The Crane - NZR Cranes -
Manufacturers - Individual types
- Crane operations -
Personnel - Crane Survivors
The Crane
- background
- where and when did steam cranes originate
- how does a crane work?
- how do steam cranes differ from other cranes
- crane language
- what are the technical terms?
- what are the operational terms?
- what slang terms existed?
- how do these relate to other railway language
NZR Cranes
- General
- why the use of cranes (and what came before)?
- were any cranes used by NZR's predecessors?
- why /when / how were cranes introduced?
- why /when / how were cranes retired?
- how was the role of cranes officially perceived?
- how were cranes actually used?
- where did cranes fit in the NZR structure?
- how were cranes controlled (administratively, operationally)?
- what cranes were in use when NZR was privatised?
- what cranes are operated on NZ railways today?
- Ponderings
- how did govt policy affect the cranes (selection, purchase,
operation)?
- how did railways / PWD split influence the crane operations?
- are there any distinct 'phases' in crane use?
- crane purchases - what was the effect of the Coates / Semple
reformations?
- what effects did the two world war periods have on crane operations?
- why did steam cranes out last steam locos by more than 20 years?
- how did the choice of the 3'6 gauge effect cranes (size operation)?
- what limits were placed on cranes by track conditions?
- where could cranes be run?
Manufacturers
- Background:
- Who were the manufacturers?
- How did they get into crane building?
- What is the background and history of these companies?
- What is their current status?
- Construction
- Who built the cranes?
- Where were they built?
- How were they designed / assembled?
- What costs were invoved?
- NZ
- What happened with NZ suppliers (any local manufacturers, as with
loco's)?
- NZ assembly?
- Acquiring cranes
- How were the cranes tendered / ordered?
- Who chose?
- Was there preferences / arguments between UK / US / NZ suppliers (as
with loco's)?
- Any differences between acquiring steam and other types of cranes?
- Delivery
- How did the cranes reach New Zealand?
- Where were they landed/ reassembled?
Individual Crane Types
- Type history:
- where/how did each crane develop
- what can be found about the who, where, why, how of design?
- how were the cranes constructed?
- what are the types specifications?
- what was the crane intended for by the designer/ manufacturer?
- Type in NZR use:
- how was the crane actually used in NZ?
- what can be found out about the individual cranes (activities,
important work, accidents/incidents, drivers)?
Crane Operations
- operational rules and procedures
- what rules existed
- how were they enforced?
- how much of this was in common with other NZR procedures
- crane workings
- what tasks were allocated
- how were tasks allocated
- how did cranes go about:
- steaming up?
- shutting down?
- preparing to travel?
- travelling?
- pile driving?
- bridge work?
- rail laying?
- other tasks?
- maintenance
- what needed to be done?
- what maintenance schedules existed?
- who carried out what?
- where was maintenance done?
- how often?
- what happened to work when a crane was in a workshop?
- what workshops did crane work (built, erected, maintained,repaired)?
- ponderings
- what infrastructure was there to support steam cranes once steam locos
were retired?
- what traffic controls were in place when a worktrain occupied a
section?
Personnel
- who were the people involved with cranes?
- crew, maintainers, administrators?
- for crane drivers:
- what walks of life did they come from?
- how did they get involved?
- what qualifications were required?
- how did they get trained?
- what cranes did they work?
- what were conditions like (pay, accomodation, living)?
- how did this relate to other railway work?
- how did crane work affect family life?
- what were the effects of accidents/ incidents?
- why did staff leave?
- where did they go?
- how did the crane crew relate to other NZR personnel (eg loco drivers)
Surviving cranes:
- why did the cranes survive?
- what factors were involved?
- preservation societies:
- who acquired them
- how, when?
- why were they acquired
- what purpose and role (active / static) have the cranes been put to?
- what restoration processes are in place?
- current survivors and their status?
- which, where, status, outlook?
- what was the fate of the other cranes?
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