D&RGW, 250 ton crane 028, Grand Junction Wreck train

Simply 'Grande! You have done a fantastic job on the whole outfit. I especially love the 028!

I'm building an N scale version that's not nearly as nice as yours.

 

The D&RGW built their crane tenders out of old heavyweight passenger equipment. That's why it's so long.

 

Looks good! Please post your progress images!

 

Hi Dale.
The 028 which was referred to "Samson the Grande" was converted to diesel.
A bunch were retired as steam derricks because the side boom type tractors are just so much more handy. Problem around here there are a bunch of places there just isn't room for side booms at all.
They used to start this one up and move it around, kind of excersize it once or twice a year. Not even sure there is an operator for this one anymore. Not very many of these old giants left in operation in the USA. You ever get up close to one of these things and it will amaze you how massive the steel is , and how much there is of it.
With the out riggers deployed and cribbed, there is no doubt it could lift 250 tons no problem.

 

The Southern Pacific converted them, as well as rotary snow plows.

Oddly, crane 7130 was still still in steam in 1982....a standard gauged class one using steam in 1982....

 

I will have to check, but I believe the 029, which spent a lot of time on the lead to the Spanish Fork sugar beet track was steam until the end.....

 

First of all.. Thanks Bremner for posting photos of a SPMW steam derrick in operation. I would note all the guys paying no attention to the boom, but attending the out riggers. This derrick was rated about 1/2 of what "Samson" was, but still in steam. I note how the rigging was bending the "aft portion" of that SD45's hood, while lifting same. But a great image of what a MW crew was in for. They just wanted the main track open again, no matter the cost, no matter what got bent.
What a great photo!!
I hope we can see some images of these power lifters in operation. These derricks were more powerful than many could imagine.
1982.... I was a US Marine in GITMO overseas. man I feel old LOL.

 

Been working lately on this wreck or derrick train. I have been looking for a car and side boom wreck dozer for this dedicated train. I was sooo lucky to find a brass OMI DRGW wreck dozer, but needed a drop deck flat car for the GJ wreck (side boom 6 or SB-6) DRGW 028 wreck train. These were Caterpillar D8 dozers with home designed foldable side booms. I was looking on ebay one night and saw a 40' drop deck flat car, after some research it was an old A-C kit. Prolly lead, so I washed my hands a lot. First thing I did was take it apart clean all the goo from the metal castings. Then into the sheet and dimensional Styrene drawer I went to try to replicate this car. Now there are very few photos of this car, and the best image found so far is in the D&RGW color book for freight and passenger cars. In that book the caption says "depressed flat of unknown origin". With all the rivets, I am thinking this thing may be pre-WWII. Note the spring packs on the trucks and how collapsed they are, man this thing was heavy, but sporting roller bearing ASF trucks.
Here is my image taken in Grand Junction in the late 1990's.


Now here are some images of my rendition of same, a LOT of stuff yet to do, like adding the wood deck, the ramp and details, wood cribbing, tires, weathering, on and on. The side beams or sills are the metal castings, referred to earlier, made the others out of .080 styrene, then covered the A end with sheet styrene. From the photo above I don't think there was anything attached to those (beams?) on the B end, or behind the dozer. You can also see all the additions to this car for the service, I mean they spent a lot of time modifying, widening this old car. Most of the the other side boom sets were made from 50' flat cars. Hand rails all over this thing. If anyone has better images showing the lettering details I would like to see them.






Anyway. Like I said a long way to go here. I wonder where they put the service/emergency air reservoir and triple valve?
Thanks for stopping by!

 

I might have written this previously- I have been aboard a steam powered derrick. They are quite interesting, as the gears and drum whirrrr, the exhaust is "chuff, chuff, chuff...." Fun memories.

 

I was surprised at how small the cylinders are that power these things.

 

Welcome back, Ray!
The sideboom flat build is really coming along. Very nice work!