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I went there 'on business' last summer. Truly awesome place!!
Elsa is looking brill |
Recommend their September Open Day (ticket only). Several traction engines, all working pulling loads etc. The railway running several steam engines all day. There was a film on u-tube of Stig and Pedler on a load working around the field, taken by a TT member taken two years ago. (highly recommended viewing)
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The unidentified Traction Engine from Australia was a Ruston Proctor, according to a notice on the works door, I couldn't find anybody who knew the works number though.
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The engine from Australia is over there to have some boiler work completed - I believe (but could easily be wrong!) from Dardanup Heritage Park/Museum. There was an article on this engine recently in The Old Machinerry Magazine (TOMM).
There would be others here that could provide more complete and up to date information (and I don't have the particular issue to hand)! Cheers |
Ruston, Proctor 40909 by the looks of it. Over here for boiler work only.
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That Foden is already looking smart. Can't wait to see her finished in all her glory. I wonder if she will be running on solids or pneumatics? Anyone know?
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I believe Simon cast some fronts for it, but not the rears. D Valve told me that they always considered it slow whe his father had it (I guess because the rear wheels were smaller), even with the C type gears on it. Has it been geared up in the meantime? Last time I saw it it looked like it had bigger rear tyres. |
The Foden will be running on pnematics
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Shame i thought Graham would be the right man to put it back on solids. Maybe in the future. The road brakes had been removed too hadnt they?
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Does the foden have a flywheel brake?
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Dave, what do you think the band over the flywheel is?
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I recall that when George Lea had it that it was the only brake, I hope D Valve will correct me if I'm wrong. It lost the rear axle brakes when it was put on pneaumatics by Parky Bates.
Has it got anything else now? |
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I made new front wheels to the correct pattern and had all the drawings etc ready for the rears and brake gear etc. I gather that both owners since me planned to keep it on pneumatics. When Parky Bates hacked it about and put it on pneumatics the drive hubs were fixed to the axle so the ability to pull the pins and use the rear winch was lost. I planned to put it back to solids as for me part of the attraction of a D type is to be able to use the winch. I prefer originality too. |
I would say Parky converted 13222 around 1959-60, I have a picture of her taken at the 1957 Chester le Street rally still riding on her original solid tyred wheels. When we brought her home and came to back her into the shed we found that Parky had also welded the compensating gear to the axle when he carried out the conversion to pneumatics.
When the paint work was rubbed down the original Chocolate livery and yellow lining detail could be made out from when she was new to S Darke & Sons. I would say she had done a lot of winching in her commercial days by the amount of wear in the rear axle, there is a picture of her with her winch rope out in Richard Willcox book “Traction Engine Archive” Vol Two on page 75 when with Francis Grover. She was much faster when she had the “C” type gears fitted, the “D” Types were of course lower geared than the wagons and geared down on the rear sprocket as well, usually being fitted with a 12 tooth on the stud shaft and a 32 or 33 on the rear axle whereas the 6 ton wagons often had a 12 or 13 on the stud shaft and usually a 30 on the rear axle or sometimes a 28 but they were inclined to suffer on the hills when fitted with a 28. When we asked about them we were told that all the original wheels had been sent for scrap shortly after the conversion by Parky Bates. The other “D” type wheels that he removed were from the ex John Aldersons Foden, this had already been put into wagon form but she had retained her “D”type wheels up to I would say around 1965-66, he also gave this one the chop to the wheels. Jack Crabtree did manage to save the front wheels to go under the front of his “D” Type but the rear wheels had been weighed in for scrap before they could be saved. Perhaps one day this ex “D” Type might be put back to her former self as she was despatched from Elworth. The Foden wagon that is now with Dovey's also went through Parky's hands, this one he chopped the chassis down and put a recovery style body on it, I was told at the time he did this for road tax purposes. The Ex Tom Varley Foden was another which if I remember correctly was converted by Parky into tractor form and put onto pneumatics with no springs fitted to the rear axle, does anyone know who has this wagon now? the last I heard it was in Canada. |
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http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/...c355098d_b.jpg I assume they were re-registered as agricultural tractors? cheaper road tax. |
Funnily enough - the valve gear off this one is all sat on the workshop bench, having been reconditioned.
It's about to go back to the owners for refitting for this weekend. |
Thanks Hedd, I remember Milwards bringing her to Church Stretton they were having pump trouble with it, they didn't keep it for long.
I also remember Cyril Bishop showing us the old drivers name that had been carved into the back of the cab,when it was parked up at the side of the road just over the stream at Bishaps, perhaps she had been left there after the rally. I know Mike Salmon was very fed up at the time the way Parky had chopped and shortened the chassis. Do you know if the ex John Alderson's Foden still has the winch drum on the back axle, at least Parky left this on 13222 when he carried out the conversion. He was very good with a paint brush! |
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Ruston Proctor 40909.
24th, April, 2012.
This 8 n.h.p compound engine with inclined valves was exported to Australia on 31st March, 1911. It is now owned by Jill Brookes of Dardanup Heritage Park, Western Australia. Hunslett Steam Co, England, fitted a new back head, throat plate, fire box, smoke box and other associated parts. The work was done to a very high standard. However some serious dimensional errors were made when they made the new large spur gear for the compensating gear, even though they had the old gears for patterns.The overall gear diameter was too large by about 8mm and the internal diameter was about 8mm too small and would not fit the compensating gear hub. To get over the error in the excess overall diameter we have had to drop the rear axle to allow the spur gear to fit the corresponding gear on the second countershaft. The internal diameter has had to be milled out to fit the hub. This has held up the restoration and incurred a lot of extra expense. However we are making slow, but steady progress. There may be two other working traction engines in Western Australia, one is the 8nhp Marshall that is also at The Park. So knowledge and help on these things is very sparse around here. Bob Main. Restoration Co-Ordinator. Dardanup. W.A. |
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Does anyone know how the Foden restoration is going? Any updates?
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http://www.tractiontalkforum.com/showthread.php?t=18826 |
Thanks David. I missed that thread.
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The Foden just needs finish painting and signwriting now when time permittes.
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