There are several reports on Facebook that the GCR(N)'s Cowans Sheldon 36/45 ton crane ADRC95222 was due to have been (and possibly was) scrapped yesterday.

Built to an LNER order but delivered to BR, this crane was initially numbered 941602 and allocated to Immingham, later Grimsby, before being transferred back to Immingham c. 1960. It was uprated to 45 tons at Derby in 1972, and was unusually fitted with a Lebus drum for multilayer winding the hoist rope.

It was temporarily sent to Stratford whilst Stratford's 75-ton ADRC96701 was being converted in 1977/8, then went to Finsbury Park in August '78 before ending up at Thornaby.

Other numbers carried were 103, later ADB966103, and ADRC95222.

It was sold upon withdrawal from Derby Locomotive Works to the Dean Forest Railway 04/04/86 and resided at Norchard until 1995, when it was resold to the Great Central Railway (North) at Ruddington 1996. It is reported that it has been out of use for at least ten years.

Sadly it appears that time has run out for yet another interesting and unique steam breakdown crane.

It has now been confirmed that this crane has indeed been cut up.

This now brings the total number of British breakdown cranes scrapped from preservation to six (which is 17% of those initially preserved):

R&R 45-ton 1560 (SR, 1940)
CS 30-ton RS1091/30 (BR, 1960), ADRC96100 (BR, 1961), ADRC96101 (BR, 1961)
CS 36/45 ton ADRC95222 (LNER, 1948)
CS 75-ton ADRC96706 (BR, 1961)

I wonder how big would be the outcry if 17% of the preserved ex-mainline steam locomotives in the country were scrapped by preservationists.