O Lionel MOW Conrail Gantry Crane combo now battery operated

Description

As far as I am aware, this is now the MOST UNIQUE Lionel Operating Gantry Crane on the planet.  It is a combination of parts from 2 different Lionel O scale items.  The base is from one of Lionel’s stand-alone Maintenance of Way Gantry platforms.  The Crane is from Lionel’s Command Control Conrail Crane Car.  I have made all the vital functions of the crane operational using ingenuity, craftsmanship, some random materials, and a 9-volt battery.  Now, one can manually operate the crane with hands-on actions.  I do so in the video that I have provided here.

This crane is a consigned item that has been presented over the past 4 years at various train shows.  While a lot of people have looked at it with interest and curiosity, no one purchased it, probably because it was unknown whether or not the crane worked.  Well, it works.  It works very well.  I have documented exactly what I went through to make this crane operate.  I will provide the buyer with a link to that information in the box when I ship it.  For now, I have listed the condition of the items along with the features now applicable to this crane:

• The gantry platform is in Great shape.  It appears to be missing ladder handrails on 2 legs of the crane.  (One might be able to fabricate replacements out of stiff metal rods or plastic including plastic sprues.  Simulated stairs appear on 2 legs of the platform).
• The crane (which was removed from a crane car) fits snuggly on top of the gantry platform.  The crane is in good shape but was received with a lot of issues.  I have resolved or provided replacement functionality for most of the important and relevant issues.
• The crane has a very nice, rich, blue paint job with crisp, clear, white lettering.
• I made a function control box for it which you can see in the pictures appears on the rear of the crane and has 4 Double-Pole Double-Throw 3-position (On-Off-On) switches on it.  The control box is painted black with printed function labels.
• The crane rotates 360 degrees.  It can be rotated by hand or by motor control.
• The boom moves up and down via motor control.
• The main (Large) hook raises and lowers via motor control.
• The auxiliary (Small) hook raises and lowers via motor control.
• All 4 motors operate independently and can all be operating simultaneously.
• 2 operating golden-white LED work lights are positioned at front of the cab.  The lights have their own On/Off switch located inside the door on the left-hand side of the cab when looking at the crane from the rear towards the front.
• Contains 4 powerful, maintenance-free, Universal motors.
• Has Die-cast frame and boom.
• The assembly has very good weight to it.
• There are 3 sliding cab doors on the crane.  They all work.  However, when closed none of these doors completely seal the compartment.  A gap is always present when the doors are closed as far as they will go.  This may be by design.  (Originally, all 3 doors moved freely with very little resistance.  After I made the control panel, the right-side rear door is very stiff to move.  I suggest not opening this door simply because the battery compartment is visible inside the door along with tape and other non-prototypical items.)
• 1 set of metal crossbar supports appears to be missing from the boom.  It appears as if there should be 4 of these on the top side of the boom, but there are only 3.  (A replacement set could probably easily be fabricated.  Not sure if Lionel sells those as a part.)

Overall, I now feel that a lot of value has been added to this battery-operated Gantry Crane combination.  In the first online listing that I made for this crane starting around the middle of December 2022, I provided suggestions on ways to make this crane work.  I still believe it is possible to make this crane work using Lionel’s TMCC and Legacy control systems.  In my very extensive write-up that leads to the development of the battery-operated modifications that I made to this crane, those suggestions are still present and available on the web.  I will leave them there well after this item is sold.  Additionally, all the modifications that I have made to this crane have been done to increase its saleability and prove that the crane works.  All the modifications I have made can easily be removed without any damage to the crane itself and if one wants to make this crane work remotely using TMCC, Legacy, or their own control designs, these options are still available to them.  To make the crane work using TMCC or Legacy, the Decoder PC Board that was missing from the inside of this crane when it was consigned to me (and still is missing), would need to be replaced.  The Decoder PC Board and other official Lionel parts may be available from time to time via Lionel’s parts website.

People interested in buying this Battery-operated Lionel Gantry Crane combination might want to know how to change the battery and how to operate the crane.  Here are the instructions to accomplish that.  The video also shows how to operate it.

[A last-minute Special Note:  The crane has some movement limiting switches installed that look as if they communicated with the PC board to prevent the boom from raising too high or too low.  They might even prevent the hooks from extending too far or trying to pull in too close.  Although I saw these miniature switches on the crane and wires coming from them to the inside of the crane, I did not realize their purpose until recently (after I finished making my modifications to the crane.)  As a result, I did not incorporate the limiting trigger switches into my control panel design so the switches will not deactivate the rotation of a motor when a limit is reached or exceeded.  The operator needs to use CAUTION when operating the crane so that they do not let a motor run in any particular direction as to cause its associated function to exceed its boundary or that particular function will be impeded and may break something or burn out a motor.  The only motor function that does not have a physical limit is the rotation of the crane itself.  It can continuously rotate 360 degrees in either direction until such time that the battery runs out.  I displayed the crane at a train show and let it run for a good hour own its own by rotating left or right 360 degrees with the lights on.  It was a spectacle that drew in passersby.  Nonetheless, be careful when operating the crane as the other 3 motors have range of motion that should be monitored and should not be compromised.  For instance, do not lower a hook beyond its string’s length or pull it in so far that it causes the boom to rise.  If this is done, the string may break, the motor may burn out, or some other disaster may occur.  With a motor function engaged, do not leave the crane unmonitored or unattended.]

How to change the battery

1. Remove the crane from the gantry platform by holding the platform steady with one hand and lifting the crane straight up from the base with a firm grip around the top and sides of the crane.
2. Disengage the Rotation drive (see below).
3. Carefully lay the crane upside down on a soft surface.  (You may wish to use a thick towel or pillow.)  Be very mindful of the control switches at the back, the delicate top hatch cover that will sway freely when you turn the crane upside down, and the simulated cables that wrap around pulleys on the boom, as well as the boom itself.
4. Attempt to maintain tension on the boom cables as you turn the crane upside down.  Failure to do this might require routing the simulated cables around the pulleys again.
5. Unscrew the 6 Phillips head screws underneath the frame of the crane.
6. Flip the crane back over holding it to the frame as you do so.
7. Gently and slowly lift the shell of the crane upwards and backwards simultaneously so that the front of the shell clears the cables and motors.
8. After the shell clears the motors, rotate the shell upwards so as to be pulling it backwards at 45 degrees and then continue until the front of the shell is nearly perpendicular with the base of the frame at 90 degrees.  Make sure to minimize the distance you pull the shell away from the frame because the wires go through the rear of the crane and connect to the components inside that are secured to the frame of the crane.
9. Lay the shell on its side and perpendicular to the crane.
10. You will see red and black wires attached to a traditional 9-volt battery clip.
11. Gently slide the battery up and out of its resting place.
12. Carefully remove the battery clip from the battery.
13. Replace the battery.
14. Test that the battery is working properly by flipping the little black switch on the frame of the crane upward.  The lights on the shell should illuminate and glow.  Slide the black switch down and the lights should go out.
15. Reverse the above directions working backwards from steps 11 to 1 to put the battery back in its place and put the shell back on the frame.

 

How to operate the crane.

All instructions I provide start by orientating the crane so that the rear of the crane is facing you and you are looking across the top of it towards the boom.

While the battery remains connected all the time, no power is utilized until you engage a function.  The middle position of all 4 silver DPDT 3-position switches is the OFF position.  The off position for the black SPST 2-position switch inside the cab is when the slider is at the bottom of the switch.  All 5 functions of the crane can be active simultaneously so long as the battery has good charge on it.  Replace the battery when trying to operate 2 or more functions simultaneously results in very slow or no operations.  Because there is no Decoder Board inside the crane, make sure to pay attention to the extents of functions you perform.  Once engaged, there is nothing to limit a motor’s operations except by you turning a function switch off.  For instance, the boom can only raise or lower so far.  There is no circuitry to shut a motor off when the boom reaches its physical limit.  If you fail to turn a motor off, you can damage the motor or a function of the crane.

Set the crane rotation method:

1. Physically turn the entire Gantry Crane Combo 90 degrees to the right so that you are facing the right-hand side of the crane and looking at 2 doors on that side.
2. Slide the right-most front door to the left to open it.  This can be done by using either your finger, a small flathead screwdriver, or a popsicle stick.
3. To disengage the Rotation drive, move the funny shaped piece of clothes hanger wire lever forward slowly until all of the metal on the lever extends past the spring-loaded gear that pops towards you.  Be careful not to push so far forward that the lever damages the window in the front of the cab on that side.  Go slowly to prevent from scratching the paint off the inside of the cab.  Doing this puts the crane in Free-Hand Rotation mode and therefore you can freely rotate the crane using your hand.  This is also the mode the crane should be in when it arrives to you and when you choose to move it from place to place or ship it somewhere.
4. To engage the Rotation drive, use a finger and push the smaller gear inward while moving the lever backwards towards the rear of the cab.  Go slowly and lower the lever all the way back until it rests on the bottom of the inside frame.  Note that a portion of the lever keeps pressure on the small spring-loaded gear and keeps it pushed inward.  This is necessary to enable the motor that rotates the crane 360 degrees to operate.  Use the control switch on the back of the crane to rotate the crane using the built-in motor when the crane is in this mode.  One should not attempt to rotate the crane manually while the lever is engaged.  Doing so might damage the motor or the gears.

Operating the Crane:

The crane has 4 motors that independently control the Rotation, Large Main Hook, Boom, and Small Auxiliary hook.

• Rotation:  The left-most switch controls the rotation of the crane.  Flip the switch to the left and the crane rotates leftward.  Flip the switch to the right and the crane rotates rightward.
• Main Large Hook:  That main hook is used to lift the heaviest portions of items.  The main hook is control by the 2nd switch of the control box (counting left to right from the rear).  To raise the hook, push forward on the switch.  To lower the hook, pull backward on the switch.  (Note:  In my opinion, this hook doesn’t weigh as much as it should.  Because of that, when lowering the hook without a load on it, you may need to pull the hook downward gently as this switch is engaged.  Also, occasionally, the hook may lean favoring 1 side.  (Not sure if this is by design or if a small rod is missing.))
• Boom:  The Boom switch raises or lowers the boom and is controlled by the 3rd switch of the control box (counting left to right from the rear).  To raise the boom, push forward on the switch.  To lower the boom, pull back on the switch.
• Small Auxiliary Hook:  The auxiliary hook is used to lift lighter portions of items and is controlled by the right-most switch on the control panel.  To raise the hook, push forward on the switch.  To lower the hook, pull back on the switch.

Turning the lights on or off:

The light switch is located inside the door on the left-hand side of the crane.

1.  Turn or rotate the crane so that you are facing the left side of the crane (the front of the crane will be on your left while the rear of the crane will be on your right).
2. Slide the door to the right to open it by using your finger, small screwdriver, or popsicle stick.
3. To turn the lights on, slide the small black switch inside upward.  The lights should turn on.
4. To turn the lights off, slide the small black switch inside downward.  The lights should turn off.

 

In my opinion, this modified Lionel battery-operated O scale Conrail Gantry Crane would be a great add-on to someone’s layout that has trackage and scenery where this Conrail Gantry Crane combo would fit right in.

The Gantry Crane is now operational.  It runs using a 9-volt battery and custom-made control panel.  The follow video shows this unique, one of a kind, crane at work, working on trying to pick-up a train car.

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