Issue 537 October 2015 Worth £ 3/0/0

John Gotts’s steams his Ruston Proctor on to the arena for the first time after a 10 year restoration .

Newsletter from the National Steam Centre

In This Issue

Tractors at National Rally Early Steam Engines Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 2 Club Cranes Part 2

Conquip 10 ton Crane By Rohan Lamb

In this second part we look at the club’s 10 ton crane. This In 1958 tractor cranes were added to the product range. crane was built by Conquip Ltd., Auburn, NSW. It is a four wheel The first model was a 2¼ to 5 ton trailing-type crane based on a articulated crane with a non-telescopic boom, and rated to 10 tons. conventional tractor with an unrated front steering axle. The crane It was based around a Chamberlain Mk 3 industrial tractor (serial was mounted on a turntable at the rear of the tractor and trailed the no.2648) built in 19711, and fitted with a Perkins 4-270D 4 cylin- tractor during travel, but arched over the top when used for lifting. der diesel engine rated at 62 horsepower. Based on the date the tractor was made, the crane (serial no. A3367) was probably also built in 1971. Conquip was founded in 1947 by A. M. (Neil) Morison as a private business, and manufactured agricultural products such as farm graders, a hiball for land clearing, and blades and loaders for all types of crawler tractors. The company was publically listed in 1952. Early products were designed by the works manager, Bob Wallace who had previously worked as a designer at LeTourneau. By 1957 Syd Wyld had replaced Bob in the design role and devel- oped the range into front end loaders, cranes and other machines, many complementing the David Brown, and Chamberlain tractors sold by Conquip.

Later crane design with articulation point above the cabin, note only the one boom lift hydraulic ram used (Greg Keane) The crane owned by MSTEC represents the later revised design of the tractor crane, which was unique to Conquip. This used a four wheel crane with a single articulation point above the tractor. This design was introduced during the 1960s. These cranes were based on the Chamberlain industrial tractor and were gener- ally supplied with a two stage telescopic boom. They were desig- nated the CC8/4-1 model with the 8 referred to the maximum load, in this case 8 tons, and the 4 referred to the number of wheels. MSTEC’s crane is fitted with a single boom with fixed lift points. The average production of tractor cranes was 25 to 30 per year. Conquip were one of the first makers of articulated wheeled loaders in the world with their first models made in 1959. They The first Conquip tractor crane design advertised in 1963 soon formed an agreement with Lorain in the USA to make their (Contracting & Construction Equipment Magazine) loaders under licence. Conquip also held franchises for various Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 3

Eight ton Conquip crane lifting a concrete form box (CRB plant no. 19A- 300), 1978 (VicRoads) other construction equipment makers in- cluding the agency for Harman in NSW. They were also involved with railway maintenance equipment holding the Australian agency for Plasser track equipment. By the 1970s the over- seas competition was too much and the factory closed in 1973.2 Five of these cranes were purchased by the Country Roads Board (CRB) for use at their pre-cast concrete plants in Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo, Bairns- dale, and Glen Waverley. This particular crane (CRB plant no. 19A 153) was used at the Bal- larat pre-cast concrete plant, and was the only one provided with a 10 ton lift point, the rest were rated for 8 tons.3 The CRB cranes were similar to the CC8/4-1 model built from 1963 onwards, which was an 8 ton crane based on four wheels which was normally supplied with a two-stage telescopic boom. The CRB cranes were supplied with a fixed length boom with fixed lifting points. A search of the VicRoads photo collection only yielded one photo of an 8 ton Conquip crane working at an unidentified pre-cast plant in 1978. After privatisation, the yards were closed and the cranes were sent to the main depot in Syndal for disposal. The club was able to borrow an 8 ton crane for the move from Wantirna to Scoresby, and when the 10 ton crane came up for sale it was purchased by MSTEC from AH Plant in 1988.

Acknowledgements Greg Keane for providing his research notes on the history of Conquip.

Footnotes 1 Tractor serial number stamped on chassis frame. Build date from Chamberlain. Austra- lian Innovator, Bruce Lindsay, p.170 2 Abridged history from notes provided by Greg Keane 3 Peter Morris, pers. comm., July 2015

Specification for the CC8/4-1 Conquip crane with telescopic boom (Greg Keane) Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 4

TRACTORS

Tractor Grand parade in gloomy weather on the Saturday afternoon ran smoothly. The Friday parade was a bit of a learning experience as once the circle got full no more tractors could get in and those in could not get out so they just went round and round .

Here is a few pics from the recent National Historic Machinery Rally in Carrick Tasmania . Not a comprehensive report of the rally just a few pictures of exhibits that caught the Editors attention . By the way the next National rally was awarded to Hamilton and will be run by the Pastoral Museum on 21, 22 & 23 of April 2017 . With Hamilton being a lot easier to get to than Carrick and the date well clear of our rally it is a great chance for MSTEC to have a strong presence.

1916 T model Ford fitted with a Sears tractor kit These conversions were popular after WW1 due to a shortage of affordable tractors leading to all sorts of contraptions based on T model Fords . This is one of the better conversions with substantial double reduction gearing from the car diff to the back wheels . Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 5

R Hornsby & Sons Patent Oil Traction engine was literally a show stopper . People myself included stood round for hours waiting to see it start only to be disappointed. 20 minutes should have been enough to get the bulb hot but after hours of a smoky yellow flame from the lamp it was obvious they were not getting anywhere and gave up . Built in 1897 with a 20 HP Hornsby Akroyd hot bulb engine only 3 were made and all came to Australia . Worked around Wellington NSW until the 1920’s when the gave trouble. Restoration commenced 80 years later . (They had it going for Sheffield a week later )

MODELS

Right A challenge for our Ken . A wooden crawler tractor , not his usual scale though carved with a chain saw and nearly as big as a small car . It was later raffled Below The local model engineering group had a display that included this home built tool and cutter grinder and working live steam model loco . The club’s president turned out to be a former Melbourne member which explained why I had not seen him for years.

The WA group also brought over an ingenious fold out display case full of examples of their work .

Right This really impressed me A fully working 2/5 scale Land rover complete with authentic home made F head ( overhead inlet and side exhaust ) engine and transfer case and diffs. The owner didn’t seem to think there was anything remarkable about it . Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 6

Right Oscillating portable near Bathurst using principles invented in before Australia was “colonized “ Bill McRobb photo

Snippets of information have come from members recently about some of the very early steam engines in Australia . Understandably not much is known about them but hopefully some readers can fill in some of the gaps in their background as the interweb so far has not yielded much . Australia's First machines were ’s The first snippet came from Derek Moore atmospheric condensing Steam power first came to Australia in 1813 when John beam engines developed Dickson, a Scottish engineer and , arrived in Sydney around 1710 which ruled in the sailing ship “ Earl Spencer” with 10,000 pounds worth supreme until the 1770’s of goods and machinery, including a steam engine he had used when James Watts at his “manufactory” in Midlaine, Southwark. He planned to introduced use he engine to drive a flour mill, for which Governor improvements such as Macquarie allotted him a site at the head of Cockle Bay, external condensing and between Bathurst and Liverpool Streets. rotation through sun and Dickson built a dam across the inlet and fed fresh water from planet . Further nearby swamps into the storage it provided. From this supply, refinement followed the engine pumped the fresh water it needed for its . such as , Macquarie was present at the mill on 29 May 1815 to see it compounding and officially opened. governors by Watt and a number of others . One of these, Source: “The Engineers: 200 Years at Work in Australia” by was William Murdoch who invented the oscillating cylinder Brian Carroll ( Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1988) engine in 1785 . This used the pivots for the cylinder as valves

while dispensing with the beam and placing the shaft No details of the engine are given and a search of the directly above the cylinder on an A frame . original paper gave no additional enlightenment . Above Murdoch’s oscillating cylinder engine of 1785 . Today We can speculate that it was a double acting “ high pressure “ these are incorrectly called inverted engines but at that stage rotative engine by looking at the time line for the development it was normal for steam and IC engines to be this way up. of the steam engine . The first commercially effective Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 7

So by 1800 the was obsolete as all the essential elements of the modern steam engine had been established and it was time to combine them . was one of the first do so and by utilizing boiler feed pumps and high pressure steam ( generally around 50 psi but sometimes well over 100 ) in double acting cylinders opened up the possibility of using steam power for not only stationary application but road and sea as well. Just how refined Australia's First Engine was we will probably never know but it could have combined all the features necessary for an efficient and reliable engine.

To confuse the point a couple of interesting later engines using earlier features have come to light . Oscillating Cylinder Engine The first is a portable engine spotted by Bill McRobb at a small provincial museum 25 km Above Unknown Oscillating cylinder portable steam engine near Bathurst North of Bathurst at Limekilns an old Cobb & uses principles invented by William Murdoch in 1785 Co stop . No details are forth coming of the The boiler is missing it’s wheels and appears to be a low pressure affair by machine’s date or maker but it is clear it uses the thin plates and wide spacing of the stays. Photo Bill McRobb. principles invented by Murdoch in 1785 . The inlet and exhaust passages are connected to the cylinder through glands and packings on the cylinder pivot . As the rod has no gudgeon pin the cylinder rocks back and forth as the crank goes round opening and closing slots in the pivot to admit and exhaust steam . The principle never really caught on and probably was used more for model engines than the real thing . A Frame Engine Again an engine with pre 1800 features this was spotted by Warwick when calling in to the Steam & Traction Museum at Booleroo Centre This time a little bit is known about it from the museum guide book . Horwood & Ellis - Messers Thomas Horwood & Robert Ellis operated a foundry in Hindley Street Adelaide, SA from 1864 –1867. Prior to that it was operated by Joel Horwood Senior who commenced business there in 1850 , After driving forge blowers in WH May & sons Wallaroo Foundry for nearly 80 years the piston had worn right through the cylinder.

The exciting thing about this engine is that John Horwood is a member of our club and has been doing a lot of research and written several articles on family history and their foundry activities as chronicled in The Old Machinery Magazine # 180 August— September 2015 and # 168 as well as June 2013 Steam Supreme . It appears Joel senior was the son of a foundry man in Lancashire England who brought his family to Australia in1848 and established a foundry in Adelaide . One of his sons Thomas carried on the business in Adelaide while other son Joel soon ended up establishing a very successful foundry in Bendigo . Our John was also born in Bendigo and is busy unravelling the family tree so hopefully can dig up some info on the Boolaroo engine. Acknowledgement A History of the Growth of the Steam Engine by Robert H Thurston 1878 http://himedo.net/TheHopkinThomasProject/TimeLine/Wales/ Steam/URochesterCollection/Thurston/index.html Above The Booleroo Horwood Engine photo Warwick Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 8

The Meyers Mob coming to grips with the idiosyncrasies of their newly acquired Fowler crawler prior to going for a spin around the club.

A Fowler Crawler Britain . Held in recognition of those who made the supreme sacrifice the organizers wanted a presence of military vehicles The Meyer new toy is a Fowler crawler tractor of mid to set the scene. The key note speaker explained that 1959’s vintage powered by a single cylinder 2 water following the Nazi’s walk over victory of Germany’s cooled Diesel engine . Rather crude for their day they are neighbours Hitler thought a few bombs on London would have heavily based on the Field Marshall wheeled tractor . A subtle England surrender and he could invade. A serious differences is the engine is arranged to rotate in the other miscalculation of British mentality , technology and resources direction due to the different number of counter shafts in the as the heavier the bombing the more determined the Brits transmission . While the machine appears basically sound and became even leading to the unexpected retaliation bombing of runs as well as any a bit of fettling is required to sort the gear Germany . Although a very close thing the battle is regarded linkage and steering as at the moment it only turns to the left as the first significant set back for the Nazis ultimate defeat so meaning a right turn requires a donut . it is fitting to remember those who gave their lives . The Dawn Patrol The opportunity was also taken to inspect the Aero Club’s Sunday Sept 13 saw an early start for Warwick to get his facilities and the Australian National Aviation Museum tank down to the Royal Victorian Aero Club at Moorabbin for ( Moorabbin ) both of which have impressive facilities. commemoration of 75 years since the start of the Battle of

Above Participants were served breakfast followed by speeches and several kinds of music. Below Tank top view of military vehicles and planes . The Headquarters of the RVAC , a 2 storey building opens out onto this enclosed courtyard . A brass band was present competing with the other type of music from large radial engines and a 2 stroke V8 Detroit Diesel . Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 9

Spruce Up at the Front The Lloyds have been busy improving the appearance of our entrance . The first thing was taking advantage of the paint donated by Dulux to spruce up the ticket office . Jo noticed the paint was faded and flaking and the colour was at odds with the adjacent buildings so has been busy sanding it down and painting it cream to match the station . At the same time she noticed the appalling condition of the post and wire fence along the path . While visiting a hardware store Ross spotted some sections of white picked fence on sale . A discontinued line and almost perfect match to our existing station fence an opportunistic purchase was made at a bargain price . Thanks to the Lloyds we will soon have a smart looking entrance at very little outlay. It is amazing how when you see something every day , like the shabby ticket box you soon take it for granted . Next time you are down at the club try looking around as through visitors eyes and note what is a bit unsightly and we will get it on the Working Bee list

Well Done John & Arena

A huge CONGRATULATIONS has to go out to John Gotts – he has just had the boiler certified on his Ruston Proctor traction engine, and he had it out and running on the September run-day. What a great sight to see! Restoring these old engines requires real passion and is a huge amount of hard work, and it’s always great to see another engine return to working order. What a milestone! I'm sure that a hearty “well done” also has to go to John’s wife, Arina – restoring these engines always needs the support from the whole family! Neil Meters President

It was a big moment at the club when the Gotts’s Ruston Proctor traction engine steamed on to the arena for the first time . It is a great credit to John whose persistence paid off despite a number of setbacks over the 10 year restoration period . See front cover photograph

Right John at the controls of their Ruston Proctor traction Engine attending to the boiler water level and the fire prior to building up enough pressure to leave the shed under steam for the first time .

Acquired as an incomplete kit many of the smaller parts had to be made as well as the fitting of a new firebox crown . Mechanically the engine seems to have done little work and is in amazing condition never the less a great achievement by John who has learnt a great deal and acquired many new skills over the 10 year restoration.

We are looking forward to some background information from Rohan on this make in a future issue . Oct 2015 STEAM SUPREME 10

Around the club continued Engine Foundations We now have proffessionaly designed drawing from TD &C Pty Ltd for the Sugar Mill steam and Willans diesel engine foundations thanks to Rohan Lamb’s efforts . Although based on the original manufactures drawings TD&C expertise has been applied in designing steel reinforcement for the concrete and using drilled concrete piers going down approx 5 m to transfere the load to firmer soil . The next stage is obtaining quotes so funding options can be investigated. TD&C emphasise having the complete job for both engine done at the same time by the one contractor will offer considerable savings.