Monday 13 November 2017

Rail-mounted Cranes on Myanma Railways


Hand-operated Cranes

In 2017, I spotted a couple of small wagon-mounted hand cranes laid aside at Myitnge, but I wasn't able to take a photograph.

Steam Cranes

During my tour of Insein Locomotive Works in May 2015, I paid a brief visit to the 'scrap line' and made a hasty record of two steam cranes lying there.

The first vehicle was a 30-ton steam crane made by Cowans Sheldon and Company Limited in Carlisle in 1933. The cast-iron worksplate gives the works number as 5373 but the top line reads R.S.R. - Burma Railways, suggesting that the same design was shipped to both Thailand and Burma. The crane carried a second cast-iron plate which I assumed was the Burma Railways running number '30TSC 9878'. The crane was paired with a match- or runner-wagon bearing a cast running number plate marked 'J 4886'.

The other crane was also a Cowans Sheldon product but rated at 35 tons, works number 8628 built 1945. A cast-iron plate gave the running number as '35TSC 9887'. In this case, the match wagon was built by Hurst, Nelson and Company Limited in Motherwell and carried a cast-iron plate giving the running number as 'J 9817'.


The 35-ton crane with the older, 30-ton crane in the background.

Diesel Cranes

I saw a 60 ton diesel crane in Insein Works, painted canary yellow and labelled 'QIQIHAR CHINA' and 'N603-102'. This was supplied to Myanmar in 1995 by the CNR Qiqihar Railway Rolling Stock (Group) Company Limited. The company's website here. I believe other exports to Myanmar were Depressed container wagons, Brake Vans and Covered Wagons (all with a 12.5 ton axle-load). Qiqihar is a large industrial city in north-east China. Oddly, this city is called 'The City of Cranes' because it is the habitat of Red-crowned Cranes.


Qiqihar 60-ton crane inside Insein Locomotive Works, Yangon.

At Mahlwagon Diesel Depot I found an Orton McCullough 45 ton diesel crane bearing the painted running number '45.T.DC 9892'. I didn't know this manufacturer but, according to the Historical Construction Equipment Association based in the U.S.A.:- "Orton & Steinbrenner Company was apparently founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1906. It was renamed Orton Crane & Shovel in 1922, then Orton Crane Company. It discontinued cable cranes in 1945 to focus on locomotive cranes. John F. McCullough purchased the company in 1972 and renamed it Orton-McCullough Crane Company. Orton-McCullough relocated to Huntington, Indiana, and apparently ceased operations by January 2012".


Jib of Orton McCullough 45 tone crane.

Related posts on this website

This is one of a series of posts describing railways in Myanmar. Clicking on the 'All my Myanma-Railways reports' link displays all the posts in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Myanma-Railways reports

My photograph albums

Where necessary, clicking on an image above will display an 'uncropped' view or, alternately, pictures may be selected, viewed or downloaded, in various sizes, from the albums listed:-
Rail-mounted Cranes in Myanmar.


[Qiqihar website updated, 6-Dec-2019]

Non-operational steam in Myanmar

I've come across a number of plinthed and laid-aside steam locomotives in Myanmar. This is an index to the photographs I've managed to take so far of the survivors.

Plinthed Dubs 2-4-0T at Naypyitaw



Reputed to be the first steam locomotive to run in Burma, this Dubs is plinthed in the entrance to Naypyitaw station.
More pictures

There’s a large oil painting depicting the inaugural train hauled by the Dubs in the Myanma Railway Museum which I discovered on my visit in 2013 (described here: My pictures around the museum are in an album here).

2-6-4 Tank Locomotives in Burma



The 'ST' Class formerly worked the intensive suburban services on Yangon's Circle Line.
More pictures

4-6-4 Tank Locomotive in Burma



This impressive 'Baltic' tank, As144, is now plinthed at Yangon Central Station.
More pictures

4-6-2 Steam Locomotives in Burma



Oil-fired 'Pacific' YB 534 is displayed outside the station at Naypyitaw. Coal-fired 'Pacific' YC 628 with rocking grate was reasonably complete when seen at Mahlwagon Diesel Depot. Oil fired YC 627 at Insein was in poor condition, as were other unidentified 'Pacifics' at Insein.
More pictures

Burma Railways GC 833 Beyer Garratt at Thazi



In 2016, I was surprised to find a Beyer Garratt laid aside at Thazi. Externally, she looked reasonable but the cab had been gutted.
More pictures.

Two other albums have some technical information about Beyer Garratts:-
Burma Railways Beyer Garratts.
Burma's Beyer Garratts.

Plinthed 0-6-0T at Thazi Diesel Depot



The 0-6-0 side tank plinthed at Thazi Diesel Depot is numbered S.1.
Album

Plinthed 0-6-0T at Insein Locomotive Works



The 0-6-0 saddle tank plinthed at Insein is numbered SL 3.

More pictures

C56 plinthed at Thanbyuzayat



Preserved Japanese-built 'Mogul' C 0522 a few hundred yards from Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery. It is claimed to be the first locomotive to run on the completed 'Death Railway' linking Thailand with Thanbyuzayat.

More pictures

Plinthed Narrow Gauge Kerr-Stuart at Mahlwagon



Although I spotted this locomotive, half-hidden in the trees, on my first visit to Myanmar in 2008, it was not until 2015 that I was able to take a closer look.
More pictures

Plinthed Orenstein and Koppel Narrow Gauge Locomotive at Mandalay Diesel Depot



It was not until October 2017 that I spotted this locomotive plinthed at the Diesel Depot in Mandalay.
Album

2-8-2 Steam Locomotives



I haven't tracked down any YD class so far, apart from stripped-down examples under restoration at Insein but there are two or three working locomotives. See FarRail's Trip Reports at https://www.farrail.com/
Restoration pictures

[C56 added: 15-Nov-2017]