RAEME technical website - photos and stories

[TooTallMike]

I came across this website today while looking for something else. There look to be a lot of interesting photos and stories.

 

http://www.raeme.net/toc.php?cat=rec&item=1#article

[Grasshopper]

Fascinating stuff. They even have a medical/dental repair section. Some of the recovery techniques are well worth reading up on. Unfortunately i don't have any plastic explosive for breaking tracks in tough situations....

[N.O.S.]

GOOD LINK!!

 

Some great practical examples of recovery.

 

I was hoping to see these "Wheel Wedge Scotches" in use, but no such luck - can anyone explain how they are used, and what era? British or US?

 

All I can tell you is that "These have been modified with lugs on the underside to help prevent wheels from slipping sideways when winching at an angle" :dunno:

[sirhc]

Where can I get some C4 from? I liked the track splitting article, much easier than drifing the pins out when Andy destroys another final drive! :evil:

 

Chris

[Richard Farrant]

I was hoping to see these "Wheel Wedge Scotches" in use, but no such luck - can anyone explain how they are used, and what era? British or US?

 

 

 

Hi Tony,

 

Well, they are nothing to do with scotching wheels! They are Rope Shorteners, least, that is what we called them. I used to use these often when testing and calibrating winches on British Army vehicles and plant. We even dug one up once, around the back of the Workshops, it had a wartime date on it, so I restored it and gave it to the REME Museum. That one was made by Trewhella, who made small hand winches. They were part of British recovery kit.

 

There use is for shortening winch ropes, for instance, you need maximum effort on a winch, which means down to the bottom layer on the drum, but the winch vehicle is close to the casualty and you could have 150 feet of rope or more, so you clamp the rope in this device by rolling it around the part pulley shaped part, then locking the handle down, this wedges the rope, then the pull can be made on the loop end.

 

Richard

[N.O.S.]

Thanks Richard, well that makes a bit more sense! Back to the days of wedge and socket ends on dragline ropes :-)

 

I'll send you by PM a copy of a civvy street WLF recovery article which suggests the guy uses these as scotches (I can now understand why he has modified them with extra lugs, but still can't work out how he uses the blessed things - I must make contact with him).

[Richard Farrant]

 

I'll send you by PM a copy of a civvy street WLF recovery article which suggests the guy uses these as scotches (I can now understand why he has modified them with extra lugs, but still can't work out how he uses the blessed things - I must make contact with him).

 

 

Tony,

I guess he sits the tyres on them and secures the loop end by chain or rope, to the chassis as with normal scotches. They are actually, heavily webbed across the back for strength, so maybe they are not modded?

 

Richard

[abn deuce]

very interesting on the track cutting both explosive and gas torch best bit was the second fellow saying if he had to do it again he'd get some other sap to do it LOL .