How much should I expect to pay for one in good condition? Thanks Stephen. (cTr......Choose the Right)
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My guess is $200-$500, depending mostly on how bad you want one.
The Max Grey and USHobbies 250 Ton (I think) cranes still seem to be asking 5-600 at shows.
I am not familiar with Westside 200T version. I assume it is about the same with maybe some a little finer detail. So I would guess the same price range.
I did not know they made a specific B&O one. I thought they were generic.
Overland made a couple of versions of 120 T cranes with closed and Open cabs. I tihnk they came in at arouind 1800 some years ago.
I guess I was wrong. I had heard they were in the 1800 range when they came in. Way beyond my budget.
Thanks every one ! your input is most helpful. Stephen (cTr.....Choose the Right)
The Westside B&O crane typically goes for $800 +/-. I've been trying to get one for under $700 on the bay for several years. None have ever gone for that except the time I was on vacation and didn't bid. A custom painted one pushed $1000 one time. $800 is fairly common.
Max Gray originated this crane as a commercial model, built by KTM in Japan. I don't recall it being offered by US Hobbies (Levon Kemalyan's firm that took over importing from Japan following Max Gray's death in 1965). After Mr. Kemalyan passed away ca 1976, Westside Models took over the line and re-issed the crane. Westide Models had a higher level of detail/quality than the predecessors.
The crane itself was a B&O prototype, drawings for which were published in MODEL RAILROADER during the mid-1940s in connection with Mel Thornburgh's article on scratchbuilding the model. The drawings appeared in subsequent volumes of the old Kalmach MODEL RAILROADER CYCLOPEDIA. Those plan books were 7 x9" in size, the same as MODEL RAILROADER magazine from 1934 thru 1947. Those were the drawings used by Max Gray; I think his crane pilot model was built by Ervin Lange in Oregon.
