Help Needed: Our tug

‘Fraid I don’t have a pic, but it was behind the storage area. I must stress that all my info is from memory – and it ain’t great!
Might be returning for the next Cobham open day though.

I dont think the front end of the tug is original mate, the more i look at it the more im beginning to think it has been added on later or as a repair?

When you compare the article i linked from flight global and the above picture of the tug at FAAM the only difference between the two, is the lack of headlights on the FAAM one.

I think a trip to FAAM is in order. I want our tug to look as original as possible! 🙂

Hi Ben and James
Yes there might be local variations anyway,but it sure doesnt look like a Douglas Grille on Bens tug !!
Have you got a FAAM piccy salted away somewhere of the other Tug at Yeo James ??
When I were a lad…I used to do a lot of Canberra towing with Turbo Taskmasters,they were quite nice little tractors !!

rgds baz

Looks like a shortened version of a DC7/7Q ilk tug.
It is similar to a type of FAA tug as others have said.
The Grille doesnt look quite right – but similar to the tractor/tug at Yeovilton as Pagen said…
link to pic

http://www.birminghamuk.com/album/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=173

thats got to be it, the rear end is exactly the same! looking at that and other photographs ive found show the grill and the flat piece its mounted to, to be wrong. this would also explain the large amount of rust on the front piece and lack of rust anywhere else on the truck???

That wasn’t the example I was thinking of Baz, but it certainly looks like it is based on that.

Looks like a shortened version of a DC7/7Q ilk tug.
It is similar to a type of FAA tug as others have said.
The Grille doesnt look quite right – but similar to the tractor/tug at Yeovilton as Pagen said…
link to pic

http://www.birminghamuk.com/album/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=173

Ben, the Navy did indeed use another small tug other than the type pictured, and it did look similar to what you have – but have no sources to check against at mo. Possibly from the smaller, earlier jets period, pre Vixen, Scimitar etc. Cab looks like a post service mod.
Again from my awful memory, I think there might be one at FAAM.

HMS Eagle did serve for just over 25 years did it not?. I’m sure the types of tugs aboard her would have changed from time to time. Sorry can’t be of more help. I’ve added a link I found.

Regards

http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_eagle_r05.htm (2nd picture up off the bottom. one tug that looks similar to yours maybe?)

Forgot to mention, the XM496 tug is painted up in authentic period RAF colours!

A.

Cheers matey, even if it isnt Ex Raf we would like to find the correct paint scheme in which to paint her up, we were thinking about having her painted the same sea grey that WR963 is but I think Authentic all the way 🙂

You could try the Britannia XM496 chaps at Kemble; they had a Douglas Sentinel tug at some point, although it was a bit bigger. It was the same as the ones used by RAF Transport Command. They might have info on the use of tugs in the RAF in general. Their website is http://www.xm496.com – contact details are on there.

Andy

And some were mini-tugs!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roblangham/3498716808/

Seems that the ones on eagle had all wheel steering?

That said the chap from douglas seemed fairly sure that it was a tug from eagle? I cant see the RN using two different tugs

I can, some Navy tugs had paddle wheels!!!

Seems that the ones on eagle had all wheel steering?

That said the chap from douglas seemed fairly sure that it was a tug from eagle? I cant see the RN using two different tugs

indeed seems to be another type
http://www.afwing.com/intro/harrier/legend/harrier%20gr1%20hms%20eagle.jpg

Hmmm that doesnt look like our tug at all 🙁 I was really hoping we had a HMS eagle tug there 🙁

Have a look at this site:

HMS Eagle the link will take you to the photos page, and one taken during the Suez Crisis (LINK) shows several of the tugs on deck….

right had some info back from douglas equipment

The chap i spoke to thinks it might be a Douglas NS6 that was built for HMS Eagle around 1964!

Anyone got any pics? we’re going to paint her up in navy colours if it turns out that it is indeed from Hms Eagle 😀

edit:

this is the only photograph I have managed to find of the tractor in service, though this one with a civillian company!

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1962/1962%20-%200532.html

not entirely sure where it came from? Could very well be the same tug?

I rang Douglas equipment and forwarded them a couple of photographs of the old girl, their parts chap is looking into it to see if he can find out what it is! 🙂

NF – Ill have a peer now 🙂

Cheers

Ben

MBA2? Didn’t come from Marshalls by any chance did it? If so, I remember that old beast very well!