Central Vermont Railway Crane and Support Equipment

For train wrecks and certain maintenance work, railways always had set of equipment known as the auxiliary usually consisting of a crane, a tender (for steam powered cranes) and boom car. The Society obtained its Central Vermont Auxiliary in 1967.

Steam Crane No. 4251

Former Central Vermont Railway steam crane, 4251, was built by the Industrial Works (later Industrial Brownhoist) in 1919. The 50-ton crane was acquired by the Society in 1967 along with the auxiliary equipment needed to support the crane's operation: the locomotive tender and a boom car. Number 4251 was received in operating condition and over the years the Society has fired the crane up and operated it during special events at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa where the crane resides. The Society continues to maintain 4251 in working order and hopes to continue operating it in the years to come. Occasionally the crane is put to work lifting other Society equipment. See our Photo Page for pictures of it in action.

Boom Car No. 4313

No. 4313 is a converted flatcar comprising a large shed on one end and an open area at the other. The open end provided the necessary "storage" space for the crane's boom when the auxiliary was stored or being moved to a wreck or track maintenance site. The necessary tools for the work crew were stored in the shed.

Tender No. 4264

Railway steam cranes always needed a source of water and coal. This was normally provided by including a tender, usually one from a long-retired steam locomotive. Such is the case of the Society's former Central Vermont Railway (CV) tender No. 4264. 4264 was built in 1887 for CV steam locomotive No. 52 (originally No. 33), a 4-4-0 type. It was acquired along with CV crane No. 4251 in 1967. In 2002, members of the Society carried out major restoration on the tender which had not seen a lot of work done on it for many decades.

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Last Reviewed: November 30, 2009