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Ransomes and Rapier wartime build BDCs
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Author:  Chris Capewell [ 03 Feb 2011, 12:20 ]
Post subject:  Ransomes and Rapier wartime build BDCs

The lack of serviceable breakdown cranes in the post-war western zones of Germany led to the retention of several non German built machines in German Railway service into the 1950s, and some, with DB, into the 1960s.
Amongst these were two British Army Ransomes and Rapier 45 ton cranes ( from the batch of six built ) which were still in DB service until 1950 or 1951; when the first post war German built cranes were being delivered and commissioned.
8413 evidently went for repair at the Ardelt Company works in 1949 and was photographed under their imprint.
They were numbered Tn8410 and 8413 and eventually returned to UK Army use.
Any information on the British Army numbering ( 21x-22x series ) and the Transportation Corps numbering ( Tn84xx series) would be most welcome.
( Photo courtesy Carsten Hilbers; via Tobi Allstadt. )

Attachments:
z RR45t-Germany as 8413 2.jpg
z RR45t-Germany as 8413 2.jpg [ 83.2 KiB | Viewed 10815 times ]

Author:  Roger Cooke [ 03 Feb 2011, 14:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: Ransomes and Rapier wartime build BDCs

Chris,

A fascinating photo, thanks for posting. It is interesting to note that these military cranes have boiler fittings which appear to match those used on (the later) DS1580 as evidenced by the presence of the safety valves at the rear.

The six built immediately before the war for the GWR/SR had GW boiler fittings and the safety valves were round the front, inside the cab area (which is not really ideal), but which conformed with the eccentric (and typically GWR) practice started with GWR 2 in 1908. The two cranes R&R built for the LNER as replacements for the two conscripted Cowans Sheldon 45-tonners appear to have been the same as the GWR/SR six and had GW fittings and axleboxes etc.

All 14 of these cranes had Cochran-Hopwood boilers (as does DS1580), but when did R&R first use a boiler from Cochran of Annan (DS1560?) and did all of R&R's subsequent breakdown cranes use Cochran-Hopwood boilers, or did they buy from any other source? Anyone know?

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