The traveling gantry crane (sometimes called the West gantry) spans across tracks 15, 16 and 17 and runs along the Harlem River bulkhead starting somewhere near the end of the transfer bridge and ending at Lincoln Avenue. Based on available plans and photos its length at the base is 24 feet, its height excluding the housing for the hoist about 30 feet – slightly higher than the freight house – and its girder width about 51.4 feet (with the width between the two guard rails slightly less than 50 feet).
Since I wanted it to run on its rails to keep it as close to the prototype as possible, I needed a sturdy design and so I decided to go for a brass structure at the core. On top of the soldered brass tubes I added a shell of Styrene angles and diagonal braces plus Micro Engineering plate girders. The house that covers the hoist was completely scratch-built of Styrene wood planking and corrugated metal sheets. The hoist runs across the gantry on a BLMA 100-ton truck with 33″ wheels. Ladder and railings are from Grandt Line. A gantry crane kit from Faller would contribute some details. Two pairs of Atlas 33″ wheels will give the crane its moving capability.
A Microscale decal sheet with yellow nose stripes for CNJ Diesels (1965 to 1976) that I apply to the gantry’s base saves me from tedious masking and delicate airbrush painting. The weathered stripes should be well visible when the gantry travels in the middle of the loading road between tracks 14 and 15. Airbrushing the model in a uniform dark gray is straightforward. A few details like the yellow handrail on the crane operator’s platform or the red ladder enhance the somewhat dull appearance of the crane. Earth pigment applied to the parts close to the pavement give it a nice weathering effect. A sparse layer of thinned Microscale satin clear finish applied with the airbrush will protect decals and weathering pigments.
The crane takes its electrical power from overhead catenary running along track 17. The three (?!) wires are suspended on two masts placed on the bulkhead on both ends of the crane’s rail. I’ll add this detail later once I’ll have the bulkhead fully modeled. For now, the crane sits happily on its two rails and enjoys being moved around along the three outermost tracks. It’s a detail that definitely adds considerable authenticity to the CNJ Bronx Terminal model.
