Table of contents for Issue 4758 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 Merry Christmas All of us here at Model Engineer would like to wish all our readers a very merry Christmas. You might think this a little premature, given that there are a couple of weeks still to go but our next issue doesn't appear until after Christmas Day so this is our last chance to wish you the best of the season. As it is, you're probably still writing your Christmas cards, dusting off and putting up last year's festive baubles (if you're a bauble household – I'm not) and wondering what to get Uncle Fred for Christmas.…

Continued fromp.773 M.E.4757 November 29 As with the crankshaft in Part 2 (M.E.4751, September 6th) my metal hoard produced a piece of scrap for the connecting rod (fig 25) that was just the right size and made from an unknown type of steel that proved difficult to machine. It would be a much better idea to buy in either 1 x ½ inch flat BMS or 1 inch round FCMS. If I was making another version of the model and, given a mill with power feed, I'd probably use the round bar despite having to turn most of it into swarf. Photograph 147 shows the odd bit of bar on the mill table located by low-profile clamps and two square pegs that were filed to a close fit in the…

Continued from p.757 M.E.4757 November 29 SMEE This series is a transcript of a talk given to the Engine Builder's Group at the Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (SMEE) in May 2024. The next step would be, at last, to see if the piston could be pushed out. I'd be having the cylinder inverted for this because there was less distance to push the piston as it was close to the top of its stroke when it seized up. I decided to make a tool for this, in the form of a steel rod to act as a sort of punch. I had no idea what could happen if I was to push it downwards; it might get permanently stuck. Too risky and totally unnecessary. My steel rod would…

Continued from p.776 M.E.4757 November 29 In the previous part of this article on the assembly of a model steam plant with an electric boiler, all the components that were assembled and tested on the dummy board were dismantled and re-assembled on the part-finished base shown in photo 34. You can see the surface of the base board has been covered in a vinyl tile which should be easy to clean and stop any water from soaking into the base. The dynamo can be seen fixed in place to the right of the engine fly wheel and a 12 volt led lamp has also been included. The drains for the boiler blow down valve and condenser have beenfitted as shown in photos 35 and 36. The electric boiler plug and…

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Locomotive No 32 Tamerline became the first steam locomotive to be completed at Crewe Works on 10 March 1843. One hundred and fifteen years later BR 9F No 92250 became the 7,331st steam locomotive to be built at the Cheshire works, when completed in December 1958. This publication is a tribute to the thousands of people employed there during the steam locomotive building era. In 1913 The Railway Magazine proudly described Crewe as “the most famous railway works in the world”. Indeed, railways throughout the world benefited from adopting ‘best Crewe practice’. Many who worked at Crewe in its heyday, first under the London & North Western Railway and later the London Midland & Scottish Railway, held the firm belief that the works was the ‘beating heart’ of the Cheshire…

SMEE In October SMEE were delighted to be able to contribute to the success of this year's Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition. After last year's celebration of the Society's 125th birthday, which was very much a retrospective, we went a little Pythonesque and did something completely different. Although we did have a few favourites from our ‘historic collection’ the focus was very much on those starting out in the hobby or hopefully thinking of doing so. Consequently we populated the stand with a much larger range of demonstrations and a greater offering of current work (photo 1). To add a dynamic feel we had a range of engines running on compressed air and with all the rods and flywheels in motion hopefully achieved plenty to look at. For the demonstrators Myford…

With the Andover track due for extensive renovations, the 2024 rally was once again held at the lovely Bromsgrove society's well maintained club site. It was a successful day despite a few engine failures as the day unfolded. As is tradition, it was a beautiful September day. In a decade of rallies there has never been a wet one. The author arrived around midmorning and was not in the least surprised to see Paul Wootton storming round the track (photo 1) as though he was still going since last year, and looking as though he would never stop. Sadly, his run did come to an end later when the locomotive developed a stiffness. Early diagnosis suggested the water pump. The engine was declared as ‘failed’. No doubt a trip to…

The Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition competition classes this year were excellent with some very fine models and workmanship on show. Only two classes received no entries at all: Class 1 - Locomotives up to and including Gauge 1, and Class 8 - Internal Combustion Engines. I am surprised that there were no entries for Class 1 as I know that many clubs have very active garden railway layouts that include Gauge 1 track, but we rarely see this branch of model engineering at this show. Perhaps next year will be an improvement; we all hope so. The Internal Combustion Engines usually have a couple of good entries or more but this was one of the barren years. The Chief Judge, David Moore remarked on the quality of models on show…

Continued from p.755 M.E.4757 November 29 Time to start on the bits that allow the engine to move, and make some swarf! This will be a long-ish process as the assembly should not be attempted until all parts are available. This is because we need to make the parts fit to each other and the connecting rods will be used to position the axlebox holes at the correct distance apart. This sort of gathering of parts followed by a great leapforward assembly happens a few times and can be a bit frustrating, but is the best way to do things. The wheels are made from Rob Roy castings, which do a pretty good job except for the number of spokes. Perhaps, if this design proves popular, our suppliers could come…

JIM REDMAN - MAN OF STEEL FRANK MELLING AVAILABLE NOW Softback £15.00 ISBN: 9781911704171 COLIN SEELEY JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £7.99 ISBN: 9781911658399 OFFICIAL MIKE HAILWOOD IN 100 OBJECTS JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £30.00 ISBN: 9781911658894 TRIUMPH: PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE GREAT BRITISH MARQUE JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £25.00 ISBN: 9781911658580 AGOSTINI JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £9.99 ISBN: 9781911704126 LE VACK'S LEGACY BRIAN THORBY AVAILABLE NOW Softback £50.00 ISBN: 9781911658788 ONE MAN ON A BIKE RICHARD GEORGIOU AVAILABLE NOW Softback £7.99 ISBN: 9781911658139 TAKING IT TO THE LIMIT PETER STARR AVAILABLE NOW Softback £45.00 9780615301402 MOTORCYCLE TRAVELER PETER STARR AVAILABLE NOW Softback £45.00 9780692151389 LAMBRETTA & VESPA STREET RACERS STUART OWEN AVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911658603 SCOOTER BOYS GARETH BROWN AVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99 ISBN:…

BRITISH RAILWAYS PAST AND PRESENT: SWINDON TO BRISTOL BY BOTH ROUTES JOHN STRETTON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £20.00 ISBN: 9781858952949 MODEL RAILWAYS EXPLAINED (BEYOND THE BEGINNING) BRIAN LAMBERT AVAILABLE NOW Softback £20.00 ISBN: 9781857945454 ONE YOUNG LAD'S LATER TRAINSPOTTING TRIPS WITH A CAMERA 1961-1964 ALAN CLARKE AVAILABLE NOW Softback £25.00 ISBN: 9781857945553 DOCKLANDS, SMOKESTACKS AND SLUMS CEDRIC GREENWOOD AVAILABLE NOW Softback £35.00 ISBN: 9781857945928 JUST THE TICKET BARRY ALLEN AVAILABLE NOW Softback £10.00 ISBN: 9781857945584 THE HELSTON RAILWAY PAST & PRESENT (NEW EDITION) CHRIS HEAPS On sale: AUGUST 30, 2024 Softback £22.00 ISBN: 9781858953038 THE SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY STOCK BOOK DAVID C. WILLIAMS On sale: AUGUST 30, 2024 Hardback £14.99 ISBN: 9781857945638 STEAM REMINISCENCES SOUTHERN JOHN C. BECKETT AVAILABLE NOW Hardback £25.00 ISBN: 9781857945478 BY RAIL TO THE MUSIC HALLS DAVID…

Continued fromp.743 M.E.4757 November 29 Horn blocks We will make a start on the horn blocks first of all (now that I have remembered to put them on the drawing!. Words fail me.) These are all the same as on my 4MT but as you are unlikely to have read about them in the past, I will detail them here and now. Before we can start any assembly of the frames proper, we need the horn blocks and spring hanger brackets as these need to be bolted or riveted to the frames first (figs 30 to 32). The main horns are another one of those jobs which I was told couldn't be done as they are double flanged. Since then, I have had lost wax cast ones made. I know…

Continued from p.767 M.E.4757 November 29 Hello once again, joyful Reader, and if my assumptions are correct then this edition of Butterside Down should find you in the midst of your Christmas festivities (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, as your case may be). If so, then let me begin by wishing you a very happy and peaceful celebratory season; I sincerely hope that you and your family are in the very best of health as the year enters its wind-down phase. Over the course of this series and its predecessor, I made several references to an adaptionated item of equipment in my workshop-a hydraulic lift cart which I use to load my hefty 7¼ inch narrow gauge locomotive Jennifer Ann, a 3 inch scale Alice class Hunslet built over a 35…

Continued from p.747 M.E.4757 November 29 Crossheads and piston rods Now I need something to connect the connecting rods to - step forward the crossheads. The bosses on the tops of the crossheads are machined first, then the rod holes drilled and tapped for the piston rods. They are then held by the boss in a collet and the outside faces turned true to size. Finally the little end holes are drilled and reamed. The piston rods are a simple turning exercise, resulting in the collection of parts shown in photo 35. All we need now are the little end pins. These have an oil hole drilled from the thread end, with a matching hole where the connecting rod bush sits. The end of the hole at the thread end…

Returning from the Leeds outing, I was on the railway station platform waiting to board the train to Sheffield and a female train guard got out the folding ramp which enabled me to embark with ease, still riding on my electric buggy. At our destination out came the ramp again. It is a very simple yet practical answer to those with restricted mobility. It also begs the question, why are railway carriages so different in height from the platform? Modern trams can do it, leaving a gap of about 10mm and the same height. So anyway, the guard in question will henceforth be known as The Lady with the Ramp. In this issue; a rose by any other name, auctions, what's in a word, fuel tablets, George Cayley, an ASBO…

DESIGNING THE T-34 PETER SAMSONOV AVAILABLE NOW Softback £12.99 ISBN: 9781911658306 HMS BRISTOL ROB GRIFFIN AVAILABLE NOW Softback £16.99 ISBN: 9781911658757 BRITISH TANKS OF THE RED ARMY PETER SAMSONOV AVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911704065 The first encounter between British armour and the Red Army was not on friendly terms – with the British sending surplus tanks to reinforce the pro-monarchy White Army in the Russian Civil War. When the Reds won, war trophy Mark V heavy tanks as well as medium Mk.A Whippets and Mk.B Hornets entered service with the RKKA. As the political landscape changed during the 1920s, the Red Army assessed British designs available for export and a licensed copy of the Vickers Mk.E entered production in 1931 as the T-26. During the early days of the…

WE TOGETHER: 451 AND 453 SQUADRONS AT WAR ADAM LUNNEY AVAILABLE NOW! Hardback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911658351 F-15 EAGLE BERTIE SIMMONDS AVAILABLE NOW Hardback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911658535 F-16 FIGHTING FALCON BERTIE SIMONDS AVAILABLE NOW! Hardback £25.00 ISBN: 9781911658566 MESSERSCHMITT ME 309 DEVELOPMENT & POLITICS CALUM E DOUGLAS/ DAN SHARP AVAILABLE NOW Softback £40.00 ISBN: 9781911658962 Chosen in 1941 to replace the Bf 109 as the Luftwaffe's standard front-line fighter, Messerschmitt's innovative Me 309 embodied a wealth of hard-won experience from the Battle of Britain. Its sturdy tricycle undercarriage would make landings safer, its capacious wings could accommodate much heavier weaponry, its retractable radiator would make it aerodynamically clean, its pressure cabin would allow high-altitude operations and its ejection seat would help preserve the Luftwaffe's most precious asset – its pilots. All…