Container Loading Cranes I've been looking thru LOTS of container crane images recently,...specifically HO scale, and specifically railroad car loading ones. I have some specific requirements I am seeking for my two container handling areas, but I thought it might be interesting to see what other models (commercially available, kit-bashed, custom built) might be presented, and the reasons for those preferences. Heljan model I'll start out with one of my favorites, the Heljan model. https://www.hattons.co.uk/11688/hel...o_gauge_dc_ac_dcc_operation_/stockdetail.aspx
This is an expensive one, and it appears as though it is ONLY available as a fully operational model. I find it almost surprising that neither Heljan has offered a non-operating model, or perhaps some other manufacturer?? It does appear as though they have copied a real existing crane, but I find it to be so wide as to be limited to pretty large container handling scenes. It spans so many tracks. I like the idea that it services a track (or two ?) outside of its inner span. I would like to have a crane that spans only 2 or 3 tracks, with the capability to service one track outside its inner span. My container facility will possible be just barely wide enough to support this size crane.
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
I have toured a few intermodal dock and transfer facilities, and I have never seen a cran of that design operating in the United States.
.
Every intermodal crane I have seen has been one of two designs.
1) Stationary serving many tracks and chassis lanes.
2) On rubber tires ables to span one or two tracks and a chassis lane.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
railandsailI would like to have a crane that spans only 2 or 3 tracks, with the capability to service one track outside its inner span. My container facility will possible be just barely wide enough to support this size crane.
US Railroads do not use the type of crane that the Heljan model is based on. Some similar cranes would be found at seaports. There is only one crane that is readily available in kit form from Walthers. The drawback is that the crane only will span one (1) track.It is not wide enough to span two tracks and still be able to load/unload, containers, trailers. Take a look at this You tube video of a UP Railroad facility to familiarize Yourself on how that works. Also on the right of the Youtube video, You will fine a European Terminal crane like Heljan's and how that differs in operation.
Wheels in Time has a side loader Piggypacker, that can also be used at any Intermodal facility, big or small, like in Your case. I have them both. The Walthers crane and the Piggypacker, which came out in 1968 and is still in use today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPev1l1UBwg
I will add more links when I edit this post.
Walthers Intermodal crane:
https://www.walthers.com/mi-jack-translift-r-intermodal-crane-kit-7-3-8-x-3-3-4-quot-18-7-x-9-5cm
https://www.walthers.com/kalmar-intermodal-container-crane-kit
https://www.walthers.com/kalmar-intermodal-container-trailer-crane-kit
Wheels of Time Piggypacker. Excellant highly detailed modal, comes assembled. High priced, by somes standards.
https://ppw-aline.com/collections/piggy-packer-highly-detailed-models
No model produced for this side loader crane. Photo of a Diamond Reo truck that I restored and picking up a live load container at the N&W Intermodal yard in Chgo 1983. This is My first truck when starting in the Intermodal service in 1983. I started in 1963 in the Trucking industry for a common carrier:
Take Care!
Frank
Retired Teamster and Intermodal crane operator from CSX Intermodal, who actually worked for Pacific Rail Services, Seattle WA.
Although mine is N Scale, I built this from a kit by Walthers. This is not working, and it doesn't have the ability to load to the side of its inner span.
York1 John
York1,
The Walthers crane is not designed to straddle two tracks like You have it. Once the crane picks up the container/trailer from the car, it has no place to set it down on a chassis or if trailer, on the ground. Look at the first video I linked too in My post above.
This video shows a crane like the Walthers straddling one track and how the cont./trailers are set next to the car so the crane can load/unload car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H9WLzoKaVk
zstripeThe Walthers crane is not designed to straddle two tracks like You have it.
Yes, I agree. I wanted an intermodal yard, but with my limited space, I could not make it prototypical. I decided to have three tracks and the crane sitting there to get the idea of a working intermodal yard.
I got the idea from Model Railroader's N Scale series, "The Salt Lake Route". I didn't have the room they had, but I liked the look of the yard and fit it into my small layout:
SeeYou190 I have toured a few intermodal dock and transfer facilities, and I have never seen a cran of that design operating in the United States. . Every intermodal crane I have seen has been one of two designs. . 1) Stationary serving many tracks and chassis lanes. 2) On rubber tires ables to span one or two tracks and a chassis lane. . -Kevin .
I built the 2nd type Kevin mentioned from Walthers on the old layout. It was kinda cool looking, but realize that it wouldn't work on my current layout. I like the concept!
SeeYou190 I have toured a few intermodal dock and transfer facilities, and I have never seen a crane of that design operating in the United States. Every intermodal crane I have seen has been one of two designs. 1) Stationary serving many tracks and chassis lanes. 2) On rubber tires ables to span one or two tracks and a chassis lane. -Kevin
I have toured a few intermodal dock and transfer facilities, and I have never seen a crane of that design operating in the United States.
How about these BNSF cranes in Tenn? ...Maybe the US is playing catch up?https://youtu.be/m2MwzBHmcXY
The cranes in this video appear to have a broader capability,...to stradde a number of containers, and/or a truck/trailer .
https://youtu.be/tw_f9SqQPdM
zstripeThere is only one crane that is readily available in kit form from Walthers. The drawback is that the crane only will span one (1) track.It is not wide enough to span two tracks and still be able to load/unload, containers, trailers.
The Walthers site quotes
It's wide enough to straddle the intermodal car and two rows of trailers or containers parked side by side
If thats true, I can certainly imagine this crane as capable of straddling two cars and one container?
There is another problem I have with this Walthers crane,..how does the operator see what he is doing from that low point (almost on the ground) below the crane's engine??
The Walthers crane has the operators shack at ground level and must face the car that it is unloading/loading with trailers/containers. The crane will roll under it's own power to a break/crossing in the Intermodal yard and the wheels/ tires are put into a 90 degree position. It then rotates wheels to do a 180 swing onto the other side of the car so the operators cab is on the other side of the car, then it can load/unload trailers/containers from the other side of the car. Real life cranes with the cab like the Walthers crane can do exactly what I tried to explain above, but straddle two tracks instead of one. The center beams are much longer permitting it to do that. The Walthers crane is a condenced version of it's counter-part Mi-Jack crane. I operated a crane just like the Walthers at the CSX Intermodal facility. We also had cranes that were the same, except the operators cab was higher off the ground to view over the top of the loaded tub or flat car. Some yards also had (we also had them) cranes that the operators cab was part of the straddle beams. I did not operate those much, because I was old and had seniority to stay in the cranes that the operators cab was level with the ground. No need to climb a ladder that you must climb to reach the operators cab on the other mid cab/ carriage beam cabs. If You did not view the first video I linked too...do so.
EDIT: I was not going to mention this, but, one of My good friends and coworkers was operating a crane just like the Walthers crane and had to swing off a double track and swing onto another set of tracks and when He was in the swing of 180 in a forward motion, the front wheel broke at it's base and the rest of the crane that was in the forward motion, collapsed right on top of the operators cab. The poor man did not have a chance. He was crushed in the cab and it took the rescue crew, six hours to get Him out. We were all davastated that nite and did not continue to work that nite. Next day we did not have to work if We didnot want to. They had counseling for guys that needed it. They then took the remainder of like cranes out of service to make sure that they did not have similar stress problems like the collapsed crane. It was not on the local news because they tried to cover it up and would not allow any news people on the property. But a small group of guy's did so anyway off property and called the news people for their interview about the accident and His wife who got intouch with a lawyer stopped the cover-up, along with the Railroad from firing the guy's that reported it. That crane had to sit exactly where it fell, until it was independantly inspected. This happened in 2002....two more yrs. there and I fully retired......
I like that Walthers model. Might have to consider getting one for my modern themed layout.
One track for well cars, a road beside it for trucks to load, and space in between for workers to move around. Just like Frank's video.
A string of stacked containers along side of the crane and next to a back drop picture of more containers and that would make a convincing scene in a compact space with only one track needed.
- Douglas
You make a convincing argument Doughless.
But I had already begun to picture at least two container trains being loaded in my yard.
zstripebecause I was old and had seniority to stay in the cranes that the operators cab was level with the ground. No need to climb a ladder that you must climb to reach the operators cab on the other mid cab/ carriage beam cabs. If You did not view the first video I linked too...do so.
I assume the lofter cab you speak of was as in minutes 0:17 and 0:25 of that video?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPev1l1UBwg
railandsail zstripe because I was old and had seniority to stay in the cranes that the operators cab was level with the ground. No need to climb a ladder that you must climb to reach the operators cab on the other mid cab/ carriage beam cabs. If You did not view the first video I linked too...do so. I assume the lofter cab you speak of was as in minutes 0:17 and 0:25 of that video?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPev1l1UBwg
zstripe because I was old and had seniority to stay in the cranes that the operators cab was level with the ground. No need to climb a ladder that you must climb to reach the operators cab on the other mid cab/ carriage beam cabs. If You did not view the first video I linked too...do so.
YES........They also have some that are part of the beams on top. Too high to climb up for this old guy, let alone trying to get out fast. You would kill yourself jumping.......
railandsail You make a convincing argument Doughless. But I had already begun to picture at least two container trains being loaded in my yard.
I wasn't attempting to convince how your scene should be, it's not my layout. I was thinking out loud about what could work for any shelf layout.
I think Lance Mindheim has a scene on one of his layouts that uses stacks of containers along a backdrop of a picture of stacks of containers that is pretty convincing. No crane though.
I'm currenting thinking I will need both pictures and real containers to mask that hidden track. Since my container yard is fairly small (short), I believe I would like to have at least 2 parallel tracks under container loading conditions with the Walther's cranes.I believe the ship cranes, etc will have to be FAR off in the horizon on the backdrop to make any 'scale sense'
DoughlessI think Lance Mindheim has a scene on one of his layouts that uses stacks of containers along a backdrop of a picture of stacks of containers that is pretty convincing.
railandsail I'm currenting thinking I will need both pictures and real containers to mask that hidden track. Since my container yard is fairly small (short), I believe I would like to have at least 2 parallel tracks under container loading conditions with the Walther's cranes.I believe the ship cranes, etc will have to be FAR off in the horizon on the backdrop to make any 'scale sense' Doughless I think Lance Mindheim has a scene on one of his layouts that uses stacks of containers along a backdrop of a picture of stacks of containers that is pretty convincing. Would you have a reference link for them?
Doughless I think Lance Mindheim has a scene on one of his layouts that uses stacks of containers along a backdrop of a picture of stacks of containers that is pretty convincing.
Would you have a reference link for them?
https://lancemindheim.com
or I Google images lance mindheim and you can sort through a variety of pics.
I'll look thru that link a little bit later Douglas,...thanks.
Meantime I've been introduced to a new term...Transtainer
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=transtainer&id=20902A5A545211E2DC347F3B53208F20CDF69918&form=IQFRBA&first=1&cw=1129&ch=466
Perhaps simply looking at the Walthers boxes would provide inspiration as well.
The first is the box for the crane itself (MI-Jack crane), and the second is showing off their intermodal yard pavement product.
I guess we really don't know how you plan to use this facility. Will this be a static model with well cars and containers more or less permanently in place, or do you plan to switch the cars in and use the five-finger crane to load and unload?
You may also want to consider this in your design and choice of equipment.
When Heljan first released their model, they had a video showing operations using animated roads vehicles. It was overkill for a model railroad, but pretty nice as a sales video.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Just to go out on a limb with an oddity, the operating vintage Cox "Docksider Crane" (in production via Lima recently) crane spans 2 tracks nicely between the supports.
It's also known as a "Gantry crane". Seen here:
http://tycotrain.tripod.com/coxtrainsresource/id9.html
However, it is not prototypical for a container yard, being more of a vintage shipyard crane. It also extends a track or two in width off each side.
NOS examples still pop up frequently on ebay and train shows for fairly cheap money. I acquired one for $25 unassembled in the box. I plan on having a concrete pad on my layout where it can be placed for my son to play with, but easily removed -and replaced with a non-operating scale model when I want a bit more prototypicity.
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
Thanks guys, you convinced me that i don't have to get too complicted with my crane selection. I chose the Walthers Mi-jacks, and got 2 new ones in the mail yesterday (in addition to my two used ones that I may use in a kit-bash effort).
I am going to have a double track under mine,.....
with a center truck lane,...like this...