h.o. scale rolling stock-work car

[trains]

What is so special about this car does it turn the crane by its self.I was thinking about buiying this rail car.



              I am curious to know                
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[Guilford Guy]

Nothing Really, It has a couple knobs to raise and lower the booms and one of the hooks. It swivels by itself. I suppose you could add a decoder and a few small motors such as a modified tortoise switch machine, but it would be very difficult...

[trains]

Nothing Really, It has a couple knobs to raise and lower the booms and one of the hooks. It swivels by itself. I suppose you could add a decoder and a few small motors such as a modified tortoise switch machine, but it would be very difficult...

so you mean it operates itself?

[Guilford Guy]

I mean you have to turn the knobs to raise and lower the boom, and hook.

[TonyD]

Buy it anyway. Every railroad has to have a crane, 'cause everyone has cars fall off the tracks. It makes a realistic little work train for an engine that can't pull many cars, and looks cool just sitting on a siding. GG will agree- right? I think the knobs are best to just lower the boom onto the flat car, or raise it up for a scene making it look like it is at work.

[RAM]

The car with it is a boom car.  You will need a car for the boom.  It can be a boom car, or a gon. or flat car.

[trains]

i think i might just do that

[Redtail67]

The photo you posted looks like the "BIG HOOK" we had at Temple, Texas.

We had a small steam "LITTLE HOOK" at Silsbee, Texas that we used all the time. ( I started railroading on the ATSF  in Silsbee and worked out of Temple for 5 years.)

I was on many wrecks where we had the Temple Derrick and the Silsbee Derrick working one on each end.

Many times we exceeded the rated capacity of the "LITTLE HOOK" because it was rated at 120 tons ( if my memory is right) and many of the cars loaded exceeded that and most of the (GP7 and F-all Types) engines  were 249,000lbs and the SD40 and more modern were 349,000lbs. That Little Hook picked them up and set them on the rails.

As was mentioned all wreckers had a "BOOM" car as well as "TOOL" car an a car with blocking and stuff.

When a wreck happened where the "Hook" was called out the crews were told to get to work as quick as possiblel and line up the hook and get ready to depart as soon as Train Orders were issued.

They finally got smart enough to have them on there own track at the roundhouse or rip tracks and they were ready except for the air test.


Redtail67