Folks,

I wonder if anyone knows how many Steam Wrecking Cranes are still in operable condition? The Nevada Northern Railway Museum in Ely, Nevada has one that they trot out a couple of times a year for their annual photo shoots. Usually, the demonstration is totally staged. This year however, they had some real work for the "Big Hook". While one of the photo trains was being made up, an ore hopper derailed on an ice jam in the yard. Two attempts by the museum crew to rerail it using a front-end loader and a gang of inmates from a local prison were unsuccessful. The museum then elected to leave the hopper as-is and make it the "guinea pig" for a crane demonstration. The "Hook" made short work of the problem.

Here's a shot of the crane lowering the hopper to the rails:
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Here's a detail shot taken at an earlier demonstration, showing the crew in action inside the cab:
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This unit is a real gem. If you've ever thought about attending the annual photo shoots out there, this is an example of the kind of scenes you just can't get anywhere else!

/Kevin