The Electric Crane

There was more painting in the 319 today. I finished the center panels of the ceiling, as seen here. Only the part above the car cards on one side remains to be done. I had to put some primer on the moldings, so that has to wait until next time.

Here's another view of the temporary platform I stand on. I also did more paint removal in the smoker, but didn't take any pictures.

The cord hanger went to the car shop and was stripped of paint, down to bare brass. I then painted it with white primer. While there, I saw Mr. Socks and Mr. Sirinek.




But hey, I've got an idea! While we're waiting for the paint to dry, let's visit the cab of the D16, our Milwaukee Electric crane. I've never been up in it. And I'm sure Scott will chime in with more and better information.

To the right, we look in through the side door to the cab. As usual, it's difficult to take pictures of confined spaces. Directly in front is the back of the controller for the crane motor; behind it is the controller for the (missing) traction motors; that is, for actually running the crane car. To the right is the brake stand, and to the left you can see part of the crane motor, which is located inside the cab.

To me, this cab looks like an unpleasant and dangerous place to work. It's very crowded, and there are pipes and conduits running across the floor everywhere, so you have to be very careful.

Here's a closeup of the crane motor. It looks like a traction motor to me, but its plate clearly says "CRANE MOTOR." This crane car was built by Brownhoist, and it uses GE electrical equipment.

The compressor is also located in the cab. That's what I like best about locomotives, getting to sit right next to the compressor.

And here's a view of the brake stand. I suppose there must have been a seat here. You can see some of the big levers for controlling the clutches to engage the gears for raising the boom, rotating the cab, etc. There are no labels to indicate what anything does. As you can see, the winding drums for the steel cables are just above the brake stand.

And here's the view out of the cab over the boom. I'm not sure if this is the front or the back. If you were operating in the opposite direction, though, the brake stand would be directly behind you. Great. The little cab at the other end has only a brake stand but no controller -- is it missing?