Railroad Wrecking Crane, DMIR X7, Inside Tour & Lifting A Great Northern Ranch Car
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- Опубліковано 7 кві 2023
- The DMIR X7 is a rare survivor of the cutting torch. Having been in active wreck service on the Missabe until 2001, it was then sold to the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in Trego, WI.
Watch as Josh Topper of Topper Machine LLC, expertly operates this amazing crane. An amazing example of engineering, the X7 plays vital roles on the WGN.
Thank you again to STS LLC for your role in the transport of the GN Ranch Car. If you need heavy haul trucking of any kind, these are the guys to call.
stsheavyhaultrucking.com/
Check out the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad's website for their offerings. They are a unique tourist railroad with some incredible overnight packages.
spoonertrainride.com/
Topper Machine LLC is an entirely manual machine shop located in Spooner, WI. Our videos will highlight some of our shop work.
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A long, long time ago (45 years), in a city far, far away (1100 miles), there lived a 12 year old kid (me) that had a very similiar railroad wrecking crane car in HO scale in my collection of about 20 cars... I think it was either a Bachmann or a Life-Like product... It had thin black string for the cabling, and a little round crank wheel movable between 2 windows for the 2 winches... It had the same pair of lifting hooks - one fixed and one on the strings, and the associated rigging flat car... I'll bet you guys know exactly which HO crane set I'm talking about... It was just the coolest car I had ever owned, and I used to "recover" all kinds of derailments on my layout...
Thank You!!! for making this video... It was like a blast from my past... I never knew any of these crane cars actually existed...
I'm former DM&IR track worker, 32 years. I've worked a few wrecks that required the Big Hook (Little Monster, if I recall). While this crane is a mechanical marvel, we can not really appreciate the value of the cribbing needed to keep it from tipping over. Brief glimpses in this video, but I'll tell briefly. There are massive outrigger arms which are extended from both sides of the crane, at both ends of the crane. Timbers are used as needed to build support for the outriggers at all 4 corners of the crane. If the grade is less than flat, you will see Jenga towers built up for this part of the setup, and they are carefully built, because of the very significant weight that has to be supported. If a 250 ton lift is needed, the boom is up at a pretty steep angle to get the load as close to the end of the crane as possible. Taking a strain on the hook under full load is pucker time. Only 2 people matter, then...the crane operator and his signal man on the ground. The only person who can talk to them now is the wrecking boss. There's no do-over.
This is a really good video of this mechanical marvel. Today, everything is hydraulics or wrecking contractor bulldozers with side booms on them, working in tandem.
I would love to hear some of your stories of the "Missabe Little Monster". We may even have some mutual friends. Send me an email. youtube@toppermachine.com
When I was a kid about sixty years ago
I watched one of these bury about four layers of cribbing
Before they got it stabilized to do the lift !
It also scattered a crowd of onlookers when it let off steam
*If I had $300 to spend on that crane I'd buy a case of grease and two wireless cameras and monitors with a high refresh rate.*
I was wondering about lateral stability.
Yes I've met Thomas Koehler before..he Is one guy if you have a question about welding or the railroad. You need to pick his brain...
This was really a history lesson and a modern day lesson all in one. Thanks really enjoyed watching.
As a retired crane operator, I'm glad to see the old girl running and being used.
Also as a retired crane operator, I appreciate the old machines more than the newer ones. Takes better operators.
I've been on some uncomfortable, leaky cranes before. But this might top them
That was the first time I've seen the inside and operation of that type of crane. Nice video and well done.
I saw the outside of it or one like it at CP Rail when I worked there, but this is the first time I have had a close up inside look. Thanks for the upload.
@@swamprat69er 😭😭😭😭
Ahhh, the memories! I see that the Post-It notes are missing from the actuators.
I can still see my dad running that thing. Watching him come down the hill and crossing Hazel Street at 0300 in the fog, looking and sounding like a Mississippi tow barge, him standing on the deck with a cigar clenched in his teeth...
I was truly amazed at the smoothness and precision of that thing. You could pick or lower 1/16" at a time!
Outriggers are extremely important . Do it right or something happens that you don't want to see . I'm an old Missouri Pacific/Union Pacific employee that worked a lot of derailments . Our Big Hook was awesome . Great video .
It was surprisingly quiet in operation, the gears ran so smooth & to think the old girl is 80 plus years. I'm sure the operators skill enhanced the entire effort.
Another great video,
Thanks!
👍👍👍
Top shelf video. My brother in law is the top man in the machine shop at the Strasburg railroad , he's worked there about thirty years now. Right out of vocational school to working on the railroad. I'm proud of him I think I helped him make up his mind for being a machinist , letting him learn lathe work at about 10 in my home shop. Super talented made a scale steam engine model that the rail road has had on display there in the museum for his life's work.
If I could give more than 1 thumbs up I would. Totally over the top vid! I am a retired 25 yr equipment operator Local 98. I can appreciate your situation with sloppy operators. I came up oiling for a few years, then moved to operating. That is quite the piece of iron! Just amazing. You also do it justice in your operating skills, smooth! Thanks for the look and feel of a piece of history that helped build this country. Just an addicted viewer. HF
Very cool seeing one of these, I had that exact crane car on my HO set as a kid! Had a 10x4 train table all landscaped and even had built a handmade mountain/tunnel! Thanks to my Dad, who was also a train fanatic for showing me the way! 😀
Wow, what a beauty! Both crane and car.
I moved a similar “sleeper car” that was part of the Barnum & Bailey Circus train, a few years back. Loaded in Huntington, WV, took it to Gallipolis,OH, to the Gallipolis Freight Station there. We loaded the same way with (2)100 ton cranes on each end, unloaded it with a 30 ton crane,one end a a time, I have a video of unloading it on UA-cam under machinemoverman,. Also moved the caboose there, from Wheelersburg, OH. I have moved several cabooses over my career (over 50) and one 75 ton locomotive from Kentucky to Ohio. That old crane is smooth! Good job!
Great to see a skilled operator using something like this. Reminds me of when I worked in a scrapyard about 30 years ago, the owner was another who could run any crane, be it hydraulic or wire ropes like this (only we didn't have any that big!)
I think everyone of us had a crane car on our childhood HO train set. So cool to see the workings of the real thing. Glad to see she is a survivor. Thanks for sharing.
This was absolutely cool beyond belief. To have that crane still running and useful after all these years is a tribute to you and others who have contributed..
That GN car is stunningly beautiful. How sweet it would be traveling across the high line, sitting at that bar eating breakfast.
Thanks so much for sharing all of this with us!
I had an HO Scale model of one of these cranes as a little kid. It was my favorite car of my train set. Very cool to see a real one up close and operating !
Awesome crane. Love it. You are amazing, your skill set is so vast and varied! A X7 railroad crane operator!!!
Wow, that is an amazing crane to lift up those trains! And the old car that used to be part of the restaurant is so cool thanks for showing us!!
I’m very glad to see that very old pieces of DM&IR equipment are still being used up to now
What a magnificent piece of machinery, thanks for sharing it with us.
What a wonderfull crane. In the Uk we call them Breakdown cranes. I worked with a baby 30Ton Steam crane ( 5 ton lift capacity) as a volunteer at a railway centre. Then worked with UKs last 50Ton lift Steam breakdown crane in Edinburgh. Theres just something sooo lovelly about cranes!
As a gearhead, that was one of the best videos I've ever seen. Surprized a Cummins was chosen over a Detroit, unless it was part of the diesel conversion "kit". wyou would have explained the controls & setting of the outriggers. All in all, jolly good show!
Awesome. Thank you for posting this. How many times I have run these on a model layout but never dreamed accurately on how it actually works
What an amazing piece of machinery Josh.
And you know how to run it.
You're a man of many Talents.
I would venture to say their is not many people would know how to start up and run this Train Crain.
Whoever did the Re Power with the Cummins did a nice job.
I really liked seeing the Pre Heater and the process of starting it, great idea.
Thanks for sharing this live process, like going back to 1941.
Amazing things the men built back in the day.
We did such great things in our Country.
Thanks for sharing.
Happy Easter Josh.
Take care, Ed.
There is nothing built today that will last like the stuff I work on. The people who built and maintained the equipment of the past are definitely more advanced than our current population. I'm just honored to get the opportunity to run this stuff.
@@TopperMachineLLC Well said Josh.
People like you and I have an appreciation for the men of yesterday.
They were Great!
@@TopperMachineLLC..... Josh, I've been missing out!! I "Just" found your channel and video's tonight... watching other RR video's and spotted the one you posted on all the hassle of getting the "Geep 7", home... due to WATCO's idiocy (The "bottom of the barrel" of short line co's!)..... and to think, years ago I tried hiring on with them as an engineer... I think God spared me the grief!! I am now a bonafide - rest of my life - Topper Machine - subscriber & soon to be Supporter of yourself and your channel.
I'm retired now (kind of), but lived a diversified lifetime of an independent O/O (Owner-Operator), mostly in Heavy Haul, worked for a Class 1 RR (had 2 great uncles, four uncles & two cousins.. 5 engineers, 3 freight conductors) as a head-end brakeman, then engineer... 12+ yrs of drag racing ("FED's" - real race cars Don't have doors! lol) and race engine building... started it all with a 4 yr degree in Diesel Engine Design & Theory, specializing in 2 Cycle, between 1963 & 67.
If that crane of yours, were mine (and as much as I appreciate the "OLD" Cummins diesels).... the engine room would be filled with the sweet "music" of a 6-71T or better, yet - a 2nd Gen. [roots blown] 6-110NA or T as were used to power the "Buddliners", though they were powered by the 1st gen. 6-110NA's which were centrifugally blown/scavenged and had their issues, which led to the re-designed Roots blown 2nd gen... Much Better!
Not having 2 cycle GM Diesel Power in RR equipment, just doesn't seem right!! lol I ran ("modified" by me) V12 (Series 71) GM/Detroits under the hoods of the 3 three semis that I owned over the years as an O/O..... loved them, put over a million miles on each of the second two, none of the three ever gave me any trouble... Very reliable.
I'm a huge "fan" of EMD's, especially the 1st generation of "covered wagons" (E's & various F's), and ALL the "Geeps" and SD's... most especially, the SD 40-2! The (Canadian designed) "Safety/Comfort" Cab versions are.. "ok"..... but since CAT took over production on Aug 28th, 2010 from Greenbrier.... and they're now powered the re-iteration of the infamous 265H prime-mover... as you probably know, known as the "1010".
Very much looking forward to ALL your video's..... and I have a feeling this is going to be a "binge" video night!!
That was definitely cool to watch. History ,machining, human ingenuity, how far we come. You get to play with it!!😅
WOW!! That was a VERY interesting video. Something you don't see every day. Always wondered what what was inside of those "big hooks" and how it operated and now I know. Thank you very much for the video.
I have been fascinated by railroad engines and cars as well as the heavy equipment used to maintain them since I was a youngster. This is the first video with this content I have seen and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
Good to see that 40s engineering is still needed and may standing on the shoulders of giants long continue. Thank you for being able to operate the crane and showing us that all the modern H & S bull has not prevented the job getting done.
I've never seen one of those cranes in operation before. The LSRM in Duluth MN has a great display of one of these, but to see one actually running, is a mazing. Thank you for sharing this with us.
What an awesome machine.
Unbelievable how easy it works for its age.
Thanks so much for taking us with on a riveting adventure!!! As a retired ironworker may I add that you're a " smooth operator"!
Thanks. Taken a lot of practice to get this good. This crane is truly an amazing machine to run.
Gotta love old equipment. Build to be worked on and repaired. I have no doubt that thing can go 100+ yrs taken care of
This was a fun video to watch. About 1960 we had a freight train derailment in my town involving 16 coal cars and the crane they used to clean it up was steam powered.
It's really nice to see you taking care of a wonderfull piece of old machinery like this crane. Just the fact that It once was steamoperated in the early fourties thrills me.
The first time I actually seen one moving. My dad and I had one on our HO set, remember playing with the crane for hours as a kid. Thanks for bring back some fond memories.
Awesome. Always loved the big Brownhoist. Never realized operator stood whole time Lol
Wow, nice old machine!! Thank you for showing!!
Interesting , Thank You. A fine example skills we are loosing rapidly. Thank You for showing how to put a railcar together ,and that fine example of History in Action
Thanks letting us in on how these work ,you both amaze me and impress me with your expertise and knowledge!
Thank you. I've done a lot of different things in my short 40 years. I sure have been fortunate to have these experiences.
I hired out in the mechanical department for Southern Railway in 1979 and spent many years on the Derrick crew. Everything about this work was crazy heavy and difficult! Another commenter mentioned the cribbing under the outriggers. More often than not, you’d spend a bunch of time leveling the ground as much as possible and then building the cribbing, which we topped with a massive aluminum “toadstool” that the outrigger jacks pushed on. Then make a lift that would be done in a matter of minutes, at which time we’d tear down the cribbing, move the Derrick a few feet, and repeat the process - over and over and over! Our hook was an Industrial Brownhoist 250 ton Derrick, but was built with 2 Detroit diesels and a separate diesel light plant. I had begun training as an operator, but before I got very far Norfolk Southern pulled the plug on derricks! These things were the polar opposite of today’s joystick cranes, as the massive wall of levers, valves and foot pedals shows! And on our hook, NOTHING was labeled! This provided job security for the two men that operated it, but it was a bear of a thing to operate even if it had been labeled! I’ve often wondered if there’s any type of museum or historical group that has preserved anything about the Industrial Works of Bay City, WI? These things were fascinating beasts!
Your knowledge of vintage machinery is amazing.
That Engine is running wunderfull. It's an impressive machine,
I live quite near the old Jackson Street Roundhouse, Saint Paul, which is still in use as the Minnesota Transportation Museum. They have one or two old cranes, give short rides in an ancient caboose, retrofit machinery and are open to the public. Great perspective upon the railroad and the area in general as a rail center once upon a time.
The Minnesota Museum of Mining, Chisholm, is also most highly recommended! They have an old - non-operational - Marion steam shovel such was used to create the Panama Canal, an old Euclid truck, BIG dragline buckets, all sorts of cool stuff that you can climb up on and marvel at!
HISTORY is what we mere mortals stand upon to see a longer view of the horizon!!
I watched this whole video with my mouth open. I was in awe.
Amazing piece of real machinery.Built and operated by practical men.
Everything I know about cranes was learned as a kid building machines with Lego. Very sophisticated designs were created with unlimited selection of bricks parts & motors etc.
Wow! I remember having this on my HO train as a kid lol, it was always my favorite car. Awesome piece of machinery. Thanks for sharing.
Love the growl of that Cummins, very fitting for that crane
I love trains. I could watch this wrecker crane in action all day. Thank you for sharing.
Amazing how smooth the operation of a +80 year old machine is.
It is truly awesome to see such an old machine work so well - especially at the hands of a youthful master with full understanding of the soul of this well-oiled crane! Kudos! 👍Now, if we could only get back to manufacturing things to last - an entire workforce could be created for repairing what we've already built! (just saying) ~~ Absolutely adore the Great Northern Ranch Car! ❤
That’s really impressive. You can keep that machine in working order. Knocked out with how graceful that you were a lower that heavy load. My hats off to you.
I enjoy listening to a capable man who doesn't mince words... and has no time for stupidity...Outstanding
2 neat pieces of railroad equipment.
I have never seen the inside of a big hook up close like that before.
The Tavern car is amazing as well.
Thanks for sharing!
That's pretty darn cool, I own a couple of these cranes in HO scale that I bought in 1988. Nowadays I have had several real cranes, largest was a 35 ton. Used it to deliver concrete septic tanks, it had an 85 foot reach.
Man that crane is awesome! I'd love to see a lot more of how the gear train all works.
I grew up seeing DMIR trains run thru my town. That RR will always hold a special place for me. I'd love to see this old girl get a nice new coat of paint but I know that's too expensive to happen any time soon.
That's a tour I never thought I'd see. Thank you very much.
That machine is so raw and honest. Thanks for bringing us along, Josh
Any rail fan ,or model railroader would enjoy this movie and all the mechanical movements of the big hook.thanks…
Car was cool to see the insides -- crane is cool also -- lots of engineering there and wowie to get it all to work right -- I am impressed -- Thanks for the video !!! -- appreciated
An amazing piece of heavy equipment, especially given its age. Thank you for taking us along.
Outstanding!!! Well shot and narrated. And that lounge is spectacular. Bartender...a round for Topper
Wow Josh, this reminds me of the link belt and other brands of draglines I used to watch when I was a young boy in Amsterdam.
Being mad about everything mechanic and machine related, this crane is a marvel to me and I would so much like
to help restore it but can't, as I am a handicapped pensioner in France.
Thanks so much for posting this impressive content Josh, greetings from Chris.
It's cool to see something like that still being used to this day !! C😎😎L Video ..
What an amazing video, there can't be that many of these things still around!
Great to watch, thanks.
We had one of these cranes, in the yard, when I worked at Motive Power. I was a locomotive electrician, but on breaks or lunch, I would sometimes see these things at work. Then there was one of these cranes, parked behind my old house, back in the early 2000's, but UP butchered it up for scrap, along with several boxcars, and an old caboose. I was lucky enough to tour the caboose.
That was amazing! Growing up I had a O-gauge model wrecking crane like that and I was fascinated by how the little thread "cables" ran through the pulleys to lift the boom and hook. It's super cool to see the real thing in action. The ranch car is just the cherry on top, would love to see it full of passengers and rolling down the line.
What a wonderful video! I used to have an HO scale model of that model of crane. So nice to see all of the complexity inside and to see it work! Amazing!
A very interesting and informative video. Well deserving of a full restoration.. A very interesting and informative video. Well deserving of a full restoration..
The crane is so cool. It's in excelent condition.And the train car is in fantastic...Thank you for the tour!
I know absolutely nothing about the intricacies of railroad operations or maintenance but this was mesmerizing. So many people just take things for granted. The incredibly complicated machines necessary to make society work are lost on the general public. That anyone could design and build such machines beginning in the 1800s to early 20th century, are oblivious to the windmill & solar energy geniuses in politics today. Loved this!
A great video, thanks for showing this fantastic crane in operation, and the to be restored rail car.
Excellent video thanks for sharing. I can see what it takes to work the X7 and other big hook wreckers to be on-site for a significant RR derailment. Big thanks for preserving this piece of history and keeping it running
I would love to see the restoration video for this beautiful machine, amazing video
Can’t be many guys around who could run it!!
Thanks for posting and keeping it alive!!
This was cool to see. I've had an HO scale of one of these cranes since I was a kid that my dad originally got in the 70s.
Man, this video was awesome!
I love the machine shop content, but this was great. That car is amazingly cool as well.
What a wonderful channel seeing many of the mysterious machinery in operation by a gentlenan..
Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for publishing this.
Thanks for the video nice work on the new/old train car. Take care of yourself and family and be Blessed ❤️❤️👍.
What a wonderful car Unbelievable great condition
You have no idea how valuable this video is to me at this time. I am rebuilding an O scale version of one of these cranes that was originally made in 3 rail toy train quality. Seeing how it is operated helps me set up doors and windows, ... I am completely revising the crane lines and hooks, and I'll be adding grab irons, 2 rail
couplers, etc. I would really appreciate some views of the accessory car, and its 'stuff' on the deck.
The boom car is whatever is needed to serve the crane and operation. It matters if you are modeling a specific car and at a specific time because they changed as needed. These cars carried chains, cables, blocking, slings, etc., and, sometimes, a couple of extra trucks. There also could be some sort of house or box for tools and other stuff to support the picking up of a wreck.
A wrecking crane was always taken to the site with the boom in the trailing position and at restricted speed; that was the last thing that was wanted is to derail the wrecker.
One time in the 50s or 60s, the KCS-L&A was picking up derailed cars with a 200-ton and a 250-ton crane. It had been raining, when does a wreck happen in good weather, and the grade gave way under the cribbing of one of the cranes making it overturn with the car. They had to bring in the SSW wrecker to pick up their wrecker and help finish picking up the mess.
The KCS used the 250-ton wrecker to off-load a brand new automatic tamper from a flat car and wound up dropping it, the tamper, and turning the wrecker on its side; of course this all happened just outside of the superintendent's office window.
I got to see a 150-ton steam-operated wrecker in operation at Beaumont, TX once. That was neat.
I worked for the DM&IR 30+ years and remember the X7 in the round house very well. It was kept very well maintained before the CN took over!
What a fantastic piece of DM&IR history. Thank you for this in depth look. Imagine the generations before us that spent time on this great machine. Hopefully it gets a fresh coat of Missabe Maroon sometime!
It would be nice, but I'll bet it will be in WGN colors on the next repaint.
Wish more viewers could bother to thumbs up! An amazing machine and a great video! Thank you for taking the time to show how about our fathers and grand fathers worked!
Thanks for the tour and operation of the old crane, quite a privilege to get to run that jewel!
Thank you for this, Breakdown Cranes are one of my Most favorite things, and ive never gotten to see one in operation! This was amazing!
A very interesting and informative video. Well deserving of a full restoration.
She was in service till 01'!? Holy wow, that's neat.
Since the major part of my family are railroad folks, I have only one thing to say about this video: Absolutely first class. I want to subscribe and look for more. Cheers from Norway.
Watched many wreck cleanups with 250 tonners, but still steam powered, 50+ years ago. Back when you could get close... Railroads had wreckers at each division point, hooked to shop steam, so they could send the two nearest wreckers to work both ends of the wreck, and buddy lift. There were probably more wrecks back then, but much less nasty chemicals, and in much smaller tank cars. Friction journals, jointed rail, no radio, no defect detectors, early metallurgy, etc. Nowadays, CAT 583's are fun to watch too.
Thanks! Now I can't go back to work B/C this video is just too cool, and I have to watch all the rest.
That was amazing, one press of the starter and it fired.
Very talented to operate a classic crane. Thanks Topper machine shop.👍🍺🍺
I love your WI accent, and you are FLY on those controls man 👍
Today here on the CSX we just call Cranemasters for lifting derailed equipment. Their 200RS’s are impressive as hell.
One of the neatest things to come out of the UP Turbine Locomotives was the automatic fuel filter. It had three cans -- two of them were the fuel filters with a paper-like media and the third was the catch can for the scum. When the pressure differential reached a high enough point, the fuel flow was diverted to the second filter, and the first filter was backflushed with steam into the catch can. Bunker C is heavy stuff, so it was already nominally at 250F.
Great Job!! thanks for taking the time to film!