SS 250T Crane & Boom Tender SF

If you are going to model a Santa Fe MOW relief outfit this is exactly where you want to start. The consist I put together is headed up with a Bachmann Spectrum 2-10-2 (this wheel arrangement is also referred to as a Santa Fe type because the ATSF was the first to order them), ATSF 3881. This crane goes first out with the tender in trail, followed by a tool car and an assortment of other MOW equipment from Athearn and Walthers Proto; potable water cars, diner, 12-1 sleeper, box, gondola, flat cars, including two track panel cars I kit-bashed from Athearn pulp wood cars, and of course a caboose. When called for this type of service the train and engine crews knew they may be gone as long as seven days before being relieved according to collective bargaining agreement. For those seven days you worked 15:59 hours and minutes, eight hours off then repeat. Tuff on the crews and the home front but it looked real good on payday, this being the highest rate of pay for this work train service. And there were some good perks, especially where the diner was concerned. Of course there was a menu but for me and many others it was steak and eggs for breakfast, a steak sandwich for lunch and a steak dinner, New York or porterhouse for all, your choice. This model is an excellent representation. The crane itself is very well done with black semi-gloss paint with safety stripes on the back, good printing and graphics, fully rigged and fully operational. Molded outriggers, foot stirrups, steps and ladder grab irons on the crane that are painted to make them stand out better. The boom has good detail and extensive rigging with hooks that look to be to scale. There is no glazing, however, but the trucks are fairly well detailed and it is ready to rail right out of the box. The boom tender is well appointed, too. The molded grabs are well defined but the foot stirrups are not to scale. The handbrake, staff brake wheel and brake platform are nice details and the cab has a smoke jack for the stove. I did add paint for the roof walk, ties, wooden steps and rear door. As with the crane the lettering and logo is very good as well. The truss rods are convincing but the only brake rigging detail is the brake cylinder itself. A lot of bang for the buck so it is worth the price and recommendable