Doing a little searching online, I can't find any reference to a crane of
this type on bogies. I presume it is actually based on an eight wheeled
Booth design used on the Western Region, in all other respects it looks very
similar.
The eight wheeler design is described by several sources as a 0-8-0, does
this mean that this design is self propelled? Lots of references which
suggest other cranes are self propelled, but nothing regarding this design,
Cheers,
Bill.
I think there were pictures / some sort of feature in model rail a couple of
years back, that is if I have the right crane?
I think the Gwili railway has a crane similar to the one featured?
Opinion only; there seems to be no real advantage in building a 4 axle
crane on bogies as opposed to building one on a rigid frame, unless of
course the builder already has bogies and their associated frame
mountings on the shelf. OTOH the British builder probably already has
the rigid frame add-ons designed and ready from Loco tender designs.
The 4 axle rigid frame will most likely be more stable than the bogie
design at low speeds whereas the bogie is better at higher running
speeds as well as being smoother riding, something not really important
for a crane.
Some cranes had the provision for moving themselves at slow speed, but
don't think you can bring your crane out as a substitute loco when the
0-8-0 breaks down as it wouldn't have the power to move a long coal
train.
From your research, it sounds like Airfix used bogies where a rigid
frame should have been provided.
Perhaps you could substitute an A4 tender underframe :-)
Regards,
Greg.P.
That's not dissimilar to the original's arrangement, though I suspect a
scratchbuild would be necessary to achieve a reasonable likeness.
My thoughts were that if the crane should be self propelled, building a more
accurate model in 0-8-0 configuration would benefit from having a small
motor, to propel it and it's match truck independant of any other
locomotive. On the other hand, no point in motorising something which
shouldn't have it's own motive power,
Cheers,
Bill.
Bill
If you can post a picture of the crane somewhere I can have a look in
my book of WR crane diagrams for you, see if there's a match. 'Fraid
I'm not familiar with the Airfix/Dapol crane.
Simon.
The instructions provided by Airfix were careful not to say exactly
what it was a model of, but the bogies were clearly designed for
cranes so I would suspect they obtained manufacturers' drawings for a
model they did not actually manage to sell, but it could have been
sold for industrial use.
The prototype info given by Airfix is:
10/15 TONS DIESEL-HYDRAULIC LOCOMOTIVE CRANE
The locomotive steam crane was firmly established before the
introduction of the internal combustion engine in the late nineteenth
century and due to its relative simplicity, long life and trouble-free
operation it has persisted
up to the present time. With the movement away from steam it has,
however, become outmoded and often inconvenient to operate. The
quantity produced Diesel engine has provided the natural answer to the
question of alternative power plant but, as it lacks the flexibility
and reversibility of the steam engine, steps have to be taken to
compensate for these limitations in the design of the transmission
system.
These considerations have led to the evolution of the Diesel-hydraulic
locomotive crane manufactured by Clyde Crane and Booth Limited of
Rodley, Leeds.
The cranes employ a hydraulic transmission system in which a hydraulic
pump driven by the Diesel engine transmits power through a system of
tubes and control valves to a hydraulic motor coupled to the primary
shaft.
Four speeds in either direction are obtained by selecting fluid
circuits by means of hand lever operated control valves. These four
speeds apply to the travelling, hoisting and derricking motions and
the crane driver selects the
motion required by manipulating further hand levers which control
compressed air operated clutches on the primary gearbox.
The slewing motion only is driven and controlled electrically.
Compressed air for the controls is provided by a Westinghouse
compressor set driven by the engine. This also provides pressure for
the Westinghouse travelling brake cylinders.
Due to the reversible hydraulic transmission system loads can be
hoisted, or lowered under power, without the necessity of applying a
mechanical brake but, a hoist brake is provided as a safety precaution
and for use when circumstances render this desirable.
The crane is simple to operate and requires the minimum of physical
effort on the part of the driver. The main controls consist of eight
identical compressed air control levers operating the speeds, motions
and air brakes, a reversing lever with direct linkage to the hydraulic
motor, a drum-type electrical slewing controller, hoist brake pedal
and accelerator pedal.
These cranes can be arranged for various types of duty but they are
normally of 10 or 15 tons capacity and versions are supplied for main
line railway operation and for general yard and sidings duties in
steelworks, etc.
Ten Booth Diesel-hydraulic cranes were supplied to the Western Region
of British Railways in 1958-59.
TECHNICAL DATA (Typical 15 tons crane)
Engine - - - - McLaren Type M. Mark II. 3 cylinder oil
engine.
Maximum governed speed 1,100 r.p.m.
Transmission - - L.E.H. hydraulic-transmission unit with
4-speed power take-off.
Hydraulic Fluid Capacity - 56 gallons.
Fuel Oil Tank Capacity - 25 gallons.
Length over Buffers - 26 ft. 7 in.
Length of Jib - - 35 ft.
Hoisting Capacity, Free on Rails -
10 tons at 16 ft. radius.
3.5 tons at 30 ft. radius.
Hoisting Capacity, Propped (Draw Girders out and Jacks in position)
15 tons at 16 ft. radius.
5.5 tons at 30 ft. radius.
Note it talks of typical cranes and does not say that the model is
based on those supplied to the WR.
Pictures you will find readily on ebay on the boxes of all the kits on
sale.
Keith
It didn't at Llanelli Steel.....
I'd suggest using a 4 wheel bogie of the sort Branchlines sells, with a pony
truck at either end. Regarding their hauling trains- they would normally be
used within an engineer's possession or within a yard, perhaps moving one or
two wagons with them.
Brian
Absolutely!
Build it with no side movement on 1st and 4th axles and a millimeter or
so on 2nd and 3rd!
Alternatively, if you chicken out, put flangeless wheels on 2nd and 3rd.
The sideways displacement on a four axle rigid frame is less than that
of a 3 axle rigid frame and there are plenty of examples of long rigid 3
axle wheelbases im British railways. eg. every Pacific loco.
Regards,
Greg.P.
There are indeed plenty of examples of long wheelbase 6 wheel locos
Greg but the Pacifics are not among them!
Do some comparisons, usually you will find the traditional 0-6-0 locos
are the longest, 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 not far behind at the Pacifics
shorter, this is because Pacifics have to get all 6 wheels in front of
the firebox and hence the wheels are usually as close together as can
be managed, the other outside cylinder classes need to fit the firebox
between the second and third axles thus opening out the wheelbase at
the rear. The inside cylinder clasases, mainly the 0-6-0s also have to
get the crank axle in front of the firebox and the front axle far
enough forward to dodge the motion work so forcing the wheelbase to be
still longer.
And there would have been hunderds of these for every Pacific.
Cheers
Keith
No mystery.
It's nominally a Booth (of Rodley, Leeds) 10T / 15T (there were
originally two versions) diesel self-propelled PW crane, supplied to
the WR in 195?; (don't have the file to hand).
The supplied carriage and bogies may be correct for the industrail
version, but the BR ones had an eight-wheel rigid underframe similar to
that of many breakdown and PW cranes.
The model and prototype has been covered in the model press on several
occasions; most fully in a not-too-ancient edition of Model Rail.
The kit jib is probably that of the industrial version; the BR version
had a longer one.
The BR cranes had jib runners converted by Swindon from bogie bolster
wagons; conveniently for us the short one produced by Airfix / Dapol /
Hornby.
Eventually, I'll get round to producing appropriate transfers; I need
them for my model which has a scratchbuilt brass carriage with working
steel draw-beams and screw stabilising jacks.
I measured and photographed a derelict example at Reading; copies of
manufacturers' drawings came from BR(WR).
Regards,
John Isherwood,
Cambridge Custom Transfers.
The axles would have to be 6'9" apart at the least with 6'6" drivers -
that's a 13'6" wheelbase! That's _loooog_ =8^)
Our comparison is against an A4 tender wheelbase, remember.
Many 0-6-0s had 16'6" wheelbase, some longer! While the big Pacifics
with 6'9" wheels were 14'6" and a Stanier tender 15'.
It didn't read that way in your original, you picked Pacifics
specifically as an example of a long wheelbase 6 wheel chassis. As you
were at pains to point out that sideplay problems are worse with 6
wheelers given that the centre axle is close to the centre of the
chord. For 8 wheel chassis A4 tenders are 16'. A GWR 4700 class 2-80
had a coupled wheelbase of 20ft which is getting to be long
You're right of course, but the Pacific was just an illustration of how
existing models can run around R1 to show that a rigid 4 axle crane
should be no problem.
Personally, I run 2-12-0 locos around R2 in my hidden staging yard =8^)
Regards,
Greg.P.
True, that's why (model) tender axles and bearings tend to be the
straight type rather than pinpoints.
(see Peco R30 bearings (from memory, hope I got the ref right))
replying to Bill Davies, Chillidragon wrote:
Whilst searching for references I came across a marketing booklet by Clyde Booth
showing this crane as modelled by Airfix, An inset shows the "Four axle
carriage version for use on mail line railways". So it would seem to be an
industrial variant after all. Until a few hours ago I didn't even know it
existed in this form.
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