Folks,

The Shoreline Trolley Museum traded a "Crane for a Crane" in July 1998 and I wondered if the overhaul mentioned in an article about it in the museum's newsletter might be updated?

Has any of the electro/mechanical work mentioned been carryed out, both to restore the crane and make it operational for its full 5 ton rating?

A number of the country's traction museums have traded cars and restoration hardware or trucks and this is a good thing!

But the projects tend to get lost once the cars reach their new homes.

Ted Miles

It's still waiting in line for more members, help, money, shop time and space, etc. The gasoline engine that Differential Co. installed to run a generator after the local trolley company stopped being able to supply electricity has failed and has been removed. We are probably able to replace or fix what trolley parts are broken and missing, but it won't be easy. We aren't sure if it ever had a trolley pole in its all-electric days, or used a long extension cord. It may not have ever had a front cab or tower for mounting a pole, and the roof over the rear "tub" tilts with the boom. The boom and tub can swing continuously, but there doesn't seem to be a way to get propulsion electricity through it. Differential Co. tried to run the output from the generator through some of the existing slip rings, but they weren't capable, became overheated, and some leads became unsoldered in hard to reach places. Differential Co. eventually stopped using the controller, removed some parts and 2 traction motors, and regulated the speed with the speed of the gas engine driven generator. One of the remaining traction motors needs work. It and many other cars need help.