Gantry Crane tracks

Most people use the Gargraves Gantry Crane track. If not, you need to make your own.

Ross Custom Switches also makes the Gantry track.

-Dave

Ross I believe uses the Gargraves track. I do not recall them making their own.

Super-O rails work nicely. You can even adapt the plastic ties:

Thanks for the information guys, I guess I will have to try and make my own as I am going to be using Scale Trax and want it all to match.

Uh, the O.P. may want to edit his first post and correctly spell GANTRY crane.

A Gentry is:  people of a specified class or group.[us definition]

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Uh, the O.P. may want to edit his first post and correctly spell GANTRY crane.

A Gentry is:  people of a specified class or group.[us definition]

Sorry about that, I hope that works for you!

Well, no photos, but....

I have two gantry's on a single long set of rails.  I bought the loose rails from Gargraves, items #810-8 or 810-12, 8" and 12" respectively, and spiked (HO spikes are OK, maybe a tad larger) them to my baseboard (gray painted cork sheet over plywood) at the appropriate spacing (4-1/2") centered to the car track.  I did this in preference to the Gargraves r-t-r gantry track, because I didn't care for the look of all the extra ties, and it gave a more 'dock' appearance.......IMHO, of course.  A single run of Gargraves straight is the siding track beneath the gantry cranes.

My arrangement is a tad more complicated because I cut a long slot in the cork/baseboard adjacent to the inside of one rail for each gantry crane.  I cut the controller cord and spliced in a 4-pin (Miniatronics) in-line connector to allow the tether cord to ride in the slot.  It's lashed to one leg of each gantry adjacent to one of the gantry wheels.

One gantry has the magnet pick-up, the other the clamshell.  Talk about a total FUN location for anyone!!!

BTW....Both gantry cranes (China production) had the gearbox lubrication problem, only discovered after the layout installation was complete.  Well, the efficacy of the in-line tether splice was proven in repairing both gantry cranes!  Proverbial 'piece of cake'!   Now they work perfectly, even after being idle for months at a time!

KD

The gantry crane has been a great addition to my layout-- I hope that Lionel is selling a bunch so that more new accessory products are being designed/ planned for the near future!!

I myself have been using 2 Gargraves sections for a nice long section for the crane to roll up and down.

Has anyone been using any specific design for the track ends to prevent the crane from rolling off?? Are just rail ties or bumpers ok to model?? Or are there more realistic clamps to the rails that would be better??

Carl J

Hi KD, I was wondering if you get around to it if you might have some pictures you could post or just send them to me. My email is in my profile! Sounds very interesting!

mike g. posted:

Hi KD, I was wondering if you get around to it if you might have some pictures you could post or just send them to me. My email is in my profile! Sounds very interesting!

Mike: I have so old Super O  postwar track I could send you, that's what I used when I had my post war layout.. Bob

mike g. posted:

Hi KD, I was wondering if you get around to it if you might have some pictures you could post or just send them to me. My email is in my profile! Sounds very interesting!

Mike...

Will do...sometime this weekend.  I'm at work now (LHS), not at home.  Also, my wife is the geeky one.....takes photos, enters them on the computer, photoshops them as necessary for clarity, etc., etc..  (I'm literally too dangerous...and without the patience...to do the same!).

Besides, your timing is good.  I have several more photos I need her help with!

Later.

KD

Hi Bob, I am not sure how that would look next to Scale Trax?

Buy a straight section of 2 rail track and cut it down the middle

Years ago I added back and forth motion to my gantry crane. I used Plastruct 1/4 inch plastic H-beams as the rails. They are gray and you can't even tell they are in place. Still working.

mike g. posted:

Hi Bob, I am not sure how that would look next to Scale Trax?

 

What I did was cut it down the middle,it looked good to me.....but what do I know..LOL..

I have some old GarGraves track I could do that to, just don't know how it would looks with the new Scale Trax.

mike g. posted:

Hi KD, I was wondering if you get around to it if you might have some pictures you could post ...

Mike G., decided to post in case others had questions about my verbal description...

This is my 'Coal-in-the-hole' area of the layout (in process seemingly forever!), the two gantries along the front...

Here's a close up of the gantry track, which, again, is simply the loose rails spiked to the painted sheet cork base...

Here's the tether slot for one of the gantry cranes.  Since there are supporting 1X4 joists under the table, the slot for each gantry only extends about a foot between the joists, which is plenty for play....

You can see that I tie-wrapped the tether to a gantry leg just to keep it secure and oriented properly as the gantry is moved (manually) along the rails.

The next photo shows the Miniatronics 4-wire in-line connector I added to the tether to facilitate installation and servicing (already proven handy!!)...

OK?  The whole thing works dandy, IMHO, of course.  Hope this helps clarify!

KD

I like the slot for the wires-nice touch to be able to operate the cranes anywhere on the track as well--KUDOS!!

Very elegant, KD. 

WOW KD, that sure is great looking! I sure hope you don't mind when I get to that point I use your method? I think it would work really slick!

KD, quick side question, is there any way to quite it down, seams loud, but then again so does the Lionel Sawmill.

mike g. posted:

KD, quick side question, is there any way to quite it down, seams loud, but then again so does the Lionel Sawmill.

 

If you're talking about the gantry cranes themselves as they rotate, raise/lower the cord....I have no idea how I'd reduce the noise.  Sorry.  I've always just thought of the noise those accessories make as part of the wonderful Lionel.....'experience'...........which stirs memories and smiles alike for me.

Thanks for the appreciative words.  Glad to help.  

KD

KS, that is one slick set up!!!

Like KD I put a slot next to the gantry rail and ran the control cable up one leg but used Scenic Express Accent Glue rather that a tie wrap to hold the cable in place. This crane is on a portable module so has to get setup and removed for each show.

The Lionel tether is stuffed up into the structure. A ribbon wire was run through the slot and connector added afterword. A piece of spring temper copper sheet also comes up through the slot and attaches to a wheel axle. Its driven from underneath by a lead screw. Crane rail is code 148 rail hand spiked down.

 Pete

dkdkrd posted:

mike g. posted:

KD, quick side question, is there any way to quite it down, seams loud, but then again so does the Lionel Sawmill.

 

If you're talking about the gantry cranes themselves as they rotate, raise/lower the cord....I have no idea how I'd reduce the noise.  Sorry.  I've always just thought of the noise those accessories make as part of the wonderful Lionel.....'experience'...........which stirs memories and smiles alike for me.

Thanks for the appreciative words.  Glad to help.  

KD

KD, I found the fix for the loud noise, I just turn my Hearing Aids off! LOL