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REME Lightweight Electrical Repair trailer


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Yet another addition to the Surrey Trailer Trash collection.

Out of the blue I was offered a Lightweight electrical repair trailer in what appeared to be reasonable condition and so what could I do but get it - comments such as 'why not get rid of one of the others' from She Who Must Be Obeyed were ignored and so the trailer came home yesterday.

It looks to be a great project for the winter (following John's lead in the matter) as it has most of the original tools, folding tables, battery boxes, etc. The only poor item is the canvas that is badly rotted.

After I returned home I had some photos e-mailed from John Corden that he had obtained from the past and they showed the same trailer at what I believe was one of the early Beltring shows (pre-W&P). That jogged a brain cell and I remember it from the time as I tried to buy a spare airborne wheel from the owner for my mortar trailer which dates it from 1987-8.

Talk about coincidence!attachment.php?attachmentid=127612&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127613&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127614&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127615&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127616&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127617&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127618&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127619&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127620&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127621&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127622&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127623&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127624&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127625&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127626&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127627&stc=1 The last photo is what it was like in the 1980's.

I will now be on the prowl at W&P for other bits.

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Now, that's just showing off! :D

 

Beautiful thing (which a strange thing to say about a tool trailer...).

 

Sorry, but had to be done! The special thing about Anthony's one is that it has so much of the original kit. I had to work out what was missing and then try to track down each piece...a challenge in itself.

 

We always suspected there were 2 of these trailers still in existence, so its great to unearth this second one.

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A few questions about both trailers/tools-

1, What is the Admiralty pattern object, and what is it for?

2, What is the unusual, to me, G cramp type object for?

3, What electrical items do they use these trailers/tools to repair?

4. Where do they get their power from?

Thanks in advance

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A few questions about both trailers/tools-

1, What is the Admiralty pattern object, and what is it for:

It is a small distillation plant....supposedly for water to be used in batteries ;)

2, What is the unusual, to me, G cramp type object for?

 

To aid greasing of leaf springs

3, What electrical items do they use these trailers/tools to repair?

 

Used by Airborne REME, called "Electrical Repair" as opposed to the "Mechanical Repair" trailer which included a metal lathe. The Electrical Repair (was fitted with valve machine tooling) would be used for any repairs to vehicles in conjunction with the Mech Rep and the MUREX Welder.

4. Where do they get their power from?

 

Yet another special "lightweight" trailer based on the 10cwt British trailer. This 55Kv generator was lower profile to fit into the glider. Not that common. The later horizontal air-cooled Coventry generator trailer is far more common and readily available...but not used in gliders as far as I know.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Hope that answers your questions?

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I take it the 55Kv generator trailer is as rare as rocking horse stuff! Is it similar to the murex one? I cannot find any pictures after a, brief, online search.

 

Yes, rare....have been looking for one for a long time..as it would be good to run the equipment from the correct 110v DC genny. Here are some photos of one

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A few questions about both trailers/tools-

1, What is the Admiralty pattern object, and what is it for?

3, What electrical items do they use these trailers/tools to repair?

4. Where do they get their power from?

Thanks in advance

 

1) It's a still, for producing distilled water for topping up batteries.

 

3) Charging sets (engine driven), I assume, and other electrical equipment. (There's a separate trailer for radio kit.)

 

4) The two (wooden cased) 6-volt batteries stowed underneath provide a 12V DC supply, they'd use a generator for anything requiring 110 0r 240 volt AC mains.

 

Chris.

(Memo to self: read all the way to the end of the thread before replying to a question. That way you look less of an eedjit.) :(

Edited by Chris Suslowicz
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  • 1 month later...

I have now started to play with the trailer by taking off (and out) various bits of kit and already I have found some differences between my trailer and John Corden's. As I think only 299 were produced by Dashwood as deduced from the chassis numbers in Rob van Meels 'B' series book I was surprised.<br>I managed after a lot of swearing to get the battery boxes out as they were such a tight fit and very heavy. I then found out why - one had a very dead large 12v battery in it and the other a bag of sand! Presumably the sand was to add a suitable amount of weight. In both boxes were the remains of a multitude of acorns so no doubt some squirrels had also made use of the trailer. Because these were 12v batteries they were larger than John's 6v ones but there was no sign of the floor brackets present on John's trailer to hold 6v batteries.<br>Unlike John's trailer the central wooden box is fixed down by four bolts which will involve two people to undo, one under the trailer and one in the box.<br>I have re-wired one of the two large 110v drills as the cable is rather aged and will eventually re-wire all the main electrical components.<br>Anyway the following photos show some of the progress - note the straps for the arc light show a 1943 date and a 1955 one and the battery boxes are Dutch and dated post war.<img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129502" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129502&stc=1" attachmentid="129502"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129503" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129503&stc=1" attachmentid="129503"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129504" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129504&stc=1" attachmentid="129504"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129505" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129505&stc=1" attachmentid="129505"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129506" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129506&stc=1" attachmentid="129506"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129507" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129507&stc=1" attachmentid="129507"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129508" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129508&stc=1" attachmentid="129508"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129509" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129509&stc=1" attachmentid="129509"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129510" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129510&stc=1" attachmentid="129510"><img class="previewthumb" id="vbattach_129511" alt="" src="http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129511&stc=1" attachmentid="129511">

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  • 4 weeks later...

Serious work now underway. I have had to cut all the coach bolts fixing the wood to the trailer frame. All the nuts were rusted and there was no way to hold the heads while undoing the nuts without the whole bolt turning and therefore opening the hole. The wood is tongue and groove with very tight tolerances. The main subject of interest however is the colour. All the trailer externally is Bronze green and this extends to many out of the way places.  Another piece of webbing is dated 1955 (the strap holding the electrical repair instrument box) and even the chassis under the main tool bow is also Bronze green. Given that these trailers were supposedly built in 1944-45 has the beast been completely dismantled sometime in the 1950's and re-built. Some Phillips head screws have also been spotted but these can always be put down to later replacements. the only bit of wartime green that I have found is under the drill stand.

Anyway the sandblaster has already been busy and I have got the battery boxes back and am collecting the main tool box and table sections tomorrow when I take the main trailer chassis, wood and other odds and sods to him.

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On 10/23/2017 at 8:21 PM, Tony Lawrence said:

 "the only bit of wartime green that I have found is under the drill stand."

Good to see some earlier paint still intact, helps our supposition of wartime build dates  for all of these "lightweight" trailers. Looks like the REME rebuild in mid/late 50's was thorough though.

 

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