Railroad equipment north of Monon

Steve B · **Posted:** Mon May 19, 2008 7:27 pm

Yesterday while driving around NW Indiana, engaging in my wife’s hobby of visiting every county in every state, we came upon what I first thought was a railroad museum that I was unaware of but I believe it was a restaurant north of Monon. There was a Monon steam wrecker and boom car and a Wabash caboose and quite a bit of other stuff. Since we were on the way to a family reunion we didn’t stop and I was wondering what all is there and who does it belong to?

Steve

caboose9 · **Posted:** Mon May 19, 2008 11:14 pm

The Monon Connection Museum <www.mononconnection.com>, Monon, IN, has steel, streamlined cupola, Wabash 2822 caboose. Roger

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6487

Steve B wrote:

Yesterday while driving around NW Indiana, engaging in my wife’s hobby of visiting every county in every state, we came upon what I first thought was a railroad museum that I was unaware of but I believe it was a restaurant north of Monon. There was a Monon steam wrecker and boom car and a Wabash caboose and quite a bit of other stuff. Since we were on the way to a family reunion we didn’t stop and I was wondering what all is there and who does it belong to?

Steve

Steve -

The steam wrecker is actually Belt Railway of Chicago # 190, not Monon.

Les

survivingworldsteam · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 11:22 am

Les Beckman wrote:

Steve -

The steam wrecker is actually Belt Railway of Chicago # 190, not Monon.

Les

Les;

Would you happen to know the construction details for this steam crane? I was sent a list of preserved railroad cranes a few years ago; this one appears to not be on it.

Thanks in advance.

survivingworldsteam · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 11:26 am

survivingworldsteam wrote:

Les Beckman wrote:

Steve -

The steam wrecker is actually Belt Railway of Chicago # 190, not Monon.

Les

Les;

Would you happen to know the construction details for this steam crane? I was sent a list of preserved railroad cranes a few years ago; this one appears to not be on it.

Thanks in advance.

Found a picture of the crane in the musuem's photo gallery; the title indicates it is 150 ton crane built by Bucyrus in 1929:

http://www.mononconnection.com/photos/d ... 5ecd4f4e88

This is definitely a new entry; all I am missing is the serial number.

survivingworldsteam · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 4:38 pm

I forwarded the above information to the individual who is mantaining the railway crane list (John A Taubeneck). He says he has two Bucyrus cranes numbered Belt Ry of Chicago #190. Neither one fits the above perfectly. Anybody have any idea which one it is:

Bucyrus #3711 04-23 100t SW
Belt Ry of Chicago #190

Bucyrus #9711 09-27 150t SW
Belt Ry of Chicago #190
Chicago & Western Indiana RR scrapped?

He also pointed out the Union Pacific steam crane and tender pictured at the top of the link below. The crane is #910004; the vanderbuilt tender is #900489. Both have been sitting in a scrapyard in Portland, OR since the late 1970s, and are for sale:

http://www.brian894x4.com/RRrailmaintequipphotos.html

Steve B · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 7:54 pm

Thanks for the info and next time I'll have to stop and have a look around.

Steve

survivingworldsteam · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2008 10:29 am

You're welcome. John contacted the Monon Connection museum, and found out theirs is the second of the two cranes John listed:

Bucyrus #9711 09-27 150t SW
Belt Ry of Chicago #190
Chicago & Western Indiana RR scrapped?

Good to know it was not scrapped for once!