Mystery ladder

It fits the profile for scaffolding. Horizontal pieces like this are used to strengthen or to guard. They do indeed have some pieces similar to this that are not broken down at all. I have seen these many times on the back of scaffolding wagons.

But I do agree with you that it does not seem like your typical scaffolding construction piece. Maybe an older piece but I guess unless someone comes forward that has used one of these before then we may never know what this item is.

Cool – give him a couple of days to decide if it will be right for the museum and I can always contribute to freight costs if needed.
If he doesn’t want it Foynes would be a good home too.

Cool – give him a couple of days to decide if it will be right for the museum and I can always contribute to freight costs if needed.
If he doesn’t want it Foynes would be a good home too.

Yes Pondskater, that’s the one (Tail). If they want it it is theirs and I will throw in a stbd aileron and a couple of port ones for free. Freight is their problem.

Yes Pondskater, that’s the one (Tail). If they want it it is theirs and I will throw in a stbd aileron and a couple of port ones for free. Freight is their problem.

Why don`t you contact the Flying Boat Museum at Foynes Stan?I`m sure they`d love your ladder for display !!!!

Why don`t you contact the Flying Boat Museum at Foynes Stan?I`m sure they`d love your ladder for display !!!!

Hmm – more than one ladder on a Sunderland. I agree unlikely to be the internal one – and later Sunderlands seem to have rectangular section treads.

And then there is the tail ladder – more commonly seen on the early aircraft. I think it got deleted from the aircraft as part of early war weight saving measures.

This has the curved ends and supports – if yours show signs of being cut down from one of these then I’ll see if I can get more detail.

Certainly not Sunderland. Have one sitting in the hangar. Has curved ends and a support in the centre. Anyone want it???

I’d love it – not entirely sure where to put it. But seriously, I might know somebody who would be interested. I’ll have a word and can put you in touch.

AllanK

Hmm – more than one ladder on a Sunderland. I agree unlikely to be the internal one – and later Sunderlands seem to have rectangular section treads.

And then there is the tail ladder – more commonly seen on the early aircraft. I think it got deleted from the aircraft as part of early war weight saving measures.

This has the curved ends and supports – if yours show signs of being cut down from one of these then I’ll see if I can get more detail.

Certainly not Sunderland. Have one sitting in the hangar. Has curved ends and a support in the centre. Anyone want it???

I’d love it – not entirely sure where to put it. But seriously, I might know somebody who would be interested. I’ll have a word and can put you in touch.

AllanK

Certainly not Sunderland. Have one sitting in the hangar. Has curved ends and a support in the centre. Anyone want it???

Certainly not Sunderland. Have one sitting in the hangar. Has curved ends and a support in the centre. Anyone want it???

Personally. given the distance of the two end “steps” from the end of the side pieces I don’t think it is a ladder. Whichever way it would stand the bottom “step” is to close the ground and therefore redundant. I suspect it is something structural but out of what I have no idea.

Personally. given the distance of the two end “steps” from the end of the side pieces I don’t think it is a ladder. Whichever way it would stand the bottom “step” is to close the ground and therefore redundant. I suspect it is something structural but out of what I have no idea.

Thanks for the suggestion Tony, but it doesn’t seem to be Sunderland. The ladder seen here is definitely different from whatever we have.

Thanks for the suggestion Tony, but it doesn’t seem to be Sunderland. The ladder seen here is definitely different from whatever we have.

Sunderland?

Sunderland?

perhaps it belonged to a Jedi Master??.

on closer inspection of your pic it does look like a support item as mentioned earlier. is there any wear n tear on the rungs?. surely the edges show a different texture from feet and hand use if used as a ladder?

perhaps it belonged to a Jedi Master??.

on closer inspection of your pic it does look like a support item as mentioned earlier. is there any wear n tear on the rungs?. surely the edges show a different texture from feet and hand use if used as a ladder?

Thanks for all the comments. I hadn’t measured the spacings between the steps but can certainly do this – although it will be a few days until I can do it.

What is slightly puzzling – apart from the very large spacing between ‘steps’, is that there is a ‘step’ at the very bottom and top of the ‘ladder’ which you certainly wouldn’t need in order to climb the ‘ladder’. I hadn’t thought about Resmoroh’s suggestion before, but perhaps this is a possibility. Is it some kind of support (although there don’t seem to be any fixing to hold a plank or something similar in place and stop it sliding off)?

Is it possible that it could be an internal ladder in an aircraft – is there anything where there would have been two decks that were at very different heights? Probably not, but just trying to think of slightly less obvious possibilities. If this is a ladder, it doesn’t seem to match any general aircraft access ladders – unless anyone knows different.