[Krieglok]

I bought a Lionel TMCC PRR 250 ton wrecker about a year ago. Since then I have been searching for the matching boom car or tender in the PRR livery to go with it.

The car isn’t cheap, as it is a sound car. I have seen plenty of other railroad names but the PRR version was impossible to find.

I lucked out when I found one on an eBay auction as it just started. I contacted the owner and made an made an offer he couldn’t refuse. Two days later, it arrived in the mail.

This was one of my “had to haves” so it made my day when I snagged it.

Here are some pics...

Tom

 

[Toy train hobby]

Congratulations on finally locating that nice looking and elusive PRR unit. I enjoy hearing the foreman say; "the big-hook is on the job" or "that was a good job, let's take a break". Fun stuff...

 

[Spence]

Nice addition to your collection. You'll enjoy it. I bought the NYC version at York in 2006.

 

[Krieglok]

Nice addition to your collection. You'll enjoy it. I bought the NYC version at York in 2006.

Thanks Doug. I haven’t powered up the car yet. Curious to see how it syncs with the crane operation...

Spence, are you able to insert the locking pins on the back of the crane cab? There are two of them and I found the task impossible...

Tom

 

[MichaelE]

Very nice addition. They must have been up on the roof of that locomotive a lot. I've never seen a handrail on top.

 

[Krieglok]

Michael, actually it is a “train phone” antenna. The PRR used the system for a number of years before radios came into use.

Steam locomotives, cabooses and diesels had them. They were stripped off after they became obsolete...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trainphone

Tom

 

[seayakbill]

Very cool, should be a blast operating the combo on the layout.

Bill

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Tom, the TMCC crane is my pick for one of the coolest accessories that Lionel has ever made.

I snagged this one a few years ago, I figured that MOW would be a good pick, it will go with any RR.

 

[santafe158]

I purchased the Legacy DT&I one from a big dealer at a train show last year on a whim. Mostly the price was too good to pass up. It's definitely become one of my favorite pieces and is definitely a crowd pleaser when I run it on the club layout at train shows. I need to take some time and rig up some more fun things to pick up with it, but for now I mostly just pick up a freight car truck and move it around.

 

[Maxum]

Nice score Tom. I'm on the hunt for one of those Lionel cranes too.

 

[Chugman]

Tom, congratulations! Great looking and the perfect engine to pull it too.

I don't have one, but everyone says it is the best operating item that was ever made. Not only fun to operate, but can be used in a very prototypical fashion as well.

Art

 

[Millstonemike]

"I've been working on the railroad
All the live long day
I've been working on the railroad
Just to pass the time away ..."

 

[Krieglok]

Thanks guys. All the various road names and the MOW version look great.

Art, the engine is a RS11 Conventional operated locomotive. It was fairly inexpensive but the detail is excellent.

The crane will be interesting to pick up a wreck with!

Tom

 

[Big Ed]

It is a nice crane. :thumbsup:

I have an older PRR boom car, no sounds. What sounds come out of that one?
I also have a PRR transfer caboose. Lights up.

 

[Big Ed]

Hmmm, I guess both of mine are called work caboose's?:dunno:
Well I use the one as a boom car.

 

[Krieglok]

Thanks Ed. The cars you have will work! My OCD stipulated that I find the sound car that goes with the crane...lol

I haven’t powered it up yet, so I am not sure what sounds it makes yet.

I have 2 of the MTH PRR 250 ton cranes. It seems MTH never made boom tenders for them. The one set I have supplies a flat car with wheels to place under the boom. Not a bad idea, but you need to raise the boom so it doesn’t hit the wheels when it is going along.

Tom

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

The sounds are the crew talking and the crane operating sounds. They're synchronized to the crane movement, you set both the crane and the boom car to the same TMCC address.

 

[Big Ed]

The sounds are the crew talking and the crane operating sounds. They're synchronized to the crane movement, you set both the crane and the boom car to the same TMCC address.

We could use a video of that when someone gets the time.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

 

[Krieglok]

Interesting. I worked for a wreck outfit part time in the early 80’s. We used D9 “sidewinders” to pick up cars and locomotives. We had a few crane trucks too.

The big difference was we used hand signals to communicate with the crane operators. We never spoke while moving the rig. The only time you yelled was when someone was in danger of being squashed.

In the old days when railroads used their own wreckers, the wreck master used hand signals or if it was night time, the wreck master used a green lantern. The crane operator would only take directions from the wreck master and ignore everyone else unless it was an emergency...

Tom