private mw Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 wartime clumber set in clumber park worksop was a large munition store during the war and winston churchill visited to view a secret trenching machine nice show and local to me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 :idea: Nellie! NELLIE Conceived by Churchill, worried that the creation of the Siegfried Line by the Germans would once again give rise to a 'No Mans Land' between opposing forces during WW2. His idea was for a machine capable of digging a trench through No Mans Land big enough to move troops and vehicles under cover of darkness. Despite evidence early in the war that this time the fighting in Europe would be different, Churchill pushed ahead with Project "White Rabbit" (later "Cultivator No. 6"). Treasury approval was granted for a batch of 240 machines. The result was a massive tank - type trenching machine, in two sizes - the narrow 'infantry' version and a wider 'officer' (tank - width trench) version. By November 1941 an 'Infantry' type machine was successfully trialled, proving the concept by cutting a mile long trench across a minefield and other obstacles. Dimensions of this beast were: Weight 131 tons Length 77 ft 6" Width 18 ft 6" over blade Trench cut 7 ft 6" wide, 5 ft deep Digging Speed 0.5 mph In total 5 were constructed, but ended up in storage at RE Long Marston. It is rumoured that the operation to scrap them was too secret for military personnel, so German prisoners of war were used (!). It is believed that he last one survived at Long Marston until 1950. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 wow your clever NOS tested at clumber park i believe. google it my bedtime now wonder if thats where that pic was taken night night ! :sleep: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 wow quick google and found that pic of nellie and it was taken at clumber park in 1941 history is on my doorstep cheers ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 As the project was named White Rabbit, but machine was called Nellie, perhaps it should have been Project White Elephant ........... Nellie the Elephant ................. I'll get me coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 wow your clever NOS ..... Oh, no no no, just read a book on Rustons of Lincoln about their excavator products and saw it :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 well what did you read about ruston bucyrus in lincoln because a few years ago i used to deliver steel castings to them they made drag cranes and we made the tracks for them ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 if i knew this back then would have had a good scrounge round the site i was quite freindly with the store men any old pics ect ! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 this weekend please make it stop raining ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Bit more on Nellie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) well what did you read about ruston bucyrus in lincoln because a few years ago i used to deliver steel castings to them they made drag cranes and we made the tracks for them ! This was in the second book: RUSTON MOBILE FIELD GUN During the war, excavator manufacturers Ruston-Bucyrus became volume producers of Crusader and Centaur tanks, Crusader gun tractors and mine clearing flails and bridge layers based on old Churchill tanks. In 1940 the company experimented with the idea of developing a crawler-mounted field gun using conventional excavator running and propel gear. It took as the basis an old 10RB crawler crane used in the works yard, and altered the gearing in an attempt to provide something better than the crane's top speed of 2 1/2 mph. The excavator base used heavy dog clutches to either drive, freewheel or brake each track independently via two levers. After modification of gear ratios it was found a top speed of 15 mph could be achieved (a bit more like it), but that the machine was totally uncontrollable - I shall now quote from the author - "This led to situations dangerous for the participants and hilarious to the onlookers as the machine sped out of control around the test ground. After this, enthusiasm for the project waned and the 'souped up' grab crane resumed its former function, to the dismay of those drivers who thereafter had to negotiate the concrete loading ramp with this now errant machine". Extract and illustration taken from "Lincolns Excavators The Ruston-Bucyrus Years 1930-1945", by Peter Robinson with the kind permission of Roundoak Publishing. This and the first volume, "Lincoln's Excavators - The Ruston Years" are an excellent history of one of our most successful engineering companies. Highly recommended for earthmoving nutters. Edited June 22, 2012 by N.O.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 cheers NOS for that very intresting when i drove for the foundry i was a young 21 year old driving a hgv delivering the castings to loads of large engineering shops and not really knowing much about there past ! rushton bucyrus at lincoln was one and another was aveling barford at grantham making dumpers i believe i read on here somewhere they made the bren gun carriers during the war effort . other shops was newton chambers at sheffield now that an industrial estate and the tank dissapeared over night , other shops sheffield forgemasters and parker plant at leicester these places must hold intresting history ! thanks again . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 hunslet engine works leeds. and david brown gears huddersfield what did they make , ? my job was quite intresting back then wasnt it ,if only i had knew more . :-| Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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