Western Railroad Discussion > The Big Hook

Haven't seen any kind of rail crane on an active track in like forever.  

Seems there are countless places where there is no way to get side-booms in to do the heavy lifting.  

Are the Big Hooks at the various railroads used on a regular basis? 

Where are the active cranes stored at these railroads?

Chuck

Im not sure any class one or any other railroad has a "big hook" anymore. Contractors have largely taken over that type of work for a good part of the last 30-40,years now.
JC

Posted from Android

JasonCNW Wrote:
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> Im not sure any class one or any other railroad
> has a "big hook" anymore. Contractors have
> largely taken over that type of work for a good
> part of the last 30-40,years now.
> JC
>
> Posted from Android

The Delaware Lackawanna has one in Scranton, Pa, UP has one at Roseville and the Nevada Northern still has one

Posted from iPhone

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

Contractors have theirs on rubber tires, you might not even recognize them for what they are unless you saw them at work.

Pan Am Railways was the last railroad to regularly run a true "wreck train" complete with big hook. It was a sight to see, like frozen in time for 50 years. Of course it was mothballed once CSX bought the place.

Posted from Android

ShortlinesUSA Wrote:
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> Pan Am Railways was the last railroad to regularly
> run a true "wreck train" complete with big hook.
> It was a sight to see, like frozen in time for 50
> years. Of course it was mothballed once CSX bought
> the place.

And both the Waterville and Deerfield wreck trains have been betrothed to short lines, though neither has moved yet.

In railroad management's eyes, there is no reason to maintain a big hook, because, in their minds, nothing is going to go wrong.  Everything should work just fine.  The stockholders are counting on everything running perfectly, so the main focus is: cut costs, cut more costs, and when you're done with that, cut more costs!

I think part of the problem is the cost of keeping those cranes ready to go.  As well as having a qualified operator.  There is a real art of running a cable crane.  It takes many, many hours of practice. However, you can learn to run a hydraulic machine quite quickly.  

Dave

i think UP keeps a grande one "big Samson" in g jct colo, the name is close but not correct

Does the Arizona Eastern still have a Big Hook in Parker, AZ?

Chuck 

Dan, I think the name for the Rio Grande's wrecking crane is "Samson de Grande".  Here are a couple of photos of it I took in Utah's Price River Canyon.

Dick Ebright
Rochester, MN

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I’m at the away from home terminal currently, and don’t have access to my spread sheet….but….

The MRL kept a 1940’s vintage 250 ton fully functioning and utilized Northern Pacific hook on property up until the very end. BNSF inherited it….so technically, they have one.

The UP has several spread out in various locations. Remember 2 winters ago, year when the rotary derailed on Donner Pass? The Big Hook re-railed it. Wasn’t no side boom cat or crane on rubber tires getting up there in that blizzard.

CN and CP might have one each up there hiding somewhere…they used to anyways.

So…they’re around…

And there are LOTS of areas where Hulcher and their equipment cannot access and a Big Hook can. Take for instance Steven’s Pass in the Cascades. Very rugged terrain up a steep mountain side, with only enough clearance for a train, no roads in or out…washouts and derailments have happened before up there in the past…they can still happen.

2ebright Wrote:
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> Dan, I think the name for the Rio Grande's
> wrecking crane is "Samson de Grande".  Here are a
> couple of photos of it I took in Utah's Price
> River Canyon.
>
> Dick Ebright
> Rochester, MN

Great photos Dick! I’ve always enjoyed those. I’m glad you captured that little piece of history.

UP inherited all of those Rio Grande hooks years ago….and unfortunately, I believe they’ve scrapped just about all of them. There might be one DRGW hook remaining on property…I’ll see what I can find out. But I think old #28 is history.

When I worked at the Topeka Shops on the santa fe, early 1970's, they were bring in derricks from all over the system, in one at a time, and converting them from steam to diesel engines. The work was done in the big "machine shop" building next to the Branner St. bridge. It's a locomotive shop now.

2ebright Wrote:
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> Dan, I think the name for the Rio Grande's
> wrecking crane is "Samson de Grande".  Here are a
> couple of photos of it I took in Utah's Price
> River Canyon.
>
> Dick Ebright
> Rochester, MN

i was just walking over to the computer when i finally remembered , neat you caught it action!    also the rio grande still has  a wreck train at North yard, denver, i would be suprised if there wasn't one left at Green river wyo, and one based in Utah unless PSR mentalitiy  has caught up.

DRGW 028 is in Grand Junction last I knew. UP also has cranes in Portola, Roseville and Cheyenne, or atleast did until recently. CP had some up in the northwest also.  As mentioned above, there are still a handful of places its impracticle to get sidebooms into, especially in winter.  The flip side is these cranes are all anywhere from 50-80+ years old.  Machinery does not like to sit unused, not to mention the skill required to use them.  
DRGW pioneered the use of sidebooms, and UP followed suit with their own fleets of them on specialty cars, but I believe all of these have since been retired as well. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/25 12:17 by sixaxlecentury.

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Here's Montana Rail Link's D100256 demonstrating its capabilities for the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association convention at Missoula, Montana on September 24, 2021.  (Repost)

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I believe the Arizona & California still has their big 250 ton derrick at Parker, AZ. Don't know if it's still in service or not.

The hooks were time consuming as tit was was necessary to reset outriggers every time they had to,move a few feet.  ''sidewinders" from wrecking outfits like Hulcher, Winters and even R.J. Corman are far more efficient and can clean up a wreck far more quicker.
I worked for NTC,, PC and Conrail and attest that the day of the "big hook" are over.

Jim Mahon (The Bear) told me a story about fishing derailed cars out of the Truckee River, using the big hook.  The opinion of the brass on scene was that the cars were too far out to be reached by the big hook.  After the brss all went to get coffee, Jim and the hook operator had a little pow wow.  The hook opertaor said he thought he could retrieve those cars and told Jim how he was going to do it.  He told Jim that he needed him to stand behing the hook and let him know when the wheels on the backside came six inches off the rail.  When the brass returned, the cars in the river were now sitting on the ROW.  Jim always told me he had great respect for the magic big hook operators could perform