Website EMgauge70s - October comes early

Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
AJC said:
….The Michigan 125 wheel loader built to serve as a shunter is particularly impressive and well worth a look. …..
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It certainly is!

In case anyone is wondering how the Michigan - which has an unconventional lift arm geometry - has been adapted for shunting, it is fairly simple: the bucket has been removed and a buffing beam attached high up on the front frame.
Here's a 125A which we had from new for the best part of 30 years showing how the linkage works. If only you could keep everything :rolleyes:

Michigan 125A.jpg

Chicago O'Hare airport still has a fair few of these by now ancient 125As and some larger 180s in their snow clearing fleet.
 
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AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
Nice! The re-cabbed Matador - is that a tipper body? - is extremely funky too.

Adam
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Yes, a tipper. Only the radiator badge survives. There were 4, all with different cabs! This one (origin unknown), a standard military cab, a civvy AEC cab and another civvy cab ex Douglas timber tractor. There was a 6 wheel refuelling tanker chassis-cab for spares too.

The 125As like that above assembled in the UK (I believe at AWD Camberley?) had a Leyland 600 and masses of torque at the wheels, so I guess would be capable of pushing a very respectable freight trainload! Quite possibly the equivalent of a 20T Fowler 0-4-0 shunter, given similar power unit, 1/2 the weight but plenty of rubber for traction?

Was the model inspired by the use of a Michigan in real life as a rail shunter?
 
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AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
Osgood said:
Was the model inspired by the use of a Michigan in real life as a rail shunter?
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No idea - it's a question for Hywel who built it. It's certainly a step up from the usual Fordson Major based units, or even the County 4wd version that used to live at Longsight. What industry were the Matadors employed in? Can't quite make it out.

Adam
 
Ressaldar

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Osgood said:
The 125As like that above assembled in the UK (I believe at AWD Camberley?)
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Hi Osgood,

correct, in an ex US Navy hanger on Blackbushe Airport (scene of last weeks crash onto the BCA carpark) we used to live in Yateley, backing onto the airfield.

cheers

Mike
 
Kier Hardy

Kier Hardy

Active Member
With holidays and other things associated with this time of year, there's not much to report from the offices of emgauge70s this month, and not helped by the collapse of my usual FTP client. All seemed to be working fine until it asked me to update, and that's the usual kiss of death!!!

So..... the combined shortage of updates, and the lack of a decent FTP (I have tried uploading a new one, but that just introduced additional niggles and sub-problems which I didn't want on my 'puter), there's not a lot to report for September 2015.

Of course all this pails into insignificance, considering the preparations for getting Hornsey Broadway ready for its first outing on the 19th & 20th of September at Shipley, West Yorkshire (operational but still work in progress). There are no other planned outings until May 2018 for the layout, when hopefully it will be finished in time for Railex at Aylesbury.

Kier
 
oldravendale

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
There are no other planned outings until May 2018 for the layout, when hopefully it will be finished in time for Railex at Aylesbury.

Kier
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Oh yes!!! I'm looking forward to that. All the photos I've seen are amazing and I want to see it in the flesh. I will be at Railex 2018 but that's an awful long time to wait. (Always assuming I've not completed all my outstanding kits by then - see earlier posting to reference this.)

Brian
 
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