I am building a riverfront scene on my layout, and I want to add a gantry crane next to the Walthers Front Street Warehouse that I have already built. In doing so, I want to confirm that what I am contemplating is prototypical.
In the following photo, my Walthers Front Street Warehouse is on the left, and the Walthers Gantry Crane is on the right. As I contemplate the scene, the gantry crane would be used to unload a docked barge in the river below and transfer the contents onto either the warehouse loading dock or directly onto a flatbed trailer parked below the crane. Would this be a prototyical placement and use of the gantry crane?
Although the photo shows the gantry crane at an angle, on my layout it would directly face the river, just like the warehouse. My plan is to replace the two small loading docks with one long loading dock.
Rich
Alton Junction
I've heard them refered to as Whirley Cranes, Rich.
https://www.americanconstco.com/whirley-yard-cranes
If you search Google images you come up with many images of them and their varied uses. I believe your scenario is correct and plausible.
Regards, Ed
Those types of cranes are normall not used to load into a warehouse, they are normally used to unload/load stuff into gons or open top cars. Most pier warehouses are "single story", more enclosed buildings with ground level doors instead of loading docks.
If you search for the Hagley Digital Archives, then "Dallin Aerial" and used the lists on the left side to choose a port city and then "piers & wharves" you can get all sorts of aerial shots of port facilites in the 20's thru the 50's.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
gmpullman I've heard them refered to as Whirley Cranes, Rich. https://www.americanconstco.com/whirley-yard-cranes If you search Google images you come up with many images of them and their varied uses. I believe your scenario is correct and plausible. Regards, Ed
dehusman Those types of cranes are normall not used to load into a warehouse, they are normally used to unload/load stuff into gons or open top cars. Most pier warehouses are "single story", more enclosed buildings with ground level doors instead of loading docks. If you search for the Hagley Digital Archives, then "Dallin Aerial" and used the lists on the left side to choose a port city and then "piers & wharves" you can get all sorts of aerial shots of port facilites in the 20's thru the 50's.
So, it sounds like the inclusion of the gantry crane alongside the Front Street Warehouse would be plausible, but that the crane would more likely be used to load waiting railcars and trucks rather than for unloading barge cargo into the warehouse.
The area that I have in mind on my layout is somewhat isolated from the rest of the layout, divided by a river with the mainline running in the background. The area will be populated by warehouses and light industry. So, the Front Street Warhouse and gantry crane provide more of a visual effect than part of a functional port operation. That link to the Hagley Digital Archives was most helpful. Lots of great photos of port facilities and crane operations.
I built the Walthers Front Street Warehouse a few years back, but I never really found a suitable spot on the layout to place it. The Walthers fact sheet says that such a warehouse made it possible to store cargo coming ashore from ships or barges until enough wagons, freight cars or trucks could be made available. On my layout, there isn't a proper space for a rail spur, so I will use simply place some small trucks at the loading docks.
On my layout, the waterfront is situated on the South Branch of the Chicago River. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, barges were used in the 1950s (my layout era) to carry coal, scrap, salt, petroleum and building materials. I will focus on the building materials such as brick, lumber, and other such materials in which case temporary warehouse storage becomes more plausible.
Dave, thanks again for your input.
Just wanted to update this thread.
I decided not to go with a gantry crane since it seemed more suited to portside operations than a riverfront warehouse. I still wanted some type of crane to unload product from barges, so I decided upon a pillar crane.
This pillar crane is a kit from JL Innovative Design and, in my opinion, not for the faint of heart. The kit consists of cast metal parts and scrap wood. It requires a lot of filing and trimming to remove flash and rough edges. I chose to use JB Quik Weld - a 2-part epoxy to bind the parts together and that worked well enough. I am not sure why all of the crane parts were not cast metal, but some were cast metal and some were scrap wood.
That kit was previously sold by Alexander Scale Models and dates back to the 1960's (or earlier).
dehusman That kit was previously sold by Alexander Scale Models and dates back to the 1960's (or earlier).
Oh well, I am modeling the mid-50s.