Selected Chronicles

The life histories of some distinguished cranes

GWR No. 2

Roger Cooke tells the story of this iconic breakdown crane.  It was built in 1908 to a radical new design which was to influence every breakdown crane built over the following 55 years.  As Roger says, "there can be little doubt that it is, in historic terms, the most important railway steam crane to survive in the world today"... 


LMS No. MP3

The breakdown crane known as MP3 in its early LMS days employed Stokes's weight-relieving bogie system rather than a removable tailweight as the means of reducing axle loads for travel to and from the site of work.  Built in 1931, MP3 is now the oldest Stokes Bogie crane in existence in the UK.  Historical research followed by detailed inspection of the crane itself has revealed a most interesting story...