Best way to power a crain tender.

[jwar]

Are there powered trucks for steam tenders, know nottta about steam and would like to move a crane with the powered tender. After recieving information from my other post, this seems to be the best way, It would be dcc, now thinking the possability of the tender powering more then one type of crane, and WP had a water tender on the early CZ. At least it would have more then one use...Take Care...John

[bpickering]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jwar

Are there powered trucks for steam tenders, know nottta about steam and would like to move a crane with the powered tender. After recieving information from my other post, this seems to be the best way, It would be dcc, now thinking the possability of the tender powering more then one type of crane, and WP had a water tender on the early CZ. At least it would have more then one use...Take Care...John

Since I just read your post about the Walthers Cranes, I know you're in HO. IIRC, Northwest Short Line has several options. They should be able to be modified to use DCC.

Brian Pickering

[exPalaceDog]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jwar

Are there powered trucks for steam tenders, know nottta about steam and would like to move a crane with the powered tender. After recieving information from my other post, this seems to be the best way, It would be dcc, now thinking the possability of the tender powering more then one type of crane, and WP had a water tender on the early CZ. At least it would have more then one use...Take Care...John

The Old Dog hates to say it, but your post shows some confusion. Tenders are not usually powered, they are used to haul coal/oil and water for the locomotive which provides the power/traction. In some cases, "booster" trucks were used under tenders to provide addition power when starting and at low speeds.

In modeling practice, the power unit is sometimes hidden in the tender if the locomotive is too small to hold the moter and gearing, but the engine is supposed to appear to provide the power.

With a crane, the term tender has two means. One, is a car to provide clearance for the boom and storage for tools and rigging. Two, a tender similiar to a locomotive tender. In either case, the tender would not usually be powered. The crane itself may or may not have been powered in the sense of being able to move along the track under it's own power. It would certainly be powered in the since of being able to raise and lower the hook, raise and lower the boom, and to rotate. If it was not powered, a locomotive woukld be use to move it along the track. Otherwise, if it was steam pwered, it might use a "booster" truck.

For modeling purposed, modeling a powered crane migth require hiiding the real power unit in the tender, if so DCC should not be a problem, there would normally be adequate space for a DDC board. If the real power unit is in the crane itself, there might be a space problem especially if one wanted to control the hook, boom, and rotation remotely in addition to the forward and backward movement.

Have fun