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PostPosted: 01 Oct 2014, 09:31 
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Hello to everyone. I am Roy Bottamley from Lincolnshire. I have an unhealthy interest in steam cranes but no railway experience. My interest in cranes came from the local steelworks where some steam cranes were still sitting in sidings when I was a young lad. Diesel rail cranes were used to move mill rolls about. Then dad bought me a Meccano crane kit and I was hooked.

I now own a Booth 5 ton rail crane (1957), a Grafton 2 ton rail crane (1920s) and have just acquired a Taylor Hubbard 10 ton rail crane (1956?); all steam powered. My love of breakdown cranes came from reading Brownlie, that I got for a birthday present and from reading about the main crane manufacturers R.R. C.S. Craven etc.

As a job, my powers lie in Engineering and I own a small company that serves the local steelworks and other businesses.


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PostPosted: 24 Jan 2015, 18:51 
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Evening Roy, thats quite a collection of cranes for a private owner!! Just an enquiry about your Grafton 2 ton steam crane, is that built to the same diagram as the SR crane at Exmouth Junction??

Many thanks

Craig


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PostPosted: 08 Feb 2015, 14:47 
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Location: Queens Park, London
Roy,

Can you confirm some details please....

The Booth is 5902/1952 originally owned by Abelson and Cowes Ltd.; latterley ex Weardale Rly / Derek Parnaby.

Grafton 2671 - surely should not be dated that early, which was what puzzled me when it was advertised by Prestons.
My notes say -

1871S SR later known as 2671 'HORACE'
Steam 2T Ash/Coaling crane 4W Grafton 2671/43 Boiler 211E Allocated Bricklayers Arms, New Cross Gate,
Psvd. firstly Ashford Steam Centre, later at Isfield, later at CHATHAM DOCKYARD

T&H - Choice of six by my reckoning; assume one has moved recently as you state. ( The MHR had two so has one gone to you? 1595 and 1695 )

Can you say whether these are at your 'Precision' site or kept 'at home', or are you shy of visitors? Dont worry - I can number the likely lads on two hands, or less!.

Best wishes with the restorations..........

Chris


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PostPosted: 09 Feb 2015, 10:22 
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Hi Chris.
The Booth did come from Woolsingham steel works via Mr Parnaby.
Horace I'm lead to believe came from southern railways via Prestons. You probably have more history on it than me!
The Taylor Hubbard came from Wirksworth Derbyshire.(DS 1057)
The collection is kept at work and you are welcome to view, with some notice.
Kind regards, Roy.


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PostPosted: 09 Feb 2015, 10:29 
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exmouthcraig wrote:
Evening Roy, thats quite a collection of cranes for a private owner!! Just an enquiry about your Grafton 2 ton steam crane, is that built to the same diagram as the SR crane at Exmouth Junction??

Many thanks

Craig

Hi Craig . The Grafton I am Lead to believe is a Southern Railways crane. Horace came to me via Preston services. I don't know anything of it's history. It is Standard gauge.
Kind Regards Roy.


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PostPosted: 09 Feb 2015, 14:33 
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Location: Queens Park, London
The TH is thus -
RS 1057/10 ex DRT 80131 BR/Southern Region 10T 6W TH 1694/1955

The Grafton certainly was a Southern Railway crane.
The name and use of the number 2671 as a 'running' number came later, at one of the preservation sites.
Somebody at Chatham should be able to say something about it.

Craigs question re the 1955 crane at Exmouth Jnc. MPD -
Grafton offered their customers a very, very standardised product and it is likely that over the period of 60 or 70 years the 2 ton crane differed little; maybe details such as more welding of ancillary items.
The other survivors - Statfold example is 1917; that at Hollycombe 1955.

Chris


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PostPosted: 20 Feb 2015, 11:04 
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Morning Chris, Roy you're both more knowledgable then me on the subject of the Grafton, is there any chance some drawings might exist somewhere?? I plan to build a scale model of one and would like it to be as close as physically possible rather then guess work.

thanks craig


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PostPosted: 29 Aug 2016, 11:47 
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Horace was a steam crane I used to drive at the Ashford Steam Centre in 1974 and 75 not long before it closed. You can see Horace with its sheets on in the Ashford Steam Centre Utube videos. I think in 2 of 3. When I knew it the sheets were off just the roof on. It was used on occasion to pull Clan Line out of the shed. The crane was a coaling crane at Salisbury shed and sold from there at the end of steam in 1967 I believe.

Martin


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PostPosted: 03 Jan 2017, 15:24 
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Afternoon Martin, finally someone is able to add a bit of info to this topic, I don't suppose you would know measurements or be able to provide pictures or info relating to a build of this would you???

Craig


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