Cowans Sheldon 6.5/10 ton Crane

The NGS is pleased to announce its next Ready-To-Run (RTR) model following the Ferryvan, the Cowans Sheldon 6.5 and 10 ton travelling hand crane.

Prototype History

Cowans Sheldon built prototype 6.5 ton hand crane No. M1 in 1935 for the LMS and several production 6.5 and 10 ton rail mounted travelling cranes during the Second World War, primarily for the LMS, but also a smaller number for the SR. These passed to British Railways at Nationalisation and could be found in yards, works and sidings all over the network.

The prototype crane consisted of a conventional yard crane design mounted on a four-wheel steel well wagon. The adoption of a tall 6 foot wide 9 ton counterweight avoided obstructing the adjacent track whilst working and cleared any lineside structures. The crane could lift a maximum load of 6.5 tons when operating ‘on rail’. When in running condition, the jib was secured to the chassis using bracing and the maximum axle load was limited to 14 tons. Some cranes were provided with outrigger jacks and a heavier counterweight and were thus uprated to 10 tons capacity.

Rather than the jib resting on a runner wagon, the crane incorporated a tool box/inclined jib rest to which the jib would be restrained using tie down turnbuckles. The cranes worked with match wagons which carried spare lifting tackle, tooling etc. These were of widely different types, often local conversions and thus unique to the crane with which they were paired. The cranes were unfitted (handbrake only) and were not self-propelled. All crane operations were performed by hand using the winding gear contained on the crane superstructure.

Initially, the cranes were used during World War 2 in temporary goods yards for Operation Overlord, and to assist in emergency repairs following air raids. They were also utilised in smaller or remote yards and sidings for general lifting tasks where a yard crane was not provided. With the advent of ISO containerisation, this work largely disappeared and by 1965 BR was concerned about the number of accidents involving the cranes. Some cranes were withdrawn whilst a number found a new lease of life in wagon maintenance depots and sidings where they were often used for the fitting and removal of wheelsets with some lasting in BR service until the 1990s. Some examples found their way to preserved railways where they can be seen today.

The major differences between a 6.5 and 10 ton crane were the inclusion of outrigger jacks and different sized counterweights. There were also axle box differences between the LMS, and SR types and some cranes showed differences between an angled and a straight upper superstructure frame. These major  visual detail aspects varied from crane to crane and each will be correctly represented on the model.

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The Model