All my equipment, on the 'robust' trolley, ready to go.
And this is what it looks like when it's all unpacked!
Each week I need to lug a lot of stuff back and forth from SteamPunk Glass HQ to Greenwich. It really is a lot. I can get it into one giant wheeled holdall, which is about 3ft tall, and 16inch square, but experience showed it to be just too heavy to lift on and off busses and trains, and I don't want to overload it. (I don't drive, I never got around to learning, so it's public transport for me.) I now have it down to the trolley, and a large rucksack. The rucksack has stock (and a couple of overnight things) and the large trolley mostly has my display equipment and any heavy things like marbles.
Eventually, I might get some storage at the market, but it's very limited and there is a very long waiting list. I normally travel to London early Saturday morning with all this, which involves a bit of a walk to the station, then a train and DLR. After a day at Greenwich I pack up, and another DLR trip and bus ride later to where I will crash for the night, ready to bus and DLR back early Sunday morning.
Now why am I telling you this? For sympathy? No, to explain the amount of changes and moving around I do, and how I am currently getting through trolleys at an alarming rate! The original holdall I use are idea size, but it didn't take long to break the little wheels on them. Buying a new one seemed like a good idea, but that lasted two weeks before ball bearings trickled out of the bearings at Liverpool street station! I invested in a very robust metal trolley, with chunky wheels, and strapped the holdall onto that. A wheel broke after a week, so I assumed it was shoddy workmanship and got a replacement. All good for many weeks, until once again a wheel broke off.
So, enough is enough! Monday morning I ordered these 260mm/10inch Pneumatic tyres, a length of 20mm (one inch) stainless steel rod for the axle, and a pair of industrial bearings. The result won't be pretty, but I hope it will be tough. I am going to use the holdall as the carcass, and do away with the heavy metal trolley which will also reduce weight too. I've got a sturdy hardwood base already built which will bolt through the canvas and plastic; the only weak link might be the holdall, fingers crossed by the time they go (as I have a second as backup!) I might finally have local storage. In the meantime I'll post photos when the new trolley is ready to roll!
Eventually, I might get some storage at the market, but it's very limited and there is a very long waiting list. I normally travel to London early Saturday morning with all this, which involves a bit of a walk to the station, then a train and DLR. After a day at Greenwich I pack up, and another DLR trip and bus ride later to where I will crash for the night, ready to bus and DLR back early Sunday morning.
Now why am I telling you this? For sympathy? No, to explain the amount of changes and moving around I do, and how I am currently getting through trolleys at an alarming rate! The original holdall I use are idea size, but it didn't take long to break the little wheels on them. Buying a new one seemed like a good idea, but that lasted two weeks before ball bearings trickled out of the bearings at Liverpool street station! I invested in a very robust metal trolley, with chunky wheels, and strapped the holdall onto that. A wheel broke after a week, so I assumed it was shoddy workmanship and got a replacement. All good for many weeks, until once again a wheel broke off.
So, enough is enough! Monday morning I ordered these 260mm/10inch Pneumatic tyres, a length of 20mm (one inch) stainless steel rod for the axle, and a pair of industrial bearings. The result won't be pretty, but I hope it will be tough. I am going to use the holdall as the carcass, and do away with the heavy metal trolley which will also reduce weight too. I've got a sturdy hardwood base already built which will bolt through the canvas and plastic; the only weak link might be the holdall, fingers crossed by the time they go (as I have a second as backup!) I might finally have local storage. In the meantime I'll post photos when the new trolley is ready to roll!
Bottom upwards; orginal holdall wheel, robust but broken metal and rubber wheel from latest trolley, and top the new monster 10inch wheels!
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