Contents
Cranes in NZR Service
Welcome
If you have any question about this site or the content, please contact: Phillip Treweek
Project Objectives
As the introduction page would suggest, my objective is to accumulate a body of knowledge about the steam cranes operated by NZR in its various guises. Essentially I want to know what cranes did they operate, what did those cranes do in service, what was it like to operate them, and what subsequently happened to those cranes.
To better identify my objectives I sat down with a sheet of paper and came up with some basic questions I'd like to answer. As I have found out more it seems I keep adding to those questions. My initial focus was steam cranes, but most of the questions suit a wider investigation of travelling cranes in general.
GIven that I have an eventual publication in mind, I have worked the
questions into a possible chapter structure. It seemed as good a way as
any to arrange the list. So an introduction to my project would be followed
by:
The Crane
- background
- where and when did steam cranes originate
- how does a crane work?
- how do steam cranes differ from other cranes
- crane language
- what are the technical terms?
- what are the operational terms?
- what slang terms existed?
- how do these relate to other railway language
NZR Cranes
- General
- why the use of cranes (and what came before)?
- were any cranes used by NZR's predecessors?
- why /when / how were cranes introduced?
- why /when / how were cranes retired?
- how was the role of cranes officially perceived?
- how were cranes actually used?
- where did cranes fit in the NZR structure?
- how were cranes controlled (administratively, operationally)?
- what cranes were in use when NZR was privatised?
- what cranes are operated on NZ railways today?
- Ponderings
- how did govt policy affect the cranes (selection, purchase, operation)?
- how did railways / PWD split influence the crane operations?
- are there any distinct 'phases' in crane use?
- crane purchases - what was the effect of the Coates / Semple reformations?
- what effects did the two world war periods have on crane operations?
- why did steam cranes out last steam locos by more than 20 years?
- how did the choice of the 3'6 gauge effect cranes (size operation)?
- what limits were placed on cranes by track conditions?
- where could cranes be run?
Manufacturers
- Background:
- Who were the manufacturers?
- How did they get into crane building?
- What is the background and history of these companies?
- What is their current status?
- Construction
- Who built the cranes?
- Where were they built?
- How were they designed / assembled?
- What costs were invoved?
- NZ
- What happened with NZ suppliers (any local manufacturers, as with loco's)?
- NZ assembly?
- Acquiring cranes
- How were the cranes tendered / ordered?
- Who chose?
- Was there preferences / arguments between UK / US / NZ suppliers (as with loco's)?
- Any differences between acquiring steam and other types of cranes?
- Delivery
- How did the cranes reach New Zealand?
- Where were they landed/ reassembled?
Individual Crane Types
- Type history:
- where/how did each crane develop
- what can be found about the who, where, why, how of design?
- how were the cranes constructed?
- what are the types specifications?
- what was the crane intended for by the designer/ manufacturer?
- Type in NZR use:
- how was the crane actually used in NZ?
- what can be found out about the individual cranes (activities, important work, accidents/incidents, drivers)?
Crane Operations
- operational rules and procedures
- what rules existed
- how were they enforced?
- how much of this was in common with other NZR procedures
- crane workings
- what tasks were allocated
- how were tasks allocated
- how did cranes go about:
- steaming up?
- shutting down?
- preparing to travel?
- travelling?
- pile driving?
- bridge work?
- rail laying?
- other tasks?
- maintenance
- what needed to be done?
- what maintenance schedules existed?
- who carried out what?
- where was maintenance done?
- how often?
- what happened to work when a crane was in a workshop?
- what workshops did crane work (built, erected, maintained,repaired)?
- ponderings
- what infrastructure was there to support steam cranes once steam locos were retired?
- what traffic controls were in place when a worktrain occupied a section?
Personnel
- who were the people involved with cranes?
- crew, maintainers, administrators?
- for crane drivers:
- what walks of life did they come from?
- how did they get involved?
- what qualifications were required?
- how did they get trained?
- what cranes did they work?
- what were conditions like (pay, accomodation, living)?
- how did this relate to other railway work?
- how did crane work affect family life?
- what were the effects of accidents/ incidents?
- why did staff leave?
- where did they go?
- how did the crane crew relate to other NZR personnel (eg loco drivers)
- any rivalries?
Surviving cranes:
- why did the cranes survive?
- what factors were involved?
- preservation societies:
- who acquired them
- how, when?
- why were they acquired
- what purpose and role (active / static) have the cranes been put to?
- what restoration processes are in place?
- current survivors and their status?
- which, where, status, outlook?
- what was the fate of the other cranes?