Bruce Hansen writes: This model is the “70 Ton Crane” built from a 1962 No. 10231 Astronaut Set (10 1/2-sized set) which is in the background. The “action” in this model is a crane which can be manually rotated about the base, an up/down powered boom and an up/down powered block and tackle.
Gilbert painted the P79 car trucks and MV flat car trucks yellow this year instead of red. The crane cab rotates smoothly around the base on TB/TC ball bearings.
The boom stands 44 inches tall at its full up position. Full travel from low to high takes about 45 seconds. The boom is made from C girders. A stabilizer fashioned from a CY 5 inch axle, AA eccentric crank and BT pierced disc prevent the crane from tipping over when the boom is lowered to the side. The stabilizer is manually moved in/out.
The motor setup is electric engine no. 10 in the manual. This setup uses the NK ratchets and P13 pinions to lock the two driving axles when the motor is shifted to neutral or the other axle is under power. The block & tackle string is the lower axle; the boom is raised/lower by the upper axle.