Steam Cranes.

The BLuebell steam crane is non-operational and has been for quite some time. However, a cosmetic restoration is being carried out

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/crane/oh_crane.html

 

One of the earlier posters was wondering about new rail cranes. The logical extension of recent trends is the road/rail crane, and there is a brand new bright yellow 55 tonner under test at Wirksworth right now.

Tim

 

The LNWR Crane is indeed still at the Crewe Heritage Centre. Although its owner stated it would be restored for exhibition purposes, very little restoration has been carried out to this item and also several other vehicles the owner currently has on site. I believe the Crewe Heritage Trust is endeavoring to contact owners of rolling stock stored on the site with a view to items either being restored, removed or to paying suitable storage fees.

 

SVR has a fully operational and very much used crane. Currently next to the platform at Bridgnorth.

 

Hello,
Re video:
Hard hats are highly recommended for all when using lifting equipment.
Beanies are not recognised PPE.

Duty of care.

Nick

 

Tell the people at Wirksworth and at all locations where Lifting operations / Digging is being carried out.
I just found the film clip and have no connection at all with Wirksworth.

 

Look again, and I think you will find that almost all of the video shows a shunting operation, not a lifting operation. No actual lifting is seen.
One notable reason why equipment gets tested at Wirksworth is to prove the brake systems on the Ravenstor incline.
I have run my own cranage operations at Wirksworth on "The Duke", and you can rest assured that the EVR management are extremely keen on lifting plans and hard hats.

Tim

 

It's not quite right to say that it was one of only three cranes used on the Martin Mill Military Railway in connection with the construction and operation of "Winnie", "Pooh", and the other guns. More recent research has established that the following at the very least were used at some time or another at the MMMR:-

LMS - RS1015/50, plus one unidentified
SR - 1560S, 1561S, plus either 1196S or 1197S
LNER - 941600
GWR - anecdotal evidence from Swindon "Factory" staff in service during WW2 suggests that GWR 2 was also used at Martin Mill, although no photographic evidence has yet come to light.

It will be appreciated that this is not an easy subject to research, and photos are few and far between. I suspect that taking photos of such things was likely to result in severe and unpleasant penalties at that dark time in our history.

If anyone is interested in this particular aspect of our railway history, there is a thread on the BDCA forum discussing military breakdown cranes as well as the military use of non-military breakdown cranes including the MMMR whcih can be found here - http://www.bdca.org.uk/forumtwo/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=117