In another thread recently, we talked about Orton cranes. The Purdue University crane at Hoosier Valley (shown below picking up some rail we waited 26 years to acquire!), carries serial number 44596. We know the crane was built for Purdue in 1945, but don't know the month. Does anyone know how Orton numbered their production? My thinking is that the 45 in the above number is the year, perhaps the first number (4) stands for April, and the last two numbers signifies that this is the 96th crane built. BUT, this is only speculation on my part. Anyone have any idea as to the actual numbering method used by Orton?

Thanks.


Les

Maybe this would be of help?

Orton Crane CO
1244 East Market St
Huntington, IN 46750
Phone: (260) 356-7900