Isles Steam Cranes

Hi Guys.

Does anyone know what happened to the Isles Steam cranes which used to be on the MHR?

There used to be a 1.5 ton crane which was there in the early days of the railway, and later an another larger 7' + gauge crane arrived in bits, but was never restored.

Both cranes disappeared after about 1986, and nobody seems to know what happened to them.

 

According the IRS crane man Alex Betteney, the Isles one was sold to the Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust Hunsbury Hill in November 1992 but be-leaved to be on a private site, as never been seen on the railway. The Grafton Steam Crane they have no record of it ever been on the Mid Hants so most likely got scrapped. This is the best I can do for now. I see there is only one other Isles steam crane listed surviving and is on the Middleton Railway.

 

That's great news one survived. Your 100% correct, it was a Grafton steam crane, but nothing was ever done with it, it just sat around at Ropley, near the Turntable. I guess it was scrapped when they moved the Turntable, and discovered it under the weeds.

 

Well the first place I looked for information was in the Mid Hants stock book for 1983 for information to start my hunt.

 

I probably have a copy too, but I'm not that organized.