CP Gantry Crane

Model railroaders often get garrulous about the wisdom of modelling team tracks. Originally named for the teams of horses that took wagons right up to the track to unload from a freight car, they're referred to as the 'universal industry'. For customers that don't have their own spur, it's a low-cost alternative.

 Opposite City Hall in CP's yard was this unique-looking gantry.

Photos or plans are hard to find, having tried Pinterest and the CPHA documents library. That's OK, I can gage it pretty well from the nearby boxcar. Note that it spans a track, an unloading ramp and enough room for a truck to drive underneath. That's a truck scale at the bottom left of both photos (above).

Careful study reveals the horizontal girder is an above-and-below set-up! Get me rewrite!

I decided to model this somewhat spindly crane. I used some Central Valley sprues, a random girder and a rather large crane hook. 

It's a proof-of-concept crane. It's in a high-traffic location and might get dislodged. or I might find a better prototype photo. A future version will have better block-and-tackle/chain details and possibly different proportions. I'd also like to find out when it arrived and when it was dismantled.