I've been kind of marveling over cranes and derricks lately as I have been looking how to dieselize my Dimi-Trains Brownhoist. I also, recently, scored a Stewart 25 tonner, and have been trying to find information on pile driver because my road will have so many trestles. But now I am thinking I need a complete education on MOW equipment to fill in the support car roster. The block car was an obvious hole in my knowledge but when I think about it I don't know what tools a tool car held, how many crew cars would be needed on a train, and what other support cars there were - maybe fuel, water, generator, etc.
I need to find a good source of info on this. No Kalmbach book exists... so any recommendations of general knowledge sources?
There's no one reference for this, because every work train will be different. It's specific to the job.
A major track (rail) crew will be different from a bridge maintenance crew, will be different from a wreck cleanup crew, will be different from a tie replacement crew, will be different from a ballast crew, will be different.....
Each individual work car is so specialized, and the consist of a train will be specialized to the work.
First ask what that work is, and then, what's required for that job, and fill in backwards.
e.g. wreck...
Wreck Crane
Boom Car (crane tender)
Block/Cable car(s) (jacks, crane blocking/bracing, cables, etc.)
Tool car (welding, cutting tools, etc.)
Power/generator car for electrically operated tools/equipment??
Rail and tie cars (flats/gondolas) for track repairs
Empty gondola cars for loading scrap (cut up wrecked cars)
Crew cars for remote accomodation (if not highway/hotel accessible) - crew sleepers, recreation car, toilet/wash car, dining car, cook car, etc. Power car, water tank car... (depends on number/size of crew working the job)
