Glossary of rally terms - Hollowell Steam and heavy horse show

I am sure some of you enthusiasts have some of your own, send them in for inclusion.

Commercial Vehicles

Thatching

Steam Engines

Commercial Vehicles

To those who know about the different terminology used in the field of Road Transport the following will be of little interest, but it is quite possible that there are people, although they may have heard these terms being used, are not familiar with their meanings.

Abnormal Load: A load which cannot be carried on any vehicle that conforms to the standard Construction and Use Regulations and therefore has to be carried on a specially designed type of vehicle. (The one you are stuck behind when in a hurry).

Bolster: An erection of two uprights and a crossbar fitted to open lorries to enable long loads to be carried, projecting, if necessary above the cab.

Bonneted: Having the driver’s cab behind the engine (like a car) I. e. Normal Control.

Box van: A vehicle with a fully enclose body, normally fitted with a door at the rear.

Dock/Deck/Bay: A raised platform with its top surface usually approx. 4ft above ground level from which vehicles can be more easily loaded or unloaded.

Dolly: A single axle trailer on which is carried the projecting end of a load such as girders or logs whilst being carried on a normal flatbed wagon.

Fifth Wheel: The sloping plate with two hinged jaws, which is fitted to the back of the tractor unit of an articulated vehicle and receives the pin on the front of the trailer portion.

Flat/Flatbed: A vehicle body without sides or tailboard and completely open as against the drop side which has low sides and tailboard that can be swung down for the ease of loading and unloading.

Forward Control: This means that the position of the driver is alongside or above the engine as on most modern goods vehicles.

Luton Van: In the 1920’s to deal with the bulky straw hats that were the staple trade of Luton (Bedfordshire), vans working from that town were built with an extension over the driver’s cab in order to give the maximum load carrying space for such a light article.

Prime Mover: The tractor unit portion of an articulated vehicle.

Tilt: A hood of canvas or other material stretched over hooped sticks to close in an otherwise open vehicle.

COMMON THATCHING TERMS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER

Bed

A prepared heap of thatching material from which materials are pulled to remove unwanted material and ensure the stems are parallel.

Bottle

Small quantity of material tied at the small end, used for starting the angle needed for setting eaves and gables.

Brow Course

The first course of reed; after the eave is put in, which sets the pitch of the roof and the point of the eave..

Bunch/Bundle

Bundle of Water reed approximately 24" (600 mm) or continental at 39" (1 m) in circumference at the tie.

Butt

The lower end of a bundle of straw or reed. "Butting" dressing the butt ends by dropping on to a hard clean surface.

Combed Wheat Reed

Wheat straw which has been passed through a reed comber, a modification of a thrashing drum to mechanically straighten and clean out the unwanted leaf.

Course

A horizontal layer of reed or straw thatch.

Crooks/Hooks/Spikes/Thatching Nails

Made from ¼ " (6 - 10 mm) iron rod varying from 8" - 12" (200 300 mm) in length, pointed at one end, and with a forged right angle hook on the other to hold the sway. Driven into the rafters to secure the roof.

Cross Rods/Pattern Pieces

Hazel rods split and used for fixing and ornamentation between liggers.

Face

The surface of the main roof.

Fleeking

A woven mat of water reed used as an alternative to battens; rarely used now.

Flashing

Cement or lead sheet fixed over the thatch and onto brickwork at the chimney or wall abutments.

Gable/Flue/Verge/Barge

The finished edge of the thatch over hanging the gable end of a property.

Gabble/Top Gabble/Ridge Yealm

A yealm of ridging material without pronounced taper at either end forming the topmost part of the ridge.

Gadd

Length of Hazel Nut wood before splitting into spars or liggers.

Half Coat/Casing/Spar Coat

To thatch in any material over the existing thatch after it has been stripped to a reasonable level and re-fastened to the rafters if needed.

Liggers/Rods

Split Hazel 4' - 5' (1 - 1 ½ m) used on the outside surface of ridges and in the case of long straw to the eaves and gables.

Long Straw

Threshed wheat straw prepared by hand.

Nib

Portion of roof beside window or chimney.

Norfolk Reed/Water Reed/Continental Reed (Phragmites Australisis)

Member of the grass, bamboo family 2 feet to 8 feet for thatching purposes.

Pinnacle

A raised end of a ridge, gable or top point of a hip.

Ridge

Capping on topmost part of the roof:

a/ Plain

Finished flush to the surface of the roof with minimal decoration.

b/ Decorated

Crossed or herring bone pattern pieces

c/ Straight Cut

Block ridge 3" - 4" (100 - 200 mm) thick cut straight line below bottom ligger.

d/ Ornamental Cut Block

Bottom edge of the ridge cut shaped to the desired pattern.

Roll/Dolly

Sausage like roll(s) of reed or straw 4" - 8" 100 - 200 mm) in diameter and of any suitable length used to build up the ridge to a sharp apex prior to capping.

Rye Straw

Threshed and used mainly for ridging.

Saddle

The junction of a ridge with a main coat.

Screw Fixing

A screw attached to a stainless steel wire is fixed into the rafter and the wire fastened to the sway.

Sedge (Cladium Mariscus)

Used for capping a water reed roof. Unusually may be used as long straw.

Skirt

The side courses of a ridge thickened at the butt when used as a cut pattern roof.

Spars/Spits/Broaches/Goosenecks/Twisters/Prickers

Split hazel rods 30" (¾ m) pointed at each end and twisted in the centre into a staple shape and used to fix half coat work or the liggers on ridge.

Sways/Ledgers/Binders

Hazel or steel rod used to secure thatch to the rafters in the roof. The sways are fixed by stitching with tarred cord, screw ties, or by hooks driven into each rafter at intervals dictated by the length of the materials to be fixed, these are covered by each succeeding course.

Sweep

The forming of a valley.

Stelch/Stulch

Thatching in a vertical strip up the roof rather than horizontally. Long straw.

Tarred Cord

Strong cord treated with Stockholm tar. Synthetics are also used but tying is rare as a permanent fixture, when used the sway is tied to the rafter or batten or no sway is used.

Tilting Fillet/Arris rail

Timber used at the eave and gable to start the roof off at the right angle to ensure correct tension is started on the roof.

Wadd

Small bundle of material to continue the action of the tilting fillet.

Yealm

A prepared drawn layer of long straw or sedge 14" - 18" (350 - 450 mm) wide and 4" (100 mm) thick. Used like a thick roof tile.

Thanks to Rutland & Leic Master Thatchers Association www.thatch.org for this offering.

Steamers

Traction Engine Terms

Explained

Regulator

This controls the amount of steam allowed into the cylinder and so the speed of the engine. A lever at the driver’s position operates it.

Reversing Lever

The setting of this determines the position in which the steam enters the cylinder so that the engine can be driven forwards or in reverse.

Injector System

A simple device which enables the pressure of the steam in the boiler to create a vacuum to raise water from an inbuilt tank or from all outside source and then increase that pressure sufficiently to force the drawn up water into the boiler, to keep it topped up.

Fusible Plug

This is a brass screw plug with a lead filled center fitted into the top of the firebox. It is a safety device to protect against over-heating should the water level fall below a certain limit. If this happens the lead center melts out allowing steam to rush into the firebox extinguishing the fire.

Flywheel

Fitted to the crankshaft and is generally quite heavy, it keeps the engine turning over quite smoothly. Often it has a wide rim to take a driving belt, which would power attached equipment.

N.H.P. (Nominal Horse Power)

This is quoted for most traction engines but is only a fraction of the true horsepower. It is of the order of 8-10 times greater.

S.C.C. (Single Crank Compound)

Only a single crank on the crankshaft giving two power strokes per revolution.

D.C.C (Double Crank Compound)

They have a separate connecting rod from each cylinder. The crankshaft has two cranks set at 90o to each other giving four power strokes each revolution.

Priming

A term used to describe the emission of water as well as the exhausted steam from the chimney. An over-filled boiler generally causes it.

Crosshead

The link between the piston rod and the connecting rod. Also keeps the piston rod in line.

Safety Valve

Usually fitted to the top of the cylinder block. It is pre-set to a sale working pressure for that engine. Should that pressure be exceeded it will operate and allow the excess steam to escape.

Strakes

Plates that are fitted to the rear wheels of a traction engine to give it grip.

Spuds

These can be fitted to the rear wheels of an engine to give it extra grip in the mud.

Spud pan

Generally fitted to the front axle to early the spuds when not in use.

Perch Bracket

Fitted to the smoke box and carries the front axle.

Driving Pins

These connect the rear wheels to the axle. The drive to these wheels is removed lithe pins are withdrawn enabling the axle to be used as a winch if fitted with a winding drum.