Hi Everyone.

I see it's six weeks since I posted my "penultimate blog" and a heck of a lot has happened in that time. I have moved from the Lake District back to my roots in Shipley. I have an apartment over looking the River Aire just half a mile from Saltaire where I was born so I think I can say I have come full circle. To say the least it has been a hectic time for an 85 year old but with the assistance of my family is has happened and I'm settling down. So, on to what may be my last blog.

On my Semerdale layout some of you may remember the development of a couple of log loading cranes on the freight only branch line from Semerwater. There was an article in the April 2001 Railway Modeller which didn't quite get into print the way I wrote it, but that's water under the bridge now. With the possibility of failing eyesight and perhaps not being able to drive I have reprised this log loading crane so it will fit into a box that fits into a canvas bag on a shopping trolley. This means I will be able to take it to shows on public transport. It has two modes in which it can be set up. One is the crane loads a narrow gauge train and the other is a canal scene on which a barge is loaded. It is in this latter mode that it will have it's first outing at the Blackpool Model Boat show. I also hope to try the train to get there even though I can still drive. Quite a few of my family are also going to Blackpool that weekend and we are all in the same B and B to make weekend of the show and Blackpool's other show, The Lights. It's second outing is the Warley show in November, In narrow gauge train mode. There will also, be NG North , just up the road from me now, and possibly York next Easter

So what of the construction of the crane. The drive motors are the combination motors and gearboxes. The drive to make the crane swivel is a friction drive.which prevents overdrive when the crane reaches fixed stop points when the drive just slips. The whole thing runs on just two AA batteries. Some thought had to be given on how to keep sections short enough to fit in the box. There is also an odd shaped box within the main box which which contains the crane and it's "gubbins" which is the most vulnerable part of the model. There's really not a lot more that I can say about it's construction. I think the attachments will will explain better than words.

Just a final note. I have never read a blog. When I started these blogs I was tempted to read some and see how it was done. In the end I decided to take a leaf from Frank Sinatra and do it my way!

Cheers Derek.