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I recently had some fun making a freelance log loader from a cheap toy crane, not based on a particular prototype but it has features from both Barnhart and American in its make up.
Here is the toy I started from, picked up cheap in the sales after last Christmas and sat in the corner for nine months before I had the urge to do something with it.
Cut it apart to get the base with the rotating bearing and the two motor / gearboxes and went from there.
Here is the part finished job.
And these are the individual assemblies painted so you can see how it goes together.
Got it finished in time to include on my display at our local Garden Railway show last month, had a lot of fun moving logs and the kids loved it!
I mounted it on a flat car with the skeleton log car in front, fixed wire loops to some of the plastic logs and lifted them on and off the truck when nothing was moving on the auto shuttle on the display track. The control wire was fed under the board to the back of the display but it does prevent you from slewing too far, might have to think up a slip ring conection up through the base to get rid of the trailing cable.
You can see my display was in a 'convenient' location!
Here is the toy I started from, picked up cheap in the sales after last Christmas and sat in the corner for nine months before I had the urge to do something with it.

Cut it apart to get the base with the rotating bearing and the two motor / gearboxes and went from there.
Here is the part finished job.


And these are the individual assemblies painted so you can see how it goes together.

Got it finished in time to include on my display at our local Garden Railway show last month, had a lot of fun moving logs and the kids loved it!
I mounted it on a flat car with the skeleton log car in front, fixed wire loops to some of the plastic logs and lifted them on and off the truck when nothing was moving on the auto shuttle on the display track. The control wire was fed under the board to the back of the display but it does prevent you from slewing too far, might have to think up a slip ring conection up through the base to get rid of the trailing cable.



You can see my display was in a 'convenient' location!