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Cowan Sheldon 10t hand crane livery.


Guest Max Stafford

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Guest Max Stafford

As blog watchers will know, I'm now working on a detailed Hornby model. I'm making extensive use of Paul Bartlet's excellent photos and John Isherwood's transfers.

What isn't clear at the moment though is how the cranes were painted in earlier times, circa 1955-70. Would they have been black or battleship grey as in later days?

 

 

Thanks.

 

Dave.

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The MC and I had a dialogue about this not so long ago on another thread (not that thread), wherein I feel sure somebody unearthed colour photos of breakdown hardware at 64B in your timeframe: both tool vans and cranes. I could be spectacularly wrong but isn't black reputed to have yielded to red circa '66. What the black replaced on these machines I can't recall if we ever decided. :unsure:

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These weren't break down cranes, so i doubt that red is very likely, grey seems to be the most common.

 

I *suspect* that these were aquired to act as yard cranes at stations where the war had suddenly seen a change in traffic flows, and where the existing fixed yard crane was inadequate. Although they may have been used to do emergency track repairs, it seems unlikely to me. I imagine that post war they did something similar, whenever a station without a available crane had a delivery to unload, a hand crane was dispatched.

 

They seem to have mostly ended up at wagon works, where they would have been used for jobs like lifting spare wagon wheels on and off the wagon that delivered them, the advent of hi-ab crane fitted lorries seems to have finished them off in that role.

 

Jon

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Guest stuartp

Agreed - not breakdown cranes - they were either allocated to the Civil Engineer if PW cranes or Traffic/Operations if mobile goods yard cranes. I'm sure one of the published books on Southern Wagons mentions their batch being used in both roles with some allocated to each department.

 

I too have one of these to do, and I too have no idea what colour it should be painted for an early 60s example so I shall be watching this with interest. On a hopefully slightly more helpful note, the one on the back cover of Carlisle's Crane Makers - The Cowans Sheldon Story is black, but it's a preserved one. Most of the pics of small PW steam cranes I have appear to show black but most of them are B&W pics.

 

I know there's an Inverness example on John's sheet but have you found any other ScR-allocated examples Dave, either 6t or 10t ?

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Guest Max Stafford

To be honest lads, I've seen nothing regarding Scottish allocated cranes at all. I was aware that these weren't used as breakdown cranes and my interest was as a PWay tool although the traffic department aspect of their use is a previously unknown and intriguing feature.

It's looking increasingly likely that the crane will appear in grey. I suspect that the warning chevrons are in all probability a post 1965 feature and it's likely that I'll give these a miss on this version.

 

Thanks again.

 

Dave.

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There are a couple of early photographs of these cranes in Bixley, G, Blackburn, A. Chorley, R. & King, M. (2002) An illustrated history of SR Wagons, Volume 4, Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 86093 564 7. 160 pages These are grey. There are some late 1960s ones in my collection http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/show_collection.php?id=88721

 

Various forms of grey appear to be the colour of many of them for many years.

 

Paul Bartlett

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  • 8 months later...

Hi All,

 

I'm building both a 6.5 and 10 ton version of these cranes in LMS days. I'm not sure of colour during the LMS period and not sure of what wagon was used as a runner seeing as they didn't need a match truck. Any info gratefully received.

 

Regards,

 

Mark Benstead

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  • 3 years later...

At the moment I am not sure which version to convert to, my layout is Crewe (Midlands) 1964 ish if I can find a crane that was used here at this period then.... that's the one to go for. 

 

I was asking more about the livery but I like your kit jonhall. Payday is approaching I will pm you. 

 

19625941212_d87c4ea905_b.jpg

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Don't know what diameter the cables are but Derricking and Lifting Cable were different diameters. Whether this would be noticeable in 4mm scale is debatable.

 

post-508-0-60054700-1437398622.jpg

 

Regarding the livery, RM21/10 that was used to illustrate the BTC/BR Instruction Manual appears to have been painted black (or dark grey) with much lighter buffer beams and buffer housings. The manual was printed just after nationalisation and re-issued in September 1955. RM21/10 also had disk wheels.

 

Black would appear to be the base coat in a few areas under the peeling paint of preserved RM 27 but I still don't take that as conclusive proof that some were painted black before becoming light grey.

 

Porcy

 

Edited to insert missing word.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have done a little more work on the crane but more on layout......I saw running the crane and had a unpleasant surprise :-

 

With its large flange and wide wheels it jumps about a lot when passing over points, the axles are pressed in and can't be replaced without destroying the chassis.

 

Unless anyone can help with some advice I will just finish off the paint and cabling (leave the weathering) and eBay it! 

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Hi there

 

I used black thread for the cables and painted it with black paint to remove the slightly "hairy" look.  The paint also stiffens the thread a bit and that also helps the look.

 

It is possible to deal with the wheels - they can be removed but then need a wire retainer to stop them falling back out.  Once the wheels are out reduce the flange on the outside face of each wheel - this allows the wheels to sit further out on the axle and effectively increases the back-to-back.  Don't worry about the wheel profile - with this modification they will run nicely on code 75 bullhead rail and go though turnouts with 1mm flangeways.

 

If you want a picture let me know.

 

Regards.

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