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I will probably upset some one some where , Especially if they brought it thinking original untouched .
I am sure repainted and not sure as to genuinality.
# 1 Label has been painted over
Labels are put on after painting.
Also note bottom left a touch of darker green ??
And take note of Cranko/diamond stamp ( we will come back to that later )
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# 2 extra hole in tender side ?? Does not appear in any other Rollers I have seen
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More colour issues along the rail at the end A darker green
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# 4. Zoom in on the fold on the burner shroud Under boiler
A big patch of dark green
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# 5. Flywheel is black
Cranko Flywheels are red Same as pulley Black are more related to Auckland Model Engineers and the use of Cranko parts
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# 6. Cranko /diamond stamp,
Cranko rollers have Cranko /diamond on the boiler front and not on the tender the exception is very early rollers and tractors that have a curved Cranko over NZ .
I know of 6 variants that show his progression and the last one had a level plug on boiler front which may have diamond on back . So if this back is correct where is the front level plug
Donald supposedly finished toys in 1956 when he left HaveLock North.
He did move to Whangārei and resided there for some time .
The paper work is a bit of a mystery ?
Did he assemble some from there ? But if he did this does not explain the black flywheel and boiler front.
The darker green parts we see are more like original green roller paint
And if you zoom in on the label you will see “ models “ under the paint
This reinforces repaint and not missing part 0f label
Also zoom in and check screw holding boiler to fire box bright steel after 60 years ??
Auckland Model Engineers Supposedly brought Cranko stock and made some engines but had their own colour scheme
Cheers
Dennis
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I’ll add my post from your other Cranko thread:
Yes i know i have it bad . With variations of engines
You should see my David Auld variants
And i see someone brought a “unfired “ Cranko on ebay uk
I am calling bullcrap on original unfired
Cheers
Dennis
Great collection Dennis!! Thanks for sharing
I think the green on the UK one looks way too bright compared to the original... I was wondering about the decal? Could it be what you mentioned above?QuoteIt is made/assembled by Auckland Model Engineers at a later stage from some Cranko parts and some made .
Could it be a later “Auckland Model Engineers” roller using Cranko parts and painted a brighter green and taken off the “Movie Models” part on the decal? To me the decal looks deliberately painted over on that part...?? And if “restoring” you wouldn’t do such a good job saving the top half only to paint over the bottom...
Also noting that the flywheel spokes are black, just like your Auckland Model Engineers stationary... or maybe I’m just making a bunch of crap up from a complete guess?
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# 2 extra hole in tender side ?? Does not appear in any other Rollers I have seen
(Attachment Link)
# 6. Cranko /diamond stamp,
Cranko rollers have Cranko /diamond on the boiler front and not on the tender the exception is very early rollers and tractors that have a curved Cranko over NZ .
I know of 6 variants that show his progression and the last one had a level plug on boiler front which may have diamond on back . So if this back is correct where is the front level plug
Donald supposedly finished toys in 1956 when he left HaveLock North.
He did move to Whangārei and resided there for some time .
The paper work is a bit of a mystery ?
Did he assemble some from there ? But if he did this does not explain the black flywheel and boiler front.
The darker green parts we see are more like original green roller paint
And if you zoom in on the label you will see “ models “ under the paint
This reinforces repaint and not missing part 0f label
Also zoom in and check screw holding boiler to fire box bright steel after 60 years ??
Auckland Model Engineers Supposedly brought Cranko stock and made some engines but had their own colour scheme
Cheers
Dennis
Hi Dennis, as for #2, here is an original Cranko roller with the extra hole in the tender, but I have no idea why it’s there??
Mine also has the Cranko diamond on the back, But it still has the level plug on the boiler front where the ebay one does not...
Closeup of the diamond and complete decal
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My other question is about the two burners... I have not followed Cranko rollers enough, but know that mine came with an alcohol burner. Were others sold with a solid fuel burner? Or could this also indicate a later release by Auckland Model Engineers when solid fuel was more popular?
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I will probably upset some one some where , Especially if they brought it thinking original untouched .
I am sure repainted and not sure as to genuinality.
Cheers
Dennis
And a final question... Say this is a genuine Auckland Model Engineers build/rebuild or whatever you would call it... Wouldn’t that make it an interesting addition vs a dissapointment? It wouldn’t be a genuine Cranko, but wouldn’t it still be a “genuine” Auckland Model Engineers roller? -
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Dennis, another note about no fill plug on the boiler end, did you see that the instructions say to use a dipstick to check the water level
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Morning Nick
So yours has a hole in side ? So some one at the workshop had a bad day ?
On all previous models stamp Cranko on boiler front untill level plug then on the back .
So if stamp on back there should be a level plug as to mention 0f a dipstick that sounds like going back wards .
I will have to relook at other instructions..
It is still an interesting model But certainly not original condition .
No mention of solid fuel anywhere in the past .and the black flywheel Is only seen on A.M.E
What I want to know if in original condition unfired with all parts where is the box
Yours is a nice one with the darker green as seen in places on the eBay one -
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So if it is an A.M.E. (thanks for the abbreviation ) roller, wouldn’t it still be considered a nearly 50 year old original? Not A 70 y.o.“Donald Cranko original“ but a 50 y.o. “A.M.E. Cranko original”?
Yes, recommending a dipstick is a strange one instead of the plug... too bad it didn’t come with a bright green dipstick
Now we have to figure out what that extra hole is for, being it’s on two rollers... -
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So if it is an A.M.E. (thanks for the abbreviation
) roller, wouldn’t it still be considered a nearly 50 year old original? Not A 70 y.o.“Donald Cranko original“ but a 50 y.o. “A.M.E. Cranko original”?
Yes, recommending a dipstick is a strange one instead of the plug... too bad it didn’t come with a bright green dipstick
Now we have to figure out what that extra hole is for, being it’s on two rollers...
Must be where the dipstick hangs -
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So Dennis... something we hadn’t thought of... could the Cranko diamond be on the other end of the boiler?
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And a few other differences that you may have noticed but didn’t post (or I missed them in your post)...
*The fork for the front roller is green instead of black
*2 boiler bands instead of 3
*Where the steam line comes out of the boiler, my Cranko has a blank fill plug, the ebay one has a slotted fill plug -
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So the more you look the more different it is .
My green roller has 3 brass bands.
My front fork is also black
Also why does the cylinder block and brass bits where attach to boiler dark like old age ( patina ) but the SV is shiny like a
new one ?
Cheers
Dennis -
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Well, I have a confession to make and it will show why I have so much interest in this roller... If you haven’t figured it out from my hint, the roller landed at my door yesterday
Why did I buy it? Well, when I first spotted it, the green was immediately spotted as being wrong and the wheels looked to have had a light red over a slightly darker red... I started to look closer at the pictures and spotted the decal being half painted over and remembered your post about Auckland Model Engineers. After some searching, I found your stationary with black flywheel, went back to the listing and spotted the same. I also thought I could see some dark green in a few of the spots you mentioned and had never seen a tablet fired example... I hit the BIN knowing it was from a reliable seller (Mike Cooke) and it was cheaper than my original Cranko that I bought 7 years ago. I don’t know what it is I like about these ugly little rollers, I think it’s that they are very “toyish” and toy steam is my truly favorite part of this hobby. I am not upset about it not being a “true Cranko” and I don’t know that we will ever know it’s true story, but with your knowledge, I think it’s very safe to narrow it down to an A.M.E. Engine, which to me is a very neat part of Cranko history, being it’s still a nearly 50 year old roller made from even older original Cranko parts.
I will get some more pictures, but some more interesting notes...
*There is a “Cranko diamond” on the other end of the boiler
*The tender/firebox/burner shroud, along with the chimney were originally darker green and have painted what is kind of an ugly lighter green
*The boiler/roller fork only have the new light green paint, nothing underneath, which really makes it look to have been assembled from left over pieces
*As pointed out earlier, there are only 2 boiler bands and the little clamps that hold them under the boiler are also the darker green
*The wheels/roll/pulley have been painted over a brighter red which I can only assume being they were NOS parts, already painted but with imperfections? They have also had the gray repainted
I don’t know how this affects the value, and don’t really have any concern on that end as I love the interesting variations, and to be honest you and I appear to be the only two interested in learning more about this roller anyway... maybe we should just be emailing each other about it
Anyways enough rambling, here’s the new pics (will add more detailed pics mentioned above)
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Please do NOT start just emailing each other about these rather obscure little rollers. I for one, truly enjoy reading about them and the interesting details of their somewhat convoluted history. I may never own one myself, but learning about them is rewarding in its own right, so please, please, PLEASE keep posting your findings right here!!!
BTW, I think some of their interest and attraction are just because they are "sort of ugly and toy-like", and strike a simple chord at the depths of our collector souls. -
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Please do NOT start just emailing each other about these rather obscure little rollers. I for one, truly enjoy reading about them and the interesting details of their somewhat convoluted history. I may never own one myself, but learning about them is rewarding in its own right, so please, please, PLEASE keep posting your findings right here!!!
Haha, I was only teasing
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