Author Topic: Mechanical Elephants!  (Read 37702 times)

Stuart Cyphus

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Mechanical Elephants!
« on: July 10, 2008, 05:14:28 PM »
 The question is above, lets see the opinion.....   8)

Bob Purton

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2008, 05:38:38 PM »
Mine was YES!

marcus

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2008, 09:00:52 PM »
Mine two, I mean mine too! If the Americans made mechanical elephants they would give them TRUNKS.
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cuscus47

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2008, 10:08:45 PM »
By definition, a car is a device to transport.  ;) So RUMCars could mean: Rare & Unusual Mechanical elephants. ;D  So it fits right into the sovereignty of the club. :-*
AC, Acoma, Argsons, Arola, Batricars, Bianchina, Carter, Citroens, Cushmans, Dafs, ElectricPal, ElectricShopper, Elswick, Eshelman, Everest, Goggo, Harding, Invacar, Levesons, Lloyd, Marketeer, Model 70's (AC, Invacar), Nelcos, Poirier, Reliants, Renaults, Sinclairs,Trabant, Trilox, Tippen etal

Peelpower

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2008, 11:28:50 PM »
Whats the hell is a  Mechanical Elephant, mates? Never heard about!

Ferdi

Bob Purton

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2008, 02:17:48 PM »
What? , dont you subscribe to Rumcar news Ferdi? see page 31 of the latest issue.

marcus

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2008, 07:09:11 PM »
Ferdi, a Mechanical Elephant is a bit like a Mechanical Duck-Billed Platypus, but larger and with thicker skin. It is not very similar to a Mechanical Horse, which has 3 wheels plus 2 or 4 more on its trailer. And a mechanical Octopus is normally only seen at Fun Fairs. Oh, the M. D.-B. Platypus is just a silly joke ! I hope you now a full understanding...!
Just remember: as one door closes behind you, another slams in your face

Peelpower

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2008, 08:17:10 PM »
Thanks Markus, i got it now, and sorry i never heard it before.
Have i nice weekend,
Regards
Ferdi

AndrewG

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2008, 09:08:47 PM »
Here is a mechanical elephant at Colwyn Bay in the 1950s:



You can tell that this is a proper, approved, official mechanical elephant, as the gadgie steering it is wearing a white-topped hat.....

Andrew

Bob Purton

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2008, 08:50:53 AM »
Oh, they have wheels then. I thought they actually walked!

AndrewG

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2008, 12:41:25 PM »
I can (just) remember going on one of these.  I assume there were ratchets in the wheels, so that they could only move forwards - though what stopped the elephant from rolling away on down grades, other than general friction, I don't know.

The free play in the system was really scary with a massive lurch when setting off.  Of course once it was apparent that disaster was not striking and that the seat (gondola?) wasn't coming off, the lurching just added to the fun and needed some serious screaming to go with it.

Andrew

Stuart Cyphus

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2008, 01:17:20 PM »
Oh, they have wheels then. I thought they actually walked!

 You can get both! The early ones actully walked, but later ones were slightly inferier tecnologically. All will soon be revealed, as Tony has just given me clearance to do an article....   ;D

Bob Purton

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2008, 04:39:03 PM »
Oh good! Can we have some detail about how they actually worked, the walking ones that is. Leg moving sequence, how the legs were linked to the engine and dare I ask, where the exhaust came out. This should be an interesting article so long as its not restricted to who made them, when and photos. Pull all the stops out Stuart!

Stuart Cyphus

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2008, 08:26:12 PM »
 Rest assured sensitive viewers, the exhaust exited from the trunk, and not from the  :o !  I'm currently trying to contact the family of the original inventor, & here's an interesting micro link for everyone. He came from Thaxted in Essex as did, so I'm led to belive, Les Tilsbury of the MOC.....

 Where's Hornchurch in relation to Thaxted & Halstead, Bob?

marcus

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Re: Mechanical Elephants!
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2008, 08:40:33 PM »
I am looking forward to this article. Then having covered Mechanical Elephants, perhaps Tony could do an article on Mechanical Horses/Scarabs (surely a micro compared with other trucks!). I also enjoyed an article in RCN a few years back about the miniature Southdown buses.
I made a 40ft high static mechanical Dragon for a museum a few years ago, but I think it really is TOO far away from being a micro car
Just remember: as one door closes behind you, another slams in your face