Hi All,
I recommend taking a look at a you-tube clip featuring the Nene Valley Railway breakdown crane operating recently at their mixed traffic gala. It features our site administrator David Withers oiling up and driving. Well worth a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvBubz9bdag

Thanks, Andy.

I was driving up to the point where the chains were lowered ready for the boiler lift, then Richard took over and I became the slinger. David O'Connell was the banksman throughout.

I returned to the footplate towards the end of the session, to stow the hook and jib, and that's when I first heard the rattling that turned out to be caused by a loose piece of metal in the LH cylinder as reported at length elsewhere.

Nice clip, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

David, around the eight minute mark it looks very much as though the crane is (literally) "chock a block" with the block sheaves in contact with those in the job nose - is this an optical illusion?

It is nice to see this fine crane working, and the video is first class.

I, too, noticed the close proximity of the sheaves when viewing the film! I was on Slinger duty at the time and it's something I couldn't be aware of from where I was working (I'm the chap in the faded orange overalls).

You can see, when the jib is being raised, that the sheaves aren't in fact touching but are a bit too close. The Banksman was out of position, standing on the wagon almost underneath the block rather than locating himself where he could see both the apparatus and the Driver. He's normally an excellent banksman and it's a shame his one misdemeanour was caught on film!

When Banksman myself, I aim for around four feet as a minimum between the block & jib nose sheaves, though I expect three feet would be acceptable. Much less than this I think is liable to put a kink the rope.

I'll bring up the subject at our next crane team's Mutual Improvement session!

Looking good Sat June 25th.

You might have done the signwriting on the jib and cab sides while you were there, Rob!

I was wondering if it had a face painted on it at the boiler end whilst in disguise as 'Rocky' the breakdown crane what with all the other Thomas events going on !