| Model 8.25 Derrick Crane from the 1948 7/8 instruction manual.
The manual 1948 was just a reprint of the 1937 manual but with the cross hatched
plates retouched out. This model has ben built using silver, yellow and blue parts parts from the early 1970s. Originally designed to be driven by the No. 1 clockwork
motor, it worked in a fashion but the rather inadequate braking
of the jib and hoist along with the manipulation of the motor control
levers and gear box all at the same time was rather a disaster. I rebuilt
the drive with a small 6 volt Meccano French motor driving a radial gearbox
using worm gears to avoid the use of brakes not a perfect solution but it
worked well. The rotating is as the original design turned by the steering wheel
near the front using a worm and 57 tooth gear . The only other major change
was the use of a built up bearing using 168d balls (not contents of the No.
8 set.) The model is well proportioned and a fairly good reproduction of a type of crane that was quite common 40 or 50 years ago. Often on wharves and timber yards. The large round object behind the battery box is an old iron 2 pound weight I used this to stop the model tipping over. The original of this type of crane would have been built on a three point concrete base. I have also built another Derrick crane from a 1911 manual built with contemporary parts. Revised February 26 2009 |
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