The Class 14 "Teddy Bear" has, to my eyes, always been an attractive loco. Sadly, it was a bit of a failure - the traffic it was designed to handle was fading away as the locos were delivered. This video covers it nicely, with some well-researched archive footage.
But, the highlight for me is at 12:50, when we see a self-propelled rail-mounted Coles crane batting along a bit of track. I don't recall seeing one of these in action before, and it can certainly move!
I built a static model of this in the September 2025 issue of BRM, using a base from 247 Developments, with a Corgi Trackside top.
4 comments:
The Class 14 story is almost too neat: a locomotive designed for traffic that was disappearing while the locomotives were still arriving.
That is less an engineering failure than a scheduling problem.
And yet the real star is the rail-mounted Coles crane, charging along the track with the confidence of something nobody thought to retire.
Infrastructure has its survivors.
Perhaps you could use one of Sven's All Rounder units to motorise the crane?
One of my favourite locos. A friend of mine worked on the CTRL/HS1 project and drove both of the 14s that worked there. Seeing and hearing one coming up the 1 in 50 Tenterden Bank on the K&ESR was quite something, and of course they worked on a lot of lines near where I live now. Hoping to ride behind the one on the Dean Forest Railway some time...
As for the crane...that's not hanging about, is it?
Simon.
That crane is a LOT faster than I expected!
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