ferdinand /elefant exhaust system

[nick pannell]

Hi Guys
Can anyone help me with the ferdinand Elefant Exhaust system under the armoured cover at the back of the chassis? As the machine had two engines how many outlets are there, 2, or 4, or just one from the Exhaust box itself. I have looked through all of my books and cannot find and photo or blueprint drawing of this, is there any chance that the machine at Bovingdon still has its box intact? And does anyone have a photo looking under the armoured cover at the box itself as I would like to add this detail to my model and pipe the smoker system into it.
Many thanks from the bottom of the world,

Nick P

[Dave Jones]

Hi Nick

I'm glad you asked this question as it was something that I had started to ponder over. This may sound like a daft thing to say but the more I look at the reference material that I have, I'm beginning to think that the 'exhaust box' at the rear is actually not for engine exhaust, but perhaps a means of venting hot air from the fighting compartment or more probably to cool the electric drive motors. I have pictures showing that the three square holes behind the 'box' were filled with a strong wire mesh, with no sign of a conventional exhaust.

What I can't understand is, if this box is indeed an engine exhaust, that the two petrol engines are mounted ahead of the fighting compartment, so unless their exhausts have very lengthy pipes to enable the gases to run through the fighting compartment to exit at the rear (a most unlikely configuration I feel) I can't see this feature venting engine exhaust gases.

My guess would be that the petrol engine fumes are most likely to have been expelled via short exhaust pipes venting through the grilles on the upper engine deck.

I'm sure Dr Porsche had this sorted, but like you, I'm a bit confused as well.

Dave

[mark lawson]

Exhausts on the Elefant are on the sides unders the track sponsons, gases would have been blown down onto the tracks the exhaust is just in front of the fighting compartment with one on each side.

[Dave Jones]

Thanks Mark

I knew there would be knowledgeable folk out there.

Dave

[nick pannell]

Hi Dave & mark
Thankyou for your help It makes good sense to have the exhausts in the sides so that red hot pipes are not running through the fighting compartment with all that high explosive also to vent all the hot air and fumes and to cool the drive motors at the rear of the chassis.
thanks again will try to get a photo from the people at Bovingdon.
Kind regards
Nick P.

[Dave Jones]

Thanks to Mark's information I am now looking to add the engine exhaust detail to my build. It will be purely for detail and will not use the smoke option.

Looking at my photographic reference, the only photo I have looking upwards toward the area where Mark indicated the exhaust exit points were is this one:-

I know a lot of detail is lost on old B&W photo's, but I can't see any trace of the exhaust?

Does anyone have a photograph detailed enough to illustrate the exhaust exit on an Elefant? If you do, I'd be very grateful if you could post it on this thread.

Many thanks.

Dave.

[mark lawson]

I will have a look this evening at my photos I may make one of the Ferdinand in Bovington.

All you can see is a hole there is no external detail .

[Dave Jones]

Thanks Mark, anything you have would be very helpful.

Dave.

[mark lawson]

Sorry not quite as I described the exhaust earlier .

[Dave Jones]

Perfect, thank you Mark, that is quite a significant feature. Need to give serous thought about how best to replicate it.

Again, many thanks.

Dave

[Per Sonnervik]

As Marks photo shows the exhaust from the Maybach HL 120 TRM exists in the sponson. It might be of interest to know that the Ferdinand´s exhaust exited much closer to the lower side wall. Because complaints from the crews and maintenance guys (exhausts heating up the grease of the wheels thus risking freezing the wheels) the exhaust was moved outward towards the weald seam. As can be seen in this Ferdinand photo this is the original location;



When the Ferdinand was overhauled in late 1943 they moved the exhaust ouwards by cutting up the sponson armour and adding a cover plate on the inside on the sponson (see no.1), while the origional hole still remained (see no.2) at least on ex Aberdeen vehicle;



As for location of the exhausts these photos may be of help, first an overturned vehicle in Italy (exhaust see arrow) and then the Kubinka vehicle which has the exhaust approx. where the national cross is painted;








/Per

[Dave Jones]

That is really useful information, thank you Per.

What is clear is that the exhaust exited the vehicle further to the rear than I was expecting.

Dave