Garden Railway Forum

Hi,
this is not yet finished but at least its off the workbench waiting for finishing.
This is a Wrightscale Pechot crane constructed in a freelance manner together with two Pechot bogies that I've converted into match trucks.
I've yet to make/buy decals and then apply an overall matt varnish before I add the ropes and hook.
These were used in the trenches in WW1 and were hand operated. I believe the L+B had a couple of them but didn't use them much.

When I first saw a picture of a Pechot crane I didn't think they would be very stable as a model. However, this kit is all metal as are the bogies and while I have tightened up the works to prevent the jib from moving in transit, it is very stable.
It may get its first run at the indoor layout at Bressingham during the build up to Christmas.

I have to admit it does look pretty top heavy, and even more surprised when you said it was all metal. I would have thought the superstructure was plastic with metal bogies to bring the centre of gravity down.

Is it white metal or etched brass?

That looks good, and you don't see too many 16mm cranes.

vjoneslong5040:92929 wrote:I have to admit it does look pretty top heavy, and even more surprised  when you said it was all metal. I would have thought the superstructure was plastic with metal bogies to bring the centre of gravity down.

Is it white metal or etched brass?

Hi,
looking at the crane itself, the frame of the crane, the jib and the smaller items are white metal whilst the counterweight box is etched brass. The two straight jib supports are nickel silver, I think.
The bogies are a number of very chunky white metal castings running on Slaters wheels.  Even the couplings are white metal but the rods are brass as you would expect.  I also used brass Brandbright safety chains instead of the white metal ones in the kit.
The two 'match' trucks have plasticard decks so that I could carve planks into them.  All the accessories such as the lamp, tool box loco jack are either white metal or cast brass.  The white side bars are brass in white metal fittings from a model ship supplier.
All in all they are quite heavy and seems very stable but I haven't run them properly just given them a bench test on a straight bit of SM32.  Perhaps I will have to avoid emergency stops at full throttle?  

Very good..Can you make me one..

steamie1:92954 wrote:Very good..Can you make me one..

If I was skilled enough to build the sort of stuff I'd be happy to buy myself then I would be happy to. I tend to do freelance then if I break anything or lose any bits I just make an excuse to do without.
Seriously though these kits are a little more complicated than I thought at first and some parts of the instructions only made sense to me after I'd actually put the thing together.
Yes I did read the instructions first.
I would like to see the results of an experienced kit builder building one of these cranes fully working and authentically as they were used on the front in WW1.

very nice it does look top heavy thou .

I have always been fascinated by cranes of all sorts. This is a great model and will look good whether used in train or just standing at a siding.
A real talking point.

Peter Butler:92959 wrote:I have always been fascinated by cranes of all sorts.   This is a great model and will look good whether used in train or just standing at a siding.
A real talking point.

The best 16mm/ft mounted crane I've seen is the one scratchbuilt by Eddie Bull and entered into the MOTY competition 2012 at Peterborough. There is a photo of this crane in the May 2012 SMT page 20/21.
I did a video (see below) of Eddie Bull's Brinkley Light Railway and put it on this forum some time back. There is a static photo of the crane at 1.25 and it can be seen at 1.46 parked to the left of my train.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ST1zbY0 ... TQ&index=2

Garden Rail Jan 2010 contained a very good detailed scratch building project of another mounted crane but of a much smaller prototype.

Also if yard cranes are of interest, I wrote an article in Garden Rail May 2011 covering my building of the Back 2 Bay 6 kit.

Good luck

My interest in cranes (on rails) goes back about 35 years when I built 'George', my first attempt at 16mm NG scratch build.

Following that, a mobile crane and match truck..

And an up to date HIAB on bogie wagon which any preservation line could put into service..

I just have a thing about cranes!
Is there any treatment I should consider?

Peter Butler:92970 wrote: I just have a thing about cranes!
Is there any treatment I should consider?

Anything that'll give you a lift - just don't get hooked...

Lovely cranes chaps...

So much inspiration!

Peter Butler:92970 wrote:My interest in cranes (on rails) goes back about 35 years when I built 'George', my first attempt at 16mm NG scratch build.

Some really good stuff there.
The cranes I like tend to be chunky old Victorian machines where wheels, pulleys and gears are used to convert either steam or hand power into a strong lifting movement.  True mechanical engineers may be cringing at my choice of description.
Modern hydraulic stuff that can lift half a house by nudging a small lever doesn't seem to have the same appeal, not for me anyway.

A distant scratchbuilding project could be a freelance or close to prototypical self propelled dockyard crane similar to those at Chatham Historic Dockyard.  I remember similar cranes in use at Devonport dockyard but in those days they were just part of the everyday scene and I didn't   take much notice of them.
It takes all sorts.    
   :lol:

>>I just have a thing about cranes!
>> Is there any treatment I should consider?

I would professionally suggest a craniotomy...

... I'll just my (white) coat and leave ...

Off to my therapy class now...... just waiting for a lift!

Stop hanging around!

Come along chaps, I'm starting to jib at all these crane jokes...

For those members who are crane enthusiasts might want to watch this video I found by chance.
I am very tempted to visit the museum that owns the crane. A really good video and very informative.
http://youtu.be/Zh9XhQRj3Io

Hope this helps
Regards
Andrew McMahon

Andy, thanks for the link it was great!
You should visit the Blists Hill Museum just outside Ironbridge, it is a wonderful place to see all manner of restored Victorian industrial archaeology and social history. There is a rebuilt village with shops, houses and business premises, An area devoted to smelting with furnaces etc, mining headgear, beam engines and steam railway (with crane now!). There is also a canal with an inclined plane which took loaded boats down to the river for trans-shipment.
Ironbridge also has other sites of historical interest connected with the birth of the Industrial Revolution. YOU MUST GO!!!!!!!

Two more crane videos: This one was the Delaware and Hudson's big hook at Oneonta shops - and originally steam powered, but was repowered in the '60s to diesel. At the same time it was given a pair of traction motors allowing to move (slowly!) on it's own. She was donated to the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad near Cooperstown, New York in the 90's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVGoUYEgeNI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI79ChU5pe4