Considering there are some large pieces of rolling stock in HO, such as autoracks, superliners, and the double-stacked container cars, the height of the chimney on the crane wouldn’t be a problem for those with permanent tunnels that calculate the height of those other cars
The clearance issues of this American rolling stock on a British model railway remind me of a real-life example that might be a good Train Time topic. The Foster Yeoman company in Merehead was unimpressed with British-built diesels for pulling stone trains, as they were either not powerful enough or not reliable enough for the job. They heard about the exceptional reliability of diesels from EMD in the US. In 1980 (year may be wrong) EMD sold them a refurbished SW1001 switcher (shunter) for trials. The SW1001 id a variant of the EMD SW1000 1,000hp switcher with a shorter cab for low-clearance areas. The SW1001's cab is still too tall for some areas of FY's (now Mendip Rail) system. However, FY were otherwise impressed enough with it to have EMD build what would become the Class 59. That would later lead to the Class 66 & various rebuilds of older British locos with EMD engines. FY's sister company, Hanson Aggregates, would buy their own refurbished SW1001 in 2002. In 2008, the Hanson SW1001 would be involved in a runaway accident. As if to illustrate how much smaller the UK loading gauge is compared to the US, the "low clearance" cab was lowered even further, by force, when it entered Murdercombe Tunnel. The cab was smooshed backwards and to the right! The runaway train was going fast enough to keep moving until it collided with a parked Class 59 on the other side of the tunnel. Luckily, no one was hurt, and both locos were repaired. Both SW1001s remain in service today. Check out the report "Locomotive struck by runaway train from quarry" on the UK Government's Railway Accident Investigative Branch for the full investigation.
In defence of the chimney height, it is probably well within US loading gauge. Bear in mind that a lot of US structures are high enough to take double stacked containers, so even though H0 is a smaller scale, the loading gauge is massively taller and wider. Bachmann US are still little better than the equivalent to Hornby Railroad, and this model PERFECTLY shows that. Its cheap tat.
@@SamsTrains Bachmann US is much lower quality than Bachmann UK.. Still its not too bad and i own a few pieces.. Nice crane. Oh and by the way, I believe that the real version of this crane was manufactured by Bucyrus Erie, they made steam shovels, mining equipment and the like. Their competitor was American Brownhoist... Look them up some time.. Cheers
Just for you to know, at least in Canada, the USA, and Mexico, from where I'm from, the crane ever must run looking backward, never to the front. That means that the boom tender must be behind the crane's boom to avoid any problems, as you show in your video. The crane is the first ever, and the boom tender follows. These are general rules of crane operations in all railroads. The speed never could be more than 33 mph or 50 kph.
@@roaenokesyzlak7828 Yes, but this is something that is part of the model and inaccurate scaled. However, how to run a rail crane, is a railroad rule that applies, I guess, to every part of the world. Common sence.
@@SamsTrains By the way, I hope you can make a review of the Wreck Crane made by Roco. It is just good quality, more scale sized, and is the more modern diesel version. Fortunately, no smoke stack.
What locomotives that would Harvey the Crane Engine: If Breakdown Cranes moved on their own. The Crane would be named "Breakdown", like Breakdown in Transformers.
@@SamsTrains Very interesting the derailing nature of the crane since I variant of the exact same crane works very well on my loud with 18” radius curves. Also I have tested it at quite some decent speeds around my layout and curves.
These cranes are very ubiquitous on any model railway, though you'll need to do a little tweaking to make this one fit for service on your layout. 😅 Just a few notes on the model: 1.) The lead warning might be for the small crane hook, which might be made of a mixture of graphite (pencil lead) and metal - and we all know that pencil lead can be dangerous. So, they don't want kids taking the hook off the crane and thinking its something they can pop in their mouth. 2.) As far as the smokestack (chimney) goes, you could cut it down to fit under your pedestrian bridge and bookcase. Most later cranes had short chimneys and were even converted to diesel power. 3.) As @Neal C. mentioned, the double-ended hook closest to the crane cab is meant to be folded into the boom (aka the crane arm) and the boom needs to be fully lowered when the crane is in transit. I suspect this is why American stuff doesn't exactly fit on the British loading gauge 😂 Hope these tips help you in making this crane a worthwhile addition to your fleet and I look forward to the next video!
Thanks for the info! Yes I will have to cut the chimney down. Would have been useful if they specified how much lead was here and where it was... I'd be very surprised if there was any in that hook where it can be touched! I tried running the crane in the lowered position - it will always derail due to the issues described, Thanks for watching - Sam :)
You can't fault the crane for clearance issues even in the real world railroads have had to raise tunnels, and bridges to make room for higher rolling stock especially auto racks and double stacks
Sam,an addendum on previous posts! The Erie Railroad was originally built to 6 foot Guage,and had/has a generous loading Guage,and that came in handy during the 1980's,when double stacks were just getting started! The Southern Tier line,former Erie main,was going to be abandoned,but Conrail found out that the clearances were ideal for the stack trains,so there was a reprieve,and that routing is still very much in use now!! The problem of accountants and lawyers is that their vision is short sighted,and events,can and do overwhelm them! One rule,that really should govern people is,"IF IT BROKE,DON'T FIX IT",definitely applicable to the old Great Central London mainline!! By definition,always have alternatives,you might need it sometime!! Thanks for your always interesting takes on models,and a blunt assessment of good and bad points!! You learn as much from comments,as I do,as everyone here is a student,and class in session 👌! Thank you 😇 😊!!
I would suggest you dont , or maybe do, purchase a Bachmann Schnabel Car!! Could be a fun time for you, may even have some of your layout left afterwards!!
@@nr120 When you talk of a Schabel car,especially if it's US prototype,clearance problems abound! The height restrictions[Plate C and Plate D],are just the cake,the icing is the width,and platform clearances! The GWR,NER,GNR,in England had(and the BR,maintained same),special cars for High and Wides,but nowhere near the sophisticated types as operated in the US/Canada/Mexico,as they were,[really],still hand braked,and that existed even up to the 1950's,and 60's!! British Rail,in general,was at least 30 years behind the rest of the world,when it came to freight rolling stock,and headlights! Thank you for that tidbit,and I hope my amplification is of value! Thanks again 👍 ☺️ 😊!!
The Foreman ran outside. "James is off the line! The breakdown train, quickly!" Thomas buffered up but couldn't move the train. "What's the matter?" Asked the Foreman. The breakdown train had derailed too
Are we going to complain that British rolling stock should be banned from American layouts because those blasted bumpers get in the way? A little context goes a long way.
@@SamsTrains to keep the boom in place you can find some pretty good pics to go off by looking up the crane style, and I've you are willing to cut off the stack I've seen some without that there a lot goes up to your mind and imagination
For many years DPM, now a part of Woodland Scenics had a warning on their building kits that stated “Our lawyers have told us we have to warn you not to eat these kits!” 😂
That lead warning is a meme in the US, California is a bit crazy and puts that label on everything. Even when the levels of lead are so small you may as well not measure them.
@@OddHunter5504 yes, the state of California is being overly crazy enforcing warnings on products that contain harmful materials to disclose said info to consumers (sarcasm*). As Sam said, why not remove the lead all together?
@@SamsTrains It's most likely lead was never used in the production of the model but still likely would contain trace amounts of lead since many things do. Even humans contain lead. Some of it is natural but also thanks to heavy use of leaded fuel causing lead levels in the environment to be increased. It's like everything is slightly radioactive too
@@unintelligiblescreaming6665 Have fun removing fractions of a fraction's worth of lead from something! It'd be a more worthwhile task to count grains of sand manually. It's just one of those harsh realities, things might expose people to lead. Also the law is worded in such a way that anything that might expose someone to a listed carcinogen has to be labeled as such. Just in case. Because common sense is forbidden. Of course I've seen literal lead weighs, made of 95% or more lead without such labeling because they aren't sold in the nation state of California.
The flatcar has the wrong4-axle trucks (boogies). Those are the light duty 50-ton friction bearing type, which it should be 70-ton friction or roller bearing. The 250-ton is the crane's lifting capacity and not the car's max load. Those 6-axle trucks (boogies) are correct on the crane at 125-ton. The smokestack is too tall for that era model. If you shave off a scale 2-feet it should fix a lot of issues. There is a screw on the bottom on that crane that you can slightly loosen.
I have the same K190620 (w/ AT&SF livery). Have had all the problems you mentioned (smokestack won't clear some of my train shed doors) & one more. You mentioned the step on the BOOM tender in front of the shack. I have a silly train crossing w/ guard who used to come out, which has a little fence right next to the track. The step kept getting caught on the fence, but I couldn't figure it out, assuming it was something on the track. Finally realized what the problem was, & was able to move the little fence a mm or two for the necessary clearance. Someone mentioned (glad I read all 500+ comments) that the way to transport the crane is w/ the hook slack & resting between the boxes & the other thing tucked in the boom. This is absolutely correct, as I've seen many highway cranes transported this way, & it works. I used a wire to keep the two-pronged hook attached to the boom hanging part-way down so it's still visible.
On US railroads, when transporting the crane long distances, it was usually done with the boom facing AWAY from the direction of travel. So you should have locomotive, crane, then the flatcar/boom tender. I work for the last US railroad to use a 250 ton Industrial Brownhoist crane. We have 2 of them.
Hi Mukka, The turning wheel as you called it is a handbrake operation wheel. Because of some knob designer, they have the operating wheel on the damned roof! Thanks for the chuckles. Bachmann and their knobs never disappoint! Gaz
I have had a few of these cranes. I can tell you that they have trouble getting through low areas. However, the remedy that I have found is that the chimneys can be trimmed down for better performance. Another thing that could help is adding steel weights under the crane car and in the back of the crane body. The crane’s swivel can become sticky. For this, I use some wd40 oil to make it swivel easier.
In the Sam's model railway lore, this new crane Sam(the controller) purchased it at a bargain. It was strong, but troublesome. The chimney gets caught under anything and it smashed into a station killing the poor soul in the restroom at that time. The crane needles to say was put in the industrial yard, only being brought out of it in emergency situations. Oh yeah and I guess it hit Henry in the eye with its arm
The Prop 65 lead warning is required for any product where trace amounts of lead *could* theoretically come in contact with the base materials while under production at a factory. It doesn't mean that there is actually lead in the product. Unfortunately, as others have stated, this means that just about any product has to have this very off-putting warning, even if there's no lead in it.
I have one of these from decades ago. I super detailed it and modified it for better operations. The boom will never operate again, but I’m ok with that. It’s horribly underweight though. The height on the chimney is pretty accurate for some prototypes, but as far as operations are concerned, it’s no higher than the Santa Fe double deck chair cars so I don’t have any issues with tunnels and such
haha I don't get it - there must be some crazy rules that mean they have to put those warnings on there... but there's no electrics on board, which rules out solder... so why is there lead at all!?!? Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Prop65 is a piece of legislation from California meant to inform consumers of potential harmful substances that could be in their products. Unfortunately because of how the bill was written basically every manufactured product requires a Prop 65 warning. I.E. if the equipment itself used to make a product has a trace amount of lead in solder joints, the product is considered to have been in contact with lead thus might contain it. Highly improbable but Prop 65 erred so far to the side of caution that most companies choose to include the warning rather than risk running afoul of Prop 65. It's sad too, as this has diluted Prop 65 warnings almost a joke status versus an actual useful warning.
@@SamsTrains I had one of those when I was a kid... it was very much aimed at the kids market, totally more fun than hobby. That model has been around since the 1970s or possibly earlier with little or no revisions. --- they may have changed the chemistry of paint or solder, but the model is very much from the same mold. It would not surprise me if your hazardous warning is something grandfathered from a much earlier production run, that was just simply forgotten or left in as some legal boiler -plate catch-all.
In the states our "loading gauge" is quite a bit taller. West coast USA can accomodate very tall railroad cars. Our East coast USA maximum heights are in my opinion closer to yours in the UK. Take this into account... Also of note, in our O gauge and S scale toy trains, namely Lionel and American flyer, the standard practice is to operate the train with the boom of the crane facing rearward. I am suprised to see so much appreciation for USA style locomotives and railroads in general from you. Very interesting.... I actually have OO hornby and i love them. As well as plenty of American trains as well..
It doesn't actually contain lead, it's a standard warning that has to be on everything due to Prop 65 in California. We also have to have a similar notice at our entrance to our building in CA. It's a CYA statement, incase it accidently comes into contact with some lead during manufacturing.
It's a US model and in the US the loading gauge is different. They have double height container trains and their locos are much taller! If you ran an American train in the UK it would hit the bridges and I can't recall a real railway ever encountering a book case!
@@aberfordwest4003 OO is still shorter than HO. A few members of the model club I’m in has a few OO engines and cars, others have had their auto racks and double stack well cars out. They were significantly taller than any rolling stock from the OO range.
Remember that American HO scale layouts will also have larger rolling stock such as auto-racks, double stack intermodal well cars, and Superliner passenger cars so I think for modern ho scale modelers of north american railroads the height of the chimney won't be much of an issue. The boom is definitely an issue though. I had a couple of HO scale cranes like that when I was a kid and they were stiff as well. One of them even had this exact same molding.
I think the wooden planks on the boom car are supposed to be railroad ties, or "sleepers" as you brits say. also, if you want to use the crane on the layout you could just cut the smoke stack down a bit.
As a Brit who models American HO railroads I bought this model a few years ago and have never had a problem with. It negotiates complex turnouts at ease. I have however, stripped it down, repainted and enhanced the detail. It's no surprise that the paint contains lead after all it's made by a Chinese company!!! Bachmanne being owned by Kadee Industries!!!
Boom tender and flood light tender are both the same just one has the light. See top illustrations on the information sheet. Also from what i have seen the warning about lead as found by the state of california, is one of the nitorious warnings that they now have to include because of californian laws. There's been lots of complaints about it
I think Bachmann inherited or brought the tooling for the crane it self, do to its similarities to old TYCO, AHM and such cranes. The better detailing compared to its "escort car" is kind of a giveaway. Also the model has a chimneyless version too.
"If it's a maintenance of way train it's not going to be massively long." They may be short, but in reality most of the equipment is very heavy, so they're still a lot of work for the locomotives that pull them. That being said, we in the U.S. have single-unit, self-propelled MoW vehicles that can do most basic MoW tasks on their own, such as ballast tamping, ballast laying, tie replacement, tie laying, and more. These a have a rather small crew, with much of the process being automated. Not all MoW work can be done by said vehicles however, so full-on MoW trains are still a thing.
Thanks Sam - I was speaking strictly in model terms there... luckily this model isn't too heavy for your locos. I'm hoping to take a look at some more MOW self propelled vehicles soon! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
It's in the solder for the flood light car, it's Lead solder and the reason is so bachman only had to make one instruction sheet for both sets of cranes the wood is new railroad ties
A unique piece of rolling stock to see on your layout, especially given that it's a USA crane, rather than a UK crane. I have one of these in N Scale, and did find that the crane is given an improper match wagon to go with it. Most, if not all, match wagons were bogie flatcars, modified to carry spare trucks, wheels, and other tools needed for a rerailment or clean-up; this, of course, included boom arm tie-down cables, which would be incredibly difficult to recreate in many scales. Just a bit of advice if you decide to run this crane again, and I'm sure you've already read the comments, but you do have the crane running backwards. The cab of the crane, where the oversized stack is, should be directly behind any locomotive, freight car, or coach. This would prevent it from crashing into anything en route to a derailment. One last thing I have to note is that most bridges and walkways over in the States have a higher clearance than those in the UK, which is probably why that smokestack kept slamming into them. My personal recommendation if you buy this crane is to have it posed at a wreck, cleaning up the mess, or to have it on standby in a yard as part of a wreck train.
Love this one. Very funny and as entertaining as your earlier castigating of the Hornby Coke wagon which I see you filmed after this review. Now remember I used to have a little crane with metal chains and none of these problems. Think it must have been Triang-Hornby R127.
The old Hornby crane (the one with the small trucks) can be made to look really good and they are cheap too. I purchased a weathered 2nd hand model for 14 pounds a few years back and it just sits in a siding.
Loved the review, though I will stick to models that can pass under my Triang loading gauge (bought with my pre-decimal pocket money of half a crown (12.5p). Also, loved the seaside postcard style, replete with knob jokes and double entendres.Keep up the good work!
I don't know, Sam. It seems like a fun piece of rolling stock for use or display and for a reasonable price. For all the giggling about the control knob, at least it isn't hung off the side of the crane like a Corgi toy.
@Sam’sTrains I remember watching one of your Thomas and Friends in Real Life videos when you removed the footbridge to let Rocky pass through. Just mentioning.
I wonder if the crane hook is a lead alloy to give it a bit of weight , no excuse these days but it's a lot easier to cast than alternate heavy materials like Tungsten
Oh dear, but I had a great larf at the innuendos - ooooo err missus and a fat Knob, never mind the quality, feel the width. Usual American railroad stuff. I find the HO locomotives and rolling stock to be iffy at the best of times, and the N or TT gauge to be better. Most American layouts are great but the quality has to be found. Love the American themes and when you get a good layout, they are full of quality detail. One for the Dusty Bin Sam , or just a static, in the background model. Made my evening. Thanks again Sam .
I got this exact model for $15 CAD new in box, and the one i got is identical except is in yellow and im pretty sure it was from the 80s from the original packaging. the item number is 46101. I was honestly surprised to see your thumbnail with that crane on it! (also you had the same booklet that i had with mine)(and yes there are Lead weights in it)
It’s not a toy it’s a model. Also the same thing can be said when talking about Thomas Wooden Railway TOYS containing quite a bit of lead in there paint. Bachmann of course knows that there’s lead in their model and they probably still let it be mass produced because they don’t expect it to be given to children and licked or whatever.
In the United States, railroad cranes are locked during transport so as to not swing freely. The arm of the crane must be raised enough so it doesn't collide with the tender and is typically (if possible) oriented so the arm is trailing the direction of travel to minimize the chance of hitting trackside objects. American railroad right of way provides enough clearance to allow such vehicles to travel without issues
One could put a flat car on the other end of the crane to swing the boom over it Cutting offf part of the smokestack would solve the clearance problem. I have one of those and it's a good value for the money.
The fat controller was very cross the following morning. "You have cause confusion and delay. The damage you caused to the bridges, tunnels, and stations will take months to repair. You even struck the 100-meter-tall bookcase that's just here for some reason. The lead dust that trails behind you is poisoning the citizens of Sodor! I was amused by your knobs, but you are NOT a really useful crane!"
Oh hahah, a fun review Sam. Well yes, certainly kiddie grade, but perhaps modellers who are on penny budgets could do DIY touching up here and there perhaps, add glazing, weathering, perhaps add more details. Best is to leave cranes on a siding generally. As for the lead thing, and me being active in company reviews.... (you started this hahah). Do mind that lead free doesn't exist. Regulations in both the EU and US stipulate a maximum ppm (parts per million). Lead free only means that the manufacturer have complied. However, many compounds can't be chemically formulated without some ppm of lead (e.g. metals, paints). Without, they will just fall apart or degrade rapidly. Specifically for electronics and soldering the regulations have been a nightmare, has explained early failures and has driven up prices of production significantly. Of course we all want the best and safest, but regulations and warnings in the EU and US have become totally crazy overboard on this matter to a point that it has driven manufacturers up the wall, whilst the ppm and its emissions are absolutely totally negligible... For low budget models like this, Bachmann just legally have to warn, but nobody will be poisoned Sam... It's just that people have conditioned themselves in their believes due to what they "hear" all the time.
I saw a news story that ladder companies in the U.S. spend a third of their gross earnings defending lawsuits from idiots who fall off and hurt themselves. So the entire top half of every ladder is covered in warning labels. Lawyers' due diligence-- no one reads labels anymore.
That steam crane is one im after but 200 quid for what's basically going to become a static model is astronomical. Maybe I'll buy one if I win the lottery or something 🤣🤣🤣
That package I mentioned that I tried to send you, it was an N gauge train set I made you with some locomotives, rolling stock, and some bachmann n gauge experience track
Through the post office, and I tried to send it to that P.O. Box address I got out of one of your live streams, I've still got the recept from it, I'll take a picture of it and email it to you
I'd attach it to a Hornby 'pocket rocket', with those Dapol egg vans, and just turn the controller to 11. Just to enjoy the carnage that would ensue. You could keep viewers interested like Ben Elton used to, by stating: "This might be a bit boring, but there'll be a knob gag along in a minute."
It used to have a Flood light but Bachmann took it out bc it doesn't make any sense having a crane. Not only that but it's a modern version of Tyco's crane car and you can add more details to the tender as well
As with the real thing, which spends 99% of its time waiting to be needed, along with the rest of the emergency equipment(crew cars, supply cars with spare bogies, etc.) that make up the train at or near a roundhouse or shop.
So if the crane derails then you need a larger crane to rerail it. And if that one derails then you need an even larger crane. And so on. When does it all end?
Can you fit a DCC chip in the slippers? BTW I’ll give that crane a miss as I usually chew my rolling stock while I’m rotating my knob to raise my jib. I’ll get my coat.
Sam… this thing is a menace to your railway. I would advise getting rid of it, else more chaos will come during live streams. God be praised that this crane can’t couple to the egg vans. Also, the intro was hilarious. You need to post what music you use, you pick some real bangers.
Just a bit of Info, the Bachmann MOW crane is a direct knock off of the Athearn roundhouse version, I would highly recommend the Athearn version as opposed to the Bachmann. I can say this as I own 2 Athearn MOW cranes. The tooling and paint on the Athearn crane are very well done and do not look like a “toy train”.
that warning about California is on everything in the states, I've seen a water bottle that said contents are known to be harmful in state of California
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw you reviewing this. I bought one of this exact set as a very young model railroader about 10 years ago at a local hobby store for probably $15 USD. My example of this crane is much more free turning so it does return to center better than your example. As stated by others the US loading gauge is much higher than your UK layout even with it being a slightly larger scale and the crane should be run in the opposite direction per US rail standards. It is of course a cheapo model but it is a good bit of fun and does actually perform reasonably well. Perhaps you should try loosening the crane slightly which I think you can do, and maybe you will give it a chance again? XD
Collect cranes and tenders all bridges, walkways, and overheads have been raised . Notes this also clears double stacks . Cali proposition 65 is on just about everything you buy .
You're being a bit negative, Sam. The working features imply that it's supposed to be used. Any further detail is going to be broken through handling. On the other hand this equipment is very heavy duty and that's how it looks in close-up. It will take wear and weathering well and will, I predict, look spectacular sitting on a MoW siding or the scene of an accident. The stiffness of the crane rotation is moot. Because of its manual manipulation the real test is whether it will still be intact after a year of use. Loosening up the cranes rotation will also permit better rotation from the boom car during transportation. The height of the chimney is a different matter. Is it possible that the model represents in HO a different height clearance standard for American railroads? Or do American steam cranes actually have removable or hinged smoke stacks? Considering that the other, more in-scale crane alone you showed has a price of £250, this crane (with boom car) is very affordable for what it is and is open to having more detail and functionality improvements added.
Serious note, most items sold in the US have the warning on the packaging, about it being know in the state of California to cause cancer, toys or otherwise, they will usually have it on there.
ye gods that's an old model, must have been going since the 1960s! It's showing it's age :P Try the Marklin Goliath 49950 (make sure to put DC wheelsets on it or your controller will go boom!). Vast thing but very nice.
I know the chimney is up high and rigid, it is a bit stiff but at lest get the lead out and insert your knob it will work its way along pushing things out of its way. So just stick your knob in and rais your gib and enjoy it.
That lead warning is required to be on basically every product sold in California, including many that don't actually contain any lead. I'm not certain why, but pretty much everything except food has it, including every Bachmann product. It doesn't mean you're in any danger of actual lead exposure - it's just some kind of legal mumbo-jumbo to stop them getting sued.
Do you have powdered lubricant? e.g. teflon powder. A puff might help loosen the crane cab up. And do the crane hooks fold back\forward to allow the crane's Jib to lower further into the well between the wooden tool boxes? Might help with swivelling the jib.
Oh Sam you truly got me with this one. I was very lucky I wasn't drinking my water when that intro came or when the 💥 car was unboxed that was incredibly funny after my hard work day. I got to say though it's quite nice to look at, but all issues for me could be forgiven if the Crane would rotate freely. Though this model already has quite a challange around curves and switches due to it's 6 axles but I think it would be a bit more stable if it would have more weight in the crane chassis. The boom car's cab is too big if you look at the Blacksmith car it's not as tall and the windows are too high. Aside from that I can see children enjoying this or it would be nice in a siding or in a rescue scene like the hornby Crane. It is a shame about the performance though. Good value however if you want something large and cool looking. Thanks for making me laugh and great review, Sam 👍 PS: I have a similar n scale model of a very similar 6 axle German steam Crane like this one. Also if I remember correctly there's a Lima model out there very similar to this one, but even cheaper and nastier than this one 😅
In my experience cranes tend to be something to have in a siding rather than in a train. They tend to be rather heavy to pull, bind on corners and require a lot of clearance. I had a fantastic Hornby Dublo fully metal crane model. It was great but was very heavy and the winding handle required a lot of horizontal clearance. On my old, two tier layout, headroom was also an issue in places. The more recent Hornby cranes (both the Railroad and the more detailed versions) are lighter but at least the more detailed version is still not a greta runner.
Absolutely Jeffrey - yet to find one that's completely reliable. The Dublo one sounds fascinating, would love to see one of those! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains There are sveral on a well-known bidding site at the moment. They were all red. I probably should not have sold mine but, being made of metal, including the three wagons that go with it, you need a very, very powerful engine to haul it. The Bachmann one is better but then it jolly should be since it is 60 years newer and almost costs the price of as second-hand car.
Considering there are some large pieces of rolling stock in HO, such as autoracks, superliners, and the double-stacked container cars, the height of the chimney on the crane wouldn’t be a problem for those with permanent tunnels that calculate the height of those other cars
Thanks William - that's good to know!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
The clearance issues of this American rolling stock on a British model railway remind me of a real-life example that might be a good Train Time topic.
The Foster Yeoman company in Merehead was unimpressed with British-built diesels for pulling stone trains, as they were either not powerful enough or not reliable enough for the job. They heard about the exceptional reliability of diesels from EMD in the US. In 1980 (year may be wrong) EMD sold them a refurbished SW1001 switcher (shunter) for trials. The SW1001 id a variant of the EMD SW1000 1,000hp switcher with a shorter cab for low-clearance areas. The SW1001's cab is still too tall for some areas of FY's (now Mendip Rail) system. However, FY were otherwise impressed enough with it to have EMD build what would become the Class 59. That would later lead to the Class 66 & various rebuilds of older British locos with EMD engines. FY's sister company, Hanson Aggregates, would buy their own refurbished SW1001 in 2002. In 2008, the Hanson SW1001 would be involved in a runaway accident. As if to illustrate how much smaller the UK loading gauge is compared to the US, the "low clearance" cab was lowered even further, by force, when it entered Murdercombe Tunnel. The cab was smooshed backwards and to the right! The runaway train was going fast enough to keep moving until it collided with a parked Class 59 on the other side of the tunnel. Luckily, no one was hurt, and both locos were repaired. Both SW1001s remain in service today. Check out the report "Locomotive struck by runaway train from quarry" on the UK Government's Railway Accident Investigative Branch for the full investigation.
In defence of the chimney height, it is probably well within US loading gauge. Bear in mind that a lot of US structures are high enough to take double stacked containers, so even though H0 is a smaller scale, the loading gauge is massively taller and wider. Bachmann US are still little better than the equivalent to Hornby Railroad, and this model PERFECTLY shows that. Its cheap tat.
Yeah that's a fair point actually - thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Bachmann US is much lower quality than Bachmann UK.. Still its not too bad and i own a few pieces.. Nice crane. Oh and by the way, I believe that the real version of this crane was manufactured by Bucyrus Erie, they made steam shovels, mining equipment and the like. Their competitor was American Brownhoist... Look them up some time.. Cheers
Just for you to know, at least in Canada, the USA, and Mexico, from where I'm from, the crane ever must run looking backward, never to the front. That means that the boom tender must be behind the crane's boom to avoid any problems, as you show in your video. The crane is the first ever, and the boom tender follows. These are general rules of crane operations in all railroads. The speed never could be more than 33 mph or 50 kph.
Yeah, but that smoke stack still catches on the bridge, so hight clearences on this model railway are restrictive to this crane in particular.
@@roaenokesyzlak7828 Yes, but this is something that is part of the model and inaccurate scaled. However, how to run a rail crane, is a railroad rule that applies, I guess, to every part of the world. Common sence.
Thanks for this - I'll have to run it that way when I next show it!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains No hay por que dar las gracias amigo, con todo el gusto. Nothing to thank friend, with all my pleasure.
@@SamsTrains By the way, I hope you can make a review of the Wreck Crane made by Roco. It is just good quality, more scale sized, and is the more modern diesel version. Fortunately, no smoke stack.
I find it ironic how a rail crane is supposed to help re-rail crashed locomotives, cargo and etc, and yet, the crane derails itself.
haha exactly.. the opposite of what it's supposed to do! ;D
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
He was running it backwards
Ironic it could save others from derailment but not itself.
What locomotives that would Harvey the Crane Engine:
If Breakdown Cranes moved on their own. The Crane would be named "Breakdown", like Breakdown in Transformers.
@@SamsTrains Very interesting the derailing nature of the crane since I variant of the exact same crane works very well on my loud with 18” radius curves. Also I have tested it at quite some decent speeds around my layout and curves.
These cranes are very ubiquitous on any model railway, though you'll need to do a little tweaking to make this one fit for service on your layout. 😅
Just a few notes on the model:
1.) The lead warning might be for the small crane hook, which might be made of a mixture of graphite (pencil lead) and metal - and we all know that pencil lead can be dangerous. So, they don't want kids taking the hook off the crane and thinking its something they can pop in their mouth.
2.) As far as the smokestack (chimney) goes, you could cut it down to fit under your pedestrian bridge and bookcase. Most later cranes had short chimneys and were even converted to diesel power.
3.) As @Neal C. mentioned, the double-ended hook closest to the crane cab is meant to be folded into the boom (aka the crane arm) and the boom needs to be fully lowered when the crane is in transit.
I suspect this is why American stuff doesn't exactly fit on the British loading gauge 😂 Hope these tips help you in making this crane a worthwhile addition to your fleet and I look forward to the next video!
graphite is just carbon. there is no lead in it.
Thanks for the info! Yes I will have to cut the chimney down. Would have been useful if they specified how much lead was here and where it was... I'd be very surprised if there was any in that hook where it can be touched!
I tried running the crane in the lowered position - it will always derail due to the issues described,
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
You can't fault the crane for clearance issues even in the real world railroads have had to raise tunnels, and bridges to make room for higher rolling stock especially auto racks and double stacks
Thanks a lot for sharing - duly noted!!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Sam,an addendum on previous posts! The Erie Railroad was originally built to 6 foot Guage,and had/has a generous loading Guage,and that came in handy during the 1980's,when double stacks were just getting started! The Southern Tier line,former Erie main,was going to be abandoned,but Conrail found out that the clearances were ideal for the stack trains,so there was a reprieve,and that routing is still very much in use now!! The problem of accountants and lawyers is that their vision is short sighted,and events,can and do overwhelm them! One rule,that really should govern people is,"IF IT BROKE,DON'T FIX IT",definitely applicable to the old Great Central London mainline!! By definition,always have alternatives,you might need it sometime!! Thanks for your always interesting takes on models,and a blunt assessment of good and bad points!! You learn as much from comments,as I do,as everyone here is a student,and class in session 👌! Thank you 😇 😊!!
I would suggest you dont , or maybe do, purchase a Bachmann Schnabel Car!! Could be a fun time for you, may even have some of your layout left afterwards!!
@@nr120 When you talk of a Schabel car,especially if it's US prototype,clearance problems abound! The height restrictions[Plate C and Plate D],are just the cake,the icing is the width,and platform clearances! The GWR,NER,GNR,in England had(and the BR,maintained same),special cars for High and Wides,but nowhere near the sophisticated types as operated in the US/Canada/Mexico,as they were,[really],still hand braked,and that existed even up to the 1950's,and 60's!! British Rail,in general,was at least 30 years behind the rest of the world,when it came to freight rolling stock,and headlights! Thank you for that tidbit,and I hope my amplification is of value! Thanks again 👍 ☺️ 😊!!
You could try trimming down the stack. That’s what I did.
The Foreman ran outside. "James is off the line! The breakdown train, quickly!"
Thomas buffered up but couldn't move the train.
"What's the matter?" Asked the Foreman. The breakdown train had derailed too
"What's the matter?" Asked the Foreman. Thomas had died of lead poisoning
Suddenly, Percy chuffed down the line.
“What are you pulling?” Asked the porter.
“Egg vans,” replied Percy.
And Percy fell off the rails.
I bought one the same from TMC (but green) and could not stop giggling as I twiddled with the knob and inserted it into the correct holes.
Crane jousting sounds like an excellent video idea
The crane is built to NMRA standards so it would fit underneath every footbridge/tunnel portal that is widely produced in HO Scale
Are we going to complain that British rolling stock should be banned from American layouts because those blasted bumpers get in the way? A little context goes a long way.
I got this for my Nickel plate GP30 and I've never had issues with it derailing even when going through switches and taking it fast around turns
Glad to hear yours was better! Will have to do some mods on mine now the review is done,
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains to keep the boom in place you can find some pretty good pics to go off by looking up the crane style, and I've you are willing to cut off the stack I've seen some without that there a lot goes up to your mind and imagination
Same if you put the hook up
For many years DPM, now a part of Woodland Scenics had a warning on their building kits that stated “Our lawyers have told us we have to warn you not to eat these kits!” 😂
The fact that they even have to say that says that there are some people that eat model kits and that scares me.
That lead warning is a meme in the US, California is a bit crazy and puts that label on everything. Even when the levels of lead are so small you may as well not measure them.
Wow really?! Why can't they just remove the lead then?!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains its less a Lead is present thing more of the state of California being Overly crazy about everything
@@OddHunter5504 yes, the state of California is being overly crazy enforcing warnings on products that contain harmful materials to disclose said info to consumers (sarcasm*). As Sam said, why not remove the lead all together?
@@SamsTrains It's most likely lead was never used in the production of the model but still likely would contain trace amounts of lead since many things do. Even humans contain lead. Some of it is natural but also thanks to heavy use of leaded fuel causing lead levels in the environment to be increased. It's like everything is slightly radioactive too
@@unintelligiblescreaming6665 Have fun removing fractions of a fraction's worth of lead from something! It'd be a more worthwhile task to count grains of sand manually. It's just one of those harsh realities, things might expose people to lead.
Also the law is worded in such a way that anything that might expose someone to a listed carcinogen has to be labeled as such. Just in case. Because common sense is forbidden.
Of course I've seen literal lead weighs, made of 95% or more lead without such labeling because they aren't sold in the nation state of California.
The flatcar has the wrong4-axle trucks (boogies). Those are the light duty 50-ton friction bearing type, which it should be 70-ton friction or roller bearing. The 250-ton is the crane's lifting capacity and not the car's max load. Those 6-axle trucks (boogies) are correct on the crane at 125-ton. The smokestack is too tall for that era model. If you shave off a scale 2-feet it should fix a lot of issues. There is a screw on the bottom on that crane that you can slightly loosen.
Cannot see a screw at 6:21 .. is it located under one of the trucks?
Thanks for sharing the info - I'll look into this now the review is done!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains You're welcome. Glad to help.
I have the same K190620 (w/ AT&SF livery). Have had all the problems you mentioned (smokestack won't clear some of my train shed doors) & one more. You mentioned the step on the BOOM tender in front of the shack. I have a silly train crossing w/ guard who used to come out, which has a little fence right next to the track. The step kept getting caught on the fence, but I couldn't figure it out, assuming it was something on the track. Finally realized what the problem was, & was able to move the little fence a mm or two for the necessary clearance.
Someone mentioned (glad I read all 500+ comments) that the way to transport the crane is w/ the hook slack & resting between the boxes & the other thing tucked in the boom. This is absolutely correct, as I've seen many highway cranes transported this way, & it works. I used a wire to keep the two-pronged hook attached to the boom hanging part-way down so it's still visible.
I think that crane is superb to use as part of the scenery on the sidings.
Definitely - if you want to use it for scenery, it's great!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
On US railroads, when transporting the crane long distances, it was usually done with the boom facing AWAY from the direction of travel. So you should have locomotive, crane, then the flatcar/boom tender. I work for the last US railroad to use a 250 ton Industrial Brownhoist crane. We have 2 of them.
Hi Mukka,
The turning wheel as you called it is a handbrake operation wheel. Because of some knob designer, they have the operating wheel on the damned roof!
Thanks for the chuckles. Bachmann and their knobs never disappoint!
Gaz
I have had a few of these cranes. I can tell you that they have trouble getting through low areas. However, the remedy that I have found is that the chimneys can be trimmed down for better performance. Another thing that could help is adding steel weights under the crane car and in the back of the crane body. The crane’s swivel can become sticky. For this, I use some wd40 oil to make it swivel easier.
In the Sam's model railway lore, this new crane Sam(the controller) purchased it at a bargain. It was strong, but troublesome. The chimney gets caught under anything and it smashed into a station killing the poor soul in the restroom at that time. The crane needles to say was put in the industrial yard, only being brought out of it in emergency situations.
Oh yeah and I guess it hit Henry in the eye with its arm
If there is no emergency, the crane could be taken out to create and emergency.
The Prop 65 lead warning is required for any product where trace amounts of lead *could* theoretically come in contact with the base materials while under production at a factory. It doesn't mean that there is actually lead in the product. Unfortunately, as others have stated, this means that just about any product has to have this very off-putting warning, even if there's no lead in it.
I have one of these from decades ago. I super detailed it and modified it for better operations. The boom will never operate again, but I’m ok with that. It’s horribly underweight though. The height on the chimney is pretty accurate for some prototypes, but as far as operations are concerned, it’s no higher than the Santa Fe double deck chair cars so I don’t have any issues with tunnels and such
Does this product meet all safety standards?
Bachmann:
Well yes, but actually no.
haha I don't get it - there must be some crazy rules that mean they have to put those warnings on there... but there's no electrics on board, which rules out solder... so why is there lead at all!?!?
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains weight probably
@@SamsTrains Prop65 is a piece of legislation from California meant to inform consumers of potential harmful substances that could be in their products. Unfortunately because of how the bill was written basically every manufactured product requires a Prop 65 warning. I.E. if the equipment itself used to make a product has a trace amount of lead in solder joints, the product is considered to have been in contact with lead thus might contain it. Highly improbable but Prop 65 erred so far to the side of caution that most companies choose to include the warning rather than risk running afoul of Prop 65. It's sad too, as this has diluted Prop 65 warnings almost a joke status versus an actual useful warning.
@@SamsTrains
I had one of those when I was a kid... it was very much aimed at the kids market, totally more fun than hobby.
That model has been around since the 1970s or possibly earlier with little or no revisions. --- they may have changed the chemistry of paint or solder, but the model is very much from the same mold.
It would not surprise me if your hazardous warning is something grandfathered from a much earlier production run, that was just simply forgotten or left in as some legal boiler -plate catch-all.
@Sam’sTrains, it’s a meme from some film
I found that if you fold the 2 hooks in to the inside of the boom arm as it is called here in America the car rides a lot smoother along the tracks
The nice thing about not so rolling wagons is that shunting is easier to control.
In the states our "loading gauge" is quite a bit taller. West coast USA can accomodate very tall railroad cars. Our East coast USA maximum heights are in my opinion closer to yours in the UK. Take this into account... Also of note, in our O gauge and S scale toy trains, namely Lionel and American flyer, the standard practice is to operate the train with the boom of the crane facing rearward. I am suprised to see so much appreciation for USA style locomotives and railroads in general from you. Very interesting.... I actually have OO hornby and i love them. As well as plenty of American trains as well..
I’ve got one of those cranes it’s not as stiff as yours and it never has been a problem for me
It doesn't actually contain lead, it's a standard warning that has to be on everything due to Prop 65 in California. We also have to have a similar notice at our entrance to our building in CA. It's a CYA statement, incase it accidently comes into contact with some lead during manufacturing.
Interesting
What, like 'May contain nuts'?
It's a US model and in the US the loading gauge is different. They have double height container trains and their locos are much taller! If you ran an American train in the UK it would hit the bridges and I can't recall a real railway ever encountering a book case!
The chimney should still be removable though, and that would fix the height problem, but I guess Bachmann thought that was "too expensive"
It’s ho, what should be about the same size as the oo stuff when compared in model form, therefore that still shouldn’t be an issue
@@aberfordwest4003 OO is still shorter than HO. A few members of the model club I’m in has a few OO engines and cars, others have had their auto racks and double stack well cars out. They were significantly taller than any rolling stock from the OO range.
@@James-Railyard 7 is still bigger than 4 so yeah
Hi Sam I have shared a video of some class 66 compared to their America counterparts. Should you give you an idea of the difference in loading gauge.
So much painful innuendo.... Does it run any better the other way round (crane leading, boom tender trailing)?
Poisonous knob crane is not something I expected to hear today 😂 thanks Sam!
I just got one of these a week ago only disappointed in the swivel on the crane because mine is tight.
Also they make a version with a search light.
Sorry to hear that Joseph - it seems quite a few of them are tight, had several comments/messages already saying the same
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Remember that American HO scale layouts will also have larger rolling stock such as auto-racks, double stack intermodal well cars, and Superliner passenger cars so I think for modern ho scale modelers of north american railroads the height of the chimney won't be much of an issue. The boom is definitely an issue though. I had a couple of HO scale cranes like that when I was a kid and they were stiff as well. One of them even had this exact same molding.
I think the wooden planks on the boom car are supposed to be railroad ties, or "sleepers" as you brits say. also, if you want to use the crane on the layout you could just cut the smoke stack down a bit.
As a Brit who models American HO railroads I bought this model a few years ago and have never had a problem with. It negotiates complex turnouts at ease. I have however, stripped it down, repainted and enhanced the detail. It's no surprise that the paint contains lead after all it's made by a Chinese company!!! Bachmanne being owned by Kadee Industries!!!
I’m fairly sure my dad passed this model (or at least the body/tooling) down to me which he had in the 70’s
Hi Sam, a "Boom" is a horizontal crane that rotates. Cheers!
Duly noted my friend, thanks for that!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Boom tender and flood light tender are both the same just one has the light. See top illustrations on the information sheet. Also from what i have seen the warning about lead as found by the state of california, is one of the nitorious warnings that they now have to include because of californian laws. There's been lots of complaints about it
WARNING! Getting out of bed in the morning may make you vulnerable to accidental injury through the day.
I think Bachmann inherited or brought the tooling for the crane it self, do to its similarities to old TYCO, AHM and such cranes. The better detailing compared to its "escort car" is kind of a giveaway. Also the model has a chimneyless version too.
"If it's a maintenance of way train it's not going to be massively long." They may be short, but in reality most of the equipment is very heavy, so they're still a lot of work for the locomotives that pull them. That being said, we in the U.S. have single-unit, self-propelled MoW vehicles that can do most basic MoW tasks on their own, such as ballast tamping, ballast laying, tie replacement, tie laying, and more. These a have a rather small crew, with much of the process being automated. Not all MoW work can be done by said vehicles however, so full-on MoW trains are still a thing.
Thanks Sam - I was speaking strictly in model terms there... luckily this model isn't too heavy for your locos. I'm hoping to take a look at some more MOW self propelled vehicles soon!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
I had one of these when I was a kid. It had terrible plastic wheels and would wobble it’s way down the track.
This was a fun review.
It's in the solder for the flood light car, it's Lead solder and the reason is so bachman only had to make one instruction sheet for both sets of cranes the wood is new railroad ties
A unique piece of rolling stock to see on your layout, especially given that it's a USA crane, rather than a UK crane.
I have one of these in N Scale, and did find that the crane is given an improper match wagon to go with it. Most, if not all, match wagons were bogie flatcars, modified to carry spare trucks, wheels, and other tools needed for a rerailment or clean-up; this, of course, included boom arm tie-down cables, which would be incredibly difficult to recreate in many scales.
Just a bit of advice if you decide to run this crane again, and I'm sure you've already read the comments, but you do have the crane running backwards. The cab of the crane, where the oversized stack is, should be directly behind any locomotive, freight car, or coach. This would prevent it from crashing into anything en route to a derailment.
One last thing I have to note is that most bridges and walkways over in the States have a higher clearance than those in the UK, which is probably why that smokestack kept slamming into them.
My personal recommendation if you buy this crane is to have it posed at a wreck, cleaning up the mess, or to have it on standby in a yard as part of a wreck train.
You contravened the Health and Safety at Work Act in OO Gauge! Thanks for uploading.
Love this one. Very funny and as entertaining as your earlier castigating of the Hornby Coke wagon which I see you filmed after this review.
Now remember I used to have a little crane with metal chains and none of these problems. Think it must have been Triang-Hornby R127.
have you seen the ancient dapol kit crane? will need a flatbed wagon of some sort to go with it, but cheap and actually quite a nice kit for its age
I haven't heard of that - sounds very interesting though!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Oxford have some cranes in production as well.
Bachmann also did the same in N Scale, smaller knob and risk of death present
This is so cool, all u need is another one , so u can lift James up if he smashed thru tidmith sheds
The old Hornby crane (the one with the small trucks) can be made to look really good and they are cheap too. I purchased a weathered 2nd hand model for 14 pounds a few years back and it just sits in a siding.
You're right - with some effort the Hornby ones could be made to be quite convincing!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Loved the review, though I will stick to models that can pass under my Triang loading gauge (bought with my pre-decimal pocket money of half a crown (12.5p). Also, loved the seaside postcard style, replete with knob jokes and double entendres.Keep up the good work!
I don't know, Sam. It seems like a fun piece of rolling stock for use or display and for a reasonable price. For all the giggling about the control knob, at least it isn't hung off the side of the crane like a Corgi toy.
Sure it's fun... and if you just want to display it, it's just fine!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@Sam’sTrains I remember watching one of your Thomas and Friends in Real Life videos when you removed the footbridge to let Rocky pass through. Just mentioning.
I wonder if the crane hook is a lead alloy to give it a bit of weight , no excuse these days but it's a lot easier to cast than alternate heavy materials like Tungsten
I wonder too - wish they'd specified what was lead - I'd be very annoyed if the hook was lead... unnecessarily dangerous!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Oh dear, but I had a great larf at the innuendos - ooooo err missus and a fat Knob, never mind the quality, feel the width. Usual American railroad stuff. I find the HO locomotives and rolling stock to be iffy at the best of times, and the N or TT gauge to be better. Most American layouts are great but the quality has to be found. Love the American themes and when you get a good layout, they are full of quality detail. One for the Dusty Bin Sam , or just a static, in the background model. Made my evening. Thanks again Sam .
do you think that you'll ever review the Bachmann Europe crane?
Not unless it's reduced in price significantly... I guess it already has in some places!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
I got this exact model for $15 CAD new in box, and the one i got is identical except is in yellow and im pretty sure it was from the 80s from the original packaging. the item number is 46101. I was honestly surprised to see your thumbnail with that crane on it! (also you had the same booklet that i had with mine)(and yes there are Lead weights in it)
Wow, much better for 15 dollar. Wow really, actual lead weights?? I'm surprised!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains they may have had lead weights many years ago, but not today. The weights are metal.
3:33 That bit cracked me up good! 😂
But srsly, what were Bachmann thinking when putting LEAD in a model that could be given to children?
haha! I don't know - again, probably not much lead - we don't know how much!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
It’s not a toy it’s a model. Also the same thing can be said when talking about Thomas Wooden Railway TOYS containing quite a bit of lead in there paint. Bachmann of course knows that there’s lead in their model and they probably still let it be mass produced because they don’t expect it to be given to children and licked or whatever.
All the toy train makers had a crane like that back in the day. Even then they were more of a novelty than anything else.
In the United States, railroad cranes are locked during transport so as to not swing freely. The arm of the crane must be raised enough so it doesn't collide with the tender and is typically (if possible) oriented so the arm is trailing the direction of travel to minimize the chance of hitting trackside objects. American railroad right of way provides enough clearance to allow such vehicles to travel without issues
One could put a flat car on the other end of the crane to swing the boom over it Cutting offf part of the smokestack would solve the clearance problem. I have one of those and it's a good value for the money.
The fat controller was very cross the following morning. "You have cause confusion and delay. The damage you caused to the bridges, tunnels, and stations will take months to repair. You even struck the 100-meter-tall bookcase that's just here for some reason. The lead dust that trails behind you is poisoning the citizens of Sodor! I was amused by your knobs, but you are NOT a really useful crane!"
Oh hahah, a fun review Sam. Well yes, certainly kiddie grade, but perhaps modellers who are on penny budgets could do DIY touching up here and there perhaps, add glazing, weathering, perhaps add more details. Best is to leave cranes on a siding generally.
As for the lead thing, and me being active in company reviews.... (you started this hahah).
Do mind that lead free doesn't exist. Regulations in both the EU and US stipulate a maximum ppm (parts per million). Lead free only means that the manufacturer have complied. However, many compounds can't be chemically formulated without some ppm of lead (e.g. metals, paints). Without, they will just fall apart or degrade rapidly. Specifically for electronics and soldering the regulations have been a nightmare, has explained early failures and has driven up prices of production significantly.
Of course we all want the best and safest, but regulations and warnings in the EU and US have become totally crazy overboard on this matter to a point that it has driven manufacturers up the wall, whilst the ppm and its emissions are absolutely totally negligible... For low budget models like this, Bachmann just legally have to warn, but nobody will be poisoned Sam... It's just that people have conditioned themselves in their believes due to what they "hear" all the time.
I saw a news story that ladder companies in the U.S. spend a third of their gross earnings defending lawsuits from idiots who fall off and hurt themselves. So the entire top half of every ladder is covered in warning labels. Lawyers' due diligence-- no one reads labels anymore.
@@randytaylor1258 My word..., what madness these days...
loving the review and the innuendos (more of these please 😁) Thanks Sam
That steam crane is one im after but 200 quid for what's basically going to become a static model is astronomical. Maybe I'll buy one if I win the lottery or something 🤣🤣🤣
This is one of the first models of rolling stock I bought as a kid, never had any issues with it. Always been a favorite. Maybe you got a lemon.
While I must defend the height and clearances mentioned, I will say the editing was quite humorous and I did enjoy it.
Had one of these back in the 90s. Classic
Much joy Sam ! Was at TMC earlier today - hello to Callum & Phil ( who did a fantastic weathering job for me) 😀
Ahh good old TMC - top chaps over there, always a great service!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
That package I mentioned that I tried to send you, it was an N gauge train set I made you with some locomotives, rolling stock, and some bachmann n gauge experience track
Ahh so sorry to hear that Robert - how did you try and send it to me? Hopefully it isn't lost :(
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Through the post office, and I tried to send it to that P.O. Box address I got out of one of your live streams, I've still got the recept from it, I'll take a picture of it and email it to you
I'd attach it to a Hornby 'pocket rocket', with those Dapol egg vans, and just turn the controller to 11. Just to enjoy the carnage that would ensue.
You could keep viewers interested like Ben Elton used to, by stating:
"This might be a bit boring, but there'll be a knob gag along in a minute."
It used to have a Flood light but Bachmann took it out bc it doesn't make any sense having a crane. Not only that but it's a modern version of Tyco's crane car and you can add more details to the tender as well
Oh jeez I can already see the livestream requests coming in for this crane and cause absolute carnage. 🤣
I have the Bachman The Rock set I purchased in the 80s. I also have a Walther's kit from the 80s. I never assembled it.
My grandfather had this model in the 90s. Kept in production apparently.
I was really considering this model, for the price I may buy it and use it as part of a scenery rather than running it on my layout.
As with the real thing, which spends 99% of its time waiting to be needed, along with the rest of the emergency equipment(crew cars, supply cars with spare bogies, etc.) that make up the train at or near a roundhouse or shop.
So if the crane derails then you need a larger crane to rerail it. And if that one derails then you need an even larger crane. And so on. When does it all end?
Can you fit a DCC chip in the slippers? BTW I’ll give that crane a miss as I usually chew my rolling stock while I’m rotating my knob to raise my jib. I’ll get my coat.
Sam… this thing is a menace to your railway. I would advise getting rid of it, else more chaos will come during live streams.
God be praised that this crane can’t couple to the egg vans.
Also, the intro was hilarious. You need to post what music you use, you pick some real bangers.
haha that's sound advice David - I can see this turning up in live streams too, haha!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
"James is off the line! The breakdown train, quickly!"
The breakown train:
“The Breakdown Train is off the line! Get James, quickly- wait a minute”
Just a bit of Info, the Bachmann MOW crane is a direct knock off of the Athearn roundhouse version, I would highly recommend the Athearn version as opposed to the Bachmann. I can say this as I own 2 Athearn MOW cranes. The tooling and paint on the Athearn crane are very well done and do not look like a “toy train”.
My grandpa used to operate a steam crane on MOW in the early 70s before it was fitted with a Diesel engine
Hey Sam sorry i'm late, thank you for checking out my j72 but the rods hit the bolts
Cheers Jasper & Willow
that warning about California is on everything in the states, I've seen a water bottle that said contents are known to be harmful in state of California
I think US loading gauges are larger both in track separation and in clearance above the track.
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw you reviewing this. I bought one of this exact set as a very young model railroader about 10 years ago at a local hobby store for probably $15 USD. My example of this crane is much more free turning so it does return to center better than your example. As stated by others the US loading gauge is much higher than your UK layout even with it being a slightly larger scale and the crane should be run in the opposite direction per US rail standards. It is of course a cheapo model but it is a good bit of fun and does actually perform reasonably well. Perhaps you should try loosening the crane slightly which I think you can do, and maybe you will give it a chance again? XD
Collect cranes and tenders all bridges, walkways, and overheads have been raised . Notes this also clears double stacks .
Cali proposition 65 is on just about everything you buy .
“Of course I flipping wouldn’t!!!” First time I heard Sam yell.
You're being a bit negative, Sam. The working features imply that it's supposed to be used. Any further detail is going to be broken through handling. On the other hand this equipment is very heavy duty and that's how it looks in close-up. It will take wear and weathering well and will, I predict, look spectacular sitting on a MoW siding or the scene of an accident.
The stiffness of the crane rotation is moot. Because of its manual manipulation the real test is whether it will still be intact after a year of use. Loosening up the cranes rotation will also permit better rotation from the boom car during transportation.
The height of the chimney is a different matter. Is it possible that the model represents in HO a different height clearance standard for American railroads? Or do American steam cranes actually have removable or hinged smoke stacks?
Considering that the other, more in-scale crane alone you showed has a price of £250, this crane (with boom car) is very affordable for what it is and is open to having more detail and functionality improvements added.
Serious note, most items sold in the US have the warning on the packaging, about it being know in the state of California to cause cancer, toys or otherwise, they will usually have it on there.
ye gods that's an old model, must have been going since the 1960s! It's showing it's age :P Try the Marklin Goliath 49950 (make sure to put DC wheelsets on it or your controller will go boom!). Vast thing but very nice.
Sam have you ever tried putting it in reverse that way the crane would be behind the local giving it a chance to move a bit more
I know the chimney is up high and rigid, it is a bit stiff but at lest get the lead out and insert your knob it will work its way along pushing things out of its way. So just stick your knob in and rais your gib and enjoy it.
The opening to this video is like watching "oh no" in "I love toy trains".
That lead warning is required to be on basically every product sold in California, including many that don't actually contain any lead. I'm not certain why, but pretty much everything except food has it, including every Bachmann product. It doesn't mean you're in any danger of actual lead exposure - it's just some kind of legal mumbo-jumbo to stop them getting sued.
Do you have powdered lubricant? e.g. teflon powder. A puff might help loosen the crane cab up.
And do the crane hooks fold back\forward to allow the crane's Jib to lower further into the well between the wooden tool boxes? Might help with swivelling the jib.
5:41 “You stick this knob into a hole” - Sam, 2022
Oh Sam you truly got me with this one. I was very lucky I wasn't drinking my water when that intro came or when the 💥 car was unboxed that was incredibly funny after my hard work day. I got to say though it's quite nice to look at, but all issues for me could be forgiven if the Crane would rotate freely. Though this model already has quite a challange around curves and switches due to it's 6 axles but I think it would be a bit more stable if it would have more weight in the crane chassis. The boom car's cab is too big if you look at the Blacksmith car it's not as tall and the windows are too high. Aside from that I can see children enjoying this or it would be nice in a siding or in a rescue scene like the hornby Crane. It is a shame about the performance though. Good value however if you want something large and cool looking. Thanks for making me laugh and great review, Sam 👍
PS: I have a similar n scale model of a very similar 6 axle German steam Crane like this one. Also if I remember correctly there's a Lima model out there very similar to this one, but even cheaper and nastier than this one 😅
Come on -- how hard is it to loosen up the crane's turntable a bit? It's a plastic model not a £200 diecast replica.
@@randytaylor1258 okay that's true though but straight out of the box it's how it is I suppose. The fact that it's too tall is still quite funny
Honestly love seeing how you dont always have to be serious and you have a lot of fun with the word knob🤣🤣🤣🤣
missing 4 stablizers you push in or attach before you use it
In my experience cranes tend to be something to have in a siding rather than in a train. They tend to be rather heavy to pull, bind on corners and require a lot of clearance.
I had a fantastic Hornby Dublo fully metal crane model. It was great but was very heavy and the winding handle required a lot of horizontal clearance. On my old, two tier layout, headroom was also an issue in places.
The more recent Hornby cranes (both the Railroad and the more detailed versions) are lighter but at least the more detailed version is still not a greta runner.
Absolutely Jeffrey - yet to find one that's completely reliable. The Dublo one sounds fascinating, would love to see one of those!
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
@@SamsTrains There are sveral on a well-known bidding site at the moment. They were all red. I probably should not have sold mine but, being made of metal, including the three wagons that go with it, you need a very, very powerful engine to haul it. The Bachmann one is better but then it jolly should be since it is 60 years newer and almost costs the price of as second-hand car.