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Tue, 06/14/2016 - 07:49

janwerner

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--30e Breakdown Car (1935-48)

The Breakdown Car shows the same differences in bonnet shape as the Motor Car does (understandably).

Now it strikes me that they show a parallel difference in hook mounting orientation, anyway, mine do.

The flat bonnet/straight lower windows line model (the grey one in the middle) shows a right side crimped hook mounting, whereas the higher bonnet/angled lower window line example(s) show(s) a left side crimped hook mounting.

Is this a 'rule' or do other examples deny this?

Furthermore, it strikes me once more that the crane is a rather intricate, vulnerable piece of diecast (with the rest of the inserted base) and not the same thicker, sturdy tinplate that the later Commer Breakdown Lorry uses.

Fri, 06/17/2016 - 10:02

john45

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Hello Jan,

On the pre war models you can find two different methods for connecting the plate with searchlight and crane to the body. One is with a separate rivet, one with the rivet cast to the plate at underside and gives a smooth floor. Both the models in the picture have thin axles and so pre war. It is not clear to me what was first. As there is no sign of a casted hole in the bed of the truck 22c. I wonder if Meccano drilled this hole or there was a second die. On the drawing this hole is drawn as a dotted line.

John.

Fri, 06/17/2016 - 14:32

janwerner

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Hi John, I would presume the one with the obvious rivet would be the first, as the smooth bed was definitely continued on later, post-war models too. Kind regards, Jan

Fri, 01/20/2017 - 20:06

dinkyfan

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Jan---Just reading some older threads, I came across your interesting comments regarding which side the tow hook is crimped on, and looking at my example, which also has the high bonnet and angled window line, it is also crimped on the left side....very interesting and one would wonder why it was changed?

Best regards, Terry

Fri, 01/20/2017 - 20:39

janwerner

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The same goes for the Shell Petrol Pump in the 49 set. I have two different examples, the handle mounted mirrorred for one. The one on the left matches the official picture in the catalogues, the one on the right is mounted differently. This case is better explicable - just mounted wrongly - than the Breakdown Car hook, because the very hook had to be produced mirrored itself for that. I don't know if that can be just a mistake. See pictures below. Kind regards, Jan

Sat, 01/28/2017 - 21:27

janwerner

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John, (or someone else), could you show the under side of your early Breakdown Car with the separate rivet, please? Would be interesting to see.

Here is my later one, shown down under, demonstrating that the casting of the crane unit inside the loading area must have included some kind of nipple, which protruded through the hole and was rounded off below to be united with the main body. Both the Motor Truck and the Crane Truck appear to have the drawing of the main body in common, as shown by Keith Harvie in The Binns Raod Gazette 1/5. The former is job no. 7071 (of 12 October 1934), the latter no. 7352 (of 29 January 1935, with hole in base added, for the Breakdown Car). I presume the hole was drilled, as the casting was shared by both models. Looking at examples of the Motor Truck and the Crane Truck it appears that the raised bonnet occurs on 'rear windowless' examples only, the flat one on both, which means that the flat bonnet was first and the raised one later. Any comments welcome. Kind regards, Jan