the railcar lid remover or lifter 10 of the invention , as seen in fig1 , is a self - standing unit which can be stored convenient to an area where gondola cars and the like are unloaded by cranes . the structure stands on base 12 which is configured as a palette for handling by a standard industrial fork truck commonly used in loading yards . base 12 is fabricated from members , preferably steel , of sufficient strength and thickness to withstand the loads encountered in working with the various rail car lidsf metal which may weigh as much as 1 ton . a welded structure is preferred for the base and for fabricating and joining all elements of the structure with the exception of certain fittings which are removably fastened to a boom 16 . mounted on base 12 is frame 14 , also of sufficient strength to withstand the forces of compression , bending and twisting encountered in service . it is high enough so that boom 16 which is mounted to frame 14 can be lifted by a fork truck 20 within the limits of its vertical lift distance to a level clearing the top of a lidded railcar standing on the tracks . boom 16 is long enough to permit reaching the centerline of a railcar 17 when the fork truck has approached relatively close to the side of the car but not so long that an overturning moment is created in use or when the device is standing alone in storage . stay 18 and standoff 19 may be provided to minimize boom bending when a lid is picked up . safety strap 22 is provided so that the operator of the fork can insure that the lid remover remains in place on the forks when in use especially during transport without a load . this is a strong , flexible strap , cable or chain , attached to the frame at one end and of sufficient length to wrap around a part of the fork truck and , at the other end , terminated in a loop , or some equivalent for fastening the truck and frame together . it readily is released when the operator drops the lid lifter 10 for storage and returns the fork truck 20 to other activities . fig2 shows a typical lid removal activity ( the replacement procedure essentially is the reverse ). rail car 17 , here a gondola , is covered by one or more lids 26 . these have centrally located handles 28 . unfortunately , the railroad industry has not settled on a single standard design for a rail car lid handle . four differing units are common and these are shown in fig5 a , 5 b , 5 c , and 5 d . for convenience boom 16 carries fittings 30 and 32 which are configured so that any one of the four types of handles can be engaged . fitting 30 is a saddle on the upper surface of boom 16 . this is suited to the handle of fig5 d . limit stop 32 is spaced a short distance away on the top surface of boom 16 between fitting 30 and the end of the boom above frame 14 . this prevents a lid from sliding along the boom too far toward the fork truck if the operator errs . fitting 34 is a pair of hooks on the lower surface of boom 16 useful for any variety of handle 28 which does not allow clearance for the boom between the top of the lid and the bottom of the handle or between upright member thereof . if ever other handle designs appear , it would be simple to provide suitable fittings . lifter 10 is shown in fig2 with base 12 engaged on forks 36 of the fork truck . these have been lifted high enough for boom 16 to be inserted into handle 28 and then lifted so that fitting 30 engages and then lifts handle 28 and lid 26 . for lids having handles of the type shown in fig5 d , it is preferred to modify saddle fitting 30 by replacing it with plug fitting 23 . suitable fasteners , not shown , hold the plug fitting 23 in place . an advantage of this arrangement in use is that plug 23 fits into the inside of the top of the handle and prevents it from swiveling . an elastomeric , or other cushioning material , pad 25 may be secured to the upper surface of plug fitting 23 . base 12 is 9 inches high by 5 foot 8 inches on a side and fabricated from ⅝ th inch steel plate . two opposing sides are fabricated 8 inch by 6 and ½ inch by ½ inch i - beams with one side cut away . the remaining flange is welded in place on the underside of the base with the flange facing in . two facing plates , with 7 inch high by 9 inch cutouts (“ pockets ”) for entry of the forks , are welded one inch from the end of the base to the underside and each is braced by two one inch thick triangular steel gussets . frame 14 comprises two 8 inch by 8 inch by ⅜ inch box tubes 15 and 13 that are 7 feet long and welded to base 12 slightly in from opposite ends along the centerline between the cutouts . welded on top of the two box tubes , is boom 16 which is fabricated from a modified 8 inch by 6 and ½ inch by ½ inch i - beam with ½ inch plates for the sides as shown in fig3 . a cap is welded on each end of boom 16 . fish plates 21 reinforce the welded joints . saddle 30 is removably bolted on top of boom 16 about one foot from the end and stop 32 is spaced about 1 foot 3 inches farther in . an elastomeric pad 25 may be cemented on the top surface of plug 23 . in use , car 17 is spotted . an operator drives fork truck 20 to where lid lifter 10 stands in storage , adjusts the height of the forks 36 , aims and drives the forks into engagement in the base 12 which is then lifted slightly for transport after safety strap 22 is fastened to the fork truck 20 . the operator approaches the side of rail car 17 and aims boom 16 into handle 28 by lifting and / or tilting the lift mechanism of the truck and driving the truck forward . a further slight lift engages saddle fitting 30 ′ with handle 28 . additional lifting raises lid 26 away from car 17 and the fork truck 20 with its load can be backed out of the way . car 17 can then be emptied as is customary using a crane while lid 26 is held with the fork truck or stored on the ground . when the car 17 is empty , lid 26 then can be returned and lowered into position there . the fork truck operator then can disengage boom 16 from lid 26 and back away . at will , lid lifter 10 can be stored by transporting it to a selected spot , lowering it to the ground and pulling out the fork or ram . in yards handling coils of metal , it is common to use ram trucks . these are fork truck with the fork assembly unfastened and replaced by a moldboard 106 onto which a length of heavy pipe has been mounted to act as a “ ram ” 104 . the operator simply runs this ram 104 into the core of a coil to lift and transport it . fig6 and 7 show an alternate embodiment of the rail car lid lifter 10 in which the base 12 is considerably enlarged in height to accommodate a through collar 102 , welded in place under the top member of base 12 . this collar is sized so that a ram 104 is an easy fit inside as seen in fig7 . pockets 108 and 110 are provided so that lifter 10 can be used with a regular fork truck as well . the advantage of using the ram - adapted configuration is that the same truck unit can handle lids and coils . for safety , moldboard 106 and lifter 10 have attached matching ears 112 with holes , one on one member and two on the other , that engage aligning the holes so that a pin , not shown , can lock the two units together . fig6 also shows an optional accessory which is shackle 114 to which a safety hook or the like can be attached . details of preferred component - structures are shown in the figures . these are designer choices and other configurations and materials of construction could be used to perform the illustrated and described functions within the strength and geometric limitations imposed by the intended service .