SPMW 7080 Crane
Industrial Works
Dec 1906
100 Steam Wrecking Crane
History:
- December 1906: Delivered as SPCo 690, Serial Number 1583, possibly assigned to Sacramento initially
- June 1915: SPCO 690 transferred to CPRy 690; possibly assigned to West Oakland
- October 1931: Renumbered to SPMW 7010 at West Oakland
- June 1945: Transferred to Fresno, and renumbered SPMW 7027
- June 1966: Transferred to Bayshore, and renumbered SPMW 7020
- January 1969: Renumbered to SPMW 7080
- April 12, 1976: Retired, donated to California State Railroad Museum (finalized in 1985)
Roughly 20 years ago, the California State Railroad Museum was in a bit of a bind. The former Southern Pacific Sacramento Shops was being planned for development, and the museum needed to find new homes for a variety of equipment in order to make space. The PLA stepped in, and was able to acquire several pieces to fill our collection, including 3 suburban coaches from the Peninsula (one of which is used in our regular excursion trains), several freight cars, the big 250 ton diesel crane, and (perhaps most notably) the Krauss Mauffei (SP 9010).
One piece of equipment, however, was “left behind,” and with additional changes happening at CSRM, we’ve been asked to bring it home to Niles Canyon. Meet SPMW 7080, a 100-ton steam crane built in 1906 by the Industrial Works. Railroad cranes could be used for a variety of tasks, but the 7080 belonged to a group known as “Wreckers.” Wreckers were very specifically used to clean up derailments; with heavy lifting capacities, they could lift entire cars and locomotives if needed.
The Industrial Works company delivered SPMW 7080 as SPCo 690 (Serial #1583) in December of 1906. Industrial Works (located in Bay City, Michigan), had been founded in 1873, and had built the first commercially manufactured steam crane in America in 1883. The earliest cranes only had a capacity of 20-tons; SPMW 7080 was a 100-ton model. Over time, Industrial Works would merge to become “Industrial Brownhoist,” and would go on to build railroad cranes with over 250-ton capacities. (The company would close down in 1983, but would leave a legacy of having delivered over 20,000 cranes of all types).
After delivery, SPMW 7080 would go on to have a long and varied career, and would be reassigned and renumbered multiple times. Some key moments:
- December 1906: Delivered as SPCo 690, Serial Number 1583, possibly assigned to Sacramento initially
- June 1915: SPCO 690 transferred to CPRy 690; possibly assigned to West Oakland
- October 1931: Renumbered to SPMW 7010 at West Oakland
- June 1945: Transferred to Fresno, and renumbered SPMW 7027
- June 1966: Transferred to Bayshore, and renumbered SPMW 7020
- January 1969: Renumbered to SPMW 7080
- April 12, 1976: Retired, donated to California State Railroad Museum (finalized in 1985)
Although several wreckers have survived into the “preservation era,” the 7080 is unique for a few reasons:
- It is likely the oldest surviving steam crane from the Southern Pacific Railroad [other surviving examples date from 1912 and newer]
- It is the only survivor of its type from the SP [other survivors include 120-ton models from Industrial Works, and 160-ton and 250-ton models from Bucyrus Erie]
- It served throughout the Bay Area and California in its career, including assignments at West Oakland, Fresno, and Bayshore [where it was retired in 1976]
Arnold Menke collection – Used with permission
We are lucky to have several pieces of interesting “memorabilia,” related to this wrecker and its sisters. One of our volunteers found an article from the Evening News of San Jose (dated October 19, 1928), with a photograph of this specific wrecker cleaning up a derailment at the “Big Curve.”
We also have evidence that this type of crane (SP 609 specifically) helped in the cleanup after the Great Earthquake of 1906. Lastly, we have found an original Industrial Works Builders Plate for a similar wrecker [Serial Number 1569], which we will use as a pattern to construct a replica.
Given the wrecker’s unique history, and its ability to fill a gap in our collection (as we do not have a steam-era wrecker), our organization agreed to acquire the crane along with the other equipment from Sacramento. However, without roller bearings, it could not be transported by rail. For various reasons, the crane has remained in Sacramento, until the first full week of August when it was relocated to our Niles Canyon Railway. Our dedicated volunteers developed a plan for the crane to be transported via truck to Niles Canyon, carried out that plan and now we hope to restore it in the future.
Naturally, moving such a large and unique piece of equipment is no easy task. The Niles Canyon Railway Board authorized the expense of using a well-qualified rigging and hauling outfit, Sheedy Crane, who handled all of the lifting, transportation, loading, and unloading.
Image by Doug Vanderlee – Used with permission
The crane was delivered to our Niles Canyon Railway during the first full week of August 2024. As such, the price tag is not insignificant, and represents a substantial expense to the organization. If you’re interested in the preservation and restoration of this unique and historic piece of equipment, we ask that you consider making a donation, either by mailing a check (note SPMW 7080) or via the link here. Any amount will help us offset the cost of the move, and help us preserve this piece of history for the next generation.
The PLA would like to thank the many volunteers who helped make this acquisition a reality; a special thanks to Steve Slabach and Doug Vanderlee for leading the recent effort to finally bring this piece of equipment home to Niles Canyon, and to Kyle Wyatt for providing a detailed history of the crane.
