Abandoned loco crane in Lansing

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1265

Here is an Industrial Brownhoist abandoned at Lansing, MI. anybody know anything about it?

Latest Google Earth
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7024296 ... a=!3m1!1e3

Taken 2005
https://plus.google.com/photos/10214071 ... 7832512817

Possibilities
11806 25t DC 1947 Lansing Board of Water & Light Lansing, MI
(LPO 1965)
12258 DE 25 1955 Lansing Board of Water & Light Lansing, MI
(LPO 1965)

NS 3322 · **Posted:** Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:23 pm

Here are my photos of the crane:

Taken 2015:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4343745

Taken 2016:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4421441

Thread on railroadfan.com:
http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33502&p=356055&hilit=lansing+crane#p356055

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1265

Thanks for the information. A builder's plate was to much to hope for.

M Secco · **Joined:** Sun May 12, 2013 2:46 pm **Posts:** 245

The Demmer crane looks like a late model DE cause the stack is on the left side were the DE's Detroit 671 and Generator would be located. In my experience if it was an early mechanical drive it would have had a Cat 13000 diesel with a stack almost in the middle of the hood behind the cab. The rounded off rubber gasketed windows are synonymous with late model Industrials. If you look under the crane you'll either see the wires for traction motors or big drive shafts and u-joints for mechanical drive. I don't know the set up though, for a late model mechanical drive . How about the next person that goes there please close up the windows and doors to give the thing some chance of survivability huh ?

EWrice · **Joined:** Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14 am **Posts:** 367

Not sure if this is the same one, but this one was scrapped not far from Lansing this fall.

NS 3322 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:05 am

EWrice wrote:

Not sure if this is the same one, but this one was scrapped not far from Lansing this fall.

This looks like the one that was at the Michigan State University railroad in East Lansing.

airforcerail · **Posted:** Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:41 am

Looks to be located on Midwest Press and Automation's property.

If someone wanted to go after it I would start there. The track appears severed. Trucking would be the way to go anyway.

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1265

This is what I have on the MSU crane.

11799 25t DC 1947 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI

Was it recently scrapped?

M Secco · **Joined:** Sun May 12, 2013 2:46 pm **Posts:** 245

This last crane's got that big Cat 13000 in it most likely ,hence the huge stack. Those Cats don't purr , they BARK . Looks like drive mechanism between the trucks .

Hey John T , why don't you just go out and buy one of these cranes. I just know you want too.

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1265

My wife would have a fit if she came home and found a crane in the driveway! I have to make do with collecting information and sharing it with others. Once in a great while I can contribute to saving one of these great machines.

jayrod · **Posted:** Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:27 pm

John T wrote:

My wife would have a fit if she came home and found a crane in the driveway!

I know where you can get a 250 tonner ;>). You might need to find an excuse for a taller garage door to hide it, though.

M Secco · **Joined:** Sun May 12, 2013 2:46 pm **Posts:** 245

When comparing the 2005 to the 2016 pictures of the Demmer crane, you can see someone has pilfered it's Industrial Brownhoist peanut air whistle from the top right corner of the cab. I hope they're happy with it .

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1265

Here are three Industrial Brownhoist cranes in a scrapyard somewhere in 2007.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21748955@ ... otostream/

The builder's plate is from a Milwaukee Road crane. Any ideas on where this is or the ID of the cranes?

M Secco · **Joined:** Sun May 12, 2013 2:46 pm **Posts:** 245

It is a scrap yard in Joliet Illinois, Railway Industrial Services, that deals in railway equipment cars ,wheels sets , trucks etc . I went there about a year ago hoping to buy some wheel axle sets off their two EJ&E wreckers that were there. Too late , both wreckers were already cut without even a rivet remaining . They did have though, 3 or 4 Industrial Monitor Cab cranes that I saw all lined up together that looked like they use periodically . I didn't look closely at them because I was on a mission but they were definitely of the larger IB models . Can't find the address at the moment but they are adjacent to the "J" tracks , a little south of the penitentiary's cemetery . When I looked at Google Earth, I counted 10 cranes in different states of completeness including the wreckers ,but it's an older view . You can see in the pictures from John T the one getting the new motor has connections on it's boom for pile driver leads.

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1265

Thanks, that opens a door to more research. Were these the two wreckers?

3193 160t W 1917
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern #5
(Converted to diesel/electric 11-51 with electrical equipment
salvaged from former tugboat, new cat diesel 04-63)
Retired but still here 2007.)

12217 250t DW 1954
Elgin Joliet & Eastern #6 (still extant 2007) scrapped?

Abandoned loco crane in Lansing

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