Fen End Pit - Giant Caterpillars
When I first build the 10RB dragline back in 2000 the tracks were made by heating plasticard under the grill and using a simple press tool to form each of the track plates. The result didn't look too bad but 17 years of service they had got pretty worn out. The plasticard was only 20 thou so the pressings didn't really capture the nature of the solid castings used for the tracks.
Ruston Bucyrus produced a number of different widths of track which would have been chosen depending on the type of surface the drag-line was to work on. I'd originally modeled the 14" wide tracks which I'd thought in retrospect would probably have been more suitable for solid ground than work in a boggy fenland sand pit. One of the things I wanted to change with the rebuild of Fen End Pit was to make better tracks that looked more like castings and to try and model the wider 20" track plates. I drew a track plate up in Onshape which were designed to be 3d printed and then connected together with short lengths of .45mm wire.
This evening was spent threading the new tracks around the existing mechanism. The tracks fitted together quite well. I also printed a drive gear and chain, the chain is over scale but I think looks the part and will look even better once painted black with oil.
I couldn't resist getting the body of the drag-line out of the box and putting it on top to see how it looks.
I've still got quite a lot to do to install the new top carrying rollers (which were a different size and position on the wider tracked versions) and obviously a bit of tidying up and weathering.
I hope the you think the change was worthwhile.
David
- 11
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