Atlas O Premier Crane Car and Tender

In the early days of railroading, the job of cleaning up a wreck was usually done by men and horses. The first steam wrecking crane, a relatively small affair with a 20-ton lifting capacity, appeared in 1883. Its maker, Industrial Works of Bay City Michigan, introduced a fully revolving model a decade later. As the product became popular, Industrial Works, now renamed Industrial Brownhoist, and its chief competitor, Bucyrus-Erie of South Milwaukee, introduced larger and larger models to cope with increasing locomotive and car weights. By the World War I era, 120 tons was a common size, and by the Second World War, crane sizes topped out at around 250 tons of lifting capacity.

While a wreck train on the way to a wreck had priority over other traffic, cranes were subject to rather low speed restrictions, typically around 35 mph with the boom trailing and 25 mph if the boom was facing forward. The larger hook closer to the cab was actually the main lifting hook, used for locomotives. The hook at the end of the boom was a lower-capacity auxiliary hook, used when more reach was needed. Slings, chains, and spreader bars were used to attach the hook to the car or locomotive being lifted; the hooks were never attached directly. While some cranes were capable of limited self-propulsion, that was only for positioning at a site, not for travel to and from wrecks or jobs.

Because of their importance and the urgent nature of their work, cranes were usually well maintained and lasted for many decades. Our model represents a typical 250-ton diesel-powered Industrial Brownhoist crane constructed in the post-WW II era; while some of these were built new as diesels, others were upgraded from steam-powered models.

Today wrecking cranes are relatively rare and seldom seen, as most wreck cleanup is done by outside contractors with trucked-in bulldozers and other heavy equipment. Most large railroads, however, still maintain a 250-ton crane or two like our model, just in case.

The crane tender had two jobs: to protect the crane’s boom and enable it to be coupled with other cars on the way to a wreck site, and to carry the tools, chains, slings and other gear needed to clear a wreck. Unlike the crane itself, which was a precision piece of gear made by a specialized company, the crane tender was usually a home-built affair, cobbled together from whatever a railroad’s shop crew had lying around.

Our model represents a typical such car, built from what appears to be an older flatcar and an obsolete bobber caboose, functioning as an equipment shed. The rest of a typical wreck train usually had the same hand-me-down look. Passenger and freight cars no longer fit for revenue service were recycled into crew, equipment, and tool cars for wreck and maintenance of way service.

Crane Features:

  • Intricately Detailed Durable ABS Body
  • Metal Wheels and Axles
  • Colorful, Attractive Paint Schemes
  • Operating Die-Cast Metal Couplers
  • Moveable Hook & Boom
  • Fast-Angle Wheel Sets
  • Needle-Point Axles
  • 1:48 Scale Dimensions
  • Separate Metal Handrails
  • Die-Cast 6-Wheel Trucks
  • Unit Measures: 18 1/2” x 2 5/8” x 4 1/8”
  • Operates On O-31 Curves (3-Rail)

Crane Tender Features:

  • Intricately Detailed Durable ABS Body
  • Metal Wheels and Axles
  • Operating Interior Lighting
  • Die-Cast 4-Wheel Trucks
  • Colorful, Attractive Paint Schemes
  • Operating Die-Cast Metal Couplers
  • Fast-Angle Wheel Sets
  • Needle-Point Axles
  • 1:48 Scale Dimensions
  • Separate Metal Handrails
  • O Scale Kadee Compatible Coupler Mounting Pads
  • Unit Measures:14 1/2” x 2 5/8” x 3 15/16”
  • Operates On O-31 Curves (3-Rail)

Check availability of the Crane on the Atlas Online Store

Check availability of the Crane Tender on the Atlas Online Store

3-Rail Item# Road Name 2-Rail Item#
July 2024
3-Rail Crane MSRP: $94.95 2-Rail crane MSRP: $99.95
3-Rail Crane tender MSRP: $84.95 2-Rail crane tender MSRP: $89.95
O Crane Car - New Paint Schemes!
3001741 Burlington Northern D257 (Black/White/Yellow) 3002741
3001742 Erie Lackawanna 96700 (Black/Yellow) 3002742
3001743 Guilford 3365 (Black/White/Orange) 3002743
3001744 Illinois Central 100417 (Gray/White/Black) 3002744
3001745 Santa Fe 199792 (Blue/Yellow) 3002745
3001746 Seaboard Coast Line 765250 (Black/White/Yellow/Red) 3002746
O Crane Tender - New Paint Schemes!
3001747 Burlington Northern 966026 (Black/White/Yellow) 3002747
3001748 Erie Lackawanna 443041 (Black/Yellow) 3002748
3001749 Guilford BM 524 MWT (Dark Gray/Orange/White) 3002749
3001750 Illinois Central 101166 (Gray/White/Black) 3002750
3001751 Santa Fe 206982 (Blue/Yellow) 3002751
3001752 Seaboard Coast Line 765371 (Black/White/Yellow/Red) 3002752
November 2021
3-Rail Crane MSRP: $89.95 2-Rail crane MSRP: $94.95
3-Rail Crane tender MSRP: $79.95 2-Rail crane tender MSRP: $84.95
O Crane Car
3001237 Clinchfield 1402 (Black/Yellow) 3002237
3001238 Kansas City Southern 05 (Red/Black/Yellow/Silver) 3002238
3001239 Nickel Plate Road X80000 (Black/White) 3002239
3001240 Rio Grande 028 (Orange/Black) 3002240
3001241 Santa Fe 199791 (Black/Silver/Red) 3002241
3001242 Western Pacific 37 (Blue/Silver) 3002242
O Crane Tender
3001243 Clinchfield 1884 (Red/Black) 3002243
3001244 Kansas City Southern (Red/Yellow/Silver) 3002244
3001245 Nickel Plate Road X80000 (Red/Black) 3002245
3001246 Rio Grande AX22109 (Orange/Black/Silver) 3002246
3001247 Santa Fe 191513 (Silver/Red) 3002247
3001248 Western Pacific 37 (Blue/Silver) 3002248