The attached photos are scanned from a page believed to be an Industrial Brownhoist promotional calendar.
Being a fan of IB cranes, I’ve looked at quite a few wrecking crane pictures but have not seen this one before.

I’m thinking the rendering depicts X215 as it likely appeared when it left IB’s test track. (I don’t know.)

It looks like B&O X215 gained some extra weight over its career too.

John

The X215 was built in 1952 so the pic is probably from the 1953 calendar. I think you are right the photo was taken at the IB plant and the background retouched. That is a great find.

That looks almost identical the the unit we have. I was told ours was 1949, but do not know for sure. Is there records of serial numbers out there that could be traced back to a particular unit?

Since you didn't say who "we" are or anything about the wrecker you have I can't help you. Please give me something to work with.

After a quick check I found that there are 25 preserved 250 ton wreckers.
American 3
Bucyrus-Erie 4
Industrial Brownhoist 18

This does not include the few still in use.

Were these self-propelled, as many steam hooks were?

To the best of my knoledge all of the 250 tonners were self propelled.

Thanks. I just realized that this must be the prototype for the American Flyer Crane--and all along I thought they used a steam crane

So how many wreckers are still in service and who has them?

Industrial Works used sequential alphabet letters to identify their crane products.
They made it to “Z” (rated 200-ton) by 1923.

Reference URL: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id= ... up;seq=114

I’m not certain how Industrial Brownhoist continued their product identification by the time X215 was manufactured.
The American Flyer 944 toy does have the same revolving superstructure and boom as the X215.
The window(s) on the back of the 250-ton diesel cranes are a helpful identifier.
The back window on the toy and rear window on the X215 are the same horizontal pane arrangement.
Later diesels have two vertical windows on the rear of the cab housing.
For whatever reason, A.C. Gilbert fitted their toy crane with what appeared to be Commonwealth trucks
which I don’t believe were ever installed on any real IB crane.
(I’d love to see a real IB crane, or photo of wrecker with commonwealth trucks installed if it’s out there.)

Still sifting through what remaining scraps of data can be found on IB cranes.
At least three different styles of booms are installed on 1950’s built IB cranes, and they may be
identified with letters. I’m not certain.

A couple years ago, someone saw the 1-1/2”scale IB wrecker sitting in my driveway in Lansing, Mi.,
and tossed a 2003 BN Expediter Volume 11, Number 1 newsletter on my front porch.
(They must have felt sorry for me ; )
The fruits of John T’s crane research are displayed in that issue with an outline dimension drawing of a 1954 Industrial Brownhoist 250-ton diesel crane with a type “B” boom. The American Flyer toy, and the X215 have what could be considered the more popular boom arrangement, but I’m not certain what letter if any would identify the boom style they were outfitted with.

John

As far as I know the Union Pacific still has betweeen 2 and 4 American 250 tonners and there are at least two in Mexico. Any left in Canada? Here are the wrecker letter codes:

P 75 ton Wrecker
R 100 ton Wrecker
T 120 ton Wrecker
VA 150 ton Wrecker
X 160 ton Wrecker
Z 200 & 250 ton Wrecker

Industrial Brownhoist built at least 80 250 tonners, Bucyrus-Erie built 31 and American built 16.

One in Canada

Bucyrus-Erie
36210 08-31-46 250t SW
F. H. Hopkins & Co., Ltd. (D)
Canadian National Ry #50008(2nd) (converted to diesel)
(last wrecker on CN, in service 2016)

John,
The AC Gilbert crane uses Buckeye trucks because ACG was famous, or rather infamous, to use what was on hand. These trucks were used under their Hudson and Northern locomotive tenders, and the only other 3-axle truck they had at the time was a stamped tin passenger car truck. They probably figured the Buckeye was more appropriate and believable.

It looks like the Union Pacific still has two 250 tonners.

Bucyrus-Erie 115474 10-30-56 250t DEW
Los Angeles & Salt Lake #010006
Union Pacific RR #910006 1959
(still in use 03-16)

American W3964 250t 12-72
Union Pacific # 903050(2nd) Avery, NE
At Hinkle, OR 2013

Thanks for the info. Nice to see that some railroads have the good sense to hold onto one or two of these vital pieces of machinery. It's interesting that the UP 903050 was built around the time that many railroads were dumping their cranes. I checked it out on Google Earth and it's part of an impressive work train that the UP has put together in Hinkle.

There are some wreckers that are preserved in museums that also have a number of maintenance of way cars. Sure would be nice to see one of those museums assemble a work train display or exhibit. It's an almost forgotten part of railroad history.