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antarmike

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Posts posted by antarmike

  1. The points you quote are (as far as I know) all correct; but to me your post misses the point.

    I'm proud to be English (and British). As a country we need a figurehead, but ultimately thats all it is is - a figurehead.

    St George happens to be that figurehead.

    So every year I will raise my glass partly to St George, but more than that, to England.

    I respect your viewpoint Mike, but I will never agree with it.

    As a highly celebrated saint in both the Western and Eastern Christian churches, a large number of Patronages of Saint George exist throughout the world.

    St. George is the patron saint of England (but not England alone); his cross forms the national flag of England, and features within the Union Jack of the United Kingdom. Traces of the cult of Saint George in England pre-date the Norman Conquest in the eleventh century; by the fourteenth century the saint had been declared both the patron saint and the protector of the royal family.

    St George was adopted by the then all powerful Roman Catholic church in Britain.

     

    But St George never came within Hundreds of miles of our country.

     

    St George is a Christian Saint, to a secular person such as myself, I still remain unconvinced that St George has anything to do with England or Britain.

     

    He was executed because he would conform the the ruling that Christinity was not acceptable for a Roman Soldier, therefore he would not renounce his Christian faith and offer sacrifices to the Roman gods.

     

    He was adopted as a Patron or national saint because he was a martyr.

     

    Without breaking the rules of the Forum, it is only stating fact to say that the majority of the polulation of England is now largely not actively or overtly Christian. There is also a section of British culture that feels we would be better of as a Republic.

     

    St George as a Christian Saint and Protector of the Royal Family is of very little relevance to most people. You would have to be pretty naive to believe this dead Roman Soldier can do anything to protect the Royals. (In the 21st Century most people feel the Police and the Armed Forces do this far more effectively than a Corpse)

     

    The fact that the St Georges Cross derives from the White Tabards of the Crusaders,and was flown from British ships operating in the Med. during the crusades, means it could cause offence amongst those races and Religions that suffered in the Crusades.

     

    The fact that the Crusaders who wore the Tabard came from across the whole Christian Europe seems to have escaped notice of the St George is "English" brigade , a good number of these Crusader being from France. Historically St Georges cross in Red on a white background had no uniqueness to Britain or England.

     

    At the beginning of the Crusades, a red cross on white was already associated with England because this was St George's cross, the emblem associated with England's patron saint. Although the Pope decided English crusaders would be distinguished by wearing a white cross on red, and French crusaders a red cross on white (Italian knights were allocated a yellow cross on a white background), English knights soon decided to claim "their" cross of red on white, like the French. In January 1188, in a meeting between Henry II of England and Philip II of France, the two rivals agreed to exchange flags (France later changed its new white cross on red for a white cross on a dark blue flag). Some French knights carried on using the red cross however, and as English knights wore this pattern as well, the red cross on white became the typical crusader symbol regardless of nationality

     

    May I suggest that since I am not a Roman Catholic, nor any other form of Christian, and feel like others that looking at the posssibility of becoming a rebulic is overdue, and feel deep regret for what Christian Europe did during the Crusades, that neither St George nor his flag ring my bells.

  2. If you do find some rail, and want to haul it home 39 foot at a time;

     

    http://www.gwim2.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/NOLAN.htm

     

    NOL00024.jpg

     

    I know rail comes in different weights per unit length, but I always considered that two 39 foot sections of rail would have weighed more than the two tons this trailer was rated at?

     

    Gordon

     

    If we are just talking the weight of the rail itself, without sleepers and chairs atatched, then

    Most common European weights are

    between 40 kg/m (80.6 lb/yd) and 60 kg/m (121 lb/yd)

     

    In America the weight could be up to

     

    55 lb/yd (76.9 kg/m) (which although no longer production was used on the Pennsylvania Railroad)

    If my mental arithmetic is correct this puts two 39 foot lengths of probably the heaviest section ever used at 1430Lbs?

  3. I can't see where Political Correctness comes into this. St George is a multi national, multi cultural saint remembered around the world, including: Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, India, Iraq, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Serbia and Russia, as well as the cities of Genoa, Amersfoort, Beirut, Fakiha, Bteghrine, Cáceres, Ferrara, Freiburg, Kumanovo, Ljubljana, Pomorie, Preston, Qormi, Rio de Janeiro, Lod, Barcelona, Moscow, Tamworth and the Maltese island of Gozo, as well as a wide range of professions, organizations and disease sufferers.

     

    With so many nations claiming him as their own, can't see why we can't also......Certainly I don't see how his flag can be connected to The BNP!

     

     

     

    You really would have to live in a fanciful world to think that St George was uniquely British or had anything to do with England in particular!

     

    Apart from the Christian tradition ,Muslim literature also depicts George as a martyr.

     

    Personally speaking I can see no point in celebrating a dead Roman soldier who reputedly carried out infeasible mythical deeds.

  4. Mike,

     

    I did not suggest the felt was an "oil seal", but did suggest using "oil seal quality felt" to make a new dust excluder ring. You are correct in saying how these bellows seals ( or glands) should be carefully handled, I have had wide experience of them, not only on AEC, but CAT and other vehicles. The Militants in army service had often been axle deep in mud and this would find its way straight in to the brake area, so not only asbestos dust to contend with.

     

    Richard, I Know that you understand what is happening in the hub and what the seals do, my comments were in answer to the original post and Rob's analysis of how the seals work contained in that post, which ended "Can anyone confirm I am thinking along the right lines here? " as reproduced below...

     

    .... I find that the items advertised are not seals as such but sprung glands with little or no oil sealing properties at all. and the ones I have got seem to be OK.

     

    The actual sealing of the hub seems to be done by the felt strip inside the surrounding alluminium casting.

     

    This felt appears to have shrunk over the years leaving a quarter inch gap which allows the oil to leak out. All I need is a new bit of felt rather than £80 worth of metal gland

     

    Can anyone confirm I am thinking along the right lines here? and the important question, where can I get a new felt seal?

     

    I was pointing out that in order to cure the oil leaks I felt he needed to be looking at the packless glands, rather than the felt packing , finding out why the packless glands are not working and replacing them if the defect can be identified....The felt may well need sourcing but it will not stop any oil leak....

  5. Sorry, Rob, but I disagree with your analysis of the situation.....

     

    The bellows type seal is called a "Packless gland" and is the principle (well actually the only) oilseal for the rear hub.

     

    If is an effective oilseal as previously stated but must be handled with care so as not to damage the bellows or the sealing face.

     

    It is my understanding of how the back hub set up works, that the felt stops abrasive dust from the brake linings getting near to the sealing faces of the "packless gland" which would wear excessively should the highly abrasive asbestos dust get out drum the shoes/ drum area, and get into conflict with the packless gland. There should be no oil coming past the packless gland to reach the felt in the first place. and the felt is not designed to stop oil getting onto the brakes.

     

    If you look at the front differential. the seal on the input shaft is below oil level in the diff and is sealed only by a packless gland. There is no secondary seal, felt or otherwise, to keep oil in the front diff. If the Packless gland keeps oil in the front diff, the same type of gland in the back hub should contain the oil there also.

     

    Is the distance piece in place between the packless gland and the brake shoe carrier. This distance piece preloads the bellows to keep pressure on the gland faces?

     

    What is the condition of the distance piece in the hub, next to the bearing? I can't see this in your photograhs, or it it still in place in the top photograph. I can't tell if I am looking at the outer race of the bearing or the distance piece.

     

    Have you checked that the Packless gland bellows is the right length and hasn't lost its natural springiness. I.e. if you work out the distance from the Packing piece butting against the brake shoe carrier, to the Packing piece by the hub bearing, when the hub is in place, is the packless gland noticeably longer than this dimension that so that it will be compressed as reasonable distance, to provide definite spring pressure?

     

    In the Matador rear hub, with which I am more familiar there is actually a spring wound round the outside of the bellows.. Does your manual/ parts book give any indication whether the Militant Packless gland should have a spring around the bellows, I can't see one in your photographs.

    packlessgland.jpg

     

    It sounds to me as if you do need to change the packless gland and the associated distance piece onto which the sealing face rubs in order to achieve a good oil seal....

  6. :thumbsup: Great Link, especially this bit, which Antarmike will love.. :-D

     

    To keep the troops happy and minds occupied, short exercises were arranged where a few vehicles would set off to visit areas where you would not normally get a chance to visit. These photos were taken on a 3 day trip to Ben Ulid and the mountains in the region. Obviously it was a photo opportunity for the new fangled Scammell Recovery 6x6 which we had recently taken on strength.

    However, the Scammell had a surprise of it’s own to deliver. Back at base, as it drove into the LAD there was a very loud bang, sounds of compressed air escaping and dust and debris flying everywhere. Grinding to a stop the driver was very surprised to see one of his rear wheels, still attached to the brake drum, carry on past his cab and go bowling down the LAD forecourt. Luckily it came to rest without doing any damage.

    Evidently Pickfords, who used a similar vehicle for heavy haulage in the UK, had experienced the same situation. Their fix was to fabricate a large spanner with a handle about 10ft long with which to apply sufficient torque to hold the bearing nut in place. Very primitive but that’s the solution we adopted until the backroom boys came up with a more secure method of locking the nut in place.

     

    I would love to know what their secure method was!

     

    An arc welder........

  7. spoilt by Time teams artificial three days for the dig, self imposed time limit. There is probably a lot more of it out there if there was serious intent to see how much actually remains and recover it, rather than trying to make exciting, will they/ won't they find anything before time is up T.V......

  8. The following Diamond T's are expected, these being the people who have expressed an interest in attending and to whom I have sent out entry forms today.

     

    Diamond T's include the return of

    Alan Oxborough's ex Gadzow T,

    Graham Booths EGG,

    Dave Griffin with NVS 144,

    Tony Graves Pickford's

    Tony Graves freshly restored wrecker,

    Steve Rodman with 521 XUS,

    Adrian with 566 XUL, and

    John Pickersgill with the Irish T DOI 2401

    I am not sure of Dave Weedon's position but maybe he will feel tempted to enter the Wynns T in his care?

     

    Mark Walker may decide to bring along his Pickford's restoration project....???

     

    If anyone not mentioned was expected an entry form, I stll have a couple of forms, so if I have cocked up and missed a request for entry, let me know now, whilst I still have a form or two going spare.

     

    Mike

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