Among my other odd acquisitions from past years is a Roco crane with flatcar, sold as a ConCor and manufactured in Austria. Mine even has a correct paint scheme for ATSF in my year (1969)--but as far as I can tell, the Santa Fe never used anything like it. It also comes in a black ATSF scheme, a UP scheme, a PRR scheme, and several others. People are selling them on ebay, and other people are snapping them up. What in the heck are they? For instance--perhaps they are UP cranes, or perhaps Roco even got them from some Austrian prototype. (Or just made them up over a beer?) Perhaps I am overly concerned with details, but I would feel very odd having this strange crane on my ATSF layout. Does anyone else here have one of these, and has anyone figured out the story on them?
I'm trying to remember the story behind this item. I owned one years ago. Seems as though it was originally modeled on a European prototype? Not much else can be had. Except via scratch building, or bashing this one to look as desired. Boxcab E50
I have an ATSF crane and boom car. Not sure of manufacturer (imported by AHM, made in Austria) and I've it 30 or more years. The crane is black with a boxcar red cab with ATSF white lettering. It has separate pegs (never used) to operate the crane. The boom car is a black flat with a support for the crane boom and boxcar car red sides. I never wondered about the prototype and it resides in a drawer most of the time. I bought a newer one painted all black, Con-Cor I think, but have not seen it lately. May have tossed it after using the 6-wheel trucks for something else. Ben
Yeah, it sorta looks European. It was bought as a gift for me about 10 or 11 years ago. I think the new Bachmann crane & tender looks pretty close to prototype. At least it's bashable--whereas this one would take an awful lot of work. It's kinda cute, tho. Maybe I should just try to relax and enjoy it. :teeth:
I've only had mine around 10 years. Looking on ebay, it seems to me that this particular body type has been around in N scale for a long time. You obviously have an early one. Well, I'm just stumped. I really like to know what it is that I'm operating. :hmm4er:
http://www.tichytraingroup.com/index.php?page=view_category.php&category=Freight+Car+Kits&offset=0 Tichy lists their 120 ton crane kit, as well as various work cars. Needs trucks/couplers, but is reasonably priced, and a nice kit. Frank
Virtually every railroad has at least one of those big cranes somewhere. I'm not sure about exact styles though. Bachmann sells a steam version of the crane you're talking about...... Montana Rail Link (which I model) has one of these cranes converted to diesel. The cab and chassis on the MRL is an almost exactly the same as the bachmann, but the boom is like the ConCor/AHM. Can you say "kitbash"! Take a Bachmann crane, cut off the smokestack, add a ConCor boom,a little paint, and it's a dead ringer for the real thing.....oh yeah....use the ConCor tender car.
It's definitely a European prototype... Probably nothing like it still in service much of anywhere. There are still a few big hooks around but generally for big construction projects railroads use road-based machines and for wrecks they outsource to Hulcher and other who use sideboom rigged bulldozers. Of course there are surely exceptions!
Per your request! As you can see, it has many features of the ATSF derrick and flatcar--but the shape of the body is all wrong. Kinda squarish...
That shot reminded me of this: http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=146292 But then, it really isn't too similar, aside from being a crane of similar size.
I will have to look through my bibliograph of plans and photos of ATSF derricks to see if any are like this. Santa Fe had quite a roster of derricks. Derrick: roster of "big hooks" Santa Fe Modeler 3rdQ87 p.2 Derrick GC&SF #1 Work Eqpt Cars p.70 Derrick #1774, burro crane on rails on flatcar deck Route of the Warbonnets p.62 Derrick #1776, burro crane Trains May76 p.54 Derrick #190017 with hand crane for rail load Work Eqpt Cars p.68 Derrick #199654 blank end view Santa Fe Modeler 2Q90 Derrick #199720 150 ton, bridge erection Santa Fe Modeler 2Q88 p.12 Work Eqpt Cars p.66 Derrick #199731 200-ton Bucyrus Erie data: Santa Fe Modeler MarApr81 p.10 Derrick #199754 115-ton blt 1915 pix Santa Fe Paint & Lettering Guide p.44 pix 1970 at Cleburne, _ATSF Color Guide to Frt & Psgr Eqpt_ p.120 Work Eqpt Cars p.71 Derrick #199755 wood, 1911 pix Santa Fe Modeler MarApr79 p.29 Derrick #199760 30 ton prototype and scratchbuilding article Model Railroader Jan56 p.32 Derrick #199768 hand-operated 15 ton out of service 1940 Work Eqpt Cars p.22 Derrick #199771 100 ton Santa Fe Modeler MarApr81 p.6 Santa Fe Paint & Letter Guide p.49 Work Eqpt Cars p.76 HO prize model: Warbonnet 3Q 04 p.13 Construction article & proto pix p.14, color proto photo p.23 Derrick #199773 120 ton assigned Silsbee Santa Fe Modeler MarApr81 p.18 Work Eqpt Cars p.76,77 Derrick #199774 120 ton, Industrial Works Santa Fe Modeler MarApr81 p.6,7,10,18. Santa Fe Modeler 3Q87 p.32 redetailing DimiTrains N scale kit to #199774 Santa Fe Modeler JanFeb82 p.9 Work Eqpt Cars p.78 Derrick #199775 in bridge erecting service Santa Fe Modeler 2Q88 p.11 Work Eqpt Cars p.16,65,67,69 Derrick #199776 Work Eqpt Cars p.78 Derrick #199778 prize model _Warbonnet_ 3Q 97 p.2 Derrick #199779 assigned Silsbee Santa Fe Modeler 3Q87 p.32 Work Eqpt Cars p.79 Derrick #199780 Work Eqpt Cars p.80 Derrick #199781 120 ton, assigned Lubbock Santa Fe Modeler 3Q87 p.2 Work Eqpt Cars cover, p.26,80 Derrick #199782 Work Eqpt Cars p.80 Derrick #199783 120 ton Santa Fe Modeler MarApr81 p.6 Derrick #199784 Work Eqpt Cars p.74,81 Derrick #199785 150 ton. kitbash article Santa Fe Modeler 3Q87 p.20-21 Derrick #199786 150 ton, assigned Wellington Railroad Modeler Apr76 p.63 Santa Fe Prototype Modeler Jan77 Work Eqpt Cars p.81,82 Derrick #199787 overturned! Work Eqpt Cars p.89 Derrick #199789 160 ton, assigned Arkansas City Railroad Modeler Apr76 p.64 Work Eqpt Cars p.75 Derrick #199790 Work Eqpt Cars p.83 Derrick #199791 200 ton, assigned Barstow Rail Classics Nov72 p.74 kitbash AHM N-scale Model Railroader Apr77 p.54 Work Eqpt Cars p.84 Derrick #199792 200 ton, assigned Argentine Railroad Modeler Apr76 p.62 Work Eqpt Cars p.85 Derrick #199793 200 ton, assigned Newton, blt 1927 Railroad Modeler Apr76 p.58,59,62 pix, _ATSF Color Guide to Frt & Psgr Eqpt_ p.120 Work Eqpt Cars p.18,74,85 Derrick #199794 200 ton, assigned Corwith Railroad Modeler Apr76 p.61 Work Eqpt Cars p.86 Derrick #199795 Work Eqpt Cars p.87 Derrick #199796 200 ton, assigned Amarillo Railroad Modeler Apr76 p.63 Work Eqpt Cars p.88 Derrick #199797 blt 1931, assigned Temple pix, _ATSF Color Guide to Frt & Psgr Eqpt_ p.120 Work Eqpt Cars p.88 Derrick #199798 200 ton, assigned Clovis Railroad Modeler Apr76 p.61 wreck at Melrose NMex,1959 Work Eqpt Cars p.6 Work Eqpt Cars p.88 Derrick #206718 WT-M (ex-TOFC) w hand derrick Work Eqpt Cars p.68 Derrick tender 189115 HO prize model: Warbonnet 3Q 04 p.13 Construction article & proto pix p.14, color proto photo p.23
