Availability: This project is currently under development, reservations will be taken starting at a date to be announced. If you are a current customer you will automatically receive the announcement materials. If you are not a current customer and are interested in this project, please let us know so that we can forward material to you when available, get in touch with us using any means listed on our contact information.

Price: TBD

Versions Offered: TBD

Production Quantity: 100

6/17/19 - Additional reference photos have been added to the Bucyrus-Erie project site at the following link: Project Design Reference Photos on the project Home page. Again, the intent of sharing these photos is to show what I accomplished with the design of the Fine Art Models Bucyrus-Erie crane and to illustrate what we are currently working to achieve with our O scale version. Again, I reiterate that the consensus of those interested in this project to date is that if the powered mechanism cannot be concealed to the same degree illustrated in these photos, we should maintain the level of prototypical detail rather than compromise it for the powering of the model. I am currently evaluating the possibilities with initial design work and I am very pleased that the builder that is evaluating this project has great experience with models of this complexity, I will share more about this arrangement in due course, but it should be a pleasant surprise for our long-term followers if all works out well.

3/7/19 - As the planning and development discussions continue with two prospective builders for this project, we have found that the photos I took a number of years ago of the Fine Art Models 1:32 Bucyrus-Erie crane that I developed when working there have proven to be very helpful in establishing goals for the O scale project. With that in mind, I will be establishing a page dedicated to those photos on this project site so that everyone that is interested can reference the same material the builders are in case you have never seen the FAM model or good photos of same. These photos will certainly help to illustrate the design concepts that we are working towards and will also shed more light on the questions that I had posed to interested parties in earlier posts. The photos should be posted in the next few days. In short, the crane project represents an effort that is as complex as a locomotive, but that has to be packed into a much smaller package which is the challenge.

7/08/18 - With the restructuring of my production regiment, a reevaluation of this project and the previously unofficially selected builder were in order. During my most recent visit overseas, there was an opportunity to discuss in detail the requirements for this project and more importantly to solicit feedback and ideas that would make the project better. This effort is ongoing following my visit and will most like require another in-person discussion to finalize the thinking so we can move forward. A determination also needs to be made about scheduling and I will be attempting to address that in the coming days by soliciting your feedback as someone interested in this project. Stay tuned as the process evolves.

3/15/18 - As part of the B-E crane project, we do anticipate starting the flat car project so that there will be a 'work' car compatible with the crane.

3/14/18 - The basic production details have been fleshed out for this project and remains now to determine how it can be scheduled in relation to other projects to ensure that adequate support is available on a timely basis. The next step is to solicit feedback regarding scheduling and continuing the discussions with the selected builder. More information should be posted in the near future, so be sure to check back occasionally if this is a project of interest.

3/16/17 - In the last year a great deal of time, effort and expense has gone into researching additional building opportunities that would allow Kohs & Company to pursue a number of projects that have been in waiting for quite some time. The good news is that I now have a good deal of certainty that one of the builders that I have interviewed can successfully handle the production of our Bucyrus-Erie crane project. With that in mind, the project is now being reviewed by the builder to arrive at a price.

Some basic decisions have been made in order to pursue a formal quote, the most important of which is something I surveyed our followers about, manual operation or electronically controlled power operation. Based on considerable feedback, the basic project will focus on prototypical detailing of the exterior of course, but also the interior relying on manual operation of the hoists, boom, cab rotation and locomotion of the carbody. Interior and exterior light will be included and will be remotely controlled using a DCC decoder.

At the same time, a very limited number of powered units will be developed and will also include sound, all motors will be DCC controlled. The belief is that most all of the interior detailing can be maintained by using miniature motors and gearheads to achieve the needed power, but the cost of these components will be significant, the reason for taking two approaches with the project so that an affordable version will also be available.

The intent is to offer versions for any railroad that we can verify used a Bucyrus-Erie 250 ton crane in their service, we will not arbitrarily assign railroad markings without confirmation of service. This promises to be a very exciting project with many challenges. As a matter of interest, back when I was involved in the design of the Fine Art Models gauge-one Bucyrus-Erie care, it was the first time that I used 3D computer aided design software, it was extremely important in figuring out how to conceal the seven motors it took to make that model operational. That was very early software and the capabilities today are far greater, these new capabilities will be essential in the new design.

I hope to have a pricing and scheduling outline in the not too distant future, so if this is a project of interest, stay tuned!

11/04/15 - Although the information regarding this project has not been updated recently, that doesn't mean that there hasn't been development activity. As with a number of projects, a lot goes on behind the scenes in preparation for a production effort and there never seems to be enough time to keep the updates current.

Most people familiar with our projects understand that reference material is the lifeblood of what Kohs & Company tries to accomplish with each project. Dating back to my involvement with the development and production of the Fine Art Models !:32 Bucyrus-Erie model there were adequate reference drawings to produce an incredibly detailed and accurate model, but a number of years later, things have changed. In the last several weeks the number of reference drawings for this project has almost doubled. There are many new detail drawings and a number of variations of existing general arrangement drawings, these variations help to provide a clearer picture of the development of the prototype and guidance regarding specific time periods of operation. You never know where information will come from, that's why I continue to hold out hope for some of our other long stalled locomotive projects that are wanting for reference.

We are moving closer to active development and discussions with builders have begun and will accelerate in the coming weeks. Please check back often for the latest on this project.

10/23/14 - With the progress that we are now making with our locomotive and rolling stock projects, I am looking to schedule our crane project at the first opportunity. I have collected considerable feedback in recent months about modelers preferences for this project so a development plan is in place, all that is needed now is a production commitment. In the course of the ever continuing search for reference material, I recently located a collection of design reference material for Industrial Brownhoist 250ton cranes, so that material is being evaluated for future reference. The B-E and IB cranes were the two most often used cranes in the era that we have been modeling with our projects.

I hope to have more information soon, so check back to this project site often!

1/29/13 - I've posted a couple of interior mechanism photos below to give those interested a better idea of the type of detail that would be visible in a fully detail crane model. These two photos show a steam powered crane, a diesel-electric version would have far less detail with all of the steam related hardware removed and the diesel generator would replace the boiler at the rear of the mechanism. The lift spoils would also be electrically driven so the mechanical aspect would also be reduced.

Hopefully this provides more fodder for the consideration. More information will be added as it is processed.

In this next photo you can see a great deal of plumbing is required for the controls on the steam version. This location is where the operators seat would be located, the seat is hung off of the interior cab wall. Very often there were two people in the cab to manage all of the control knobs and levers that you can see, with only one operator on the levers, no one would be looking out the front cab windows to control the lifts.

1/28/13 - I've been receiving a lot of great feedback regarding the question that was posed about the development of this project. The first thing that I have determined from all the comments to date is that it would be helpful to have reference material that showed the interior of the cab so everyone would have a better idea of what detail is involved or could be lost by potentially powering the mechanical features of the model. As I have previously mentioned, there is not a lot of commonly available reference material, so I will be scanning and posting material from the original Bucyrus-Erie manuals and promotional material. I'll try to get this material posted as soon as I can so the conversation can continue.

1/13/13 - Although we have not been updating this project site, we have been working to develop our O scale version of the Bucyrus Erie crane. We are at the point in the development where two critical decisions must be made. First and most importantly, I need to determine if potential owners are more interested in a model that has complete interior detail whether steam or diesel powered and is manually functional or a model that is fully remote control operational which would exclude much, but not all of the interior detail. Secondly, is there more interest in steam or diesel versions?

The 1:32 scale crane that I designed while still working at Fine Art Models, due to the larger scale, had completely accurate scale interior detail which concealed five miniature motors and gearheads as well as the control electronics and sound system. The reduced size of the O scale model will not afford the luxury of having the best of both worlds. As I do with all of our projects, I would like to request the feedback of all interested potential customers to help make these critical decisions. Please do not hesitate to pass along your thoughts if this is a project of interest!

8/25/09 - The number one question since announcing our Bucyrus Erie crane project has been whether we will offer a work car to accompany the crane, the short answer is yes. An appropriate flat-car with work car modifications will be offered with the crane and it will also be made available separately. We are currently deciding on the best class of flat-car to offer, one that will provide the best coverage for multiple road usage. We are open to suggestions.

As we work through the question of how many and what versions to offer, we are now considering offering two different boom configurations to assure maximum fidelity to the use of particular roads. More information regarding this issue will be posted shortly.