Mississippi Wrecker Cranes 1950-60s

sswcharlie · **Joined:** Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:40 am **Posts:** 21

Trying to locate rosters or any information on wrecker cranes owned/used by GM&O RR in MS and adjacent states in the 1950s - 1960s. Possibly based in Jackson MS, Mobile AL, or Jackson TN etc.

Wanting to locate a job done in Houston MS, in this era, to recover the Ingalls 4-S diesel loco after rolling down a bank with its feet pointing skywards!

What records and where archived of jobs done by each wrecker. Is there any logbooks or 'Form # ' for this info held somewhere?

Any groups or Facebook groups for this type of equipment. Derricks/cranes/big hooks, etc

Thankyou

Charles Harris
New Zealand

sswcharlie · **Joined:** Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:40 am **Posts:** 21

Hi Everone

Just a followup on an earlier post some 3 years ago.

Anyone seen info on above.

Thanks

Charles Harris

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

For GM&O I would try the "Fans Worldwide" facebook page, there are quite a few ex-GM&O employees on there who no doubt recall the story, and may have been around then. https://www.facebook.com/groups/149196275158122 I am a member of the GM&OHS, and occasionally in the 4-per-year printed news there are photos of cranes, and a lot of the same guys behind the HS are on the facebook page.

As for cranes, John T on this website is the guy here who would know the most about them I think.

Edit: I see you have asked about the Ingalls unit wreck over on the facebook page, so you already know about that.

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1270

Industrial Works
1692 75t W 1907 Gulf Mobile & Ohio RR
(LPO 1965)
2065 120t W 1909 Chicago & Alton #30047
Alton RR #X-38
Gulf Mobile & Ohio #66407 (to diesel)
Illinois Central Gulf #100405
2739 100t W 1913 Mobile & Ohio #W5
Gulf Mobile & Ohio #66404
Illinois Central Gulf #100402
2746 100t W 1916 Gulf Mobile & Ohio RR
(LPO 1965)
2868 120t W 1913 Chicago & Alton #053>30053
Alton RR #X-3
Gulf Mobile & Ohio #66408 (conv to diesel)
Illinois Central Gulf #100406
MidSouth RR #1600 retired & sold to ?
Stored derelict on MSRC Vicksburg MS 1996 (here 09-21)
5102 150t W 1927 Mobile & Ohio #?
Gulf Mobile & Ohio #66405 (to diesel)
Illinois Central Gulf #100411 (here 06-13-80)

Bucyrus
186 05-18-12 75t SW New Orleans Mobile & Chicago RR #A1228
Mobile & Ohio # ?
Gulf Mobile & Ohio #66402 retired & scrap
41989 01-24-47 250t SW Alton RR #X-50
Gulf Mobile & Ohio #66409 1948 Illinois Central Gulf #100416 (conv to diesel)
(Reportedly given #X-112 then repainted within weeks to #100416.)
retired & scrap (off roster by January 1997)

sswcharlie · **Joined:** Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:40 am **Posts:** 21

Hi

Thankyou PMC and JohnT for the great info.

Is there anything online such as log books etc giving location and jobs done etc.

Thanks

Charles
New Zealand

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

sswcharlie wrote:

Is there anything online such as log books etc giving location and jobs done etc.

1 in 1M chance I would say, so much paperwork was left behind in the 1980s, mountains of it, that I doubt anyone saved anything like that. I have some sort of lost logbook from an AT&SF piece of M/W equipment (a Burro crane maybe) from 1977, when a Santa Fe track gang was based in my little town for a few months, but only because I was 11 and grabbbed up anything that said "Santa Fe" on it. And I would bet that I haven't looked at the pages in 40 years.