Re: Steam Wrecking Crane in operation
Author: JWL
Date: 04-24-2010 - 10:06
Drew Jacksich Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The California State Railroad Museum & Scrapyard
> has a large steam powered SP hook that was painted
> in Daylight colors and I believe is still
> operable. Of course, one might argue that it was
> operational one too many times as a group of the
> docents were playing with it and lifting the SP
> Baldwin AS616...and dropped the locomotive
> rendering it inoperable. CSRM preservation at its
> finest!
This machine was one of the two 260 ton self propelled steam cranes on the SP. One assigned to LA and the other at Roseville. It was a mainstay for mountain operations from 1956 through 1988.
It was also one of the last two steam operated machines on the Sacramento Division, the other being the 160 ton crane at Sparks.
A very interesting time was when the Roseville Car Dept painted the complete outfit including the tool cars and crane daylight colors with out authority of 1 Market Plaza. RDK was very vociferous about this. If a lcomotive was derailed on the mountain this machine was called and used rather than fighting rerail frogs especially in the snow. Many legends can be written about this machine.