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Triang/Hornby R127 Crane Conversion


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  • 2 years later...
  • 2 weeks later...

 Hi Jon,

I am updating a couple of R127 cranes as well. are the conversion kits still available and at what price ?

just out of interest do you produce any other kits/etches ?

 

Steve.

Steve,

 

There are 5 versions of the 6.5t crane with cast lettering into a resin weight, plus a 6th version that is the plain counterweight if you just want to use the CCT transfers for the lettering, then there are 3 versions of the 10t, although I'm a bit short of the 'Toton' version. all come with etched pulleys and still cost £5 per set, but with the cost of a LARGE letter stamp, as the packet is just too thick to qualify as a normal letter.

 

Send me a PM for details of how to pay.

 

Thanks,

 

Jon

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I've thoroughly enjoyed this thread - so much so that when one of these cranes appeared in my local model shop, Harburn Hobbies, I bought it ... for all of £5!

 

The British Railway Modelling Annual 2008 has a useful article about them (page 45). It is a short feature about the Hornby Cowan Sheldon model, half a page by John Emerson, then Editor, with his lovely handdrawn illustrations. I found it particularly useful when installing new 'cable' to replace Hornby's original chain. John Emerson's illustrations match the photos at post 8 above - thankfully!

 

I used an old card of Barbour's no 18 Carpet Thread (now available from Coats) for my 'restring', and I am very pleased with the effect - it is sufficiently thick to represent wire cable nicely. The thread was a bit springy when installed, but I found that after wetting, and letting it dry naturally, it has become prefactly straight.

 

My one question relates to Jon Hall's advice at post 19 above about installing new wheels using brass top hat bearings. The chassis of my model is one piece diecast metal, so presumably fitting brass bearings with Bachmann or Hornby metal wheels, even with split axles, will result in a short across the chassis. So is it a question of having to use plastic wheels? (mich as I'd rather not). Or can we still buy insulated top hat bearings? Or is there some other solution?

 

John Storey

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My one question relates to Jon Hall's advice at post 19 above about installing new wheels using brass top hat bearings. The chassis of my model is one piece diecast metal, so presumably fitting brass bearings with Bachmann or Hornby metal wheels, even with split axles, will result in a short across the chassis. So is it a question of having to use plastic wheels? (mich as I'd rather not). Or can we still buy insulated top hat bearings? Or is there some other solution?

 

 

Not sure that I can follow this logic.

 

Provided one wheel at least is insulated from the axle - which it has to be for 2-rail operation - there will be no short circuit, provided that both insulated wheels are on the same side.

 

In this respect, it's no different from having a metal chassis on a loco - provided that the insulated wheels are all on the same side, and no motion components are live to both sides, all is well.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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The split axle type wheelsets will indeed result in a short, but the other type of Bachmann or Hornby wheels which have the wheel insulated from the axle by a plastic bush will be fine. I've used these in my conversion, just running in the exiting bearing slots in the casting and retained with a plasticard keeper plate.

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Many thanks - goodness, such a quick response! But in this case, the whole chassis will be live, and will be getting current through the top hat bearing from the wheels on each side. As far as I can see, neither Hornby nor Bachmann goods wagon wheels are insulated from their pin point axle.

 

John S

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Many thanks - goodness, such a quick response! But in this case, the whole chassis will be live, and will be getting current through the top hat bearing from the wheels on each side. As far as I can see, neither Hornby nor Bachmann goods wagon wheels are insulated from their pin point axle.

 

John S

 

They must be - or placing them on the track would cause a short !

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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Many thanks - goodness, such a quick response! But in this case, the whole chassis will be live, and will be getting current through the top hat bearing from the wheels on each side. As far as I can see, neither Hornby nor Bachmann goods wagon wheels are insulated from their pin point axle.

 

John S

They are, with a very fine plastic bush. Not sure if this is on both sides; best checking carefully. I've used them in conjunction with MJT compensated W-irons without any problems. The same can not be said of my use of Bachmann split axles in the same situation..

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Many thanks - goodness, such a quick response! But in this case, the whole chassis will be live, and will be getting current through the top hat bearing from the wheels on each side. As far as I can see, neither Hornby nor Bachmann goods wagon wheels are insulated from their pin point axle.

 

John S

I used these Bachmann wheels

 

post-16170-0-05097500-1510055537_thumb.jpg

 

Each has a plastic bush between the wheel and the axle, so the axle is electrically dead.

 

Ergo, no problem.

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Many thanks John, Trofimow and Fat Controller for your responses - most helpful.

 

I'm always astonished at how much information and advice is readily available on RMweb, from so many folks. And in this case, so quickly! RM web is an amazing resource, for which we can all be thankful.

 

John Storey

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Jon, I have one of these triang cranes which was a present many years ago. Having found this thread I'd like to get your kit to improve it. I'll make a 10ton version. Please can you tell me how to go about getting the kit from you?

Phil, in Peacehaven.

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Hi Jon, I have one of these triang cranes which was a present many years ago. Having found this thread I'd like to get your kit to improve it. I'll make a 10ton version. Please can you tell me how to go about getting the kit from you?

Phil, in Peacehaven.

Send me a personal message (envelope icon top right of screen) and I'll tell you all about it.

 

Jon

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  • 1 month later...

Finished my crane at last.....

 

attachicon.gifcrane 1.png

 

attachicon.gifcrane 2.png

 

Nice model.

 

As a matter of interest, these cranes were designed such that the hook, when fully raised, would fit into the end of the jib, thus preventing any movement of the hook when in transit.

 

The crane body (or 'crab') could be locked in line with the chassis, so that any low or medium height open wagon could be used as a jib runner; the jib and hook made no contact with the runner wagon.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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Thanks for the kind comments.

 

I based the runner wagon on two pictures on Paul Bartlett's website showing crane 8512 at Exmouth Junction with a modified conflat as runner.

The photographs show the twin stirrup arrangement with the hook engaged.

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Very interesting, both John's and Torfimo's comments immediately above. Trofimo - I see you've painted your buffer beams red. I don't think that has been mentioned on this thread before. Presumably you've checked that out, and it happened in real life? If so, I'd be inclined to follow suit, as it adds interest to the crane ... and looks rather fetching!

 

John Storey

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 Trofimo - I see you've painted your buffer beams red. I don't think that has been mentioned on this thread before. Presumably you've checked that out, and it happened in real life?

 

Yes, thanks to Paul Bartlett again, there are colour shots on his website showing cranes at Bescott, Oxford and Chester in the 1980's in grey livery with red buffer beams. My chosen period is actually early 1960's, but I've only been able to find monchrome images from that era. To my mind though, the livery I've used looks believable for that period also.

 

Alan

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  • 5 months later...

Best conversion I've seen, I might use yours as the prototype (if I may),as I have one sitting on my workbench. I even thought about the red buffer beams, although they look the part, but red was only used on self propelled motive power. Then again it may have been converted to use a pneumatic or a hydraulic gearbox as propulsion. Who knows? Still looks the bee's knees.

 

TX

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Best conversion I've seen, I might use yours as the prototype (if I may),as I have one sitting on my workbench. I even thought about the red buffer beams, although they look the part, but red was only used on self propelled motive power. Then again it may have been converted to use a pneumatic or a hydraulic gearbox as propulsion. Who knows? Still looks the bee's knees.

 

TX

As has already been explained a red buffer beam, or red buffer shanks was quite common at least from the late 1970s onwards http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/cowanshandcrane No reason to believe the crane is not unpowered.

 

Well done for modelling this so nicely, and what was reality instead of what should have been! BR may have had some rules when it came to painting departmental rolling stock but there were plenty of local painters that didn't get the message [silver wagons anyone - as Chester S&T]

 

Paul

Edited by hmrspaul
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