Queen Mary Aircraft Recovery Trailers

[ted angus]

........ and I've just noticed, that looks like a 3 Ton version !!

 

Ian I think I was born 30 years to late; a job needed doing and they got on and did it my Dad was a driver /mechanic in the REs his favourite truck was a White 10 ton 6x6 the wheels were almost as tall as him; he called them the good olde days.

 

TED

[antarmike]

Yes about that Ted, it's just enough to take the 'swing arm' style suspension, which must have been a feat of engineering in itself.

 

I've often wondered how many were overloaded though, whilst I appreciate the relative lightness of a fuselage I've see some pretty daunting loads i.e.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]21253[/ATTACH]

 

Wellington is less than 8.5 tons empty. Take off from this the weight of two engines, undercarraige, wings x2, Tailplanes x2,fin, bomb bay doors, armament, what you are left with isn't going to be that much of an overload, I would guess. I don't know whether the bomb racks are part of the wing, or whether thay are still in the fuselage.

Edited January 19, 2010 by antarmike

[Jessie The Jeep]

I've been working on the diorama for about a month now, and while I haven't started on the Queen Mary's yet, progress has been made on the GMC and A-26 Invader. The crane on the 353 is scratch built, with one of Lynne's silver necklaces for the lifting chains ( yes she knows! ). It was the only chain I could find that was fine enough. The chains and hook still need painting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep

[P Marriott]

Hi Steve

 

If you need any additional photos of the Debach trailer just ask and I will take them for you. There is also another one nearby that I may be able to photograph. Not sure whether it is 3 or 5 ton though.

 

Regards

 

Paul

[Jessie The Jeep]

Cheers. It's the 3 ton version I'm modelling as most of the kit is based on the 3 ton version. The Debach one is a 5 ton if I remember correctly, but if the other one is a 3 ton, pics would be useful.

 

PS We'll be back at Debach again in June, just haven't sent any forms in yet!

[ted angus]

Some time ago I promised scans of the circa 1970 10 ton model;

It came in 3 versions: one Long and two different width short wheelbase. both wheelbases are given on the attached drawing. The overall lengths were the same.

The short wheelbase came in 2 overall widths 9ft 6 inch and 8ft 6 inch, this info is from the RAF Data book.

 

I have also started work on my repair and salvage convoy. I am transporting a relatively undamaged Hurricane from Duxford. The fuselage is being transported on a 33ft long high loading trailer which will be dragged by a Commer. The Hurricane sits on a standard wooden cradle ( which stilll needs weathering. )

The wings will sit along with main wheels and undercart legs in a 3 ton QM. utilising the airfix kit I have discarded the head and scratch built one, as the head on the 3 ton attached to the main part of the trailer slightly inboard. also front and back I have opened up the solid ends and lattice braces will be put in place once the milliput on the head is cured. i may drag the QM with another Commer or scratch build a Bedford OX the Airfix one is way too small only about 1/87 scale !!

 

In DSCF0296 is a comparison of the 5 ton type head as per the kit and "my take" on the 3 ton version which still requires some detail and lattice additions to the front of the side frameworks.

 

TED

Edited February 15, 2010 by ted angus
typo

[ted angus]

I've been working on the diorama for about a month now, and while I haven't started on the Queen Mary's yet, progress has been made on the GMC and A-26 Invader. The crane on the 353 is scratch built, with one of Lynne's silver necklaces for the lifting chains ( yes she knows! ). It was the only chain I could find that was fine enough. The chains and hook still need painting.

 

[ATTACH]22670[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]22672[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]22671[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]22673[/ATTACH]

 

HI Been following your great project on another forum with great interest as I am doing the Hurri which I previously posted a picture of. it wasn't normal for a team on an aircraft this size to have 2 cranes, a lifting frame would have been employed connected to predetermined attachment points, see the attached where a lump of Lanc is being hoisted..by changing the point at which the strops are connected to the frame and changing strop lengths these frames were a great universal bit of kit; frames of that nature are still in use today indeed the last practise Tornado lift we did before I got the bullet used a very similar frame. Are you taking the wing outers off ? replace your second crane by a 3rd QM you would get the front fuselage and the wing outers onto/into a 3rd trailer. The QM had terrible difficulty navigating the roads, so aircraft "breakdown" was always with a view to minimising front and rear overhang. Don't forget as part of the RAF input there would be a personal kit/tool and lifting tackle tender, normaly a 3 ton 4x2 Dodge Kew, A Fordson 7v or Canadian RHD Chevrolet 1543 3 ton 4x2 GS. I found a breakdown diagram of a Lanc on a site I could post a copy for your next project ???? I have given my QM a dusting from a Tamiya aerosol as an undercoat, still to make a jig to carry the prop at the front end of the QM bed and some egg boxes to secure the wings into the trailer.

 

Re the Bedford Tractor units in the Kit, they are way too small they are even smaller than 1/87 by my calculations, I am using a Commer from MMS to tow my flatbed. and hacking around a BW bedford OY to create a Bedford OX tractor-- although it may end up in the bin its fighting me every inch of the way and I might get a second Commer. For the best part of the war Commers were more common on the R&SUs that the Bedford. keep up the good work its giving me some greatly needed inspiration as I look out at our wonderful Scottish weather.

Regards

TED

Edited February 26, 2010 by ted angus
spelling & typos

[Jessie The Jeep]

..............a lifting frame would have been employed connected to predetermined attachment points.........

 

I know :red: and I have several pictures :shocked:, just suffering brain fade for a moment there!

 

..............Are you taking the wing outers off ?............... TED

 

The wing is staying on piece, based on the fullsize A-26 wing on the QM. The A-26 doesn't have a break point outboard of the nacelle according to the drawings I have.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Do you have any drawings or dimensions of the real Bedford OX? I'd like to know how far out the Airfix one is, as I'm almost leaning towards scratch building one. I would need to know the size of the real thing so I could scale up the Airfix dimensions. Mind you, the diorama is alreay mixed scales as the A-26 and some vehicles are 1:72, while others are 1:76! Why did Airfix do that?

[ted angus]

Firstly here are the data sheets for the OX have been going by the vehicle wheelbase, the width and size of wheels, I previously built one and just looking at it told all, at the time the kit came out there were dozens of letters in the hobby magazines about the poor job airfix had made of the kit, It almost equaled the compliants about with the emergency set featuring a fire truck that was firstly a post war design and secondly had never served with the RAF anyway. Sorry I digress !

 

 

With a width of a fraction under 6ft 8inches at 00 -1/76 it should be 27mm, in 1/72 it would be even larger but the kit is only 25.5mm.

 

with a wheelbase of 9ft 3 inches it should be 37mm but the kit is only 36, I have stuck an airfix wheel against one I know is spot on for a 10.50x16 I have also tried to show the airfix side piece against the BW .

I still havent got the cab clearance right over the front wheels but I'll get there i hope.

regards TED

[Jessie The Jeep]

With such a small size error, and having two to make, I think I'll just try and bulk them up a bit by lengthening and widening the chassis, cab etc. I might even be able to use the wheels from the other crane. If I had just one to do, I might have gone for a scratch build or different kit. The diorama was meant to be a cheap introduction back into plastic modelling, spending as little as possible, using up old kits etc.

[ted angus]

I don't blame you !! i love scratch building but this Bedford tractor is fighting me all the way and it has nearly seen the inside of the bin more than once

 

regards

TED

[ted angus]

Last night I found this picture on the net, a fairly decent shot of the tractor as I know light is a real problem at Hendon museum, but it was the picture board in front of the vehicle that caught my eye. Zooming in I saw great similarities between the detail of your aircraft and this one which is a B-25 Mitchell. I played around with the image and although i am far from being any sort of techno person I managed to get a half decent picture of the loaded QM. I don't know if you have seen this before but in case you haven't I thought you and other members may be interested. It gives a bit more sight of the trestles etc.

Regards

TED

[ianscales]

Ted, there is also a similar setup in this picture, which, I think, has been posted on this forum earlier.

 

 

[ted angus]

Hi Ian, not only is the setup similar compare the part of plane that is in both views. I believe Jessie the Jeep said the earlier pic is a B-26 Invader, the one I found is a B-25 Mitchell; extremely similar If he hasn't already posted the shot I put on he can hopefully get a better idea of all the trestles etc. below is a link to another forum where he is detailing work on his project -- facinating

 

regards TED

 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=200882

[alan turner (RIP)]

Airfix magazine guide no27 of 1978 modelling RAF vehickes by Gerald Scarborough has drawings for the 3 ton version per the kit, however in my own kit collection I have an altered trailer which I think was from an article in Airfix Mag just after kit issued whereby the wheels are moved to the rear corners of the trailer and the lattice let into the cut area and I believe that this was for the 5ton version.

[Jessie The Jeep]

......I believe Jessie the Jeep said the earlier pic is a B-26 Invader, the one I found is a B-25 Mitchell; extremely similar ..........regards TED

 

I thought it was an A-26 Invader because the air intake outside of the nacelle didn't look like it had the anhedral that is clearly shown in the B-25 Mitchell picture. The A-26 drawings I have shows the wing/fuselage breaks down in a very similar manner, so the close up picture could be B-25 with just the camera lens distorting the anhedral to a straighter appearance.

 

Either way, there was enough info in the picture to show how wings were carried which will be useful on the model. Today didn't see much visual progress, but I did spend 8 hours adding the exhausts to the two radial engines from 0.75mm copper wire.

 

[ted angus]

I would guess all the similar size medium bombers from the US would have a similar "breakdown " Havoc, Marauder, Invader, mitchell, Boston etc etc but I am not a plane expert. regardless you are doing a great job I think the 8 hours were well spent doing the exhausts . Keep up the good work.

 

Rewgards TED

[ianscales]

Thanks for the link Ted

[ted angus]

Airfix magazine guide no27 of 1978 modelling RAF vehickes by Gerald Scarborough has drawings for the 3 ton version per the kit, however in my own kit collection I have an altered trailer which I think was from an article in Airfix Mag just after kit issued whereby the wheels are moved to the rear corners of the trailer and the lattice let into the cut area and I believe that this was for the 5ton version.

 

I have just been looking at the Guide No 27 The Airfix kit appears to be based on the Newark example, Its the only 3 ton version I have seen with the front end contoured the same as the 5 ton. Plus although it has the lattice to the same dimensions as other 3 ton versions I have seen certain diagnal braces are missing. I wonder if at some stage Tasker changed the design of the front end of the 3 ton--- if they did then we have an original pattern 3ton and a later pattern/ If this is the case for future projects it is easier to do a late version by simply cutting away a small number of diagnals, rather go thru the fafff of rebuilding the front end ??

 

 

Any piccies Alan of your version ???

 

 

TED

Edited March 1, 2010 by ted angus

[alan turner (RIP)]

I'll try and dig it out of storage and take a few views also fitted the cab from the K6 with the OX front to make it look a bit bigger. Warning they may all look a bit battered being 40 years old.

[ted angus]

A bit like me Alan !!!

[alan turner (RIP)]

sorry ted but I have reached the 3 score years but not the and ten

[alan turner (RIP)]

not used to putting any of my handywork on display but here are the views of the altered airfix queen mary trailer and tractor. It looks like the trick is to cut the out frame in front of the wheel bay and then swap sides, springs are wrongput what the heck.

[alan turner (RIP)]

part 2

Edited March 3, 2010 by alan turner (RIP)
images wrong