by sassgrunt » Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:26 pm
Those are absolutely gorgeous models! I retired from Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard some years ago, and was able to find a few (very few) photos of the steam cranes they used in the Yard from 1903 until the early 1950's. All were narrow gauge, self-propelled, lattice-boom cranes, (mostly Brownhoist, Ohio, and Orton, I think...it's been awhile). They used to use them to go to the edge of the drydocks and lift machinery from the ships & submarines, and put that onto a flatcar, which they would then tow to the appropriate shop for repairs. Because they were around 8 or 10 feet wide but rode on a 3-foot gauge track, they had retractable steel beams to place wooden jacking pads under, as well as each end of the crane was equipped with a pair of rail clamps that would lock it to the track. Despite this, photos show the results of the operators trying to make a quick pickup, and not using these things; with the result of the crane toppling over into the bottom of the dock and being completely destroyed.
I toyed with the idea of building a display piece for the Shipyard Commander's office, but never made any headway. And, after seeing your museum-quality masterpieces; I'd feel out of my league to even try! Great work, and thank you for sharing them! -Mike
Last edited by
sassgrunt on Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.