LNER Cowans Sheldon 36T Breakdown Crane No.124 (Colwick)

[cctransuk]

I am currently modifying a Hornby Dublo breakdown crane to more accurately represent Colwick's No.124. (This is no small undertaking, involving much cutting of mazak, and consequent finger injuries)! 😫

 

I have tapered the rear of the crane body, and shortened the weight- relieving bogies, but I now need to scratchbuild a jib runner wagon. (The H-D crane came without the jib runner, which is too short, anyway).

 

No.124 appears to have had at least two different jib runners.

 

An early, BR-era photo; (Fig.51 in "British Railway Breakdown Cranes"); taken at Doncaster Works, shows a conventional, though LWB (15'-6''?) flat wagon with underframe trussing, a jib rest and a tool box at the inner end.

 

However, "Railway Breakdown Cranes Volume 2" (Tatlow) has, on Page 328, a Nov. 1969 photo of the same crane, now BR(LMR) RS1106/36 at Toton. The jib runner then was a LWB low-slung wagon, and Page 321 of the same volume has a side elevation of this later jib runner.

 

I should like to model the earlier (simpler!) runner, but I cannot find a drawing in any of the LNER wagon books.

 

Can anyone point me in the direction of a drawing, or even a better photo, of the original jib runner wagon, please?

 

Many thanks in anticipation.

 

John Isherwood.

[cctransuk]

I have now pretty well finished this project, apart from weathering.

 

 

The crane itself is the old Hornby Dublo model, somewhat modified to closer resemble the pre-war Cowans Sheldon 36T crane supplied to the LNER. The weight-relieving bogies are the original H-D ones; shortened to scale length and detailed. The jib wagon is the Bachmann version from their recent RTR crane, which is available as a spare. The pulleys and hook are custom etchings supplied by Jonathan Hall, an RMweb member. Allocation to Derby is purely fictional, as the real crane was allocated to Colwick, before being transferred to Bescot. In my world, it had a sojourn at Derby in the late 50s / early 60s; as the crane jib is too short, and the jib wagon is incorrect, I can live with this!

 

 

 

Rigging the scale pulleys with 0.5mm. model boat rigging cord was a nightmare. The only way to keep everything in its place, when not in use, is to keep the jib rigging in tight tension, using an elastic band connecting the ramshorn hook to the bufferbeam!

 

An interesting project, but not one that I am likely to repeat any time soon!

 

John Isherwood.

 

[IanG]

John have you got any photos of the gearing and pulley arrangements that you fitted to your conversion? I can’t seem to find any decent photos online any pictures or information would be gratefully appreciated 

Thanks Ian

[Clive Mortimore]

1 hour ago, IanG said:

John have you got any photos of the gearing and pulley arrangements that you fitted to your conversion? I can’t seem to find any decent photos online any pictures or information would be gratefully appreciated 

Thanks Ian

Hi Ian

 

This is the book you need for all the information on the larger cranes, photos , drawings and detailed history.

 

if you do a internet search you might find it cheaper.

[cctransuk]

3 hours ago, IanG said:

John have you got any photos of the gearing and pulley arrangements that you fitted to your conversion? I can’t seem to find any decent photos online any pictures or information would be gratefully appreciated 

Thanks Ian

 

Ian,

 

No gears - turned brass winding drums fitted in place of the original handles, with a detachable operating handle.

 

The pulleys, etc. are from Jonathan Hall's etch - mentioned above; I think that it came with a rigging diagram.

 

The relevant volume of Tatlow's 'Railway Breakdown Cranes' books was pretty much essential to the build.

 

I will try and get a few more photos of the model, next time I am in the railway room.

 

CJI.

 

[IanG]

Looks like I’m going to have to bite the bullet and buy the book!

[IanG]

John I see that your model is liveried are these your own transfers for this model ? If so are they available? As I can’t seem to find any appropriate transfers anyway for the Hornby dublo model.

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, IanG said:

John I see that your model is liveried are these your own transfers for this model ? If so are they available? As I can’t seem to find any appropriate transfers anyway for the Hornby dublo model.

 

Ian,

 

The transfers that I applied to my crane are, like the model itself, not authentic for the prototype.

 

The model relies heavily on Rule 1 !

 

CJI.

[BachelorBoy]

2 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

Ian,

 

The transfers that I applied to my crane are, like the model itself, not authentic for the prototype.

 

The model relies heavily on Rule 1 !

 

CJI.

 

I traced this in Glyphs from a crane in Malaysia. Let me know if you want a copy.

 

 

[Wheatley]

Crane's gorgeous. That Haddock behind it is quite interesting too, where's that from please ? 

[Wickham Green too]

4 hours ago, BachelorBoy said:

 

Are you sure you've spelt that correctly ? ...

 

Ashford ; 27/2/88

[cctransuk]

4 hours ago, Wheatley said:

Crane's gorgeous. That Haddock behind it is quite interesting too, where's that from please ? 

 

Take a look at IronMink's output on Thingiverse.

 

CJI.

[Wheatley]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

Take a look at IronMink's output on Thingiverse.

 

CJI.

Thank you. You can imagine how many non-railway hits typing "3D Haddock" into Google generates. 

[Wickham Green too]

Probably fewer than Haddock Model would ! 😎

[Clive Mortimore]

Cranes are wonderful machines to model.

This is my home made one. It is a ex LMS 30 ton 0-6-4 Cowans Sheldon crane. It is numbered in the Eastern Region series as it found its way to the Sheffield district when the old MR sheds became ER territory. As many cranes remained at one shed for a long time I picked on this one to make as it was the regional spare. Had I made one that did stay on the one shed for donkeys years for my fictional Hanging Hill depot layout, that bloke would have been there " I don't mean to criticize BUT crane number 123 never left so and so shed". The regional spare would catch him out so I thought. Not one blighter in about eight years of humping the layout in and out of shows did anyone notice the number on the crane.  

I used the Peter Tatlow drawings in an early BRM. Transfers from a Modelmaster sheet.

[BachelorBoy]

3 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

I used the Peter Tatlow drawings in an early BRM. Transfers from a Modelmaster sheet.

Nice work, sir