Table of contents for Issue 4749 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 IMLEC I write this having just returned from the 54th International Model Locomotive Efficiency Competition, hosted by the Southport Model Engineering Club at their very pleasantly situated club track on the sea front next to Victoria Park. I was told that the club site is actually below sea level (lucky it's a raised track!) and I asked how it was that we weren't knee deep in water. The answer, apparently is ‘sand dunes’. Between the dunes and the club there is a caravan park so I imagine the first sign of trouble would be seaborne caravans. Other close…

Continued from p.210 M.E.4748 July 26 Now it was time to lay track but, before starting, using the small jig made to locate the fish pates, holes were drilled in each end of three lengths of rail; one outside, one centre and the inside. These were then placed on a straight section of track bed and held apart using the pre-cut spacing tubes. The first 2 feet or so of track was clamped down to the sleepers using G-clamps and the holes for the tie rods in the centre and inside rail spotted through from the outside rail and drilled (photo 15). Spacers and a tie rod were then inserted and secured. You will notice that in photo 18 the spacers are not yet bolted but are merely being used…

Continued from p.214 M.E.4748 July 26 Locomotive driving After lunch it was time for the next phase of the course, driving a simple steam locomotive. For this, an ideal candidate would be something early or narrow gauge because, true to the prototype, they lack the complexity of more advanced types but are a bit more sophisticated than a set of trainer wheels on a child's bike. Don't worry though - there's plenty to keep you busy. For this part of the day a superbly built replica of an 1888 Bagnall locomotive Excelsior appeared, resplendent in lined out green livery and bearing a pair of side tanks, this being the second model that we would all have a go at driving (photo 9). It was so cute that it looked almost…

Ron Fitzgerald takes a look at the history and development of the stationary steam engine. Continued from p.140, M.E. 4747, July 12 The arrangements of the engine and boiler shown in the patent for the dyehouse engine described by Farey in the Treatise, and the form adopted for the dredger's engine, are indicators of the evolutionary development of the Trevithick power unit. Throughout each stage the cylinder and the working parts altered little after their first appearance in William West's model of 1797. Enclosing the cylinder body within the boiler became the distinguishing characteristic of the Trevithick high-pressure engine. It was thermodynamically advantageous in that the cylinder was maintained at the same temperature as the boiler steam and the long port connecting the valve chest to the lower end of…

Steve Goodbody takes a random walk through model engineering. Continued from p.199 M.E.4748 July 26 “Anyone fancy more port?” I asked, raising my voice above the post-dinner chatter and pointing to the remnants of a bottle of ‘92 Prager nestling in an elegant cut-crystal decanter - a much-loved wedding present - standing upon the desk beside my left shoulder. The group, seated around the dining table, merry and focused upon the fast-disappearing cheeseboard, cheerfully bellowed their affirmation. However, as I pushed back my chair to decant another bottle, my elbow inadvertently nudged an arrowed pushbutton situated incongruously beneath the desktop and, with a whirr and accompanying judder, the desk and decanter began ascending rapidly towards the ceiling while the latter, disturbed by the vibrations, scampered lemming-like towards the edge, clearly…

Henk-Jan de Ruiter is impressed by the latest offering from Pocher model kits. Pocher (uk.pocher.com) is worldwide famously known and recognized in the model kit builders fraternity for their state-of-the-art model kits. The history of Pocher goes way back to 1951 when Arnaldo Pocher, who was a goldsmith engraver, founded his first company Pocher Micromeccanica in Italy, which very soon turned into the Corrado Muratore and Arnaldo Pocher Company. In the beginning they started making and designing accessories for model trains. After this they also produced detailed freight and passenger carriages in white metal and model locomotives. At the International Toy Fair in Milan in 1966, Pocher introduced their first model kit in the large scale format of 1:8, based on the Fiat F2 130HP from 1907. It contained a…

Background to the project Mr Walter Alcock, as he was then, was a keen model engineer, who built two small steam locomotives. Sir Walter, as he became, was the Salisbury Cathedral organist from 1917 till 1947. Amongst his many musical accomplishments, he played the organ in Westminster Abbey for three coronations. Walter was also a founding member and first president of the Salisbury Club in 1937. Apart from other contemporary articles and photographs, he features in an article written by Percival Marshall, based on notes supplied by Walter. In the article, which appeared in Model Engineer for May 1899, on page 81 there is a photograph which shows Walter driving his Midland Single (photo 1). The locomotive was built to one inch scale and a gauge of 4¾ inches and…

Geoff Theasby reports on the latest news from the clubs. Rejoice, for the wanderer is returned! I don't know where he went but Debs and I took our annual visit to the lands of my forefathers, Iceland and the Faroes, in the good ship Bolette. Plenty of low cloud and cold but we saw whales and dolphins and a few cruisers got the classic picture of a whale diving under their boat, its massive tail flukes dwarfing them. In this issue: I see no locomotives…, send a gunboat, great seamanship, a windmill, disastrous locomotives, damaged goods and wrecked goods. The fire station visit denoted in M.E.4747 also had on show this Polaris Ranger, which can travel over rough terrain and moorland. It has a demountable pump to get close to…

Continued from p.218 M.E.4748 July 26 Starting the build At last a start in the making of parts. Various materials had been gathered up allowing for some flexibility in detail design. The chassis parameters had to be set early so this was an appropriate place to start manufacture. At the outset it was clear that it would be necessary to make whatever jigs and fixtures were required to achieve a reasonable level of competence particularly where two or more identical parts were needed - that's just about all components in this sort of work. This was even more so, bearing in mind that there were to be two locomotives of the breed. It seemed very quick that chassis sides appeared, using co-ordinate drilling on the X-Y mill table. The axle…

The visit to this well established club in South Wales took place during their Spring Rally in March so, in addition to normal club activities, there was a bustling atmosphere both in the club and around the grounds (photo 1). The weather was generally good although quite a cold wind kept everyone on their toes. The club itself has been in existence for 50 years, occupying various sites around Llanelli. The present site was acquired in the early 1980s when the Local Authority decided to develop the old munitions factory site into a recreational Country Park area. A member of the club at the time made some enquiries about whether a model railway would be a good additional attraction and the Authority agreed, so about 1984/5 the hard work of…

Published by Pen and Sword Transport, 2024 ISBN 978-1-39905-469-0 219pp, hardback, £28 One of an extensive series, this book follows a formula describing the classes of a particular type owned by a railway company. There are brief biographies of the engineers responsible, then details of each class. All are well illustrated and there is an index. Although technical and engineering detail is limited - and more would improve the book - there is information here helping model makers and model engineers. Some models are illustrated. Appendices list all the locomotives in a particular class, their build dates and withdrawal from service. The GWR had a number of broad gauge 0-6-0 locomotives originating under Daniel Gooch. Names were often classically inspired including Bacchus (my favourite), Leander, Amphion and Osiris. Later names…

Background I am in the (slow) process of building a 3 inch scale Atkinson waggon. As with all of these projects, there are multiple building challenges. Working on only one aspect of a build can sometimes get tiresome and boring. Every now and then, one needs a new challenge to stretch the mind in another direction. I do enjoy the variety of jobs to be done in a project such as this – it gives me a good practical reason to use my engineering training, knowledge and experience. I have worked for an adhesive tape manufacturer, as well as with a manufacturer in the mine rock support industry. So, I have had some exposure to chemicals and working with them, as well as manufacturing. Having machined the front and rear…

Ashley Best realises that a typical street scene is not all trams. Continued from p.191 M.E.4748 July 26 The limitations The first and major problem to be solved (or avoided) concerned wheels. Here there was an interesting and very helpful fact in that many, perhaps most, of the cars in the twenties used artillery wheels with wooden spokes (photo 9) and the thirties manifested a change to wire-spoked wheels being almost universal. I really didn't feel able to tackle sets of wheels with wire spokes and tyres so settled instead on artillery wheels which I decided to make from wood after failing with MDF. I found it essential to use hard, fine grain, dense timber which could be turned on a metalwork lathe (photo 10). I found just what I…

August 10 Canterbury and District MES Open day for visiting clubs. Contact: secretary@cdmes.org.uk 11 Sutton MEC Track Day from 13:00. Contact: Paul Harding, 0208 254 9749 11 Westland and Yeovil MES Running the track at Yeovil Junction – Steam Train Day and Steam Punk. Contact: Michael Callaghan, 01935 473003 13 Westland and Yeovil MES Running the track at Yeovil Junction – Diesel Day. Contact: Michael Callaghan, 01935 473003 16 Rochdale SMEE Quiz. Castleton Community Centre, 19:00. See www.facebook.com/RochdaleModelEngineers 17 Maidstone MES Open Day at Mote Park. Contact: secretary@maidstonemes.co.uk 17 Westland and Yeovil MES Public running day. Contact: Michael Callaghan, 01935 473003 18 Bradford MES Public Running Day. Members from 11:30, public from 13:30 to 16:00, whatever the weather, Northcliff. Contact: Russ Coppin, 07815 048999. 18 Cardiff MES Steam up and…