The Strasburg Railroad... just kidding, the Strasburg Rail Road owns two
cranes, one more impressive then the other, but both have captured my
interest.

I was wondering the history of each (and imagining the draw the larger #3
would create at Strasburg if it were restored and used in service on select
days and /or charters in a fashion similar to what is done at the Nevada
Northern).

Surprisingly little info comes up on a Google search.

/Mitch

Certainly Mr. Anderson or Mr. Weaver would be more qualified than I to address their crane situation; after all, it's their railroad.

Small crane is a nice 40s-50s era Burro crane (Model 40?), used by MOW gangs. Cullen-Freistadt (sp?) Company of Chicago made these things. They usually have couplers and can move a freight car (flat or gon) or two. Capacity is about 10-15 tons, I recall, depending on the model. Used primarily for rail laying, can also be fitted with a clamshell bucket. This one looks to have a man basket attached to the boom tip.

Big guy is a typical 150-160 ton capacity steam wreck crane. I think this one was originally PRR.

This stuff is extremely useful around a museum and heritage railroad.

Howard P.

Nice to see a burro has been preserved. They're neat little cranes.

About 20 years ago, I tried to sell one, and couldn't find anyone interested. Even ran and ad in RT&S, which sold a ballast car in a couple days, but the only call I got on the Burro was from somebody wanting to sell me his! (Why he thought I'd want two when I was trying to sell one remains a mystery.)

Ours looked similar, but was slightly different and had the more common lattice boom.

.

So Kelly, maybe it's the picture, but on the Burro - has the boom been replaced by a section of rail?

And that 'basket'.... A 'PA logging railroad' approach to a manlift crane?

If you want parts there's a condemned one in Texas I know of....

.

Kelly - were these donated to Strasburg or did the railroad at one time actually decide to put aside some hard cash with the thinking - "we gotta get one of each"?

If so - was it an offer too good to pass up (why not?) or simply - the end to a sought after search?

Any plans for restoration /use? I do not recall ever seeing them in use - either in service or demonstration.

Thanks for the info to date!

/Mitch

Kelly -

Still steam? Or did the Pennsy convert it to diesel? Also, any idea as to the original PRR road number?

Thanks.

Les

The following info is from John Taubeneck's list:

Industrial Works c/n 2227, 120 ton steam crane

Pennsylvania Railroad 490701

Penn Central 50030

SRR 03 9/4/1971

Metra has a Burro on the (ex-IC) Electric Line upon which someone took the care to paint the raised lettering. Hard to see from this angle but that's a safety cage around the boom set on insulators. Here it is being used to push a flatcar distributing winter salt to the high level platforms along the line.

Steve

In case anyone cares:

For many years there was a Burro on the CSX Popes Creek branch in Upper Marlboro, MD (just off Rt 726). Over the years it was slowly pushed further and further down a sliding. Some reports said the copper on the crane was gone.

About two months ago, the crane was cut up. The boom and accessory car are still there, with the magnetic pick up device and other parts.

Bob Bunge

.

Too bad - you could've used it to lower the picnic tables into the new grove at the end of the line, lol.

Still curious about this crane - wondering if it was so cheap or free that it was a no brainer for display or if it was purchased for possible demonstration use, or maybe even industrial use prior to the acquisition of the smaller crane.

Thanks for all the info - we all know a lot more then we knew last week!

/Mitch

I wonder if there's a way to hook the steam crane up to a locomotive boiler like we occasionally do at Greenfield Village

Was not the burro used to clean out the ash track in the 1980's?