Larry Worley's Gilbert Erector-Built Märklin Crane

Larry writes: "I've always been intrigued by the giant Crane model with the standing boy that is pictured on the Märklin Logo. I think it is beautiful. I've never even seen a Marklin kit and I've never seen this model neither. I found a few pictures of it and tried to duplicate it with Erector. I didn't have any plans or blueprints, but did the best I could. [Doc's note: this beautiful little tin is a 1930s pre-war crane model set nut box. It measured 2½" x 2½" x ½"]

The model's Tower is 52" tall and the Crane is 54" long. It took me 3 days to construct and it was a little difficult at times. It is balanced nicely and pivots manually a full 360 degrees, allowing for the electrical chord, of course. It is powered by the A49 Engine mounted vertically behind the control cabin. Shifting the motor's lever to the right controls the wench, to the left controls the trolley.

It appears that Märklin has some sort of large, flat horizontal gear upon which the crane sets and rotates. Since Erector doesn't have any single gear that large, I improvised. Using ME and MF Plates which I bent into a 8" dia.circle, I was able to develop a design that worked. 7 C Girders were also bent into an 8" dia. circle (doubled for strength) and mounted to the tower. The Crane rides on eight Z Drums, secured within eight P79 Trucks. (This was the most difficult part to align and adjust.)

The moving Trolley is built using the larger NX Pulleys. It moves similar to the Erector Hammerhead Crane model, except I used gears to drive both the take-up and feed-out lines as the trolley moves. Note that the in-line pulleys are mounted slightly below the rails ( at the forward and aft ends of the boom) to keep downward tension on the trolley. This helps keep it from jumping the tracks, especially when it is traveling with no load on the hook.

The winding mechanism is again similar to Erector's, except that I added the chain drive, just for looks. The lifting mechanism is built with enough "drag" to hold most hook loads when the motor is in Neutral. Notice all those large, red wheels and smaller black wheels and gears? I added those to give the machine more movement. Most folks are impressed as they see all the wheels and gears operating at different speeds and directions, even if it is just for "effect". For example, when the trolley travels down the boom, two of the large, red wheels on top will rotate in different directions and this adds a nice effect.

And, oh yes, that is one of the quality, Erector Trucks that Doc offers in his store. The crane is actually lifting it. It's uneven here, but don't worry, it is secured to the platform. If you have one you know they are quite heavy for their size. This crane lifts it with ease.

I'm sure this model is a crude replica of the beautiful Märklin model, but I enjoyed building it and playing with it. I could easily install the electro-magnet on this one also. Maybe I will later."