The US Army bought their last locomotive crane in the 1953 and was still using some into the 1980s. Do they still own any? Are there any records available on military cranes?

Although I saw cranes at various Army posts in years past, I'm not aware of any site still using them today.

John,

If you ever figure out the Army's "system" of accounting for rail equipment let me know. So far it seems split between the Corps of Engineers, Construction Quartermasters and Ordnance depending on time frame. There may be others also I haven't come across yet.

Jeff Livingston

Jeff,

I don't know anything about the Army's accounting system for cranes or anything else. I do know if there are any records nobody will admit it. The Transportation Corps Museum sent me what little information they had. During WWII cranes were numbered by there capacity. 25 tonners were in the 2500 block, 75 tonners were the 7500s, etc. Sometime in the late 40s they changed to using a C to designate crane. It looks like they started at C-1 and made it into the high 200s. At least some were renumbered. The crane at the Pueblo Ry Museum was built as C-282 but is now C-289. You can see photos of the crane and builder's plate here:

http://www.pueblorailway.org/WSPRF/Asse ... 0crane.htm

John T

I should have mentioned that the Army bought 11 25 ton cranes and two wreckers (1 50t and 1 75t) from Orton in 1953/54. For some reasion they were numbered C-1708 to 1720. C-1700 to 1707 were 40 ton AH&D diesel electrics.

The Museum of Transportation in St. Louis County, MO, has Orton 25 ton Army crane #226 built in 1953, which hasn't been operated in years but is still there.

I am glad to hear that the Orton is still at the Museum of Transportation. They had it listed for sale with Sterling Rail a few years ago asking $30,000. Its original number was C-1715.