Cranes in the Industrial Revolution

In the 1800s, engines replaced muscle. Cranes grew stronger and faster, and they began to be made from iron and steel instead of wood.

Steam cranes

Steam engines were used to power cranes in the 19th century. A boiler made steam, and the engine turned the drum that wound the rope. Steam cranes worked in factories, railway yards, docks and construction sites, and could lift loads that earlier cranes could not. Some ran on rails.

Hydraulic cranes

In 1846, the English engineer William Armstrong built a hydraulic crane on the quayside at Newcastle upon Tyne. It used the pressure of water in pipes and cylinders to do the lifting. Hydraulic power was smooth and controllable, and cranes of this kind became common in docks.

Electric cranes

From the late 1800s, electric motors began to power cranes. Electric cranes were cleaner than steam, easy to start and stop, and could be controlled closely. Overhead travelling cranes, which run along rails high up inside factories and workshops, became widespread, and electric power is still the basis of tower cranes and overhead cranes today.

Iron and steel

Stronger materials mattered as much as new power. Iron and then steel frames allowed longer arms and heavier loads than timber could carry.