Cranes (Dereham) Ltd (1865 - 2005)
Dates
- Existence: 1865 - 2005
- Usage: c1950 - 1963
- Usage: c1963 - 2005
Biography
Cranes (Dereham) Ltd was founded in 1865 by William Crane. It started as a blacksmithing shop and gradually expanded into manufacturing wagons and other agricultural equipment.
The business grew and in 1913 William’s son, who took over the business after his father’s death in 1906, purchased an agricultural engineering firm at Dereham in Norfolk.
During WWI Cranes manufactured gun carriage wheels and field ambulances for the army. In 1920 the firm was incorporated as Cranes (Dereham) Ltd and started to make road trailers.
In the inter-war years Cranes continued expanding by making drawbar trailers and later semi-trailers, mainly for use by the railway companies, but it also made special purpose trailers, particularly very heavy capacity units.
In 1950 the company change its name to Cranes (Trailers) Ltd.
In the 1960s Crane started to manufacture trucks with aluminium bodies using designs by Fruehauf Corporation and between 1961 and 1963 the two companies formed JV Crane Fruehauf Trailers Limited, which operated until 2005.
Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:
Blueprints for Fairground Ride Designs and Mechanisms, 1895 - 1946
Blueprints for Ride Structures and Platforms, c1911 - 1939
Blueprints for ride structures and platforms, including the Whirlwind Racer, the Rocket and Revolving Speedway and cars, Gorleston Ghost Train, No.1 Swoop and Noah’s Ark.
Detail of Swoop Blueprint, 15 February 1935
New ride axel details by Cranes Dereham Ltd, South Green Works, Dereham Norfolk.
Orton and Spooner Collection
This collection contains a large selection of archives from the Orton and Spooner Company. The collection comprises photographs and cabinet card images showing carved work, structural work and classic painted work, 4 boxes of notes, invoices and clippings, 8 drawers of plans and blueprints, 2 folders of ride specifications and order forms, accounts books and a library of source books showing turn of the century art used by the artists in the company.
Plans, c1916 - 1939
Blueprints of electric parts for fairground rides supplied by Mather & Platt Ltd and Hackett & Co., Electrical Engineers to Orton and Spooner.
Truck Carriage Blueprint, 10 January 1933
Blueprint showing W. Murphy's truck carriage bolster and bearers and plan of forecarriage by Cranes (Dereham) Ltd, South Green Works, Dereham, Norfolk. Drawing D464.