ATSF Burro Crane 749 and Flatcar

Named after the favored pack animal of the old west, Burro Cranes are small four-wheeled cranes designed to operate on rails. The boom can be fitted with a number of different tools depending on the assignment, from a clamshell to an electromagnet to a simple hook.

The self-propelled Burro could also tow a flat car or other equipment needed for its work. This allowed them to tow some of the rail, ballast, timbers or other materials needed for the track repair or construction job at hand.

Burro 476 was used by the Santa Fe Railway into the 1990s when it was donated to the Museum along with its special flat car that was used to move it from job to job. Note the extra set of wheels on the side of the Burro; these wheels engage with the rails on the flat car deck and give the Burro added stability when operating from the deck of the flat car.

The Burro can also load and unload itself from the flat car- it picks up the track ramp that sits on the deck and lowers it into place on the rails. It then drives itself off the end of the car, down the ramp and onto the rails. To get back on, the lifting cable is attached to the flat car deck and the crane’s winch is used to help it move back up the ramp.