150-ton BN crane moves to Jackson Street Roundhouse

[AndyInserra]

The former BN 150-ton crane D158  is calling the Jackson Street Roundhouse home.  It was delivered on Monday and represents the last of the pieces stored at the Twin Cities Arsenal.  Crane D158 was built by Industrial Locomotive Works in 1914 for Great Northern.  In the 70's it worked for BN out of Superior.  At the end of its working life in 1985 it was donated to MTM.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=158226

For more info on the museum and how to get to the roundhouse check out

http://www.mtmuseum.org

[Northtowne]

What is the motive power  for D158?  Can't tell from the picture.

Northtowne

[coborn35]

If im not mistaken, the Lake Superior Railroad Museum has had one for 30+ years now

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Thats a ex-navy 44 or 45 ton in the backround? Up at snoqualmie we have a 44 toner and its intresting to say the least. We have the diesals out of another one for it in a boxcar someware. True to protocal we have them set on top of crusal MoW (espically if you want your back, those old movies make it look so eazy to lay track) and don't have anything to lift them. Our luck we'd try and it would fall threw the floor. I wish you luck and lets hope you have no need for that crane!

[chessiecat]

What is the motive power  for D158?  Can't tell from the picture.

Northtowne

I went to the website for the museum and it says it was originally steam power but was converted to diesel.   Hope this answers your question.  Looks to be in good condition.    Jim

[AndyInserra]

It is indeed diesel - in theory it shouldn't be too hard to start up.  Some work needs to be done but from reports the engine should be ok, it was occationally started up while in storage.   And since it was in a reasonably secure facility there weren't the usual worries.  We removed the classic lights before the move [and found a nice hornets nest in the red cabinet, that duct tape seal is mine - kept them inside as we worked]. 

And I certainly hope we don't ever need to use the crane for it's actual intended use.  We have a front-end loader and a truck mounted crane for our moderate lifting and they do the trick just fine.  The unit in back is a 45 tonner...

Side note - read about our passenger line in Friday [15 Sept] Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/1376/story/676726.html

[AndyInserra]

Just another update - crews are quite busy already doing work on the crane now that it is at the shops.  And it has been paired up with a MNS flat until its own BN flat is ready to go - easier to move and it just looks better with a flatcar...

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=161000

[mudchicken]

Hopefully the larger "big hooks" (150T-250T units) and their work cars find a home in museums. There is a nice assortment here in Denver at Burnham shops. There are places where they still have utility, especially in mountain territory. SP had some, still steam powered, working into the 1990's at places like Tucumcari.

[samfp1943]

Hopefully the larger "big hooks" (150T-250T units) and their work cars find a home in museums. There is a nice assortment here in Denver at Burnham shops. There are places where they still have utility, especially in mountain territory. SP had some, still steam powered, working into the 1990's at places like Tucumcari.

It is pretty amazing that there might be some steam powered cranes still operating on railroads today. The L&N had a big steam powered pile driver that operated around Memphis into the 1970s. Along with the Southern's steam powered crane that was around into the 1970s. They were something to watch! 

I guess with the availability of heavy lifting motor cranes used in construction, and potentially available to be used in situations where they are available to respond to derailments. Pretty well have replaced some of the bigh hooks on Class 1's. I have seen a big german Demag hydraulic[Barnhart Crane& Rigging] used to pick up derailed cars on an overpass in downtown Memphis some time back for the IC.