styrene and install a diesel exhaust, if you wish…John
I know what you mean about the instructions being a little vague - I had a kit languishing unassembled in a box for years until I finally bought a RTR one, just so I could see how to string the bloody thing![?]
The plastic Athearn crane is a reasonable match for the Boston and Maine #3365 shown in the New England Color guide. The overall dimensions, boom, car body and 6 wheel trucks are just about right. The roof profile and window detail is slightly different. 3365 was built in 1929 by Industrial Brownhoist and converted to diesel power in 1956. I updated the model to diesel power by removing the smoke stack and covering the hole with a bit of styrene sheet. Painting the grab irons and stirrups safety yellow and glazing the windows helped. The boom hoist tackle on my model is rigged as a single part tackle to ease assembly. The prototype had 6 part tackle to gain the necessary mechanical advantage to raise the boom under load. I believe earlier Athearn kits had pulleys for a 6 part tackle which gives a nicer looking model if you are deft enough to rig such a tackle using invisible black thread.