Table of contents for Issue 4709 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 2023 This year's International Model Locomotive Efficiency Competition, founded by my illustrious predecessor and namesake, Martin Evans (MkI), will take place at the Bristol Society of Model and Experimental Engineers' track at Ashton Court from the 7th to 9th of July. The competition will form part of the Ashton Court railway's 50th anniversary celebrations. Invitations for entries will appear later but you need to get the date into your diaries now! However you plan to participate, either by entering a locomotive or observing proceedings, you may find the club's promotional video entertaining - it's at imlec.uk/2023/atrailer. html…

FLYING SCOTSMAN Continued from p.173 M.E. 4708, 13 January 2023 I decided to machine the crossheads from the solid except for the slipper which I want to have as a replaceable part. Eddie Gibbon's invaluable research directed me to making the 1934 LNER crosshead pattern and I'll also follow this design for the drop link and oiling setup. My approach when tackling something like these crossheads, which is 'shall we say' a little out of the normal machining exercise, is to do all that I can first while still having large square flat faces, ie the blanks to work from. This means a lot of thought is given to the order of attack to such parts before actually cutting any metal. Initial shaping Don recommends the use of black steel…

Continued from p.159 M.E. 4708, 13 January 2023 The locomotive was now coming together quite well, although without drawings there was a lot of test fitting to make sure that the platework lined up as it should. As well as the boiler cladding, the footplating was also thin nickel silver sheet. The cab floor was wooden planking and the works drawings showed the boards ending at the back of the cab. This did not seem right, as it would have left a large gap between the end of the floorboards and the shoveling plate on the tender. There is a short hinged fall plate between the engine and tender at drag box level but this is much lower. I was fortunate to meet Roger Ventin, an ex-BR footplate man, while…

Continued from p.162 M.E. 4708, 13 January 2023 An actual test I arranged the motor to have separate connections so that I could measure the total current taken; power factor and supply voltage using the power and energy monitor, and the main winding current, the auxiliary winding current and the capacitor voltage using separate multi-meters (photo 20). The modus operandi of the dynamometer was that the motor would swing in the cradle and the torque arm would press on to the kitchen scales. The power is calculated from the equation P = 2 × π × n × W / 60 where n is the speed in rpm and W is the torque in newton-metres. The 60 is to convert the revs per minute into revs per second. The kitchen…

January 29 North Wilts MES Public running at the Coate Water Railway, 11:00-17:00. See www.nwmes.info February 1 Bradford MES Talk – Geoff and Mary Twentyman, ‘The Low Moor WW1 Explosion’, Saltaire Methodist Church, 19:45. Contact: Russ Coppin, 07815 048999 2 Sutton MEC Bits and Pieces evening 20:00. Contact: Paul Harding, 0208 254 9749 2 Warrington and District MES Natter night, St Mary Magdalene Church, Appleton Thorn, 20:00. See www.wdmes.org.uk/events 5 North Wilts MES Public running at the Coate Water Railway, 11:00-17:00. See www.nwmes.info 5 Small Model Steam Engine Group Open meeting. 14:00-17:00. See www.gmes.org.uk 7 Taunton Model Engineers Meeting, Stoke St. Mary village hall, 19:30-21:30. See www.tauntonme.org.uk 12 North Wilts MES Public running at the Coate Water Railway, 11:00-17:00. See www.nwmes.info 12 Sutton MEC Track Day from noon – 16:00.…

HIT AND MISS Continued from p.141 M.E. 4708, 13 January 2023 Timing plate, gears and bits Now for the bits that make it work (we hope!). The timing plate (photo 27) holds most of the bits. It's important that all the holes are accurately positioned, to give the correct meshing of the gears. In photo 28, the plate is in position. The large hole at the top holds the governor, the smaller one below holds the cam gear and the timing gear fits on the crankshaft. The countersunk fixings ensure that the plate is correctly located (assuming the holes are in the right place…). The drawings show 18 DP gears. I didn't have any 18 DP cutters but did have my 20 DP universal cutter, so the gears were changed…

Continued from p.168 M.E. 4708, 13 January 2023 Having lost a stool fight, won a friend and met a mentor, the now thirteen-year-old author has also become the proud owner of an Edwardian round-bed lathe, several hundredweight of accessories and an extraordinary book. He is, let's face it, a very fortunate young man. The shoulders of giants As we kick off the sixth part of this expanding series (which was originally the third part but that's a fact known only to you, our peerless editor, and myself so please keep it quiet), I must beg your indulgence yet again for another digression, but I think that this is an important one. Let me explain. Today's model engineer has, for the first time ever, a wealth of exciting tools, manufacturing techniques…

GRASSHOPPER Continued from p.146 M.E. 4708, 13 January 2023 Item 23 - Beam (fig 35) 8mm 5038 Aluminium plate Here is another item that can be made either a simple solid or a profiled version that greatly enhances the whole appearance of the engine mainly because it's so visible. * Machine the edges of the blank square and to 246 × 30 and the thickness to 6. * Clamp in the vice on suitable parallels to bring the 246 × 30 face close to the top of the vice jaws. * Zero the spindle to the centre of the width and 6mm in from the left-hand end. Clamp the Y axis. This provides the datum for the four Ø4 reamed holes as indicated. * At the four positions indicated centre…

Ron Fitzgerald takes a look at the history and development of the stationary steam engine. Continued from p.97 M.E. 4707, 30 December 2022 A recurrent theme in the history of the steam engine is the overwhelming influence of James Watt's patents throughout the last years of the eighteenth century. Protection afforded by the master patent of 1769 for the separate condenser was prolonged to May 1800 under the parliamentary sanctioned extension of 1775. Five more patents were taken out by Watt between February 1780 and June 1785 but, thereafter, he ceased to be a patentee. This is not to say that the engine failed to develop further. Four years after the last patent the first Watt rotative engine began work at the Albion Corn Mill initiating the greatest advance in…

Introduction Here in the Southern part of Africa, we are seldom spoilt (unlike our model engineering brethren over the great lake) with model engineering fairs so you can just imagine my excitement to attend the spring September Fair hosted recently by the Centurion Society of Model Engineers (CSME). I hopped onto my bike and in a blink of an eye I was in Centurion. At the gate I paid the very affordable R25 which entitled me to one live steam ride around the rather long (and scenic) 5 and 7¼ inch gauge track around the grounds. I had recently visited the CSME with my little Ballaarat, which made good use of the track so I decided to donate my ticket to the first youngster that walked past. The little guy…

Continued from p.712 M.E. 4704, 18 November 2022 I will now go on the describing the spring hangers and horn blocks for the B1. I can no longer make any patterns for so this might be a question of muddling through. However, the basis of the hangers is exactly the same as the patterns which I made ages ago for a friend’s Don Young LNER K1 and these are on sale from The Steam Worksop and I am hoping that Geoff Stait will also be able to oblige. The trailing spring hangers are identical the those of the K1 but the leading spring hangers need a modicum of work doing on them if you are wishing to make your B1 exactly to scale. I have shown the modifications on my…

Not much work has been done on my locomotive, Deborah, due to the weather being perishingly cold and not, therefore, suited to working in the garage. The next job is to shorten the driving trailer and install the seat at the balance point (photo 1). Roger Backhouse’s review of Sir Lindsey Molesworth’s useful pocket tome reminded me of his distant relative, Plantagenet Molesworth, who achieved distinction in his own field and, of course, who can forget the irrepressible Nigel, scourge of St. Custard’s prep school? I distinctly remember his utter joy and fascination with the discovery, in 1980, that cruise missiles were to be deployed at his namesake, RAF Molesworth. Protest by CND led to the installation of a seven mile long steel boundary fence. Chiz! Hawkeye the red-nosed car…