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A Caterpillar Crane (also known as a Crawler Crane) is a mobile crane that runs on caterpillar tracks. Several caterpillar cranes have appeared in The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends media.

Notable Caterpillar Cranes

Caterpillar Cranes (I)

These Caterpillar Cranes have be seen all around Sodor. They are described to have great maneuverability. They are also stated to work mostly in scrapyards and timber works, and occasionally harbours and quarries.

They have been specifically seen in the locations: Sodor China Clay Company, Brendam Docks, Tidmouth Yards, Tidmouth Sheds, Tidmouth Engine Works, Skarloey Engine Sheds, Skarloey Slate Quarry, Lakeside, Callan Yard, Knapford Harbour, Ffarquhar Quarry, Thomas' Ramp, Norramby Fishing Village, Bertram's Old Mine, The Intersection Station, and Sodor Ironworks.

Technical Details

Basis

The caterpillar cranes are loosely based on various Ruston-Bucyrus Crawler Cranes vehicles from the 1920s and 1940s. However, they have wooden-bodied cabs as opposed to metal.

Livery

The cranes are painted in a brown-green livery. A newer crane model appeared in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, it was moss-coloured and had a dark grey arm, a light grey roof and lacked visble windows.

The 2002-2004 ERTL promotional artwork illustrated the crane with an india green cab and roof, grey arm, grey cable house and chassis, and reddish-brown caterpillar treads.

Appearances

Official Description

From Official Media:[4]

Crane: Crane helps in the scrapyards and timber works on the Island of Sodor, and sometimes helps out at the harbour. One day he had to pull trucks full of china clay from the sea after Diesel's disaster.


Historical Note: Crane is typical of many self-propelled vehicles built from the First World War to the 1940's. Running on caterpillar tracks with a low mounted jib, Crane had great maneuverability in timber works and scrapyards where it could be found at work.

Trivia

  • The ERTL merchandise descriptions incorrectly refers the vehicle as a sentient male character named "Crane".
  • Two Gauge 1 models were built of this type of caterpillar crane.
    • The first appeared as set dressing during Series 3-5.
    • A slightly newer model only appeared in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. It was made to replace the original model, due to damage sustained while being shipped to Canada. However, the newer model was either lost or damaged while being shipped back to England.
  • In the third series episode, Heroes, the caterpillar crane had a shovel attached to its crane hook at the China Clay Works[5].

Merchandise

  • Ertl (discontinued; referred to as "Crane")

Caterpillar Cranes (II)

These Caterpillar Cranes have be seen all around Sodor. One of these cranes was worked alongside the Sodor Construction Company in the reconstruction of Great Waterton.

They have been specifically seen in the locations: Brendam Docks, Tidmouth Sheds, Tidmouth Engine Works, Ffarquhar Quarry, Norramby Fishing Village, Sodor Ironworks, Three-Track Hay Field, The Brickworks, Sodor Construction Company Yard, Sodor Fuel Depot, and Great Waterton.

Technical Details

Basis

The basis of these caterpillar cranes are currently unknown.

Livery

The cranes are painted light grey with a reddish-brown arm, chassis and caterpillar treads. They have significant weathering details.

Appearances

Trivia

  • Two models of this type of crane was built. These were a Gauge 1 scale model, and a Gauge 3.5 scale model.
  • These design of cranes were created to replace the previous model seen throughout Series 3-5 and Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

Other Caterpillar Cranes

A grey modern caterpillar crane was featured in the 1990 magazine story, Duck and the Crane. In the story, Duck had to deliver the new crane to the quarry. Unfortunately, the crane could not go through a tunnel. So Duck was forced to take a longer route, and arrived at the quarry late. The quarrymen laughed, as they saw the crane arm was actually raised the entire journey and the ordeal could of been prevented if the arm was lowered. This crane reappeared in the 1990 magazine story, The Rescue, where it lifted Diesel back onto the rails.

Another caterpillar crane appeared in the magazine stories, Toby the Brave and Smoke Signals. This was a freelance design by illustrator Timothy Marwood, as it had a wooden-bodied cab, a large crane arm mounted above its roof, and railway buffers, couplings and running board.

Steam-powered caterpillar cranes appeared in the Really Useful Around the World animated short, Thomas Thinks Bamboo is Really Useful. These cranes were used for collecting bamboos to load onto Thomas' trucks in China.

Non-rail vehicles

* RWS only | ** T&F only | *** Other Media only
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