LocoList > UKMISC

Rail Cranes

  • First Generation Locomotives
    • First Generation Locomotives
  • Replica Locomotives
    • Replica Steam Locomotives
    • Replica Broad Gauge Steam Locomotives
    • Replica Diesel Locomotives
    • Replica Petrol Locomotives
    • Replica Battery Locomotives
    • Display Only Replicas
  • Metre Gauge Plus Steam
    • Metre Gauge and Larger Steam
  • New-build Locomotives
    • New-build Steam Locos
  • Broad Gauge Diesels
    • English Electric
    • Ruston Hornsby
  • Metre Gauge Plus Diesels
    • Metre Gauge and Larger Diesels
  • Imported Steam
    • Imported Steam
    • Imported Steam Broad Gauge
    • Imported Steam Metre Gauge and Larger
  • Imported Diesel
    • Imported Diesel
  • Imported Diesel Railcar
    • Imported Diesel Electric Railcar
  • Imported Electric
    • Imported Electric
  • Steam Railcar
    • Sentinel Railcar
    • Steam Railmotor
  • Electric Railcar
    • Liverpool Overhead Railway Motorcoach
    • NER Driving Motor Parcels Van
  • Flywheel/Battery Electric Railcar
    • Parry People Mover
    • TDI VLR Vehicles
  • Rail Cranes
    • Coles
    • Cowans Sheldon
    • Cravens
    • Grafton and Co
    • Joseph Booth
    • Kirow
    • Marshall Fleming
    • Plasser and Theurer
    • Ransome and Rapier Ltd
    • Stothert and Pitt
    • Taylor and Hubbard
    • Thomas Smith and Sons
    • Other Rail Cranes
  • Small On-Track Plant
    • Cometi
    • Permaquip
    • Robel
  • Personnel / Equipment Trolleys
    • Baguley/Drewery
    • Bance
    • Donfabs and Consillia
    • Fairmont Railway Motors
    • Geismar
    • Lesmac
    • Matisa
    • Permaquip
    • Wickham
    • Miscellaneous Trolleys
  • Road/Railer
    • Beaz-Solutions
    • Converted Road Vehicles
    • Miscellaneous Road/Railers
    • Noord Nederlandsche Machinefabriek
    • Platform Basket
    • Unilok
    • Zephir
  • Brake Tender
    • Brake Tender
  • Monorail
    • Metalair Ltd
    • Road Machines Ltd
    • Steam Monorail
    • Tourist Monorails
    • Various Other Monorails
  • Tracked Hovercraft
    • Tracked Hovercraft
  • Magnetic Levitation
    • MagLev
  • Airport Guided People Movers
    • Adtranz C-100
    • Doppelmayr Cable Liner
    • Innovia APM 100
    • Innovia APM 200
    • Ultra PRT

    UKMISC: Rail Cranes Cravens

    Cravens Cranes

    Craven Brothers was a British engineering firm started in 1853 by brothers William and John Craven that built large machine tools for railway and engineering workshops and later workshop and railway cranes. Craven brothers began to make railway wagons in 1866 when railway companies also pulled wagons, particularly purpose-built wagons, for other owners. A third brother, previously an architect and timber merchant, soon joined them.

    John Brown & Company acquired a substantial interest in Craven's in 1919 "not only as in itself a sound investment but as a means of ensuring a friendly customer for much of the company's product in railway material". By 1965 John Brown found that Craven's major home customer, British Rail, was also its competitor both at home and in export markets and elected to withdraw.

    In 1928, Craven Brothers acquired the machine tool interests of Armstrong Whitworth, Joshua Buckton & Co and Thomas Shanks & Co. The crane division was sold to Herbert Morris of Loughborough in 1928, with the crane work being transferred to Loughborough in 1931. In 1939, the company purchased the Victoria Works in Saxon Street, Denton from Knight & Hale. The Machine tool division at Reddish remained in business until 1966.

    In 1966 Metropolitan-Cammell absorbed the railway rolling stock business of Cravens. In 1967 the remaining rolling stock business switched to making shipping containers under the name Cravens Homalloy. The engineering division became Bone-Cravens and made plastic extrusion and plastic moulding machines.

    Length Varies
    Width Varies
    Height Varies

    Cravens Crane at Bahamas Locomotive Society, Ingrow West

    Photo: Dan Cardwell

    Number Altnumber Status Note Livery Depot Location Base Owner
    C12683 MP8   C.C57/3478   RS 1013/50   ADRV 95205   S 36/50t 8w Steam Driven Breakdown Crane Black PR Baron Street East Lancashire Railway PRE
    C12684 MP9   C.C57/3478   RS 1015/50   ADRC 95206   P 36/50t 8w Steam Driven Vertical Boiler Breakdown Crane Red PR The Bahamas Locomotive Society Keighley & Worth Valley Railway PRE
    C8153 CME13   901638   153   DE 331153   S 25t 8w Steam Driven Vertical Boiler Breakdown Crane Black YM National Railway Museum NRM