We have an industrial building that has no commercial power, but would like to use the 250 VDC overhead crane inside. We also have a small Whitcomb diesel electric locomotive on site. Would it be possible to utilize the Whitcomb to produce 250 VDC to power the overhead crane?

What changes would be required to convert it to this duty?

Thanks

I used a welder to power my steelyard crane, and move streetcars SLOWLY............don't know why it wouldn't work if properly connected and not overloaded. Wasn't there a museum that ran with a diesel in one direction pulling an interurban, then powered the interurban with the diesel the other way?

dave

Dave -

I believe the museum that does that is the Michigan Transit Museum in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Using a couple of "L" cars from Chicago. And I think perhaps others have done it too.

Les

When Blue Mountain and Reading was using the former Reading Company Locomotive Shops in Reading , PA, they powered the 250 ton crane from one of the CF-7's. This was done when working on both 425 & 2102. Don't ask me the specifics on the wiring, I don't know, all I do know is that it worked.

I also saw that same crane powered by a big welder on the back of a very poorly-running truck that smoked worse than 2102! They just drove the truck along the floor as the crane travelled the length of the shop.

The same gentleman who accomplished that showed me how to hot wire the Wabash SW-8 at Steamtown Foundation (before NPS and a new rectifier) to run the overhead crane in Scranton. I do not remember all of the particulars (it was 1985 or so) but it involved blocking the reverser, and hotwiring a field connection on the generator. Welding cables to the crane did the rest. I did not get a full 220 VDC, but got enough to run the crane.

Steve Zuiderveen

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has on several occasions used our 1930 Westinghouse/Baldwin diesel Armco B73 to generate 550/600VDC to operate trolleys in the absence of commercial power or to assist our old DC rectifier unit. Smaller diesels should be capable of producing enough 250VDC for modest loads. With B73 all that is required is to find the right throttle setting for the desired voltage, plus wiring out temporary connections for plus and ground. We may explore this option on our recently acquired 25 ton GE in the future.

Regrettably they have discontinued the practice, as Locomotive 1807 suffered mechanical trouble, as did one of the two "El" cars (4442 and 4450) and the other lacks the power to pull the whole train. Now they conventionally push-pull, using a South Shore car, the remaining El car, and a Baldwin formerly belonging to the airbase.

The MTM was my first railway museum and I had no idea they were so unique in their practice. Now that's 3 museums that have had truly novel practices- MTM with energized push/pull; SMRS with speeders; and WRM with broad use of pantographs. SMRS has abandoned speeders and now pulls trains occasionally with the GMDH-3 diesel-hydraulic.