Can you ID this Gantry Crane for me?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

looking for info on this Lionel gantry crane…it’s all metal and it has a spotlight underneath the cab that picks up power from the track…I don’t have the original box and there’s no accessories with it.

Can someone tell me the year it was made and it’s approximate value?

TIA

2

I don’t think that it is Lionel, at least not Lionel O gauge. Ive never seen one quite like that, are there any markings or numbers??? Marx or Flyer perhaps???

3

The [}:)] Doctor is in! I was torturing a unlucky tresspasser when I saw the Crane.
I looked in one of my books and don’t think it’s Lionel, Marx or Pre-war American
Flyer. It looks very nice, and I assume heavy. I leave it to the most wise of us to find
out who made the crane. Best of luck!!!

I Remain The Humble, Yet [}:)] Doctor!!!

4

hmmmmmm,
I cant name the manufacturer, might be a name or serial # underneath. Maybe you have a pre-production mock-up of the Lionel #282 gantry on your hands. Cant tell for sure.

5

I’m so sorry…it IS Marx… I saw the logo but thought it was part of the artwork. It is big and heavy!

Here’s a detail pic (see logo underneath wheel):

6

Here’s another detail pic. Note that at the very bottom there’s two terminals with a wire going up to the spotlight. At first I thought it picked up power solely from the track, but now I’m thinking that there was an additional piece of hardware…like a momentary switch…that connected to the terminals to turn the spotlight on and off…unfortunately I don’t seem to have that hardware…All I have is the crane itself in a plain box…if there was a sleeve around it, or any other parts, they’re gone now.

7

Thanks Lionelnewbie, I thought I smelled Marx there, but in all my years, I have never seen one of those. I thought the wheels and the detail at the bottom looked Marx-like.

I’m guessing again, but I think you have a dandy there. The guy I think you should talk to is Sask Tinplater, he’s pretty good with Marx, and could tell you more about it. He’s young, but he knows his stuff, especially on the obscure like you have there.

Good luck, and welcome aboard.

8

Thanks for all the feedback. How do I find Mr. Tinplater?

9

He uses the underscore in his member name, and you can just look up members. The secret is to know WHO.[;)] I’ve taken care of the look up part, his email is listed, just click on it, or you can just wait for him to show up. He’s always around, but it is Easter weekend.[swg]

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/member-profile.asp?id=140773

I should say that there are probably others here who could help you, but Sask is the one I know best.[:)]

10

Thanks again…if I end up putting this crane on ebay is it inappropriate to notify this newsgroup when I do so?

11

That would be OK. I’m not sure how much interest would be generated from this crowd. Some here are eBayers, and the ones interested in that would probably find it that way. Generally trying to sell things through the forum is a no-no, but announcing that it is on eBay isn’t that blaytent. A simple “check it out” and a link would do. It probably wouldn’t get any replys and would quickly drift to the bottom of the pile. Good luck

12

how much would you put it for?!?[:-,][}:)]

13

Hi Jerry, how are the railroad fundraising efforts going. I know that you are looking for accessories, but this one may be a little pricy.

I’m curious to see what it fetches, since it was something that I had never seen before, in 25 years of serious collecting. Set your sites a little lower, and you will get a better bang for your buck.[swg]

14

Thanks big boy…you’re driving away my customers! :frowning:

OK, just kidding…I’m still interested in what Mr. Tinplater has to say…was it his destiny to become a guru of O-gauge with a last name like that???

15

Don’t worry Newbie, Jerry is one of our youngest members, I know him too.[;)]
Hang in there, did you try the email? If you want, you can edit the topic title, and flag it for Sask, that way when he checks in he’ll see it right away. Others have looked for him in the past. Unlike me, he’s young and has a life beyond trains and this forum.[swg][(-D][(-D][(-D]

16

The [}:)] Doctor is in!!! I was shocked to find that the crane was a Marx item! I my self
am willing to spend a few bucks for one of them! Lionelnewbie, Please post when you
decide to sell it on Ebay! Some of us are willing to buy it!

Till My Next Missive, I Remain The Humble, Yet [}:)] Doctor!!!

17

only accesories i own right now is the milk and cattle car sets that i bought from dr manchu. hoping this week to get them.[8D][:D]

18

I was out of town yesterday and so didn’t get a chance to visit the forums. I ended up bringing home both a Lionel and a Marx train set yesterday, but that’s another story. This crane is quite an uncommon piece. It certainly isn’t something that turns up very often. It was manufacturered from 1957-1960 and has a value of $60 in good condition and $90 in excellent condition. I hope that helps you out.

19

Thanks Mr. Tinplater:

I’m going to see if I can find the switch that must have gone with it…I’ll let the interested parties know when I place it on ebay.

Thanks everyone for their interest and help!