Friday, August 26, 2022

Railway tools


LMS Drill
More junk bought at a bargain price because I was curious. In this case, I think I might have something with a bit of value though, so maybe this counts as an investment. Whatever, they came from the Tramway Museum excess tool sale, so the money goes to a good cause.

First up, a No.101 drill bit, capable of making a hole 23.5mm wide. This equates to 0.9251969 of an inch, which doesn't sound that useful to me, but then I can't really work Imperial measurements once you start messing with 8th etc. 

LMS

It is a proper railway tool - embossed with and LMS stamp, I'm thinking that it has to be at least 75 years old, and probably more ancient than that. It's a good sized lump of metal anyway. 

More of a mystery is this spanner. 

Spanner

I have a feeling it's a railway tool as well - something for screwing the bolts that go through rail chairs if my guess is right. 53 cm long and with jaws 4cm wide, but what's the point of the pointy end? 

There might be a BR stamp under the paint, but I'm loath to scrape it off to investigate further. 


And is this 909 or 606 stamped on the handle? And what does it mean? 

A little Friday mystery for you. I'm sure there is someone who knows the answer!



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5 comments:

  1. Huge5:54 AM

    Morning Phil - the pointy end is called a podger. Used to poke through adjoining bits to align the holes before putting the bolt (or rivet) through.

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  2. Jody6:30 AM

    The spanner you have is a spud wrench, podger or a steel erection wrench, depends what trade you are in as to what its referred to as.
    It's a tool used for assembling bolted-steel structures, one end can have an adjustable wrench or, as with your spanner, a fixed wrench for hexagonal nuts and bolt heads, and the other end has a long tapered conical pin.
    The pin is used to safely guide and align the bolt holes as the beams etc are lifted into place. The conical pin end, inserted through a pair of corresponding holes in a beam and flange, or possibly rail chair and sleeper, can support and align the items being assembled while a bolt is inserted through one of the other holes to secure the joint.

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  3. Phil Parker7:37 AM

    You know, it's worth 2 quid to own something called a Podger. Thanks!

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  4. Dave Churchill10:29 AM

    Old railway bolt and hole sizes used the Whitworth system.

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  5. Huge5:30 PM

    Your 23.5mm drill is most likely a 15/16" in proper UK language. mm's don't count anymore after Brexit.

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