suffolk dredging tractor

Hi I'm new to this forum lark so please ignore any errors.

I've just acquired a 3" Suffolk dredging tractor complete with dredging buckets, does anybody know when the M.E. series on these buckets was published. Also is the chimney supposed to wobble? Surely not

Volume 146 covers most of the build

The last bit is in ME3664 (vol 147)

146,3624,32,"""Countryman's Steam""","The ""Suffolk"" Steam Dredging Tractor in 3 in. scale",1,John
Haining,"Introduction, general arrangement"

Found no mention of the buckets or chimney in the index

Edited By Ady1 on 17/11/2014 09:41:54

If I remember rightly the buckets were never covered in the main build and I'm not sure if he even described them, will do a bit of digging.

And no to the chimney. It should have a flange welded oe silver soldered to the bottom that bolts to a similar flange on the top of the boiler flue. If it is wobbling below the flange then you have a serious boiler problem

Edited By JasonB on 17/11/2014 10:04:08

Thanks for that Its the bucket articles I'm after. its the flange the chimney bolts to that wobbles,I cant see how its fixed to the boiler flue

Should be welded, click image for larger view

Thanks Jason. Mines a copper boiler so I guess its silver soldered

Bill

Hello I've heard John described a copper boiler variant in ME, does anyone know which issue this was please? The above comment is the closest I have got to his design while searching.

Also before anyone says that the steel one is fine, yes I'm sure it is, but I'm not a coded welder, and the club I'm in does not do tests for steel boilers only copper. So trying to circumnavigate paying separately for a boiler test on one engine.

Thanks in advance.

3672 sounds promising as it was a year or so after the series, think I have it but will have to look later.

You may get quite a few tests done for the additional cost of copper and silver solder over steel!

Thank you Jason, I'll see if it's one I have, I don't have that many from around the 80's and 90's but I could dig it out from the club if needed.

I haven't actually priced up a boiler in steel and testing. I had assumed it would be dearer, I just thought it would be more convenient to have all tests done in one place, but you have me thinking now what the price difference would be.

would love know the outcome of your research into copper versus steel as i have always liked the Suffolk tractor and havee

thought of building on many times i must of missed the copper boiler issue looks as if i'm going to have to delve into my collection

regards

peter

No Joy. That article had some chat about the dredging arm but the rest was the ploughing engine boiler hence why it came up in a search.

hi

just had a troll on the net an found that western boilers list a Suffolk boiler in there traction engine boiler section

do not know of the cost or delivery

regards

peter