It so happened that we had to pass through Norfolk last week, and, fortunately, on the way back we were able to make a detour to the Norfolk Tank Museum, home of the Mk IV replica Deborah II built in conjunction with JCB. http://norfolktankmuseum.co.uk/ It is most certainly out of the way - satnav sends you down some very interesting roads, some of them single track. I was trying to think of somewhere it's close to, but there isn't anywhere, really. This is the best I can do: it's 12 or 13 miles south-south-west of Norwich. It's lively motoring.
Bovington it isn't, but there's a cafe that does quiche and toasties (cheese, ham, or cheese and ham), and all the staff are dead pleasant. Most of the vehicles are out in the open, but Deborah II is under cover. Admission to the shed is £8. There are volunteers around to explain stuff.
Deborah II is most impressive. Very sturdy, and surprisingly detailed inside. No restrictions on going inside - so far, anyway - so you can roll in and out through the doors under the sponsons, sit in the driving seats, and generally act like a big kid. It's a bit cramped at ground level, so it's difficult to get wide shots, but there's a bit of a gallery, so you can get an overview. I enclose some photos.
Someone on the Forum asked how much the tank cost to build. Well, apparently neither Channel 4 nor JCB are prepared to say. The only thing they know is that the drive chains were bought from the USA and cost £30,000 each.
Of course, it doesn't drive like the original - that would be risky. It seems the driver stands astride the transmission, puts his upper body up through the trapezoid hatch, and operates the gears from there.
Feel free to ask questions.
-- Edited by James H on Thursday 13th of June 2019 06:03:05 PM
-- Edited by James H on Thursday 13th of June 2019 06:15:12 PM
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
The story you heard about the manner of driving is absolute nonsense. I was the tank consultant on the Channel 4 programme and was there during filming of the tank in France. You need three to drive, two at the front and one at the back operating the Ferret gearbox. When the tank had to be reversed onto the trailer at the end of filming, I operated the gearbox, but had to take instructions from the front on when to change gear.
