Gents C40A WT in Yangon, Burma.

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I was recently contacted by an international traveller who was curious about a clock movement he saw on a visit to Burma. I was even sent an image and then more later, to help to identify the movement. 

It is of course the partial remains of a later, Gent's C40A waiting train, turret clock.

Sadly the main, drive electromagnets are missing. 

The WT is situated at the Secretariat Building in Yangon. A superb building as can be seen in the background to the WT. 

The WT rests on a typical and sturdy, Gents style, clock table or bench. Which is well reinforced against rocking by triangulating, timber braces.

The pendulum still hangs patiently below the movement.

 While the Gents' name plate and hand setting dial are also still present.

The WT movement must be sheltered from direct rainfall or it would be in considerably worse condition by now.

My contact was told that there were a couple of slave dials involved but no mention, so far, of the vital, Pulsynetic master clock.

The view from the other side showing a later, grey painted model of the Gents waiting train. The sloping main frame above the [missing] electromagnets is a clear indicator of a later movement. I am guessing at late 1940s-50s? Though I have no real data on this matter.

I have no idea what appears on the large label dangling from the movement. Perhaps it refers to the whereabouts of the missing coils?

 The impressive and colourful Secretariat Building in Yangon as seen by Google Earth.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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Later, step-framed, WT movements.

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Later C40B & C40C WT movements took on a stepped mainframe design. The movement was compact and provided a clear area for the crown wheel and bevel gears. One might say they were "industrialized" in comparison with the earlier, "organic" main frame designs. 

The factory drawing alongside clearly states that this is a C40B. I don't yet have a drawing of a C40C to share here.

 And the physical reality: A C40B stepped frame WT. Expansion couplings are provided for at least three dials. Left, right and forwards. Another may face backwards out of sight.

There has been some reinforcement and simplification over the earlier curved frame models. Plated components are the norm to avoid corrosion.

The gathering pallet is now doubled to provide a straight draw on the ratchet [escape] wheel. 

The contact steady bars are of the later, pressed variety.

A near identical, step framed, C40B courtesy of Simon Boyd.

The typical drive to the lead-off work is clearly visible on the left. A crossbar is driven by a slotted channel to provide a positive, non-slip drive to the distant clock hands. While simultaneously allowing for thermal expansion and building movement.

 Another step-frame C40B in clean condition.

Pressed steel contact steady bars. All plated components.

This fine example was described as a C40C by the vendor. I called it a C40B and the mainframe shows B1 in the central casting. I must admit that I cannot identify any obvious differences from the C40B above.

The movement had been domesticated. By being installed into a fine, furniture quality, display cabinet.

The clock dial is unusual. Most WTs, with a forward facing bevel wheel, would have a time setting dial with mention of name and patents. Perhaps the domestication required a readable time indication? If so, it was tastefully done.

An almost perfectly matching step-framed WT from Clock.doc. C40B? Or 40C?

 WT R 1.jpg (JPEG Image, 640 × 609 pixels)

Perhaps it is merely a matter of scale? The C40B at the top of the page has a perforated crown wheel. Both of these  C40Cs have a solid crown wheel to the bevel wheel cluster. The black paint is usually considered as a sign of an early movement.Yet both "C" movement have later plated components and pressed, contact steady bars.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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C40B and C40C WT Model identification:

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An early C40B at St Mary's. Sloping shoulders and step in the mainframe above the main drive electromagnets. Single, vertical, lead off to dials well above the movement. Probably 1930s/40s judging from the "marine" colour and lacquered brass components. Angular, cast brass, contact steady bars.

This is almost a twin of my own, smaller, C40A. Apart from the wrapping on the coils of the drive electromagnets. My earlier coils were only wax coated.

Hipp toggle damper present. The clean supporting table with guide rails suggests a protective box has been removed for the photograph.

C40B from the recent Corsham clock auction.  21/22 Feb '19.

Single overhead drive, sloping shoulders and stepped mainframe. A later model with a mixture of plated and painted components. Later, curved [pressed steel?] contact steady bars.

Hipp toggle damper absent. As is the time setting crank on the forward end of worm shaft. Both items are easily reproduced.

Another C40B from an eBay auction. Withdrawn before the end of bidding. Rather small, original auction images do not enlarge well.

A mix of early, lacquered brass and later plated components.

Early, angular, cast brass, contact steady bars. Full set of bevel and crown wheels. Stepped main frame with unusual colour. Repaint?

Bare [lacquered?] wire on drive coils. Looks original from the tail lead, tying and dressing.



A working C40B in the workshop: https://youtu.be/Cv0muKlXSp4
Needs a rubber hose on the toggle damper to quieten it and stop wear. Silicone rubber hose is a modern alternative and readily available.


An early, black factory paint, model C40C from the Terry's factory. Later stolen.

Copyright of Matt Allen, industrial heritage photographer, with thanks. Lots more images of the original Gents clock system at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattdonut/sets/72157629987375371/with/7006525510/

Note how a continuation of the mainframe shoulders would meet in a straight line at the pendulum suspension bearings. Lacquered brass components but later, pressed contact steady bars. The time setting crank is present.

Another C40C. Very similar indeed to the C40C above. Both right side mainframes descend, without any step, directly to the foot. Early, black factory paint, lacquered brass/bronze components but pressed contact steady bars.

Horizontally oval, fixed, contact assembly, pillar base exactly the same as the example above. This was an early sign on C40As which eventually went over to a vertically oval, adjustable base with horizontally slotted, screw holes. Here the Hipp toggle damper hangs down uselessly.

I can't be sure of the finish on the drive coils. The upper example almost looks like the early bare, DCC or DSC, copper wire. The lower ones could be wax dipped. They look much smoother without any visible turns. Black paint suggests early examples. No doubt the time setting dial could be deciphered to better date the two examples.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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Identifying WT C40B & C movements.

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There was an ongoing discussion on WT model designation [letters C40A, B & C] in the comments section of my blog when  a new example appeared at auction.

The C40B, recently sold at auction, has matching 'shoulders' and the larger wormwheel of the larger models. A new detail has been raised to confuse the issue. On the right of the mainframe there is a clear step in the casting. While the much larger C40C drops straight down to the cast foot without such an obvious step.

These Gents factory drawings show the different models.

The C40B mainframe [image right] has matching shoulders but they slope slightly. While the shoulders of C40C  are more "muscular" and are horizontal where they meet the pendulum support bearings. [image below]

Judging mainframe size from online images is certainly not easy. Another point of confusion lies with the later chair-frame models using the parlance of weight-driven movements. Though in the case of the later WTs the frame is stepped sideways. Rather than from front to back. L-shaped frames might be clearer than "stepped" frame. Since the model B does seem to have a step of its own. One not shared by the C40C.

However, a glance at the only example of an early C40"C" on Clockdoc.org clearly shows a step on the right of the mainframe:

https://clockdoc.org/?user=European&moid=53980

In fact this example easily satisfies the description and appearance of a C40B. Stepped on right of frame and matched, sloping shoulders. A nice example too!

Each larger model in the WT series is supposed to drive the hands of larger dials than the next smaller. This strongly suggests a change of scale is required. Scale brings stronger drive electromagnets, a larger drive wormwheel and heavier pendulum.

These are only the most obvious "bigger engine" details required to increase torque beyond that available from the smaller models. Some models of WT show much larger time setting dials and matching, larger bevel gears. Surely an obvious clue to the greater expectations in driven dial size?

Discussion of these details is not mere horological pedantry. The larger models are vitally necessary beyond a certain dial size or number of larger dials. The theft of a much rarer, C40C from the Terry's factory meant that no replacement could be easily found. A national appeal went out to interested parties within the clock milieu to find a replacement.

A smaller model  of WT will be found wanting in driving and controlling the much heavier hands of larger dials. Adverse weather will soon show with an under-powered WT. A row of birds will unbalance the hands. Ice and wind loads rise alarmingly with hand and dial size.

Larger dials [and their much larger hands] will usually be installed much higher on highly exposed buildings. Small dials are quickly lost with distance. Rapidly shrinking into insignificance. The general rule is that a dial diameter should be one foot in diameter for every ten feet in installed height on the tower or building. Not always achieved due to architectural restraints but worth adhering to.

In the next [newer] post I shall show some images of these larger WT models culled from the Internet for educational purposes.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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A very desirable WT C40B.

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Gardiner Houlgate Lot 1070 is a C40B WT on sale at their live auction 21/22nd February 2019 at Corsham, Wilts. Near Chippenham and only ten miles from Georgian Bath.

Just one item, I believe, from the late Arthur Mitchell's extensive collection. I once had the unique pleasure of visiting his home. So that he could examine my recently acquired "False Pediment" Synchronome with his expert eye. That must have been over 30 years ago now but his collection was already truly remarkable. He was the author of several small books on master clocks.

 The Arthur Mitchell Collection | Gardiner Houlgate | The Bath Auction Rooms - The Specialist Auctioneers

I remember that Mr Mitchell once complained that one could no longer source master clocks from demolition workers. Perhaps for the price of a pint and a quick twist of the builder's shovel to fetch it down from the wall. The humour was not lost on me but Arthur was certainly collecting some lovely clocks long before the Internet [and later YouTube]  made them far more popular [and valuable.] Arthur must have been there quite literally "on the ground floor" as Britain's industrial heritage was demolished to make way for more traffic jams.

Arthur Mitchell was a quietly spoken gentleman and always generous with his accumulated knowledge. We exchanged correspondence and stacks of photocopies, books and even clocks for years afterwards. Even when I moved abroad we kept in touch. This was, of course, long before the Internet allowed instant messaging, with images, as we know it today.

 Gents Pulsynetic waiting train electric turret clock movement, 21" wide, 16" high, with pendulum

Note the matching "shoulders" of the sturdy mainframe of this more heavily built and much more powerful movement than the smaller C40A. It is surprisingly compact even compared with the smallest WT. Being only 4" wider but not much taller. A universal "turret clock" movement. All thanks to the genius of Gent's designers. The weight is an unknown but the cast mainframe certainly does look much sturdier than the C40A.

The large wormwheel, almost hidden in this view, is designed to drive and control the hands of up to four large dials. The hefty pendulum bob looks much larger and heavier than the smaller and far more common C40A.

The suggested sale price is about 1/10 of the likely, winning bid, perhaps much more. This leaves only a fortnight from now to seek a bank loan. Don't forget to include the buyer's premium!😉

The black paint on the detail is quite unusual. Support for the bevel gears, for one dial vertically above the movement, looks completely original and is seen in other C40B WTs. There may well have been further dials leading off a crown/bevel wheel cluster mounted well above the movement. Allowing the WT to remain lower down and therefore, more accessible. This is all pure speculation but was common practice with weight driven, turret clock movements.

There may have been another dial, driven off to the left, directly from the wormwheel shaft. The lower pendulum rod is masking the view of what might well be a black finished, expansion link. There is no time setting dial, nor the small setting crank, but otherwise this WT seems remarkably complete when seen from this angle.

The new owner will have to factor in considerable and skilled restoration to tidy up the rust without causing serious damage through ignorance. Or lack of skill during disassembly. If you really think the answer is a can of WD40 then you probably shouldn't bid. I just wish I still lived just down the road. I'd love to see this fine WT in real life and photograph it for posterity. Hopefully before it disappears forever into another "black hole" private collection! Until, hopefully, it is released to an astonished public on the demise of the collector.

This C40B WT sold for £1300 + buyers premium, taxes, costs, etc.. I thought it would make at least £3000. So didn't bother to bid. Congratulations to the lucky new owner and good luck with the restoration.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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The Science Museum Electrical Time Gallery made utterly boring!