Hunslet Engine Works in 7mm Scale

[Andy Ross]

.........................For several years I have been working on building a model of part of the Hunslet Engine works in Leeds. 

 

This is to include the interior of the Erecting shop were I did my apprenticeship as a locomotive fitter. That was a long time ago. 

 

One of my main goals was to produce working cranes and over the Christmas holidays I finished the second one which enabled me to try the double lift on a short section of the main structure that I built some time ago. 

 

I have videoed some of these first lifts and put them on our club Whatapp groups and it was suggested I should share them. 

 

Please see you tube link below - I have also included some stills. 

 

 

 

This is attempt number 3 at simulating wheeling - it did work but I needs a lot more practice and I need to see what I can do with the clearances. I have to say I am amazed it worked at all.

 

 

 

 

 

The frame for one of the Snowdon Mountain Railway Diesel locomotives on a single beam lift.

 

Nearly everything in the picture is scratch built apart from the brass shackles. 

 

I normally have this as part of my demonstration / display at exhibitions and hopefully I will be able to again in the second half of the year. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by Trams and Locos
Changed title

[wagonbasher]

1 hour ago, Trams and Locos said:

.........................For several years I have been working on building a model of part of the Hunslet Engine works in Leeds. 

 

This is to include the interior of the Erecting shop were I did my apprenticeship as a locomotive fitter. That was a long time ago. 

 

One of my main goals was to produce working cranes and over the Christmas holidays I finished the second one which enabled me to try the double on a short section of the main structure that I built some time ago. 

 

I have videoed some of these first lifts and put them on our club Whatapp groups and it was suggested I should share them. 

 

Please see you tube link below - I have also included some stills. 

 

 

 

This is attempt number 3 at simulating wheeling - it did work but I needs a lot more practice and I need to see what I can do with the clearances. I have to say I am amazed it worked at all.

 

 

 

 

 

The frame for one of the Snowdon Mountain Railway Diesel locomotives on a single beam lift.

 

Nearly everything in the picture is scratch built apart from the brass shackles. 

 

I normally have this as part of my demonstration / display at exhibitions and hopefully I will be able to again in the second half of the year. 

 

 

 

 

 

This is excellent, loving it

 

Andy

[Jonboy]

That is a great piece of work.

[David Bell]

This is excellent work. I am hoping to do something similar with a loco lift for my shed layout.

Well done.

Cheers

David

[Barry O]

Very good work .. a nice model of an interesting part of Leeds.

Baz

[Northroader]

Rating is missing, so I’m posting “excellent craftsmanship”

[TravisM]

Stunning piece of work but I wouldn’t worry about practicing the wheeling part, remember the real works probably had between 4 - 6 people watching that everything was squared and in the right place.

[Jeremy Cumberland]

That is remarkable!

 

I hesitate to suggest anything since you clearly know exactly what you are doing, but would two or three cameras help, parallel and perpendicular to the wheelsets, to be the eyes of the banksmen as you drive the cranes?

[Andy Ross]

I am thinking about cameras. There was a large wooden buffer at the end of the pit and that would hide one very easily and would confirm the loco was in line with the wheel sets. 
 

 

[Barry O]

34 minutes ago, jools1959 said:

Stunning piece of work but I wouldn’t worry about practicing the wheeling part, remember the real works probably had between 4 - 6 people watching that everything was squared and in the right place.

Well Trams and Locos was one of the people watching it happen so he should know what to do.....

 

Baz

[Andy Ross]

Watching. I was in the pit holding the axle boxes square. 

[wagonbasher]

9 hours ago, Northroader said:

Rating is missing, so I’m posting “excellent craftsmanship”

 

That is odd...  Trams and Locos doesn't have the rating bar on the next post either.  Is that something you can turn on / off in your profile?

 

Andy

[Andy Ross]

I have had a look in my profile but can not see anything. 

[AY Mod]

5 minutes ago, Trams and Locos said:

I have had a look in my profile but can not see anything. 

 

It should be sorted now; it was an issue at this end.

[Northroader]

Usually there’d be around six to eight fitters in a gang, allocated around four pits. When a wheeling job was done, the   whole lot would muck in, with one person to each set of horns to guide them over the axlebox faces. If it was out he’d warn a guy giving signals to the crane driver and it would be stopped until the wheelset was lined up properly.

[Barry O]

6 hours ago, Northroader said:

Usually there’d be around six to eight fitters in a gang, allocated around four pits. When a wheeling job was done, the   whole lot would muck in, with one person to each set of horns to guide them over the axlebox faces. If it was out he’d warn a guy giving signals to the crane driver and it would be stopped until the wheelset was lined up properly.

A Trams and locos did his apprenticeship at Hunslet then worked there for quite a few years he could explain what happens at each stage of the loco erection. If you listen to him at shows he does know an awful lot about the subject. The way he is building the layout shows his passion for the Hunslet Engine Co.

 

Baz

[Andy Ross]

 

This is the mid 80’s and the light green loco is the same type as the one in my video. There were four for the MOD for use in Germany. 
 

The bloke working in the door way of the Tyne and Wear Metro is me. 

[Barry O]

22 minutes ago, Trams and Locos said:

 

This is the mid 80’s and the light green loco is the same type as the one in my video. There were four for the MOD for use in Germany. 
 

The bloke working in the door way of the Tyne and Wear Metro is me. 

 

Working or "resting"??

 

Baz

[AY Mod]

Best bit of modelling I've seen all year!

[Barry O]

How many different gauges of track are to be ne included on the layout?

 

Can the cranes be used across multiple tracks and what is the smallest loco you are planning to move around by crane?

 

Baz

[simontaylor484]

This is fantastic modelling or should i say engineering.

It reminds me of machine shops and factories i have been in thank you 

[Andy Ross]

The test track in reality had every gauge up to 5’6” excluding 5’3”.  I built a short section first before I started anything else to make sure I could get the soldering iron in to every rail.

 

the model has th same number of rails but I nudge at least one to allow for model gauges.  
 

The point is the only one on the layout at the road end of the yard.

 

As for what we can lift the only limitation is getting scale lifting brackets onto the frames. 
 

 

[Andy Ross]

[Andy Ross]

I also remembered I have a marked up drawing of all the gauges 

 

[clarkea1]

This is nothing short of epic.  Having read Don Townsley's book numerous times, and been fascinated by the photos inside the works, this is lining up to be an outstanding model of Jack Lane.

 

Bl**dy brilliant!!!  The shot from the 80s is also fascinating - I'd be very interested to see any more you may have.  On my "to do" list one day is the Scunthorpe Bo-Bo locos - hoping Mr Edge gets round to a kit before I have to resort to scratch building.  He's got a while to go - I'm still working on a model of the Brush Bagnall bo-bos built for Port Talbot that's been on the go on and off for a decade....

 

Alastair