Modern dockside crane

[TravisM]

I'm struggling to find a modern dockside crane for my 'The Docks' layout.  All I can seem to find is either the Dapol Travelling dockside crane, or the Kibri Double Link dockside crane, both are not really suitable.  Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I might find one?

[simon b]

Modern cranes are big, very big. This is on aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005004101513533.html

 

[TravisM]

1 hour ago, simon b said:

Modern cranes are big, very big. This is on aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005004101513533.html

 

 

Wow, that would certainly be a conversation piece on the layout, even in HO scale.  Thank you for the heads up.

[2251]

"Very big" is an understatement. 

 

The days of (comparatively) small cranes intended for the (comparatively) small loads of break-bulk handling are long gone. Modern cranes are intended to move containers and sized accordingly.

 

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

The traditional coastal shipping ports have long since stopped operating as such.  Some might still have the fishing boat, but most are now marinas or similar catering to leisure.  They aren't now rail served unless they can take modern massive freight ships, in which case you've got these colossal cranes.  So if you want to model a rail-served docks, you' need to be doing a historic image.

[Mol_PMB]

it’s true that a lot of freight comes in huge ships to huge ports. 

But there are still some smaller docks in use in the UK, served by coasters of about 5000 tonnes and mostly travelling to/from Europe. 
Some of those docks still have rail connections. 
Particularly some of the east coast, east anglian and upriver ports fit this bill. Kings Lynn, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Goole for example. 
 

[fulton]

38 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

 

But there are still some smaller docks in use in the UK, served by coasters of about 5000 tonnes and mostly travelling to/from Europe. 

 

Near me on the River Medway, timber is imported, unloading is done by modern large crawler cranes or road going mobile cranes, rather than a fixed or rail mounted crane, most days at least one ship in.

[Chris Turnbull]

Whilst not a dockside crane as such, this container offloading crane gives a good idea of its size compared to an 08.

 

 

08531 and crane at Felixstowe North on 7th October 2022.

 

Chris Turnbull

[TravisM]

Being unable to find a suitable 'realistic' dockside crane without either overwhelming the layout or prohibitively expensive, made me decide to abandon the docks layout and base it at Sellafield on the Cumbrian coast.

[phil_sutters]

On 17/02/2024 at 21:46, Mol_PMB said:

it’s true that a lot of freight comes in huge ships to huge ports. 

But there are still some smaller docks in use in the UK, served by coasters of about 5000 tonnes and mostly travelling to/from Europe. 
Some of those docks still have rail connections. 
Particularly some of the east coast, east anglian and upriver ports fit this bill. Kings Lynn, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Goole for example. 
 

This is a small modern short sea routes freighter - 64 metres long - 84.2 cm or 33ins in 1/76th scale. The loading of this scrap and the aggregates here at Newhaven is all done by crawler cranes with buckets or grabs. However at neither of the two quays are the cargoes transferred directly unto rail. They are processed or graded on site and then transferred to rail.

Dover has some static cranes with more traditional jibs, but on modern pillar like support structures. You can see them here. http://www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/album/1322066 but I don't know what they handle,

Edited February 24 by phil_sutters

[Icknieldrobin]

Looking slightly further afield I captured this image of the harbour cranes in Salerno in Italy last year. Used for loading and unloading containers, on tracks as above and virtually free to roam wherever needed.

[phil_sutters]

Looking through my harbour snaps, I noticed that Shoreham, west of Brighton, has a fixed crane. Actually it has two, but one seems to be a super heavy-duty one for handling the lock gates when they need servicing. This one has a long lattice jib. If you look at Siku models, there are several HO scale cranes with that type of jib. Although I think they are mostly the mobile sort, they would provide the jib. Their HO models are priced at reasonable levels. Oxford Diecast do at least one long reach crawler bucket excavator in 1/76th.

 

Edited February 25 by phil_sutters

[Rivercider]

Although Teignmouth lost the rail connection in the 1960s the port is still active.

It seems that the regular vessels are in the 2500dwt to 3800dwt range. There are four or five mobile cranes in use.

 

 

Here are two of the wheeled cranes on the West Quay at Teignmouth 22/2/2024,

 

 

The crane on the right has a raised position for the operator, loading FRISIAN RIVER built 2007 2620dwt. 5/1/2023

 

cheers