Hornby's Breakdown Crane origins???

The Airfix crane is a diesel powered unit and is only like the Hornby one in that it is a crane. The Airfix is a model of a much smaller crane used by the Civil Engineers/Permanent Way depts. The Hornby model is of a large crane used by the locomotive dept. in the breakdown train with its primary role being to clear up derailments. Keith

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Steve, the crane was obviously operated from the trackside by an employee with a hand-held remote controller. Health and safety regulations would clearly debar anyone from being close to the mechanism when it was working.

Hope this helps, Steve (W)

Wish somebody had told me that when I was six. Broke the jib of an Airfix one trying to lift a Dublo Duchess. Completely forgotten I had had one till this thread. Still have a rake of kitmaster coaches from that era stored away though. They always looked better than the Triang and Hornby products of the time. How do they compare with todays offerings as regards accuracy. Mine are fairly battered with the odd buffer etc missing but the main structures are sound. Should I need a rake of Green coaches again it it worth updating them or are there better products around? G.Harman

wow - had no idea they were that safety conscious back in the 40's (?)

thanks

Steve

Sorry mate, I was just teasing. I had been contemplating the Fleischmann working crane with its zillion-function remote controller, and wondering how that compared with the Hornby equivalent. About $1,000 of difference, I should guess. Seriously, I've got one of the latest Hornby cranes myself, in the black. Half the layout will be dedicated to just giving it some space to park, but I had to have it. It's one of those models with the elusive "presence". And I'm now on my umpteenth beaten-up old carriage that I'm sure is going to look just right as a service vehicle with it.

Cheers, Steve (W)

The prototype for the Airfix model crane was I think a 15 tonner, o.k. for ways and works duty, could probably lift the usual four wheeled vehicle if necessary, but not a real breakdown crane. Regards, Bill.