ARDC96708_1005_Shackerstone

75 ton Cowans Sheldon breakdown crane ARDC96708 stabled in the yard at Shackerstone, 30th May 2010. It is one of a batch of ten cranes built in 1961/62 and was originally numbered 142 in the Western Region numbering series. It was originally allocated to Cardiff Canton MPD and was renumbered RS1095/75 in 1965 which suggests it had transfered to a London Midland Region depot. . Between 1976 and 1978 Derby works (the main repair centre for the crane fleet at this time) converted these1961/62 built steam breakdown cranes to diesel power with RS1095/75 being converted in 1978. On release from Derby it was allocated to Bescot and was renumbered ARDC96708, later transfering to Tyseley. After withdrawal it entered preservation at Tyseley (Birmingham Railway Museum) in 2002 until moving to the Battlefield Line in 2009. My thanks to Roger Cooke for assistance in preparing this caption. For further details regarding breakdown cranes I recommend the Breakdown Crane Association website – www.bdca.org.uk/

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