Cowans, Sheldon builder's photo of 6 wheeled hand crane (RHWA collection)

The diagram below lists several cranes as being of this type. It is a bit difficult it make out but I think it is referring to numbers 1, 4, and 10-18. The Cowans, Sheldon order book shows a batch of six 7 ton hand cranes with order numbers 2073 - 2078 for W.A.G.R. They were ordered on 16 July 1896 and delivered on 3 March 1897. Clearly that batch only accounts for some of the numbers. I may have missed a trick in that the Cowans order books include orders made via Crown Agents which could include cranes for WAGR and/or PWD where no destination is specified on the order. One possible example is 3'-6" gauge 7 ton hand crane 2179 delivered (somehere in the world) in June 1898. I didn't look for others and should have done.

In addition to this, drawing 3A/2139 refers to hand crane 6 rated at 10 tons. This crane was Cowans, Sheldon 1536 built for the GSR in 1887 and is clearly a related design later downrated to bring it into line with this group.

The number 7 duplicates the number of a Stothert & Pitt crane. I'm not sure what to make of that - it could be a later renumbering.

The preserved crane at Port Hedland is reported to be 2075 whilst RHWA has 2073 (as WAGR 7). Given that six cranes were delivered together it is surprising that the running numbers don't just follow the works numbers in sequence in a block so renumbering becomes more likely. The Port Hedland crane moved there in 1909 so would have been transferred to the PWD when the line closed and not made the 1957 list.

It is known that by 1923 there were only 11 hand cranes and that total was the same in 1957 so the missing cranes may have been sold/gone before 1923.

The blow up above from State Library of WA 282102PD shows crane 4 on the Lakeside Woodline c1920. It seems to have an I class wagon as a match truck.