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Ruston 44/48HP


Kelly
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I'm looking at building a narrow gauge layout based upon RAF Chlmark, and whilst Narrow Planet and cwr do the main loco stock and brakevan I have identified, I'd like to try to recreate the fire train, which I believe was pulled by a Ruston 44/48HP.

 

Does anyone do a model of this loco?

 

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Hi, Kelly,

 

What scale are you working in? If it's 7mm I may be able to help as I scratch-built a 44/48HP Ruston in 7mm on 14mm gauge.

 

Hi Dave,

 

00-9. If you've other photos/plans/details etc they'd be helpful and welcome though.

 

Kelly

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Hmm, looked at your 44/48HP Ruston, it doesn't seem to look much like the photo above seemingly! makes me wonder if the flickr caption is wrong as it says 'Ruston & Hornsby 44/48HP RH', unless there are multiple varations on the same theme?

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A bit of googling found this which shows that the original locos for the system were 40DLs built in 1939. The 44/48HP was the fire train loco painted red (as the picture above). A bit more research confirmed it is indeed a 44/48HP.

 

When I can find the copy I have of Railway Modeller with an article about the Chilmark stock I at least have plans of the later items.

 

So now to search for a R&H 40DL kit as well as R&H 44/48 kit :)

 

EDIT: corrected post now I've worked out whats what correctly, got confused for a moment there!!

Edited by Kelly
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Hi, Kelly,

 

What scale are you working in? If it's 7mm I may be able to help as I scratch-built a 44/48HP Ruston in 7mm on 14mm gauge.

 

A bit of looking around lead to discovering you refer not to a 44/48HP but a 48DS. The two are seemingly quite different. Hence the confusion.

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This is my model of the Meridian Ruston (ignore Toby, I just happened to have this picture already uploaded!):

 

2008_10_October%2520008-1.jpg

 

The main difference is it is smaller, but could pass at a distance. It would be possible to extend and modify the bonnet, with a longer wheelbase chassis, for a better representation, the biggest challenge would be finding a suitable chassis. Meridian's small diesel chassis might be suitable. However you might find that a scratch-build or 3D print is as easy at that stage!

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I have now checked back on the Ruston listings I have:

 

194771 was a Ruston class 33/40HP (NOT 40DL which was a post-war classification) built in January 1939. A second 33/40 194770 was built at the same time and I suspect that that may have gone to Chilmark too.

 

194784 (the "Fire" engine) was a Ruston class 44/48HP built later in 1939 - there was a batch of seven of these locos, 194778-784, built between May and October 1939, and some others of these may also be Chilmark locos. If so that suggests that the earlier 3-cylinder locos were found to be underpowered.

 

My notes suggest that the two types were the same overall length at around 11ft 4in, but that on the 33/40 the shorter engine casing (3-cylinder rather than 4) started farther back on the frame, and that otherwise the two types were more or less identical (certainly for the purpose of a OO9 scale model).

 

My notes don't identify the detail fittings of the locos and the Bala Lake loco has clearly been mucked about with, but from what I can see and deduce I suspect that both types at Chilmark had cabs, added frame-side weights and exhaust scrubbers - the "Fire" engine can be seen to have all these features. I think that the exhaust scrubbers, mounted behind the cabs, required the frame to be extended at the rear (to about 12ft in total).

 

The Meridian Models 27/32HP body kit wouldn't make a bad starting point because the complex front radiator area, the fuel tank and the cab would be usable and you would have to make new frames, engine compartment sides and top and exhaust scrubber, although none of these would be difficult. 

 

The biggest problem would be finding a suitable chassis. The prototype wheelbase was about 3ft 4in (say 13.5mm in OO9) with a wheel diameter of 1ft 4in or 1ft 6in (say 6mm in OO9) and I am not aware of anything immediately suitable in either ready-to-run or kit form. However components from, for example, Nigel Lawton would facilitate a scratch build.

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I suddenly realised that I had a 1968 list for locos present at the Chilmark[C] and Dinton[D] depots. Note that locos could be interchanged between the two and that the AMW-prefixed number was the painted number and the other the maker's number:

 

Standard Gauge

Fowler 0-4-0DM

AMW154[C]/22604, 1939

AMW242[D]/22996, 1939 

I imagine that both these were to the design that is just about to produced in O gauge by Ixion

 

Narrow Gauge (2 foot)

Ruston 4wDM 33/40HP

AMW 161[C]/194770, 1939

Ruston 4wDM 44/48HP

AMW165[D]/194784, 1939

AMW166[D]/193987, 1939

AMW193[D]/200513, 1940

AMW194[D]/200516, 1940

AMW202[D]/200800, 1941*

AMW204[D]/200802, 1941*

AMW205[D]/200803, 1941*

AMW224[D]/203019, 1941*

*I think that these four locos were probably built to a slightly different design in which the sides forward of the cab sloped (widest at the frame) but were not "streamlined" in the way that the later 48DL was (see the photo of the green 44/48HP loco in one of Kelly's posts above whose bodywork is in the '1941" style)

Greenwood & Batley 4wBE

AMW175[C]/????, ????

AMW176[C]/????, ????

AMW177[C]/1613, ????

I am not sure which of the GB 4w battery loco designs these were

 

It seems likely that all the 44/48HP locos were flame-proofed but Ruston didn't perfect the flame-proofing design until after 194770 had been built so that can't have been flame-proofed from new. The external appearance of flame-proofed locos was very similar to those just fitted with exhaust scrubbers. 

 

There were a quite a lot of RAF munitions depots of various sizes scattered round the UK during WWII and afterwards, and it is likely that some locos were moved between sites.

Edited by bécasse
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For the sake of completeness, I have added below details of the locos allocated to the RAF Fauld munitions depot in 1968, by which time it was the only other remaining rail served RAF munitions storage depot in the UK with narrow gauge (although in fact used by the USAF).

 

Standard Gauge
Ruston 4wDM 80/88HP
AMW184/198322, 1940
AMW185/198323, 1940
 
Narrow Gauge (2 foot)
Ruston 4wDM 44/48HP
AMW196/198286, 1940
AMW197/198287, 1940
AMW202/200800, 1941*§
AMW206/203016, 1941*
AMW210/203020, 1941*
AMW231/203031, 1942*
AMW232/203032, 1942*
*I think that these locos were probably built to the slightly different design in which the sides forward of the cab sloped (widest at the frame) but were not "streamlined" in the way that the later 48DL was (see the photo of the green 44/48HP loco in one of Kelly's posts above whose bodywork is in the '1941' style)
§Also listed as being at Dinton suggesting that even as late as the 1960s these locos moved between depots
Greenwood & Batley 4wBE
AMW180/1608, 1939
AMW181/1609, 1939
AMW233/1838, 1942
AMW234/1839, 1942
AMW235/1840, 1942
Again I am not sure which of the GB 4w battery loco designs these were
 
These were the locos surviving in 1968. There must have been many more at one time especially as some were almost certainly destroyed when half the munitions store here blew up later in the war.
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There's a nice little book (scroll down) on n.g. Rustons which might help clear up any confusion. (The other book at the top is worth adding to your library as well).

 

Paul Windle used to make a RTR OO9 'streamlined' 40DL, handbuilt from plasticard. I'm not sure if it is still available, or even how to contact him... (doesn't do internet apparently).

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 years later...

I'm looking at building a narrow gauge layout based upon RAF Chlmark, and whilst Narrow Planet and cwr do the main loco stock and brakevan I have identified, I'd like to try to recreate the fire train, which I believe was pulled by a Ruston 44/48HP.

 

Does anyone do a model of this loco?

Hello Kelly,

 

This maybe a (very) long shot as your original post was so long ago, but did you, (or anyone else out there for that matter?), ever get any further with this search for a reasonably close representation of a Ruston 44/48HP loco? Like you, I'm hoping to create a reasonable 009 model of  'Trumpton', the Ruston 44/48HP loco used as the fire loco at Chilmark /Dinton. HC

Edited by happyChappy
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This is the 7mm 44/48HP Ruston that I built almost 20 years ago. I measured up w/n 198287 when it was at the Abbey Light Railway, in Leeds.

 

post-494-0-77643900-1537456803.jpg

This type weighed 7-tons and this particular style of bodywork appears to have been only used on the 2ft. gauge RAF locos for Chilmark/Dinton and Fauld, and the 2ft. 6in. gauge locos that were built for the Admiralty and used at various RNAD depots.

 

Quite different from the standard gauge 44/48HP type.

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I hope Kelly doesn't mind me asking a supplementary question about these locos:  What is the wheel diameter and wheelbase of the 44/48DL?  I have a Wrightlines 7mm scale kit (very nice it is too) I've partly built and I'm trying to work out my options for motorising it in 14mm gauge.

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  • 1 month later...

Isn’t that the flameproofing equipment for the exhaust?

The box behind the cab is part of the flameproofing. It is also exhaust conditioning. The flame traps were in the very top part, where the pipe exhausted to the outside atmosphere .The lower part contained a water bath, which not only helped to take out flames but took out a lot of the noxious fumes to improve the working environment underground.

 

This set up could be found on locomotives that weren't flameproofed. Flameproofing also included features on the lighting and other electrical equipment, including switchgear and the engine starter motor. Ruston & Hornsby classified locomotives for work underground as DLU (e.g. 48DLU) or DLG, which meant that they were flameproofed, i.e. suitable for use in gassy mines, or underground and surface environments with a potentially explosive or inflammable atmosphere, such as explosives works, or oil refineries.

Edited by Ruston
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