Peter--a question on my L42 transit chests

Three days of rain resulted in a flooded basement and an opportunity to clean up and look at four olive drab L42 transit chests. It was so bad the ducks were taking cabs.

Three were of identical construction and two had a curious red paint exactly covering the upper right hand corner metal reinforcement on the lid. I assume it is an inventory mark of some sort. Comments?

The other box was of the same construction but totally rebult with one blacksmithed latch--not three and two barn door hinges instead of three. Witness marks indicate the the normal hardware was installed at one time. The rubber cushions were replaced with a coarse carpet like material. It looks like your lot has been playing with it. I wonder what they needed the original hardware for. If they could only talk! best, p.

Unlike the No4T chests where the ironmongery was always available from the G1 section of the VAOS lists, the same was never available for the L42 chests. Additionally, the chest was a 'starred item' (remember those Tankie/Skippy!) and as a result, if the chest was damaged beyond repair, you couldn't get another unless you ZF'd the whole CES - rifle an' all!

They were built by a bunch of cowboys in Mansfield as I seem to remember, who failed miserably until they sub contracted the work out to Remploy in Cambridge (?). Anyway, back to the story......... None of the fittings were 'off the shelf' so Remploy upped the price and made virtually every part. This made repairing them difficult especially after the usual rough handling meted out by the cack-handed RAF air loaders and the RAOC blanket stackers. So far as I remember, the foam seal had to be cut to fit from xxxxing great big sheets of the stuff (we used it as sleeping rolls too) and the hasps/staples, corners and handle supports made individually if they needed repair

The red corners are some storeman using it to identify which company it was issued to.

As a bit of an aside re the chests, I remember the manure hitting the fan when one of the fitters found one of these chests, pulled the insides out, scrapped it, then adapted the box to carry a load of the ARV (a recovery tank) equipment. Not a wise move and there was a lot of explaining to do and paperwork too. Luckily, rank has its priveliges and I was able to what we call 'cover his ars............, er...., bottom'. But it did mean that the whole CES was returned to Ordnance

Many thanks, I knew you would have the story. Best, p.

The irony was that when the L42's were finally returned when they were declared obsolete, they could be shipped back as just the rifle because a lot of the CES was to be utilised with the L96. As a result, there were loads of these big, heavy long flat chests everywhere that ended up as scrap. Being plywood, they weren't even any good as firewood!

breakyp, does your chest at all resemble RobD's in the thread linked below? (Last photo of post #1)

L42A1 with unusual fore end?




https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....9&d=1294262537
(Image stolen from RobD's thread linked above- I didn't know if it was possible, but it worked! Kinda big, though...)

JM. Give me a clearer picture or image of that number beginning A 0003?? or whatever it is and I'll tell you which unit it came from.

Talking of which, same picture.........., those top, hooked latches were another one-off that were never available and were ALWAYS snapping off. We had a lot of the hook parts made that we'd braze to the existing broken plate. In fact there was an EMER misc. instruction about these following a repair suggested by David Lines. He got £75 or so for suggesting it. If you have a repaired one, that's the story........

There, another useless piece of not exactly Lee Enfield information!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

JM. Give me a clearer picture or image of that number beginning A 0003?? or whatever it is and I'll tell you which unit it came from.

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It's RobD's photo, and, I presume, transit chest. That's all I have- In actual fact, that photo is really an experiment that wasn't really expected to successfully transfer from his thread to this one!

the latches , catches and I think the hinges are the same as fitted to the new'er L7 (GPMG) transit boxes. (the old GPMG boxes were fitted with the same latches as the No 15 chest!!)
Are ther any plans for the L42 chest anywhere? I've just finished a No15 chest and would like to make one of these (for an Enforcer (type))

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...l42case2-1.jpg This is a picture of the standard L42 trransit case with the red inventory marking as described in my original post.


https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...newhaspr-1.jpg This is a picture of the odd hasp added to the reworked L42 transift chest.


https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ushionin-1.jpg Reworked L42 chest with different hinges.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...material-1.jpg Reworked L42 chest with odd cushioning material.

Ah, yes........... that's the old horsehair matting or reasonably modern synthetic horsehair matting. That stuff was available for all sorts of repairs, usually stuffing in AFV seats as it was fireproof. I'd just rip it out and go back to the hard foam neoprene sheet material that was originally used. To be honest, I'd just strip the chest and rebuild it using the correct hardware/hinges. You won't find original stuff (but see skippy's thread above.....) but the original hinges were just a readily available commercial item, If you had a few sets of the hardware made up for yourself I'm sure that you'd sell on the remaining sets at a bit of a profit

To Capt. Laidler:
Peter, you said: "Give me a clearer picture or image of that number beginning A 0003?? or whatever it is and I'll tell you which unit it came from."
The number is A0603A - I'd be over the moon if you could tell me which unit this is from.
atb
Rob

I'll see what I can find out about A-0603A next week. In the meantime, the lid to box sealing rubber is the same as that found on mouse mats. So find your mouse mad makers/suppliers and you've found your elusive rubber seal material

Capt. Laidler has sent me the identification of A-0603A - many thanks, Peter.

Peter,

I have looked closely at RobD’s L42A1 Chest the UIN (unit identification number) is A0603A. I hope this will let RobD know the unit it came from!! Just out of intrest my UIN is A0826A who would this belong to …

Dan, suggest contact Peter by PM. UINs may be sensitive info?

You're right. THey're not for general consumption. I thought we'd done your earlier DanL?

pm with info sent

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skiprat

the latches , catches and I think the hinges are the same as fitted to the new'er L7 (GPMG) transit boxes. (the old GPMG boxes were fitted with the same latches as the No 15 chest!!)
Are ther any plans for the L42 chest anywhere? I've just finished a No15 chest and would like to make one of these (for an Enforcer (type))

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Hello Just wanted to ask the same question as Skiprat is there any plans for a L42 chest I can find loads on No15 chests but very little on L42? If not could someone give me measurements on an existing chest also photos of the Bottom closed/Back when its open. I want to make one for an Enforcer. Cheers

there doesn't seem to be a standard marking for the exterior of an L42 chest either unlike the NO.4 T chest. the on I have has been pointed 2 /3 times and has bits of paper all over that have been painted over. pkus some red and yello paint on there also. no stencilling in evidence.

There was an official marking given in the Misc. management EMER or whatever it was that dealt with the refinishing of the chest when the complete equipment had undergone a Command or Base workshop repair. Someone had shown a refurbished/fully marked chest in an earlier thread as I recall and it was correct. There was a stencilling/marking format

I know its an old post but has anyone (as the others have asked) got the basic dimensions LxWxD etc also the thickness of the ply ?

Can anyone else help Big Boy as I can't get to a chest before next Thursday. As I seem to remember, the spec for the L42 chest was as cheap as it could be with everything to be off-the-shelf in order to achieve this end

Case dimensions (not including the two "bolsters")
Case length: 49 1/2"
Case width: 11 1/8"
Case height: 5"
Plywood thickness: 1/2"

Case with Bolster dimensions:
width: 12 3/8"
height: 6"

Bolster (two) particulars:
Bolsters are on all 4 sides of the case, and are 2 3/4" from the ends
Bolster width: 1 7/8"
Bolster thickness (top, bottom, hinge side): 1/2"
Bolster thickness (latch side): 15/16"

I hope that this helps.

Thanks longebow,

Thats a big help, I,ve aquired a few big sheets of marine ply and was looking at making a No4T chest, and a L42 one, my ply is 5/8 " so a little under for the No4 chest and a little over for the L42, but as there housing repro,s dont think it will cause me any pains.
Thanks again for going to the trouble much appreciated.

What about the availablility of the metal corners? One of my crates is missing two! I suppose someone else needed them more than the crate.
Always good reading here.....

I am short a couple of the metal corners as well!:(

There's a small business opportunity for someone to make a few dozen, have them galvanised and sell them on. But before you start, let me advbise you that it's simple to get the staff made. The difficult part with shooters and collectors is selling it afterwards. There has to be a compromise between giving it away at a loss (what the shooter/collector wants) and making a few £ profit (what the bank wants)

My case measures slightly differently to the one above: I get
Case dimensions (not including the two "bolsters")
Case length: 49 1/2" (126 cm)
Case width: 11" (28 cm)
Case height: 5" (12.7 cm)
Plywood thickness: 11 mm

I don't think anyone out there in L42 owning forumland is going to loose too much sleep over 1.5mm difference in ply thickness and 1/8" in the case width are they - or have I missed something?

I have a non standard L42a1 case that was made to accomodate a rifle with the long buttstock added. it's a bit different than the usual case. I got it and the rifle when they first came into the US back in the early '90s.

If y'all want a peek I'll do some photos. But it's not real pretty!

Pete said: There's a small business opportunity for someone to make a few dozen,

Any prints available???

No drawings but spould be a doddle to back engineer Marty

To answer all the questions, a set of drawings for the L42 chests are under development. That's all I'll say at the moment...

Start making those corner pieces Marty because once the drawings are out, they'll all be knocking at your door for them! I'll pick the royalties upo next year!

could anyone please tell me what the hinge looks like, (on the back of the box)
I have looked all over this site and the whole WWW. but still can not see what the back of the transit case looks like! and what the hinge looks like.
Is it a full strap hinge like the ones fitted to the No15 chest? (these would be long and would need to be folded round the box.)

or do they finish with a square flap. just sized to fit the rear pannle of the chest?

I originally thought that they were the same as the GPMG (L7) hinge .. but the gpmg hinge is bent to fit inside the chest.

the good news is that the latches are still available from PROTEX...

thanks ....

Skiprat

Thanks for the direction to Protex. Had a look on their website. Protex Fasteners

Lots of options to choose from. Have you worked out the correct part numbers?

From what I can see they appear to be 30-502 medium duty latches with 06-502 catch plates.

Cheers

Paul

those are the numbers I orderd,
I just need to get them fitted to a finished box to confirm the correct "look" but I do need to know what the hinge looks like, I can get the lid part of the hinge but what is the other 1/2 like?

The hinge at the rear of the box is a tapered 4" length secured by three screws, countersunk into the hinge. The longitudinal axis of the hinge is horizontal with the edge of course and the actual hinge part is on the outside (as opposed to inside the fold so to speak) The hinge part is 2" wide-tapering to a radius at the end of the 4".

The actual exposed hinge part would be vulnerable to cack handed Ordnance Corps blanket stackers, dozy storemen, dock-workers/stevadores and especially RAF air freight handling gorillas and thieving arabs but the clever REME designers at Chertsey where they designed the thing thought of this and to protect the hinges, they are placed just inboard of the sacrificial wood protective struts at the left and right hand ends of the front and rear of the box.

That answered your question Skippy?

thanks ........MISTER.....Laidler.
I take it the back "leg" of the hinge is the same profile as that seen on the lid, cut down to fit on the back side panel.

I suppose it COULD be, but I think not. If you did cut a long leg short, I think that you'd be left with some odd screw holes that remain from the previously longer leg.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

No drawings but spould be a doddle to back engineer Marty

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its been raining a bit in North Yorkshire I could only get as far as the shed ("shop" to the ones on the leftside of the big pond)...
with no plans available for the chests, but loads of photos, the basic size, and the assumption that most timber would be from readily available stock size.
I started on a reproduction..... so far so good.... no original parts have been used but the catches are from the original supplier

Looks damn fine to me! But what a big L42 you have...

Very nice, but think the RSPCA may say something about the other occupant .....

A real “angry beaver”..... (well ferret)
loves the smell of linseed in a morning ... and with teeth like his ... he can do pretty well do what he likes....

AND NO I DONT KEEP HIM WHERE OTHER YORKSHIRE MEN DO !!!!!!

You're not like Compo then?


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