Railpictures.ca - Bill Thomson Photo: A Canadian National auxiliary train heads north on the Fergus Sub south of Branchton (just north of Highway 5). In consist trailing the steam engine is CN “Hook” 50012, a 200-ton steam powered wrecking crane built by Industrial Brownhoist in 1928. Where this train came from I could not find out – possibly Hamilton (did they base an auxiliary there?) Toronto or London? This is my only photo of a steam powered auxiliary. While they saw infrequent use, most of the large old steam wrecking cranes on CN & CP ended up being converted to diesel power in the years following the end of steam (and some built new as diesel cranes). | Railpictures.ca – Canadian Railway Photography

A Canadian National auxiliary train heads north on the Fergus Sub south of Branchton (just north of Highway 5). In consist trailing the steam engine is CN "Hook" 50012, a 200-ton steam powered wrecking crane built by Industrial Brownhoist in 1928. Where this train came from I could not find out - possibly Hamilton (did they base an auxiliary there?) Toronto or London? This is my only photo of a steam powered auxiliary. While they saw infrequent use, most of the large old steam wrecking cranes on CN & CP ended up being converted to diesel power in the years following the end of steam (and some built new as diesel cranes).

Caption: A Canadian National auxiliary train heads north on the Fergus Sub south of Branchton (just north of Highway 5). In consist trailing the steam engine is CN "Hook" 50012, a 200-ton steam powered wrecking crane built by Industrial Brownhoist in 1928. Where this train came from I could not find out - possibly Hamilton (did they base an auxiliary there?) Toronto or London? This is my only photo of a steam powered auxiliary. While they saw infrequent use, most of the large old steam wrecking cranes on CN & CP ended up being converted to diesel power in the years following the end of steam (and some built new as diesel cranes).

Photographer:	Bill Thomson [715] (more) (contact)
Date:	1958 (search)
Railway:	Canadian National (search)
Reporting Marks:	CN 50012 (search)
Train Symbol:	CN Auxiliary (search)
Subdivision/SNS:	Branchton (south of) - CN Fergus Sub (search)
City/Town:	Branchton (south of) (search)
Province:	Ontario (search)
Share Link:	http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=26487

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Photo ID: 25332

Map courtesy of Open Street Map

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10 Comments

Mike Lockwood

October 16, 2016 at 9:13 pm

Now that is a great shot, Bill! Even if edited, very difficult to get that exposure correct what with the snow and backlit sun… not to mention the not so common subject matter.
Stephen C. Host

October 17, 2016 at 11:45 am

Very nice.
poshell

October 19, 2016 at 7:13 pm

Bill, my records indicate that CN 50012 was assigned to the Hamilton auxiliary in the 1950′s. The stencil on the mid section of the main boom in your photo reads HAMILTON. The last printed record I have shows it assigned to CN’s Atlantic Region Moncton auxiliary in July of 1960. Not sure where it ended up after that.
Stephen C. Host

October 20, 2016 at 2:25 pm

This is why I love this hobby. Great find Paul!
TMike

May 22, 2020 at 10:27 pm

The “leaf” on the side of the crane— Is that something the crew may have created themselves? White with red CNR. I dont think I have seen that before on any equipment.
Paul O'Shell

May 23, 2020 at 1:20 pm

The white maple leaf, red CNR and no circle logo applied to CN 50012 is most likely a Car Department applied version of the then popular Canadian National Railways/Maple Leaf logo. I have a photo of CN 50397 when it was assigned to the Hamilton auxiliary with the same logo but with the colours reversed … a red maple leaf, white CNR, and white circle. Over the decades I was around CN’s cranes I saw quite the variety of ‘official’ paint schemes and logos as well as a multitude of local auxiliary adaptations. It’s too bad there are very few operating examples of these monsters left to view.
Paul O'Shell

May 28, 2020 at 2:19 pm

Here is the photo (by Doug Wingfield) that I referred to in my previous comment, showing a variation of the CN logo on a wrecking crane at Hamilton;
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/358008/
TMike

June 1, 2020 at 9:49 pm

As usual you guys have the answers. I will have to try to stump you on something else..I never saw one of these cranes in action. I lived by the Meaford sub. Dunno if one ever went up there.
Paul O'Shell

June 3, 2020 at 11:55 am

Here is the same CNR logo as originally applied to freight units …

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=5589

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=5638
Paul O'Shell

June 3, 2020 at 12:09 pm

As for wrecking cranes on the Meaford Sub., I’m pretty sure they made a few trips on the subdivision over the years. And when and if they did, the largest permissible wrecker would have been 160 tons (see the Meaford Subdivision Footnotes in the attached CN Central Region Timetable #6 from June 28, 1953).

https://www.traingeek.ca/files/19530628-northern-ontario-ett-6.pdf

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