A small event in itself, but RS1083/45 is moving tomorrow to Horsted Keynes up yard mid-morning or soon after, hauled by the class 08 350hp diesel shunter, known as Gronk(?).
The crane has lain abandoned and out of sight for more than a decade, so this is good news.

While the move is as much to clear the down - side long siding at Kingscote for materials traffic in connection with the extension of the Railway to East Grinstead, it is welcome in that the machine will become both more accessible and visible. How much we will be able to achieve while there will be subject to a list of instructions and restrictions I have not yet seen, together with all the challenges of starting again, plus a few more.

I recently received amongst some colour slide of the crane this view, seen in the platforms at Horsted Keynes in December 1981, all taken by Gerry Butler, a long time Bluebell Driver and Friend who regrettably died early several years ago. We see the crane in delivery condition from Newton Heath, looking good.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67438684@N ... otostream/

Neil Cameron

Many years ago when the Q1 moved up to the Bluebell from the Pullman Car Works in Brighton, I joined the Bulleid society and I also worked with Chris Levy on the Outdoor Plant and Machinery department (he was Ashford Crane Repair Depot Manager at one time) and we used the Hand Operated Rail Crane, is it still on the railway or has it moved on.
Sorry to hear of Gerry Butler's demise, I travelled with him on the footplate a couple of times and ate with him at Mrs B's on occasions.

Mick,
I recall those days, a great deal was done with very little and very few of us : rail mounted handcrane and 2 or 3 road cranes at end of their working life. I was on the "Charlie" / Q1 move, Sunters lorry, to Sheffield Park and used to work with Chris Levy and Roger Barton.

The hand Crane still looks pretty good, having been looked after by C & W, I'm not sure if a team remains to operate it now, here's a website link, will post a scan a slide of it at work in 1972 next week.

Our steam crane came in 1981, ran 1985-1992 and is just coming out of some 12 years isolated "storage" out of sight at north end of Kingscote station. With age, the economy and the old gang all moved or moving on, busy elsewhere on the railway, we shall see if there is sufficient a spark to go beyond a cosmetic restoration and safeguarding of the machine, but tomorrow is a symbolic return to the fold, now with the the agreed status that will prevent its disposal on a whim.

Do you / have you worked withe 50 ton crane at Didcot, if yes is there anything you can tell us of the re-roping proposal - as it's the first in preservation it is of interest naturally,

Neil

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/blueb ... crane.html

Neil
Hand crane looking good, must get up to see both some time.
I have this photo of George Nixon, yours truly and I think Roger Barton am I correct.
No never got to work at Didcot, and unfortunately in never re-roped a crane, the closest I got was lowering Stewart Lanes Jib one night when I think it was the drive shaft jammed and the rope was cut with oxi and our crane took the load and dropped the jib.
I am at Brighton Modelworld stand No85 with Redruth Model Railway Club this weekend 24th to 26th Feb if you are about come and have a chat I will have photos with me.
Mick

Video of the move

http://youtu.be/sMkA0w4eWZM

This area is where the former West Hoathly station stood, most traces of which have disappeared, a quick stop to feel round and wind on a brake for the descent to Horsted Keynes, keeping speed down. The only heat was on the single journal that had developed some rust over the long period in storage at Kingscote, the leading axle of rear relieving bogie.

Crane's standing at Horsted Keynes will be improved by some straightening and packing of its siding between crane and stops end, permitting us to drop back off the curve and high section it stands on presently.

The siding becomes ours for the duration so the crane will not be subject to moves in the course of normal yard shunting, access by board crossings at platform ends will allow material in plus of course by rail, and some lifting capacity from the hydraulic on rail plant.

Will post a still photo later,

Neil Cameron

Very nice clip, Neil, thanks for the link. What a nice change to see a clip on YouTube where the camera is still; usually you'd be excused for thinking that all YT clips are filmed from a small boat in a rough sea!

The crane doesn't look too bad from what I can see, which is rather encouraging, and the location is lovely. Must visit sometime!

Roger

Thanks to Bluebell Member Martin Lawrence for a slideshow gallery of the move

http://www.riff-raff.org/bluebell/v/Mla ... 012-02-21/

When you reach the group photo of 4 in front of crane, from LHS in light blue boiler suit
Neil Cameron, Chris Hunford, Paul Russell and Trevor West.

Chris is a Bluebell Trustee, keen to keep and make the most of the Crane at Bluebell.
Neil and Chris taking the project forward this time round, and great to have Paul and Trevor from the original Crane Gang, getting us to Horsted Keynes with their comprehensive prep and sympathetic driving from Paul on the 350hp pilot.

Neil,

Clearly visible in several of the photos is a duplex horizontal feed pump mounted just outside the RHS of the cab of your crane, and it is also clear that it is fitted in addition to the normal Truslove rotative 'banjo' pump on the front of the upper tank. It looks as though there is a connection from the upper tank to the pump, so presumably the pump is configured to pump from this tank.

Can you tell me what the purpose of this extra, non-standard, pump is? Is it an additional feed pump, in which case how does it deliver to the boiler (there being only two clacks)? Does it perhaps replace the injector, so that you have two pumps instead of the conventional one pump, one injector arrangement?

I am particularly intrigued by this pump since it is the only time I have seen a horizontal feed pump fitted to a R&R crane.

I also came across a series of photos of the crane taken in 1958 what it was at Gorton, working on a bridge renewal. These photos can be found here:-

http://peterfisher.smugmug.com/History/ ... &k=7V8qsFs

It is interesting to note that the duplex pump was fitted in these photos, albeit in a very inconvenient location, so it clearly is quite a long-standing addition.

If you, or any other reader, can shed any light I would be very interested.


Roger

Hi Roger,

Well how fantastic to see these photographs, really great, I've been looking at them for ages. These appear to be a local history collection rather than railway enthusiast, what a useful resource, considering I have never found a picture of the crane on Gorton depot. Such a lift and inspiration to see the crane looking so good and not covered in green , the pictures are so clear, neg and scan, just the close-ups I've been looking and hoping for.

The Worthington-Simpson duplex will be set up to transfer water into side tank. A quick grab from any handy water source to supplement the well tank. Above it in the cab was a stones generator which we removed, heavy on water and irritatingly noisy, we used Tilley floods on tripods and on bracket at side of crane for lighting when needed.

The tank built onto the back bogie was fitted onto the pictured coal shelf on said bogie, the remaining space had a built up coal bunker. We only used the pump to get water from the 550 gallon tank into the top side tank, a hose was kept for this purpose with screw on ends.
With the banjo pump slowly feeding boiler, engines on tickover and duplex tearing away pumping water across, a crowd of visitors would gather and watch contentedly.

While the auxiliary chimney arrangement (lost when tank was fitted,as it would be foul) looks mightily impressive, the extra water supply would be of more use to us when we were working, on civils weeks and fortnights for example.

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the explanation, I wondered if that was the case. The 'normal' arrangement on the 45-tonners was to have the single (standard GWR) injector plus the Truslove banjo pump for boiler feed, and a steam water-lifter to transfer water from either an external source into the side tank, or from the carriage tank into the side tank. It sounds therefore as though your Worthington-Simpson is a substitute for the steam lifter, which makes sense.

I agree with you about the extension chimney; these seldom seem to have been used, and I think to a great extent were fitted because theoretically the Hopwood boiler needed a longer flue for optimal steaming. In practice these boilers seem to steam very freely with nothing but the uptake, and it seems rare that the chimneys were used.

I though that the Gorton photos were rather a good find, I was pleased with that one! I wonder if it might be worth contacting the person who put them online on the offchance that there are others in the sequence he hasn't posted.

Roger