Tool kit

That's a good question, Arne and not one that is easy to answer. Unfortunately, although the drawing and description appeared in the 1943 WD 'Maintenance and Instruction Manual', the Spare Parts lists were never updated and it is not really clear if these were supplied by Norton or added by the War Department to complete the 'Equipment to Scale'.

I have a June 1940 dated WD list of tools and equipment for contract C6127 which states:

"As Issued" - "Box Spanner, D.E. 1/8in x 3/16in" (D.E. is Double-Ended)

and then goes on to state:

"For Replacement, Demand as Under" - "Spanner, Box, D.E. 1/8in x 3/16in x 7 1/2in long.

That this spanner should be 1/8" x 3/16" is far more logical as it is usual for the opposite ends of a box spanner to be one size different and the drawing in the M&I manual seems to show this - if one end is 1/8" Whitworth and the other end 1/4" then it should look much larger than the tube diameter.

It would also seem a little odd to include a further 1/4" Whit box spanner in the kit as there is already the 1/4" box captioned as "wheel nut spanner" in the M&I list.

The only use that I know of for the 1/8" hexagon is the screw on the carburetter stub clamp and the use of such a long tool for this seems a little unnecessary. However, if it was included for the 3/16" end then it does indeed come in handy for the mudguard and stay nuts, particularly the top bridge nut on the front mudguard which is otherwise quite inaccessible with an open-ender.

I wonder if the caption writer for this manual mis-read either a more complete list or the tool itself with dual BSW / BSF sizes and noted the 1/4" BSF size which is actually 3/16" BS Whit.

Even 1/8" x 3/16" Whit box spanners are quite difficult to find in 7 1/2" although 7" long are a little more common. Most have been used as drifts and are easily damaged. I have only ever found one 7 1/2" x 1/8"W x 3/16"W - that was at Beaulieu which is really the only place that I know where tools as odd as this turn up regularly.

The photo attached shows a 1/8" x 3/16" with the 6 1/2" tommy bar and, for comparison, a 1/4" box next to the 3/16" hexagon - I can't really see how the M&I manual drawing could have 1/4" at one end.

Arne, my apologies for overlooking your reply.

I'm rather fascinated by the contents of the Norton toolkits, not least because of the R.T. Shelley / Abingdon-King-Dick / Mansell connections.

The 7 1/2" spanner in the photograph is an Apollo. Accles & Pollock (Apollo) pretty much invented the box spanner and were probably the major UK manufacturer at the time. The 5/16" tommy bar is a fairly close fit but does pass through. Is it possible that yours has been used to hammer something and that the holes have closed up ? I'd be inclined to run a 5/16" drill through it.

I have an NOS WD issue tool bag. It is made of 'Rexine' leathercloth and has hardened. In WD literature it is referred to as a belt bag and it has loops on the back but I've never seen any evidence of it being used like that.

I've never seen a tool roll that could be confirmed as original Norton. The list refers to it as 'leather' but I'm not sure if it may also have been 'Rexine'. It is clear that the military replaced them with a standard canvas / webbing roll if they became damaged.

Completing a toolkit is always a work in progress with the possibility to improve and the kit appears to have evolved over time so there is no one 'right' or 'wrong' way to do it, rather there are 'possible' and 'impossible' items.

If you send me an e-mail at the WD Models address on the Tech Advice section, I'll send you some more detail through. It's difficult to post larger images here.

Arne, I just assumed a 16H. I do of course realise that some people have to make do with more complicated Nortons !

I have no special knowledge of the OHC toolkits and the latest parts list that I have is for 1946 which had a side and overhead valve range only.

Unfortunately, Norton completely revised their part number system for 1946 so it is impossible in many cases to know if parts altered. That said, the descriptions seem pretty much the same as the pre-war civilian items (those lists also had unillustrated tools sections).

I think it would be reasonable to assume that all the time Norton remained part of R.T. Shelley (up until the AMC takeover ?) then the tools would have been substantially the same Shelley / Abingdon items...possibly...