Table of contents for Issue 4737 in Model Engineer

Martin Evans can be contacted on the mobile number or email below and would be delighted to receive your contributions, in the form of items of correspondence, comment or articles. 07710-192953 MEeditor@mortons.co.uk Rochdale SMEE Bob Hayter writes with the following news: ‘Following a very successful charity running day late last year members of Rochdale SMEE met yesterday with Mike Holly, Mayor of Rochdale, where they received a certificate of achievement and thanks for their charitable work. Over a cuppa and biscuits the Mayor emphasised the contribution made by model engineers to the local community, not only giving rides on the miniature railway but also promoting engineering and providing valuable training and experience to young people.’ Medway Queen Centenary Richard Halton of the Medway Queen Preservation Society has sent me the…

Continued from p.291 M.E.4736 February 9 The front wheel structure is similar to the rear wheel except the hub and this part was a major headache to design and make. The shape was difficult to reproduce and, at first, I did consider fabricating them but, in the end, decided to follow the full-size practice of casting them. As can be seen from photo 31, the problem was the wavy shape and the angles that formed the attachment points for the spokes. The problem was solved by using the 3D printer to produce parts of the structure and then gluing other pieces to fill in where needed (photo 32). The mould preparation was unorthodox in that I had to use a cardboard collar in part of the packing procedure to prevent…

Happy new year's greetings from SMEE, albeit a little belated by the time you read this. With our big birthday year over we are setting our sights on all the delights that 2024 has in store for us. As I write we have just enjoyed our first general meeting with a talk entitled The Design of Gears for Production by Alan Wenbourne. This was pleasingly well attended both at Marshall House and on Zoom. Alan was apprenticed with Blaw Knox Ltd, manufacturers of road construction equipment, where he began to specialise in high power transmission subsequently working with a number of major suppliers including British Twin Disk and Ricardo. He began his talk by setting out the theory of gear strength in order to set the scene and then got…

Continued from p.275 M.E.4736 February 9 Entablature At first sight, work on the entablature gives the impression of being a difficult operation. It is an important component of the engine and the relationship of the position of the crankshaft bearings and the lower surface location for the top of the column are critical to the running of the engine. When it is finished, the entablature is thin and looks difficult to hold. However, Tubal Cain's methods adapted to your own tools and machines makes the work relatively easy. I had previously given the component a coat of primer. Once dry this provided a good surface for marking out using a scriber on the surface plate. I marked the centre line for the crankshaft and its bearings on the top surface…

Save as tamp! You can nowplace your classified ads by email. Don't waste time scanning the form, just send the text of your ad, maximum 35 words, meweditor@mortons.co.uk, together with your full name and address, a telephone number, whether it's a for sale or wanted and stating that you accept the terms and conditions for placing classified ads – see below. Please note, we do not publish full addresses or website links to protect your and other readers’ security. Tools and Machinery ■ Boxford Cud Lathe, 3 phase motor, inverter included, 3 and 4 Jaw chucks, face plate, quick change tool post, vertical slide assembly, suds pump, parts list, users manual, metric and/or imperial, photo and details, buyer to collect, £600. T.07989 212680. Southport. ■ Boley Watchmakers Lathe, Lathe chuck…

Readers who have attended model engineering exhibitions over the last ten years will probably have seen this locomotive under construction, displayed on the Gas Turbine Builders Association (GTBA) stand. After extensive research into the source material available on 18,100, Jerry Burchell produced a set of highly detailed and rather elegant drawings. He then set about building the model, including the turboshaft, which is based on the now obsolete Wren MW 54 turboprop engine. This is the same engine as that I used in my well-known 5-inch gauge model of the gas turbine mechanical locomotive ‘GT3’. Around two years ago, Jerry unfortunately began to suffer serious health issues and felt unable to continue with the model. Not wanting to see this important and historical model languish unfinished, we have assembled a…

February 21 Bristol SMEE Talk: ‘Meccano Model of the USS Missouri’, Begbrook Social Club BS16 1HY, 19:30. Contact: secretary@bristolmodelengineers.co.uk 25 Warrington & District MES Running day at the club track. See www.wdmes.org.uk/events 25 Westland and Yeovil MES Track running day 11:00. Contact: Michael Callaghan, 01935 473003 March 1 Rochdale SMEE General Meeting. Castleton Community Centre, 19:00. See www.facebook.com/ RochdaleModelEngineers 3 Warrington & District MES Running day at the club track. See www.wdmes.org.uk/events 6 Bradford MES Annual General Meeting, 19:45, St James’ Church, Baildon, BD17 6HH. Contact: Russ Coppin, 07815 048999. 7 Sutton MEC Bits and Pieces evening 20:00. Contact: Paul Harding, 0208 254 9749 7 Warrington & District MES Projects/natter night, St Mary Magdalene Church, WA4 3AG, 20:00. See www.wdmes.org.uk/ events 10 Sutton MEC Track Day from 13:00. Contact: Paul…

Continued from p.261 M.E.4736 February 9 Main stop valve (regulator) and simpling valve This was a reasonably simple fabrication of various sizes of brass tube (photo 157). It was easier to make it in two distinct parts, the main body to attach to the inlet manifold, and then the valve and handwheel assembly. I experimented a bit at first to clarify its exact finished position in front of the high-pressure steam chest, so that the hand wheel was reasonably accessible to the driver and didn't conflict with anything else. The joint to the inlet manifold is just a screw pipe fitting with a brass lock nut, as is the connection for the steam feed from the boiler. This can be modified to suit any installation as necessary. A four-stud flange…

Continued from p.287 M.E.4736 February 9 The taper water valves The taper water valves follow the same construction methodology as all my other taper type valves, although they are a little trickier to hold because of the main body (outside) taper. The trick is to keep a holding spigot on the end until after the two parts are soldered together (photo 256) and the main taper hole has been reamed. The water valves aren't as difficult to seal as their steam counterparts but, like everything in life, it's always a good idea to strive for perfection. In this case, if you fall short it's no real issue and the valve will still work. The same methodology for drilling through the assembly, as used for all the steam valves, should be…

Ron Fitzgerald takes a look at the history and development of the stationary steam engine. Continued from p.202, M.E. 4735, January 26 As part of the historical evolution of the steam pumping engine the pump is almost invariably relegated to an anonymous appendage requiring no further comment but earlier in the series it was pointed out that parallel advances in pump technology formed an essential pre-requisite to the development of the Newcomen steam engine. After Newcomen, the bucket pump had become invariably identified with his steam cylinder. It may be worth repeating that the mechanical action of this pump was based upon a flap valve in the piston which opened as the piston descended allowing water to flow from the underside to the upper side of the piston. As the…

Continued from p.278, M.E.4736, February 9 We will have a look at the fire grate at this stage. However, all B1s are fitted with rocking grates so what I intend to do is to describe a plain fire grate for a start and I will deal with the rocking grate in the next few issues. However, I would go to the trouble of fitting the rocking fire grate as I can say that they are brilliant, having fitted one to my 4MT even though Eddy has had a few problems. Hopefully I have cured these design faults now so it should be a little more of a plain sailing job. I copied mine from a Sheffield member who fitted one in his American S160. I thought he seemed to be…

Views and opinions expressed in letters published in Postbag should not be assumed to be in accordance with those of the Editor, other contributors, or Mortons Media Group Ltd. Correspondence for Postbag should be sent to: Martin R. Evans, The Editor, Model Engineer, Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR, F. 01507 371066 E. MEeditor@mortons.co.uk Publication is at the discretion of the Editor. The content of letters may be edited to suit the magazine style and space available. Correspondents should note that production schedules normally involve a minimum lead time of six weeks for material submitted for publication. In the interests of security, correspondents’ details are not published unless specific instructions to do so are given. Responses to published letters are forwarded as appropriate. Flying…

When planning our holiday back in February (last year), I noted that we were scheduled to stop in Bodo. This town of 55,000 people is just north of the Arctic Circle and has one of Norway's excellent museums. Norsk Luftfartsmuseum is on the outskirts of town, a tenminute taxi ride from the ship and, as there was no organised trip from our ship, we had to make damn sure that we were back on board by the sailing time of 5pm. Being north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set in the summer. My camera time stamp says 1.30am. The museum is on the site of an airfield dating from 1952 and in 2009 the Norwegian Parliament decided that Bodo was to have Norway's official air museum. It…

Design considerations For the first part of this short series on workshop techniques the method of making model locomotive axle leaf springs will be discussed. There are many reasons why builders of locomotives shy away from adopting leaf springs for their models. One is the concern that the functionality may be wrong and the engine has too little compliance with the track it is to be used on; another is determining what the required spring rate should be and then what materials to use. Hopefully, I can address these issues here. Determining the spring force required for a new model chassis is really a bit of an estimate initially. If possible, builders will need to determine the likely weight of their completed engine and if there is access to the…

I have begun painting my locomotive, Deborah. I found that my local branch of Boyes stocks an aerosol paint in Brunswick Green which looks rather good, I must say. If I cannot get more cans from that source, there is a Motorists’ Supermarket just up the road which has all the supposedly matching colours. I have the colour table originally credited to Andrew Sleigh but my copy fails to mention where I saw it. It also does not offer an alternative for that shade. If all else fails, I shall try British Racing Green. The story of that colour is interesting. When the Gordon Bennet Trophy was first awarded in 1902, the British Government would not allow racing on public roads and this could have been disastrous until the Irish…