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AJHR Totals

This page presents data on cranes in railway service as listed in the annual reports tabled in Parliament and recorded in the Appendicies to the Journal of the House of Representatives (AJHR).

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The Railway Statements in the AJHR from 1881 to 1915 present a wide range of detail on the operation of the working railways. Amongst the summaries of locomotives and rolling stock up to that time are a breakdown of the numbers of cranes of various types in service on the various railways sections. These give an interesting picture of the development of equipment stocks during this period. Unfortunately much of this was discontinued during World War I as it was thought the information might be of service to 'the enemy'. Equally unfortunately, it was not included again after the war ended. But what information there is in the AJHR can be very useful.

Presented below are:

• Graphs and preliminary analysis of Crane Totals by year
• Table of Crane Totals by grouped classification by year
• Table of Crane Totals by individual classification by year

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Analysis of Crane Totals by year: The following graphs examine the data as grouped under a number of classifications for the data in the table below. This is a preliminary examination of the data, and some suggestions for areas which need to be looked at more closely!

The AJHR data provides an interesting picture of what was happening with the crane stocks in terms of increases and decreases. But to understand that picture is is necessary to understand the historic context in which the changes were occuring. The working railways arose from the public works projects started by Vogel in 1870. They became a seperate entity in 1880 which is when the data becomes more accessible. The early railway growth suffered as the financial situation turned to economic depression from the early 1880's - a situation which did not improve till the second half of the 1890s. Although the total stock still shows growth initially, it is necessary to consider how that tapered off, what was old orders arriving, and what happened in terms of new purchases and replacement of the stocks. Much of the growth from 1895 on (as seen in the graph at left) is in stationary cranes, presumably equipping the increasing number of stations being built at that time. From the end of the 1880s there is a slow growing collection of pile drivers and hoisting engines indicating an increasing mechanisation. From the early 1900s the records show an increasing use of overhead travelling cranes - perhaps reflecting the development of the workshop facilities.

Looking at the data for the stock of travelling cranes alone (considering only rail cranes and not including travelling overhead cranes) we see a mix of similarities and differences to the pattern for the total crane stock. Growth in stocks is limited up to the end of the 1880s when a sharp increase warrants further investiagtion. The crane numbers drop slightly to the mid-1890s when renewed growth accompanies the end of the economic depression. Renewed growth ends around 1910. The travelling crane stocks are static in the years that follow. General manager Mr E.H. Hiley 1914 proposal for an 8-year rejuvenation of the New Zealand Government Railways.was halted by the outbreak of war toward the end of the period represented. It would be of interest to get a better picture of the crane stocks in the years that follow.

A further area of examination should be the seperation of wharf cranes from the stock of breakdown/maintenance of way cranes. The larger capacity cranes can be identified as wharf cranes, but this is not yet possible with some of the smaller varieties.

Looking more closely at the travelling crane stocks, it is interesting to compare the hand and steam powered cranes. Steam power was utilised from very early on (the working railways inheriting steam cranes from the earlier Canterbury Provincial Railways and the Port Chalmers Railway). But it would seem that initially the hand powered cranes were more numerous. From the end of the 1880s when the stock received a large (and so far unexplained) increase the respective stocks were similar numerically to around 1904. From this point the number of handcranes appears to be in decline. It would appear the 1900-1904 period requires a closer examination as there is strong growth in powered cranes in the following few years. This ends in the immediate pre-war period and as noted above, it would be of interest to get a better picture of the crane stocks in the years that follow.

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Crane Totals by year: The following table is a summary giving the total number of cranes in service by year from 1881 to 1915 grouped under a number of classifications. The unsummarised data is given below . See the section above for some analysis of the data.

	Year	1881	1882	1883	1884	1885	1886	1887	1888	1889	1890	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	18 97	1898	1899	1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909	1910	1911	1912	1913	1914	1915
Type
Stationary-hand		47	50	67	74	80	86	88	95	90	91	92	94	96	99	100	100	101	106	112	123	127	128	134	136	144	146	148	157	161	171	171	1 80	187	187	186
Stationary-steam		2	4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stationary-hydraulic		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	5	5	7	7	8
Stationary-pneumatic		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Travelling-overhead		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	16	19	18	2 7	29	34	32	37	42	44	52
Travelling-hand		24	28	27	22	21	27	36	39	39	37	37	36	34	34	34	34	34	35	3 4	35	36	37	39	40	40	39	40	38	40	38	38	38	37	37	37
Travelling-steam		12	9	9	21	20	18	34	36	34	35	36	36	35	35	35	34	34	34	35	37	37	41	39	39	41	42	46	51	55	57	56	56	57	57	57
Pile drivers & Hoisting Engines		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	4	6	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	9	11	11	11	12	12	14	17	17	26	23	24	26	33	33	32	33
	Total	85	91	106	117	121	131	158	170	168	169	173	173	173	176	177	176	177	183	192	208	213	219	226	243	257	265	271	302	311	327	328	349	363	364	376

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Crane Totals by year: The following table is a summary giving the total number of cranes in service by year from 1881 to 1915 listed by type and capacity. See the section above for some analysis of the data.

Capacity (Tons)	Description		1881	1882	1883	188 4	1885	1886	1887	1888	1889	1890	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899	1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909	1910	1911	1912	1913	1914	1915
1/4 ton	Stationary-hand																																	1	1	1	2
1/2 ton	Stationary-hand								2	2	5	5	5	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	8	8	8	6	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
1 ton	Stationary-hand		6	5	4	5	6	7	6	11	4	5	5	3	4	4	5	5	5	5	4	5	5	10	13	19	20	20	20	25	26	2 2	23	21	28	27	23
1 1/2 ton	Stationary-hand		21	22	25	29	31	30	29	30	30	31	33	33	35	36	36	37	38	42	50	52	54	48	51	51	57	60	56	58	60	68	66	74	75	78	80
2 ton	Stationary-hand		7	8	8	9	4	8	11	11	10	9	8	12	13	14	13	13	14	14	12	14	14	16	18	19	19	19	20	21	21	22	21	23	20	20	20
3 ton	Stationary-hand		3	3	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	3	4
4 ton	Stationary-hand					1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	6	5	6	6	6	7	6	23	22	23	22	28	30	30	31	32	36	38	38	37
5 ton	Stationary-hand		7	7	21	18	27	29	28	29	28	28	28	28	28	28	29	24	23	23	24	25	24	24	7	8	8	8	6	6	6	11	10	8	7	7	7
7 ton	Stationary-hand															1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3
8 ton	Stationary-hand				1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1					1	1	1
10 ton	Stationary-hand		3	5	4	7	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	7	7	6	6	6	7	6	7	6	9	8	8	8	8
15 ton	Stationary-hand																						1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	2
20 ton	Stationary-hand										1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2 ton	Stationary-steam		2	4	3
1/2 ton	Stationary-hydraulic																													1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
1 1/2 ton	Stationary-hydraulic																																2	2	3	3	3
8 ton	Stationary-hydraulic										2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
10 ton	Stationary-hydraulic																																		1	3	3
12 ton	Stationary-hydraulic																																				1
1 ton	Stationary-pneumatic																																				1
1 1/2 ton	Stationary-pneumatic																																				1
2 ton	Stationary-pneumatic																																				1
1/2 ton	Travelling-overhead																											1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	7
3/4 ton	Travelling-overhead																																				4
1 ton	Travelling-overhead																									14	16	18	17	25	26	30	28	30	31	31	28
1 1/2 ton	Travelling-overhead																													1	1	2	2	1	3	4	4
2 ton	Travelling-overhead																																	3	4	4	6
3 ton	Travelling-overhead																																	1	1	2	1
5 ton	Travelling-overhead																																				2
1 ton	Travelling-hand							2	2	2	2	2	2	2
1 1/2 ton	Travelling-hand		1	1		1
2 ton	Travelling-hand		9	9	11	8	8	9	13	12	16	15	15	14	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	14	14	14	14	15	15	15	16	15	15	13	13	13	13	13	13
3 ton	Travelling-hand								1	4	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
5 ton	Travelling-hand		13	13	14	12	12	14	18	19	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	19	19	19	19	19	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18
6 ton	Travelling-hand														1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
7 ton	Travelling-hand			2	1			1	1	1	1	1	1	1						1
8 ton	Travelling-hand																																	1	1	1	1
10 ton	Travelling-hand		1	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1													1	3	3	3	3	3	2	4	4	4	3	2	2	2
3/4 ton	Travelling-steam																															2	2	2	2	2	2
1 ton	Travelling-steam							1	1	2			1	1
1 1/2 ton	Travelling-steam		3						6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	2	4	4	4	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	4
2 ton	Travelling-steam		6	4	4	13	9	7	12	12	12	12	12	12	13	13	13	13	13	13	1 3	13	13	13	13	11	11	11	10	10	10	7	7	7	7	7	6
3 ton	Travelling-steam		1	3	3	4	7	8	12	13	13	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	14	14	15	15	15	16
5 ton	Travelling-steam					1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	2	3	5	8	7	7	6	6	7	7	7
7 ton	Travelling-steam					1	1														1	2	2	5	7	7	7	7	12	13	17	17	17	16	16	16	15
7 1/2 ton	Travelling-steam																														1	1	1	1	1	1	1
12 ton	Travelling-steam		2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
15 ton	Travelling-steam																										1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
20 ton	Travelling-steam																					1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3
	Pile drivers & Hoisting Engines										3	4	6	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	9	11	11	11	12	12	14	17	17	26	23	24	26	33	33	32	33

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Disclaimer: Please note that this information has been obtained from numerous sources both primary and secondary, through my own work and the works of other researchers. Sources are noted where possible. The information is provided in good faith, but as with much history research I can provide no guarantees of accuracy.

© 2007 Phillip TREWEEK All rights reserved