greg3 Posted November 2, 2018 (edited) Hi Here's the latest addition to my World War 1 British War Department Light Railway... the Crewe Tractor. These were introduced in late 1916 as a solution to the problem of getting supplies the last few hundred metres to the front. Unlike the rest of the WDLR network, these sections of track were lightweight tramways often hurriedly laid on poorly prepared ground and couldn't be used by the regular petrol tractors. Instead, supplies had to be loaded onto hand carts and muscle power got them to their final destination. This was slow, inefficient and took men away from the fighting lines. The story goes that an officer, home on leave, mentioned these difficulties to a friend who happened to be the daughter of C J Bowden-Cooke, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), who set about solving this problem. After trials on the narrow gauge Crewe Works Railway, his solution was to convert a road vehicle to operate on rail. He chose the Ford Model T and designed a frame with rail wheels that would convert it into a rail tractor. Before being mounted on the frame, the road wheels were removed and the rear ones replaced with sprockets which would drove the rail wheels via chains. The conversion took around an hour and in the road configuration, the disassembled frame could be carried on the rear cargo bed. Despite pulling 5 tons at 15 mph in testing, in reality the tractor didn't perform as well as expected in the field as it often struggled with traction but it was better than nothing. Many also found use as inspection vehicles with around 132 eventually being built. Now on with the MOC... The road version - all the parts needed to convert it to rail use can be carried allowing it to drive up to the railway. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Unloaded and ready for conversion... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Rail version Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The curved cover protects the sprocket/chain drive that transfer power from the rear axle to the rail wheels. (don't worry, I've straightened up the wonky plates!!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The steering wheel was kept (although most versions once converted to rail stayed that way) You can also see the brake lever which was added to use alongside the vehicle's original brakes. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As the reverse gear wasn't up to much, the tractor was fitted with a built in jack/turntable and could be lifted, turned 180º and lowered in around 3 minutes. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr A few more pics... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Finally I couldn't resist building 2 to make a before/after... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As you can see, I took @Roadmonkeytj's advice about using reference photos as a backdrop - I think it works quite well (although my printer needs more ink... and I thought LEGO was expensive!! ) Anyway, thanks for looking... comments are always welcome. Edited November 2, 2018 by greg3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hod Carrier Posted November 2, 2018 Fabulous work as always, Greg. We’re getting a real history lesson from you as well as being treated to some excellent brick work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laura Beinbrech Posted November 2, 2018 Really nifty build, Greg! Looks like this thing is the Hi-rail's great-great-grandaddy. As I said before, I really love your series of WWI trench railway builds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted November 2, 2018 I think this is my favorite so far... I'm glad you went with the historical pictures I really do think it makes it that much better! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
harnbak Posted November 8, 2018 Love this, so few bricks and yet so elegant. Very close to the real thing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zephyr1934 Posted November 9, 2018 Those are some crazy prototypes you are building off of and then at such small size the amount of detail that you pack in is unbelievable. Great work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feuer Zug Posted November 10, 2018 Another great little piece of Great War history. Thanks for teaching us about this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Asper Posted November 10, 2018 Very interesting background story. And the LEGO model is great! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
