Hi all,
One of my most recent 'micro' layout ideas (or an element/module of a larger layout), is to build a nuclear power station terminal (like that at Dungeness, for example), and to run it in a variety of eras, with different rolling stock, locos, etc. One thing I'd need is a gantry crane - something not unlike this:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Engines_and_crane_-_geograph.org.uk_-_398605.jpg)
Anyone got any good ideas of where I'd find a suitable crane in N? If I had decent 'close-up' images I could scratch-build one, though I'd prefer to 'bash' a kit into something resembling this beast.
Thanks,
Phil
Hi Phil,
That doesn't look too far off the Heavy Duty Crane Mill Lane Sidings used to do:
http://www.mill-lane-sidings.co.uk/mlsheavydutygantrycrane.html (http://www.mill-lane-sidings.co.uk/mlsheavydutygantrycrane.html)
You can download the PDF instructions from the link at the bottom of the page which might give you an idea whether it's something you could replicate from scratch or adapting another.
It is still listed on the NGS shop list 1/13, but you'd probably need to check with them to see if they still have actual stock.
MLS still list a lighter gantry crane you might possibly kitbash.
Knightwing also do some which might also be worth looking at:
http://www.knightwing.co.uk/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?next=27&cart_id=1364419755.314&product=N_Lineside_Kits (http://www.knightwing.co.uk/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?next=27&cart_id=1364419755.314&product=N_Lineside_Kits)
Regards, Gerry 8)
Additional: There's an 'indoor' gantry crane in the Scalescenes modern warehouse download that might also be worth a look at:
http://scalescenes.com/products/T009-Modern-Industrial-Building (http://scalescenes.com/products/T009-Modern-Industrial-Building)
Thanks chaps! Food for thought. I've sent an email to the NGS shop asking about the MLS crane.
I have decided, more or less, to scratchbuild the crane - it should be well within my capabilities. I just need to find a few more photos of 'similar' cranes, to copy the features I like - it will not be 'accurate', but should, hopefully, be 'plausible' (unless, presumably, you really know about cranes...). This decision was precipitated by having acquired a set of Ratio's 'Trestles' (kit #242) today:
(http://www.modelfair.com/sites/1002/images/product_images/large/50093.jpg)
which I thought would neatly solve the problem of the framing for the ends - which would be the hardest bit to scratchbuild (time-consuming and fiddly, rather than particularly difficult - cutting all the angles being the hardest part). They're a bit tall, but I can saw some off the bottom! I've got some Plastruct 'I' beam in my stock of plastic strip, which will form the basis of the bit the 'truck' runs on.
I'm starting to find decent photos...
(http://www.magnoxsites.com/UserFiles/LastFuelFlaskatRailhead.jpg)
Hi Phil,
Looking forward to watching this develop. I built a small crane for my layout based on one I saw in Edinburgh but it is quite basic.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/alexcrawford2008/N%20Gauge/100_6333.jpg)
It sits on rails and the idea was to have magnets in along the bottom and magnets under the board so I could moved it back and forth. As per usual that didn't evolve much past the thinking stage. The hook block is able to slide along the top rail.
Alex :wave:
How about this Scalescenes kit? Different to the indoor one suggested earlier.
http://scalescenes.com/products/T032-Gantry-Crane (http://scalescenes.com/products/T032-Gantry-Crane)
Thanks - at the very least there are useful bits in that!
Hi Phil
I think also one of the German manufacturers have a similar designed crane as well as a plastic kit. I think this will be a Faller or Kibri kit, (one of the two anyway).
The only thing is it will we 1/160 scale as most of the German N gauge stuff is.
Dil
Hi Phil
P&D Marsh do a gantry crane as a kit. I think it is in whitemetal with plastic parts too but I am not 100% sure. However it is a little on the expensive side.
Regards
http://www.pdmarshmodels.com/show_product.php?pid=607&cat=99&order=1&pageno=0 (http://www.pdmarshmodels.com/show_product.php?pid=607&cat=99&order=1&pageno=0)
Quote from: Joe 90 on March 29, 2013, 08:20:42 PM
Hi Phil
P&D Marsh do a gantry crane as a kit. I think it is in whitemetal with plastic parts too but I am not 100% sure. However it is a little on the expensive side.
Regards
http://www.pdmarshmodels.com/show_product.php?pid=607&cat=99&order=1&pageno=0 (http://www.pdmarshmodels.com/show_product.php?pid=607&cat=99&order=1&pageno=0)
Thanks... Interesting.
Vollmer made the one that I made about 8 years ago........
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/tank_fv101/ContainerCrane.jpg)
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/tank_fv101/crane.jpg)
Quote from: Alex on March 29, 2013, 04:01:45 PM
Hi Phil,
Looking forward to watching this develop. I built a small crane for my layout based on one I saw in Edinburgh but it is quite basic.
It sits on rails and the idea was to have magnets in along the bottom and magnets under the board so I could moved it back and forth. As per usual that didn't evolve much past the thinking stage. The hook block is able to slide along the top rail.
Alex :wave:
Hi Alex :wave:
Did it not work because of the size of magnets you could find as i have some small ones that could fit the bill ;)
Hi Nick,
I thought about doing it but that's as far as it went. Didn't start to look for magnets. No point now as I will not be using that building on the new layout.
Alex :wave:
Hi Guys
A bit more variety from Bridgwater.
[smg id=4373]
Regards
Russ
I picked up one of those Vollmer kits at a second-hand stall for a couple of quid and bashed it in to a more British looking container crane. They're good value and easily adaptable.
(http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6981/dsc2704o.jpg)
H.
If Ratio would apply the 'Shrink Ray' (TM) to their 00 gauge model, I'd be sorted - it seems to be the 'right sort' of crane:
(http://www.osbornsmodels.com/ekmps/shops/osbornsmodels/images/546-ratio-trackside-buildings-traversing-crane-1894-p%5Bekm%5D499x362%5Bekm%5D.jpg)
these any good
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&gs_rn=7&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=6&gs_id=lc&xhr=t&q=dungeness&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44442042,d.d2k&biw=1280&bih=893&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=6vRWUeSeK5CS0QWT7YAg#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=dungeness+flask&oq=dungeness+flask&gs_l=img.12...6061.9640.0.12621.6.6.0.0.0.0.139.728.0j6.6.0...0.0...1c.1.7.img.ajmnBPu6hU8&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44442042,d.d2k&fp=525f745f748ebf88&biw=1280&bih=893&imgrc=KO8XrcU3GWLiFM%3A%3BJTALqV2ajJb-lM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffarm6.staticflickr.com%252F5260%252F5515223282_0313104079_z.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.flickr.com%252Fphotos%252F35437908%2540N04%252F5515223282%252F%3B640%3B427 (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&gs_rn=7&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=6&gs_id=lc&xhr=t&q=dungeness&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44442042,d.d2k&biw=1280&bih=893&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=6vRWUeSeK5CS0QWT7YAg#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=dungeness+flask&oq=dungeness+flask&gs_l=img.12...6061.9640.0.12621.6.6.0.0.0.0.139.728.0j6.6.0...0.0...1c.1.7.img.ajmnBPu6hU8&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44442042,d.d2k&fp=525f745f748ebf88&biw=1280&bih=893&imgrc=KO8XrcU3GWLiFM%3A%3BJTALqV2ajJb-lM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffarm6.staticflickr.com%252F5260%252F5515223282_0313104079_z.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.flickr.com%252Fphotos%252F35437908%2540N04%252F5515223282%252F%3B640%3B427)
Great - thanks - several photos there which I hadn't seen before, including a very useful 'side-on' view of the crane. And this 'flask train', which is just bloomin' lovely:
(http://www.magnoxsites.com/UserFiles/Image/news/08_14_Loco%20and%20New%20Flask.jpg)
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Not sure how you'd model that flask trolley easily. The loco is a 48DS fitted with exhaust extender and without buffers and is itself tiny. The wheels on that flash trolley must be under a foot in diameter!
Fascinating object.
Alan
There are various little trolleys and things in the Green Max range which might be useable - there are also a lot of different little 'motor bogies' available from Japan which might aid in motorising a shunter like that.
The 48DS kit uses the TU-7T. I can't think of anything with proper rotating wheels (ie non static) that would match that trolley though. Would be fun axles - they'd practically be a bit metal with flanges on !
Hi Phil,
Not sure if this gives you ideas or help ends today
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Faller-Vollmer-Over-4-Track-Gantry-Crane-suit-Hornby-Kibri-pola-N-Gauge-/121088698872?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item1c3172e9f8 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Faller-Vollmer-Over-4-Track-Gantry-Crane-suit-Hornby-Kibri-pola-N-Gauge-/121088698872?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item1c3172e9f8)
Thanks, but I think I'm sorted - the NGS shop had stock of the Mill Lane Sidings Heavy Duty Gantry Crane, which I shall 'tweak' a bit to more closely represent the typical type of crane used for loading flask wagons.
Cheers,
Phil
Glad you've got sorted Phil look forward to seeing the crane ;)
Grey or yellow? Yellow or grey? Yellow is colourful. It's also harder to spray than grey, not least because yellow pigments are fairly 'weedy', and don't cover well. But it's more attractive than grey. On the other hand, most of the photos show grey cranes. It seems that nowadays, all the remaining flask cranes are grey. In the past, a few (but by no means all) were yellow.
The women in our household would prefer me to paint it yellow. Can't get a response beyond 'Grunt' from the other, teenage, male although he is pre-occupied with revising his classical Greek ready for his AS level exam so he can, perhaps, be excused.
I think it should be yellow :wave:
I'd vote for painting it grey for current era with just yellow/wasp stripes on hazard areas.
Some of the car yellows especially sprayed over white, are not too bad at least compared with certain rather dreadful model paints
I'd opt for grey, light blue or white personally.
Paul A.
Hi,
The gantry crane at the nuclear loading facility at Georgemass Juntion is grey and rated for 100t.
Alex :wave:
Quote from: Alex on May 04, 2013, 04:37:55 PM
Hi,
The gantry crane at the nuclear loading facility at Georgemass Juntion is grey and rated for 100t.
Alex :wave:
But does it glow in the dark?
Grey gets my vote, but not 50 shades :no:
Hi Phil,
What Alan said! Pale grey, with black yellow hazard flashes around legs etc. Similar to Torness.
I posted a reply to this in your workbench thread, with more info, then realised you have this one...
cheers
Ben A.
Quote from: newportnobby on May 04, 2013, 08:03:56 PM
Grey gets my vote, but not 50 shades :no:
grey for me to
Quote from: EtchedPixels on March 30, 2013, 10:06:28 PM
The 48DS kit uses the TU-7T. I can't think of anything with proper rotating wheels (ie non static) that would match that trolley though. Would be fun axles - they'd practically be a bit metal with flanges on !
I will have to order EP's kit from Shapeways and a chassis. See if i can improve on my previous effort in shunter building...
http://www.shapeways.com/model/655164/ruston-48ds-n-scale-about-6-quot-1mm-wider-than-acc.html (http://www.shapeways.com/model/655164/ruston-48ds-n-scale-about-6-quot-1mm-wider-than-acc.html)
Here is my old thread on scratchbuilding the slightly smaller D88 at Reading:
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=387.msg2544#msg2544 (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=387.msg2544#msg2544)
Quote from: Mustermark on May 05, 2013, 11:42:26 AM
Here is my old thread on scratchbuilding the slightly smaller D88 at Reading:
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=387.msg2544#msg2544 (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=387.msg2544#msg2544)
Very impressive. I'd not seen that thread before.
H.
Quote from: newportnobby on May 04, 2013, 08:03:56 PM
Grey gets my vote, but not 50 shades :no:
Wouldn't it end up in 50 shades by the time its weathered? :laugh:
I'd say grey with yellow for all the health and safety bits.
Hi Guys
Any use....
[smg id=7693]
Iv popped it in on this thread...
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=16474.0 (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=16474.0)
Regards
Russ