Gatling gun limber

I want to model a deployed limber for my Naval Brigade Gatling gun. Encouraged by recent releases for their Zulu War range, I hope that in due course Perry Miniatures will add a limber, with Jack Tars hauling it, to their Sudan range. Meanwhile I plan to make one, utilising the wheels and carriage from the Gardner which is destined for an armoured train project.

I have failed to find definitive reference material, but I have assembled an assortment of eye witness drawings by correspondents who were present when the Naval Brigade were in action.

I found a digitised copy of the 1880 Handbook for the 0.45-inch Gatling Gun for Naval Service, which includes a fairly detailed description of the limber. The key information for me was that the wheels and track were the same dimensions as the those of the gun carriage, which gave me a bit more confidence in my emerging plan for the model.

A list at the end of the handbook indicates that two ammunition drums were available in addition to the six carried in the limber, that two small arms ammunition boxes could be carried under the front of the limber box, and that the limber lid was secured with a single padlock.

Extract from the 1880 Handbook for the 0.45-inch Gatling Gun for Naval Service describing the limber.

This list provides useful details for the model.