First report, please be nice!
After reading the report by Imba (and living in Bristol) I had to try to find this.
I was initially having no success until I realised it isn't in the county of Bristol at all, it's actually in Somerset.
I managed to spot it on google maps quite quickly (while not being 100% sure I was right).
I thought I would wait until I'm next in the area and go for a reccy, time passed and it slipped from the front of my mind.
I went to an event the other day which is near the location and suddenly remembered the train (I hadn't planned to visit that day, so only had a phone rather than a DSLR).
I was with my young son and two friends and we decided to have a go at finding it.
It turned out to be exactly where I thought it was, and we picked a perfect route in (from the nearest bridge and along the footpath).
History:
This will have been part of the WW2 US military logistical effort in the area, which was fairly extensive.
With plans for a vast number of US military personnel being stationed here, there was a need for significant supplies.
A large network of depots, bases, airfields, storage tanks, hospitals, warehouses and POW camps were established.
The crane was originally fitted to a ship (no name found) but was obviously removed because the ship sank.
The manufacturers (Grafton) think the crane is now at the bottom of the sea!
I've struggled to find out much more than this.
Imba's report history has much more detail, so I will focus on...
My observations:
This crane doesn't appear to be self propelling in any major way.
There is drive to the axles via a vertical pinion dropping down to a crown wheel on a prop shaft connecting the axles.
This crown wheel & pinion (and both of the others connecting the axles) are open and dry.
I think this means it would have the capability to move short distances at low speeds under it's own "steam".
I think it would have been moved distances by a locomotive.
There is a small 4 cylinder Diesel engine mounted behind the cab which is unlikely to be original (I couldn't identify it's maker).
This would appear to drive the winch drum, jib, and wheels, there is no sign of the jib at the site.
The crane is mounted on a turntable, providing 360 degree access.
There is a very heavy ballast weight to the rear of the cab, which presumably wasn't heavy enough as two massive RSJs have been crudely bolted underneath.
The other rolling stock with the crane is not related, in my opinion.
They look like cattle trucks or similar and one has a plate on it dated in the 50's, probably random rolling stock on the line which was all shunted out of the way together.
The electrical socket mentioned by others seems to power two light fittings in one of the "cattle trucks" visible in one of the photos below.
There are also plumbing fittings on this truck, but I'm not sure what they would have been for.
There is also a (crudely fitted) kill switch in the cab which is too modern to be original.
The buffer on the rear of the crane are mounted to a wood beam which I would think unusual, the wood is rotting and one buffer is drooping.
The crane doesn't seem to have suffered much since 2020, I notice chains missing from the front but not much else.
I can't seem to upload any more photos, please check back
Thanks for looking, feedback welcome...
, not a single shot of it as a whole.
