This  prize winning 5" gauge model of a Booth’s 1943 SR 12T Railway Crane was designed and built by M Aherne and displayed at Harrogate.

Ten of these cranes were built for the Southern Railway during the Second World War by J. Booth & Bros. Ltd., one of the famous crane makers of Rodley, Leeds. The prototype for this model has survived into preservation and resides on the fledgling Aln Valley Railway at Lionheart, Alnwick, Northumberland.

Including more than a kilogram of copper rivets the model took the builder nearly four years to complete, with research and CAD drawing taking about half the time. All platework is laser cut, with folded steel channels making up the main structural items. Much modified commercial gears are used for the operating equipment, with a few other bought-in items like wheel-sets, axle boxes and small detailing items to complete the model.

Laser cutting also allowed the 'laminating' of pulley wheels, and the large hoist drum main gear, an effective method for representing stepped spokes. The builder says; “cranes hide many secrets in their construction and their operating systems; this model faithfully reproduces many of these features.”