A catalogue from 1877 was the beginning of this model. The Appleby Brothers from London used catalogues to present their products. Today only little information may be found about this company. As often Grace’s Guide is the best reference. They state that Appleby manufactured steam cranes, dredgers, brick making machinery, pile drivers, pumps, portable and stationary engines. A fire-engine and a locomotive is mentioned. Founded in 1858 Appleby had 30 employees in 1871.

How could such a small firm offer such a vast scope of products? “Relabeling” would have been on way to go. At least some products would have been manufactured by others and a plate reading “Appleby Brothers” would have been fixed to it. Another way could have been to use components (e.g. boilers, winding drums, bed plates, engines) made by others and to just fit and test them.

However - there is no certainty due to missing sources. Appleby Brothers finally closed a few years before the outbreak of WW I.

The “Steam Warehouse Crane” with it’s components could be selected from the mentioned catalogue. Engine and winding drum (see Fig. 107) were offered in five variants from 10 cwt (1/2 t) up to 40 cwt (2 t). Data like cylinder bore and stroke, weight and volume were listed and - most important - the price.

The description states, that the piston rod could be detached from the crank shaft and then run the winding drum manually. Up to 1 t one gear was provided, above 1 t two gears (double purchase) (the two are not coupled, so mishandling was possible). A oscillating steam engine with one cylinder was used. Unlike the better known variants oscillating around the middle of the engine this one oscillated around the foot. Having only one cylinder the machine could not start from all positions, but Appleby wrote, that the

crank [would] being kept from standing on its dead point by a counterbalance in the flywheel rim; or should it on the centre with a load, it can always be started by reversing the valve.

In a model this will not work but there it is no problem to turn the flywheel even with a load.

I did not find an oscillating model engine with sliding valve and reversing gear, so I had to design my own engine. Screw fittings and sealing areas finally led to an engine scale about 1:10. This in turn resulted in a diorama bigger than my other models. But I wanted to show the engine operation site, i.e. the floor of a warehouse. The crane jig (see Fig. 133) makes it possible to raise and lower loads from the floor. See the model in action in my Youtube channel.

Last change 27.04.2022