Good evening,
I wonder if someone might offer some advice relating to a propeller I recently ‘found’ at our local museum.
My ‘thing’ is WW1 biographies, but I also happen to live in Southport, which has an almost forgotten history of aircraft production dating back to 1916. I had been aware of a couple of batches of DH4, DH9 and DH9a aircraft produced at the Vulcan Motor and Engineering factory for some time and had made some tentative enquiries at both the museum and our local history unit within the library last year which were met with polite shrugs and a general lack of enthusiasm. More recently I became aware of two batches of BE2 aircraft which were produced there prior to the De Havilland aircraft and revisited the issue with the museum. Once again I was sent packing. Then by chance I found a picture of a DH9 on trestles in the factory which was credited to the museum collection. I sent an e-mail to the lady in charge of the local history unit and finally got a result. There was some material in a box file which I was welcome to review. This turned out to be a red herring, comprising of material from old classic car magazines and an article on the production of air portable motorbikes for paratroopers during WW2. To be fair to the staff they dug out a display board from years past with some photographs of the types produced, but these were not originals and were not of actual Vulcan machines. They admitted there might have been some photos, but due to staffing changes over the years their whereabouts were unknown. I tried to put a brave face on things, but was obviously disappointed.
It was at this point someone mentioned ‘the propeller in the cellar’. Would I be interested in seeing this? After obtaining permission to go into the storage area, I was taken to what turned out to be a storeroom with a corrugated roof – much as you would expect to see garden tooling kept in. Tied to the roof beams with coarse hessian rope was a four bladed wooden propeller. It had been there for years, and its history was unknown. The only way to get close to it was to stand on a white plastic garden chair, which left a bit to be desired. I took some photos and left, promising to return with some more appropriate inspection tooling.
A couple of weeks later I finally got an hour spare and returned with a set of folding steps, a mirror and torch. Despite the prop being tied with the front face of the hub uppermost, I managed to identify the part number and serial number.
T7448-RAF1A-100HP-BE2C-D2769MM-P2835MM G653N18
Now with a little digging on the internet and the application of logic I would guess this should be interpreted as;
• T7448 – the drawing number? Seems to be the standard 4 bladed prop fitted to BE2c/d/e models ref. Cross & Cockade.
• RAF1A – engine type.
• 100HP (this appears as a single symbol, the closest I can get on this keyboard is the Cyrillic letter Њ which should be inverted) – the power output of the engine sub type this prop is applicable to.
• BE2C – applicable airframe.
• D2769mm – diameter. This is pretty close to the measurement I took of 108¾inches.
• P2835mm – pitch.
This part number appears circumferentially around the hub – the second part (the serial number?) appears separately.
The prop itself is of laminated hardwood and is in good condition. It has clearly been mounted on a wall at some point and has four brass tags screwed to its rear face. The attendant tells me that it has been suspended from the roof beams for several years, and that he would be concerned it might warp if brought inside. At present it is subject to ‘outside’ humidity levels which I know from storing furniture in my garage for a short time can have a dramatic effect on wood.
Last week I became aware of sections of the old factory being demolished. Sadly this has been on the cards for some time as it has been empty for many years and is no longer ‘fit for purpose’. I hope that the whole thing isn’t going as it is a magnificent building which has changed remarkably little since 1906 when it was built. My daughter and I used to dream of turning it into a chocolate factory when she was little. As things stand, I can’t do much about ‘progress’, but I am determined that the propeller won’t go the same way as the old factory. I have promised to produce a display for the museum which will accurately record what happened there and additionally need some advice on what needs to be done to get the prop into a condition where it won’t deteriorate and can be put back on display.
I would also be grateful if anyone could advise me of the way the part number works. Does the T7448 indicate the material specification as well as the type? Does the serial number indicate the date of manufacture and do records exist which may link it to a particular batch produced at a specific location? Why is the diameter and pitch given in millimetres when the British Empire worked in inches?
Many thanks,
Vulcanworks
I wonder if someone might offer some advice relating to a propeller I recently ‘found’ at our local museum.
My ‘thing’ is WW1 biographies, but I also happen to live in Southport, which has an almost forgotten history of aircraft production dating back to 1916. I had been aware of a couple of batches of DH4, DH9 and DH9a aircraft produced at the Vulcan Motor and Engineering factory for some time and had made some tentative enquiries at both the museum and our local history unit within the library last year which were met with polite shrugs and a general lack of enthusiasm. More recently I became aware of two batches of BE2 aircraft which were produced there prior to the De Havilland aircraft and revisited the issue with the museum. Once again I was sent packing. Then by chance I found a picture of a DH9 on trestles in the factory which was credited to the museum collection. I sent an e-mail to the lady in charge of the local history unit and finally got a result. There was some material in a box file which I was welcome to review. This turned out to be a red herring, comprising of material from old classic car magazines and an article on the production of air portable motorbikes for paratroopers during WW2. To be fair to the staff they dug out a display board from years past with some photographs of the types produced, but these were not originals and were not of actual Vulcan machines. They admitted there might have been some photos, but due to staffing changes over the years their whereabouts were unknown. I tried to put a brave face on things, but was obviously disappointed.
It was at this point someone mentioned ‘the propeller in the cellar’. Would I be interested in seeing this? After obtaining permission to go into the storage area, I was taken to what turned out to be a storeroom with a corrugated roof – much as you would expect to see garden tooling kept in. Tied to the roof beams with coarse hessian rope was a four bladed wooden propeller. It had been there for years, and its history was unknown. The only way to get close to it was to stand on a white plastic garden chair, which left a bit to be desired. I took some photos and left, promising to return with some more appropriate inspection tooling.
A couple of weeks later I finally got an hour spare and returned with a set of folding steps, a mirror and torch. Despite the prop being tied with the front face of the hub uppermost, I managed to identify the part number and serial number.
T7448-RAF1A-100HP-BE2C-D2769MM-P2835MM G653N18
Now with a little digging on the internet and the application of logic I would guess this should be interpreted as;
• T7448 – the drawing number? Seems to be the standard 4 bladed prop fitted to BE2c/d/e models ref. Cross & Cockade.
• RAF1A – engine type.
• 100HP (this appears as a single symbol, the closest I can get on this keyboard is the Cyrillic letter Њ which should be inverted) – the power output of the engine sub type this prop is applicable to.
• BE2C – applicable airframe.
• D2769mm – diameter. This is pretty close to the measurement I took of 108¾inches.
• P2835mm – pitch.
This part number appears circumferentially around the hub – the second part (the serial number?) appears separately.
The prop itself is of laminated hardwood and is in good condition. It has clearly been mounted on a wall at some point and has four brass tags screwed to its rear face. The attendant tells me that it has been suspended from the roof beams for several years, and that he would be concerned it might warp if brought inside. At present it is subject to ‘outside’ humidity levels which I know from storing furniture in my garage for a short time can have a dramatic effect on wood.
Last week I became aware of sections of the old factory being demolished. Sadly this has been on the cards for some time as it has been empty for many years and is no longer ‘fit for purpose’. I hope that the whole thing isn’t going as it is a magnificent building which has changed remarkably little since 1906 when it was built. My daughter and I used to dream of turning it into a chocolate factory when she was little. As things stand, I can’t do much about ‘progress’, but I am determined that the propeller won’t go the same way as the old factory. I have promised to produce a display for the museum which will accurately record what happened there and additionally need some advice on what needs to be done to get the prop into a condition where it won’t deteriorate and can be put back on display.
I would also be grateful if anyone could advise me of the way the part number works. Does the T7448 indicate the material specification as well as the type? Does the serial number indicate the date of manufacture and do records exist which may link it to a particular batch produced at a specific location? Why is the diameter and pitch given in millimetres when the British Empire worked in inches?
Many thanks,
Vulcanworks
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