# Rant on: Looking for an N scale crane car



## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Literally every N scale crane car I can find has the old Rapido style couplers. I have come across old Con Cor, Bachmann and even Minitrix examples... but... Unfortunately, the trucks on most of these are 3-axle, and, as far as I can tell, MTL doesn't make a direct replacement truck.

WHY doesn't anyone make these crane cars with up-to-date trucks, wheelsets and couplers?

Why can't I figure out even _IF_ MTL makes replacement couplers that will fit?


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Tichy Train Group 2700 120-Ton Brownhoist Crane Kit N Scale 29300027005 | eBay

There’s a catch though. Kit. On the other hand, it’s a 4 axle crane.
For another way of looking at it: Con-Cor makes passenger cars. I’d bet the trucks all mount the same way. So you might be able to swap the trucks & turn the passenger car into something else (road side diner i.e.).


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Thanks! I have thought about making one of those Titchy kits. It seems the only real option other than "kit bashing" somehow.


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## pmcgurin (Sep 7, 2010)

%The Con-Cor passenger cars I have use a plastic push pin to secure the trucks. I have also used screw and nut as used on Atlas passenger cars on Con-Cor passenger cars, so that could also work on the crane car. If you can get at the other side to insert the nut and hold it while you screw in the screw. 

My purpose in using the screw and nut was ro insert the Atlas style current pickup with metal wheels to light the car with an LED strip. The roof comes off of the Con Cor cars.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Would this work?


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JeffHurl said:


> Literally every N scale crane car I can find has the old Rapido style couplers. I have come across old Con Cor, Bachmann and even Minitrix examples... but... Unfortunately, the trucks on most of these are 3-axle, and, as far as I can tell, MTL doesn't make a direct replacement truck.
> 
> WHY doesn't anyone make these crane cars with up-to-date trucks, wheelsets and couplers?
> 
> Why can't I figure out even _IF_ MTL makes replacement couplers that will fit?


JeffHurl;

Well, why they don't make what you want, is probably because of limited demand. Often, what we want just isn't available commercially, for just that reason. I wanted an N-scale model of Seattle Union Station. Guess how many models of that station are commercially available? That's right, none. Not even anything close. So, I scratchbuilt one. (see photos) 

I suspect your task will be considerably simpler. 

Since a rail "wrecker" crane is designed to lift locomotives & cars, everything on it is heavy duty. This would normally include six-wheel trucks, since they would need to bear both the considerable weight of the crane itself, and whatever equipment it needs to lift.
The simplest way would be to buy whichever model crane you like best, cut off the rapido couplers & mounting boxes, and body-mount Micro-Trains couplers. If necessary, wheelsets could be replaced with any of the after-market wheelsets available.
If you want truck-mounted couplers, you could use Micro-Trains 6-wheel heavyweight passenger car trucks. They come with an adjustable length coupler too. 

Regards;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

In case you didn’t bother to read my post (#5), I showed those Buckeye trucks….I do believe those cranes used those….


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## Mixed Freight (Aug 31, 2019)

Hi Jeff,

When it comes to N-scale crane cars, you kinda' have to roll your own to satisfy, so to speak. 

Here's a pic showing a Bachmann ATSF Crane Car & Boom Tender, an AHM "MiniTrains" ATSF Wrecking Crane, an orange Model Power AmTrak N Crane with Work Car (exact same thing as the AHM unit, but labeled with "Roco" under the frame), and my painted & decal'd Rock Island unit (started out life as another Model Power orange AmTrak unit).








As for my painted & decal'd Rock Island crane, I kept the stock trucks but cut the Rapidos off of them. Then body-mounted some suitable MTL couplers to the frame. On the work car (boom car), I merely replaced the stock trucks with MTL Bettendorf trucks w/short extension couplers.

It wasn't too hard to do, only took a few evenings of fairly easy work to accomplish. I probably could have used the Buckeye trucks on the crane that Old_Hobo suggests, but since my unit is more of a static yard model than something in a regularly scheduled consist, I decided that the stock trucks were just fine for my purposes.

Hope this helps give you some ideas.


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

I had the silver UP set that @Mixed Freight has pictured, I sold it as it was the wrong era for my layout and to my eye was strangely just too bigish for N scale. 
I can live with the Rapido's, like above it will be static or hooked to a dummy CP Rail loco with Rapido's on it still.
My only thing is road names.
Most sets are UP, Amtrack or Southern Pacific, I have found a used un-named crane only for a not bad price.
Looks like the orange Model Power pictured above just haven't pulled the trigger on it yet.
On eBay, grab it if you want it, your not going to hurting my feelings....


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I just ordered an AHM ATSF crane just like the brown one in Mixed Freight's reply. I'll order some heavy passenger car trucks to see if they will work.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

The AHM crane car got delivered yesterday. It's in pretty good condition! I have trucks on the way, but the package has stalled somewhere in New Jersey's USPS regional facility.

It sure seems like a niche isn't being filled here... finding MOW cars in N scale with anything other than Rapido couplers is difficult.


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## Mixed Freight (Aug 31, 2019)

JeffHurl said:


> The AHM crane car got delivered yesterday. It's in pretty good condition! I have trucks on the way, but the package has stalled somewhere in New Jersey's USPS regional facility.
> 
> It sure seems like a niche isn't being filled here... finding MOW cars in N scale with anything other than Rapido couplers is difficult.


Especially crane cars. I'm thinking since they're a thing of the past (on the prototype), nobody is really interested in providing updated models of them.


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

Agreed, anytime you see any type of crane a derailment it's those oil patch style bulldozers with side mounted cranes and counterweights.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Old_Hobo said:


> In case you didn’t bother to read my post (#5), I showed those Buckeye trucks….I do believe those cranes used those….
> View attachment 589831


Thank you for suggesting those trucks! They do fit with very little fiddling. And they seem to function fine!

Hopefully this info will help others. I searched and searched and found no meaningful info about which, if any, replacement truck would work. Thanks again!


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Some more info….

_The Buckeye Steel Castings Co. 90-ton six-wheel freight truck dates back to at least 1910. These friction bearing trucks were used on high-capacity gondolas and flatcars, wrecking cranes, locomotive tenders and other heavyweight freight cars. Roller bearing versions of these trucks are still in use today._

N Scale Buckeye Trucks


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

I was at Tiny Trains in Delhi last week, the owner had just got in a huge consignment of N scale loco's and rolling stock.
He showed me a few real cherry pieces he had found as he went thru it, one was a Canadian National crane with MTL style six wheel trucks.
It was in a jewel case marked Roco but things were put in any old case mostly. Didn't remove it so no idea of its maker. 
Some older gentleman has passed away collecting literally hundreds of pieces and apparently his family just wanted to be rid of everything.
Kinda sad but at least new owners can enjoy the fruits of his labors


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I was starting to think the trucks I bought were lost in the mail... Took a week to get from one post office in NJ to another post office in NJ...


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## pmcgurin (Sep 7, 2010)

Amazing. Recently .I made several orders for Kato Led kits to a New Jersey company and got each in 3 days. I live in BFE, Michigan.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

You know how that routine goes, it’s SOP. 
As soon as you get a work train cobbled together, somebody like Walthers or Athearn announces they’ll be releasing said set.

A relevant tale from my N days; I spent years tracking down a Kato passenger set from the 1990s. Out if production, nobody had it, everybody wanted it. Finally found it, mint condition, even the extra parts still on the sprue, the sprue bag still taped shut. Was my pride of the N scale collection along with a brass passenger station that nobody else was willing to shell out the cash for. I never got around to building it. Now I see Kato makes a 10 car set and a 4 car add-on set in NYC. So, with the rarity gone it loses it’s luster. I’ll probably end up selling the cars & A/B locos and the unique brass station too. 
Just how it goes.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

It took 196 hours to move from a USPS facility in Jersey City to another USPS facility in Kearney... 7.3 miles away. That's 8 days and 4 hours to move 7.3 miles.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

It’s just one thing after another, isn’t it….?


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## pmcgurin (Sep 7, 2010)

Yes, new stuff comes out, pulls the rug out from under you. I have a number of 1990s F3 and F7 DC only Kato locos. So it goes.


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## EBrown (5 mo ago)

JeffHurl said:


> It took 196 hours to move from a USPS facility in Jersey City to another USPS facility in Kearney... 7.3 miles away. That's 8 days and 4 hours to move 7.3 miles.


I ordered a pair of headlights for my car, and they shipped via FedEx (this was just over a year ago now), they sat at the FedEx distribution center in Rossford for 22 days before they got delivered.

It was so bad it made the local news: 'They haven't addressed the issue of medications' | FedEx Ground delays causing problems for Toledo area customers


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Old_Hobo said:


> It’s just one thing after another, isn’t it….?


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

Still talk to a few drivers from the courier I retired from, last count there were 90 some loaded trailers sitting in the yard waiting to leave, some loaded in Sept.
The days of overnight mail and courier service died a dozen years ago, how it's even more expensive and you'll get it when you get it.


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