Yard crane gears

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Andy W
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Yard crane gears

Postby Andy W » Sun Apr 26, 2020 6:43 pm

Another sneaky attack on my shelf of shame. Some of you may remember I had planned to build something like this M.R. crane:
MR hand crane.jpg

Life eased it to one side until this lock down tempted me to actually do something so I started cutting and scavenging parts. My research didn't uncover much info, so a lot of the build is based on guesstimation.
parts.JPG

A chassis was built using LRM W irons suitable cut down like the prototype. Ironically (as it will never run outside a yard) it rolls extremely smoothly:
chassis.JPG

I then converted it into a giant, mobile lollipop stick:
vertical.JPG

Some horizontals:
more beams.JPG

And truss rods:
trusses.JPG

A gear box to align the gears:
Gear box.JPG

And the rest of the parts, hook and chain; securing chains; more gears etc are ready to add once it's passed through the paint shop. The vertical beam looks a little askew because it hasn't been bolted tight yet;
Final.JPG

Now the big question is: before it was was covered in grime, would it have been painted grey or red bauxite - if anything?
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RAO
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby RAO » Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:41 am

Lovely project.
Don't forget the back weight which is almost lost in the photo.

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Winander
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Winander » Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:27 am

I am curious about the chains hanging from each corner - they appear to be clipped to the rail and have a turnbuckle, they are certainly don't appear to be part of the coupling arrangement as a traditional three link is visible.

A fascinating little vehicle and I look forward to seeing it complete.
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Noel
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Noel » Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:51 am

Rail clamps to stop the thing falling over, hopefully, when lifting loads from the side.
Regards
Noel

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David B
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby David B » Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:16 am

That's a lovely little crane, Andy. Well done.

A useful source of gear wheels is old watch parts, sometimes sold by the bagfull on places like Ebay. You can get all sorts of sizes and types for all sorts of uses.

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barhamd
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby barhamd » Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:50 pm

I think your crane is looking rather nice. At some point I want to try and build the crane shown in this picture
https://www.transporttreasury.com/p937405195/h9ba213fd#h9ba213fd

It appears to have a 6 wheel chassis and if anyone has any more information I'd love to hear it.

David

Mark Tatlow
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Mark Tatlow » Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:41 am

David,

I can't help for the specifics of your crane (should you call it a 6 wheeled chassis when it has six axleboxes but two axles in it is a point to muse though!).

However, I have drawings for a 4 wheeled Highland crane mobile yard crane you might find useful? Pop me a private mail if you do and I will see if I can find it!



Mark
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Paul Townsend
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Paul Townsend » Tue Apr 28, 2020 10:43 am

As David's crane is Irish my instinctive response may not be valid:
Tight fisted Scotsman pinched the wheelset for another vehicle.

A more engineering thought is that they were removed to go around tight corners.

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Noel
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Noel » Tue Apr 28, 2020 11:09 am

I think it still has all three axles, it's just that the angle from which the photo was taken has lined up the nearside wheels on the centre axle with the far side wheel on the left hand axle, and likewise for the next pair.
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Noel

ralphrobertson
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby ralphrobertson » Tue Apr 28, 2020 12:12 pm

Looks to me like that crane is mounted on an old tender chassis. They were often used for odd things like that.

Ralph

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grovenor-2685
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby grovenor-2685 » Tue Apr 28, 2020 12:48 pm

Paul Townsend wrote:As David's crane is Irish my instinctive response may not be valid:
Tight fisted Scotsman pinched the wheelset for another vehicle.
A more engineering thought is that they were removed to go around tight corners.

The Brush 2 in this pic does not look very Irish. https://www.transporttreasury.com/p937405195/h9ba213fd#h9ba255f3
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Keith
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barhamd
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby barhamd » Tue Apr 28, 2020 1:36 pm

Paul Townsend wrote:As David's crane is Irish my instinctive response may not be valid:
Tight fisted Scotsman pinched the wheelset for another vehicle.

A more engineering thought is that they were removed to go around tight corners.


This is Clare in Suffolk rather than County Clare in Ireland.
Taking a look at the high res version of the picture I purchased, rather than the preview on the website, you can clearly see that it has 3 axles and it looks like 8 spoked wheels. Construction seems to be a heavy I section for the frames with fairly conventional looking wagon W-irons and springs, which would seem to rule out 're-used tender chassis' theories.

Thanks
David

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Andy W
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Andy W » Tue Apr 28, 2020 2:53 pm

Thanks for the various comments - all very useful. One lesson I've learnt is that no matter how hard I study a photograph there's always details that I miss or miss-interpret. I re scanned the image at a higher res and several things became clearer.

As RAO pointed out I'd mis-read the box back weight on the horizontal beams. I assumed that was in fact two handles to help rotate the arms.

I also got the two stays either side of the horizontals, to prevent swinging, wrong. I read them as being sunk into the decking, but in fact they are inserted into a beam, and "secured' by chains.

The securing chains do indeed seem to utilise some type of turnbuckles. I tried twisting wire to simulate them but need to do better.

A final missed detail (I hope there aren't any more!) is that there is lettering among the beam. It's copperplate - but despite using various Photoshop trickery I can't read it.

Thanks again all. The project has now been returned to the S of S - but hopefully not for long.
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Andy W
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Andy W » Wed Apr 29, 2020 7:32 am

Am I right in thinking that the back weight box would have been open with no top/lid to enable it to be filled with various weights if necessary. Or would it have been a solid block?
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RAO
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby RAO » Wed Apr 29, 2020 12:23 pm

From working with various cranes on construction sites I would imagine that the weight on the back would have been either solid or a box filled with scrap, such as nuts and bolts etc similar to the ballast used in brake vans, but would have had a lid for security and safety so that the weight of the box could not be changed. Yes the end chains would clamp to the rails to allow the crane to slew [this act oppositely to out riggers].
Nice project.

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Andy W
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Andy W » Wed Apr 29, 2020 12:31 pm

Thanks RAO
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Andy W
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Andy W » Wed May 06, 2020 2:50 pm

A few tweaks - all held together with bits of blue tack. The securing shackles are adapted Brassmasters screw couplings. Not all the gears are shown and the chain isn't on the barrel, all parts are loose - posing this shot took almost as long as building the model. The weight box platform will be extended.
Tweaked.JPG
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Winander
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Winander » Wed May 06, 2020 4:15 pm

Hello Andy,

I don't see a weight box in your original picture (if it is the thing on the end of the right hand beam). I believe you are confusing the door frame of the building in the background with something on the arm. If you look on the left hand side of the picture, there is a similar frame.

Irrespective of that, I think your model looks great and captures the prototype

regards,
Richard
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Steve Carter
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Steve Carter » Wed May 06, 2020 5:34 pm

Winander wrote:Hello Andy,

I don't see a weight box in your original picture (if it is the thing on the end of the right hand beam). I believe you are confusing the door frame of the building in the background with something on the arm. If you look on the left hand side of the picture, there is a similar frame.

Irrespective of that, I think your model looks great and captures the prototype

regards,
Richard


I think it is there Richard. If you look at the two struts that come down from the pillar to the beam, the back strut does seem to go behind a “box”. If it was something on the building in the background then both struts would be visible.

Great piece of work Andy.
Steve Carter

dal-t
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby dal-t » Wed May 06, 2020 5:55 pm

Steve Carter wrote:I think it is there Richard. If you look at the two struts that come down from the pillar to the beam, the back strut does seem to go behind a “box”. If it was something on the building in the background then both struts would be visible.

Great piece of work Andy.


I agree, the vanishing strut (singular) is pretty conclusive, but enlarging the picture you can also see the different texture of the front of the box, and the fact that although the rear is almost aligned with the corner of the building (which is what generates confusion) it is in fact at a slightly diverging angle. Amazing model in any case; I'm always impressed by how 'simple' it seems when experts are working with plasticard, compared to my own efforts, which always look a bit 'dog-eared' or 'moth-eaten' (or sometimes both, depending on the light).
David L-T

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David B
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby David B » Wed May 06, 2020 6:23 pm

Definitely there though it looks more like a lump of stone than a 'box'.

weight-box.jpg
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Winander
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Winander » Wed May 06, 2020 8:07 pm

I see it now, the strut does give it away. As soon as Specwhatnots re-opens.....
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barhamd
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby barhamd » Wed May 06, 2020 10:36 pm

I've just came across this wonderful collection through a google search.

https://www.doeandhope.com/products/a-superb-c-1896-1903-set-of-five-craftsman-s-scale-illustration-plans-for-railway-cranes-prepared-by-cowans-sheldon-co

I know it says 'Lagos Rly' but the 6-wheel one looks quite like my photograph at Clare.

David

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Andy W
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Andy W » Thu May 07, 2020 9:18 am

I think the “box” is indeed more likely to be a stone block. Fortunately this is unattached so I can remove the lip at the top fairly easily.

Would the whole vehicle would have been painted grey originally? Or oxide?

I think the lettering on the horizontal beam reads “To be secured to the rails before lifting any weight”.

The writing on the jib is less clear and may say “ To lift ??? tons maximum” Not sure if this would have a 5 tons restriction?

I had hoped it read “Not to be coupled to express workings” or better still “I want to be a breakdown crane when I grow up “. But sadly not.

Thanks for all the help.
Make Worcestershire great again.
Build a wall along the Herefordshire border and make them pay for it.

Steve Carter
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Re: Yard crane gears

Postby Steve Carter » Thu May 07, 2020 9:24 am

Don’t think it would have XP markings :D
Steve Carter


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