C&O No.18 Burrow Crane

C&O No.18 Burrow Crane

Name: C&O No.18

Railroad of Record: Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Type of Equipment: Burro Crane, model 15 Manufactured by: Cullen-Friestedt Company Date Built: 1939

Flexible and economical, little "Burro" cranes like this were favorites for light-duty maintenance, repair, and construction jobs of all types. A combination of locomotive and crane in one compact package, they not only propelled themselves, but could pull one or two full-sized railroad cars loaded with material. Burro cranes could be fitted with a hook, or magnet, or clamshell buckets; they lifted materials (such as tires and rail), dug, filled, and helped clear snow. With a 12-ton capacity, this example was among the lightest cranes practical for railroad use. Newer versions of this basic design were still in use through the 1980s.