Table of contents for Issue 4730 in Model Engineer

Farewell to PM Percival Marshall, founder of both Model Engineer magazine and the Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (SMEE), died on April 10th 1948, just a few weeks after celebrating the 50th anniversary of the magazine and also, of course, half a century of occupying the editor’s chair. He is, by far, the longest serving, as well as the first, editor of this magazine and it is sobering to reflect that, of all the issues produced so far over 125 years, he edited over half of them. This is possible because, for most of its first half century, the magazine was a weekly publication. It started life as a monthly, rapidly moved to being a fortnightly publication and by the beginning of 1903, by popular demand, had become a…

W e will now make a start on the cab fittings. As can be seen from the drawing (fig 121) I think I have made a good stab at the fittings, although not all of them. I have described all the essential ones at least and some which aren’t. We will make a start on the fire hole door (fig 122). This is mounted on a hinge that is mounted on the sloping backplate but the hinge that is vertical otherwise it would be very difficult to open having to open it uphill. It has the typical LNER flap in its centre and the usual way to carry out the firing is to fire under the flap. I am not sure how most folks fire a 5-inch gauge engine but maybe…

Ron Fitzgerald takes a look at the history and development of the stationary steam engine. Trevithick senior’s son, Richard was born on the 13th April 1771 at Illogan, near to the Dolcoath Mine. The family subsequently moved to Penponds near Camborne which was to remain his Cornish home throughout most of the rest of his life. He attended school in Camborne but his scholastic career was undistinguished: … a disobedient, slow, obstinate, spoiled boy frequently absent and inattentive … This cannot have been the sum of his academic achievements for in later life he had a flowing and legible written hand although a somewhat free interpretation of spelling; he was competent arithmetician with a grasp of some of the basic concepts in physics and chemistry. Captain Henry Vivian, the son…

Background First you walked, then you went on horseback. Perhaps, if you were lucky enough to be near a river, you went by boat. If you were really lucky someone had a boat with a steam engine. Even up to the early 1800’s roads in the world’s leading countries were appalling and unable to cope with even light wheeled traffic. The situation in the major towns and cities was only marginally better. The carriage of goods had still in many cases to rely on pack animals using rudimentary tracks or drover’s paths. Parishes were unwilling to pay for road improvements, and turnpike roads were only being introduced gradually. Farm carts were restricted in size as bridges and lanes were narrow, so that the easiest way to move bulk items about…

The AGM and the 50th Anniversary Gathering of the 7¼ Inch Gauge Society took place at the Haynes End site of the Bedford Model Engineering Society over the weekend of the 15th/17th September. A bright and warm late summer day greeted members from many different parts of the UK who brought along a varied selection of models both steam and diesel outline. Sunday started off well but as I left just after lunch and ran into some very heavy rain on my way home I suspect it made Bedford probably just as everyone was packing up to leave as well. The Summerfield Miniature Railway is located about 6 miles south of the town on the site of a former fruit farm. It is an unusual layout in as much as…

Following on from last year’s exhibition was always going to be an apprehensive expectation by the organisers because of the unknown factor regarding the number of models available following last year’s bumper entry. Whilst numbers were down, which was only to be expected, perhaps the quality overall was excellent and two models in particular were worthy of the entrance money on their own. Good crowds on all days ensured that the organisers were happy, the traders were happy - well the ones I spoke to were - so hopefully that was the case for all of them. Regarding the models only five classes did not have any entries but the rest made up with some outstanding examples of the model engineer’s art. The most striking model of the show was…

This gear was invented by Abner D. Baker sometime in the early years of the 20th century. The version about to be described should more correctly I think be called Baker Pilliod, the Pilliod bit being the company that sold complete valve gear assemblies for use on locomotives. It was popular from about 1910, particularly in the USA, but fell out of favour and the later American locomotives reverted to Walschaerts. Its main claim was that it did away with the wear to sliding surfaces on the expansion link and could easily be maintained by just replacing bushes and pins. The Pilliod Company supplied standard sets of gear, the idea being you could take the whole thing off and replace it with a refurbished set much more quickly than repairing…

During my initial attempts I’d carried out the ’high anneal’ heat treatment as shown in the video. At the first attempt the rings showed a disparity of temperature that I thought might be an indicator that the inner surface wasn’t in complete contact with the ’tubular heat treating mandrel’ (photo 7). Referring back to the video, I saw that the ring after heat treatment literally fell off the tube, which suggested that the inside diameter of the ring was now the same as the tube. A tube is the only practical way to expand the ring/gaps in what is in effect a coiled ring. The (almost) two complete turns make the use of a single wedge or roller impractical, given that the two 45 degree gaps are separated by solid…

An angle plate was needed. Wandering through the Toolstation catalogue one day, I saw some heavy duty firedoor hinges with ball bearings, grade 13. These were not expensive at under a tenner for a pair. These are quality items, no slack and very heavy duty. I got them and then I went to see a friend and came away with a slab of steel, 8 × 5 inches roughly (photos 1 and 2). The slab was cut in half and bolted together with the holes set to the same spacing as a pair of slots on the mill table. It was then put onto my friend’s mill to square it off and then onto mine to drill pairs of holes suitable for the ML7 (photo 3). I added suitably spaced…

I bought a clock! A spring powered long case clock (grandfather) bereft of ID markings, so I’m surfing the web for help. It has Westminster chimes, is said to date from the 1930, and I love its simple lines. I have hankered after such a dock for decades but could never afford one. Prices have dropped considerably, so I finally took the plunge (pictures later). Meanwhile, my locomotive Deborah, which is in build, has now run the length of the garage with the driving trailer and back but could not move with me on board. I’ll rewire it with heavier cables and fewer connectors and try again. Not long now… At Sheffield auctions, a collection of medical, dental and anaesthetic apparatus was on offer in case one fancied a bit…

From Model Engineer, M.E.2449, April 29th 1948 The quality that makes a man memorable takes many different forms. Eminence in the big affairs of the world; distinguished work in science, law, or the arts; heroic action in an hour of danger; statesmanship, administrative ability, even the dull power of accumulating money, may raise his name above the common level. But there is another and kindlier fame that wins no headlines in the daily press; it shines, nevertheless, with a steady light, clear and unmistakable and inspiring. It is a quality of life, endearing and enduring—the gift of making friends; and that gift Percival Marshall possessed in the highest degree. He did great and lasting work in a special field of engineering which he made his own; yet we who knew…

The Caribbean island of Barbados had 24 miles of narrow-gauge railway between 1881 and 1937 linking the capital and port of Bridgetown with the towns and sugar plantations in the north of the island. Construction of the first line began in 1887 and opened in 1881 to a gauge of 3 feet 6 inches. The first locomotives to run were a 2-4-0 tender locomotive built by Avonside and a 2-6-2 side tank locomotive built by Vulcan Foundry. By 1896 the track on the east coast had deteriorated due to corrosion from sea spray and storm damage. After an assessment a decision was made to rebuild the line to a gauge of 2 feet 6 inches, which would better suit the tight curves. New locomotives were ordered from Baldwin USA. The…

Have I mentioned yet that a drophead buckeye is a fiendishly complicated casting? No? Well, trust me it is. One of the features not necessarily obvious from the outside is that it’s largely hollow but also with an array of internal webs, pockets and chambers. The original draughtsmen, to say nothing of the pattern makers and foundrymen who made them, deserve the greatest respect. The coupling mechanism for a knuckle coupler is very simple to explain to anyone, just by opening and closing hands, but the internal mechanisms are perhaps less obvious. Figures 1 and 2 show a CAD model of a drophead buckeye with the coupler body rendered semi-transparent, showing the major internal components. The knuckle and external unlocking lever are solid grey, the lock is in bronze and…

Continued from p.623 M.E.4729 November 3 The final assembly After all the head-scratching, problem solving, testing and proving it was finally time to complete the assembly of the two Model Engineer’s clocks. Various parts had been accumulating as we went along and now they could be polished, lacquered or blackened, then put together one last time into subassemblies (photos 32, 33 and 34). Now we have the first fully proven and working clock (photo 35), the test clock’s frames could be stripped down and the parts from that one cleaned and treated, and then assembled into the second set of brass frames to make the second of the two Model Engineer’s clocks. These are not lightweight timepieces! Each clock weighs in at just over 15kg complete with base. Pendulum adventures…

November 15 Bristol SMEE Talk: ‘Meccano - a History’, Begbrook Social. Club BS16 1HY, 19:30. Contact: secretary@bristolmodelengineers.co.uk 16 Warrington & District MES Talk: Clive Jones on ‘Aerospace Materials’, St Mary Magdalene Church, WA4 3AG, 20:00. See www.wdmes.org.uk/events 17 Rochdale SMEE General meeting, Castleton Community Centre, 19:00. See www.facebook.com/RochdaleModelEngineers 18 Sleaford & District MRC Charity model makers’ show, 10:00 to 16:00 at St George’s Academy, NG34 9BY. Contact: Eddie King, 07821 618718 19 Canterbury MES Public running. Contact: ginapearson@btopenworld.com 19 North Wilts MES Public running at the Coate Water Railway, 11:00-dusk. See www.nwmes.info 19 Tiverton & District MES Running day at Rackenford track. Contact: Chris Catley, 01884 798370 19 Warrington & District MES Running day at the club track. See www.wdmes.org.uk/events 26 Canterbury MES Public running. Contact: ginapearson@btopenworld.com 26 North Wilts…