Comments on: Now this will brighten up any dingy wreck site! QNS&L 1200, a Bucyrus Erie 250 ton capacity wrecker sits majestically outside the locomotive & car repair shop in Sept-Iles waiting for its next assisgnment. 1200′s twin sits on the other end of the line in Labrador City.

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:59:28 +0000

Here is sister crane QNS&L 1201 in Labrador City, NL that I snapped back on November 1, 2005 …
https://www.flickr.com/photos/197431498@N07/52638310557/in/album-72177720305397744
https://www.flickr.com/photos/197431498@N07/52638310542/in/album-72177720305397744

By: TMike

TMike — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:53:18 +0000

Too bad. But they were isolated on a rail line that was on its own-no connections to another railroad so I guess it was inevitable. I found pix of a derailment in 2014-a loco went into a river. A huge 700 ton crane was dismantled-moved to the site, reassenbled,and fished the drowned loco out of the river. In the winter! Quite a job Unfortunately the engineer was killed in the accident.

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 01:08:46 +0000

Confirmed by a reliable source at QNS&L that the cranes were retired and scrapped.

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 22:27:29 +0000

I’ve got some sleuths looking into it.

By: TMike

TMike — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 22:25:29 +0000

I dunno, QNS&L is really isolated in some areas. It might take contractors days to get equipment to a derailment site,I guess the railway has a plan. Maybe someone can give us an update.

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:37:07 +0000

I wish I could answer that question for you Mike, but like me, all my former contacts at QNS&L have long been retired, so I do not have access to current information as I once did.
I would like to think QNS&L 1200 & QNS&L 1201 are still operational but at 74 years old in 2026 they could likely be razor blades.

By: TMike

TMike — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 21:17:00 +0000

Does this monster still exist?. Being based in remote parts of Quebe-I would expect the railroad keeps it operational.

By: Paul O'Shell

Paul O'Shell — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 19:38:18 +0000

QNS&L 1200 is a Bucyrus Erie 250 ton, sn 94114, built in 1952.

By: Chris van der Heide

Chris van der Heide — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 21:13:07 +0000

Interesting little support car made from a cut down ore gondola!

By: poshell

poshell — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:45:50 +0000

The American & Ohio Locomotive Crane Co. in Bucyrus, Ohio continues to rebuild railway cranes giving them additional life beyond their already long service years. It is not uncommon to see cranes built in the 40′s and 50′s still in service today. I will post a few more photos of some older cranes as well as recent rebuilds. The technology in railway cranes has changed very little in the last 50 years.