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436 SMOKERINGS
News,views andcomment on theworld of modelengineering
437 AGWR PANNIER TANK IN 3½ INCH GAUGE
Gerald Martyn buildsa 1366 Classlocomotive from worksdrawings.
440 THECHANGINGFACEOF MODELENGINEERING
TomParhamseesa hobby with many aspectsina stateofflux.
443 BRANDON’SSTEAM WEEKEND
KevinBaldwinand Martin Evansenjoy rather mixedweather in Weeting.
446 BOOK REVIEW
GeoffTheasby reads‘Agricola’s De Re Metallica butnot in theoriginalLatin
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MARTIN EVANS Editor
Parham glided (‘glode’?) sedately around the Ruddingtontrack on hisveryhandsome7¼inchgauge StirlingSingle.
FMES Rally
DIANE CARNEY Assistant Editor
This year’s Federation of Model EngineeringSocieties rally washostedbythe Nottingham modelengineersattheir track in RuddingtononSaturday August 31st.The eventwas very well attended with getting on forabout twodozen locomotivesinsteam,covering awidevariety of gauges.Two presentationsweremade. The first wasthe Australia Shield, awardedtoLes Brimsonfor his beautiful5 inch gaugeSE&CR ‘L’Class locomotive.The second wasthe FMES Award, awardedthisyeartoStephen Bennetfor hisRNLIlifeboat andits trailer, hauled by a ‘steam lorry’converted from a mobilityscooter
An excellentlunch was provided by theladiesofthe Nottinghamclub, followedby
an equally excellent BBQ after thepresentationofthe prizes. We hope to includea more detailedreportina forthcoming issue.
York
Midlands Show Reminder
Mar tin Evans can be contacted on the mobile number or email belowand would be delighted to receive your contributions, in the form of items of correspondence, comment or ar ticles. 07710-192953 MEeditor@mortons.co.uk
York ModelEngineersraised over £1070for St Leonard’s Hospiceattheir summer charity eventonSunday18thAugust. Ateamofmembers operated steamand electric trains at theirDringhouses tracknextto theEastCoast main line. Over 200peoplevisited including many familiesenjoyingthe afternoon.Members donated prizes,put on abarbecue andarrangedteas, home made cakesand icecreams. Chairman BrianSmyth says “Several of ourmembers know first hand theexcellent work of St Leonard’sHospice.Wewere pleasedtobeabletohelpsuch an excellent cause. Visitors really enjoyedthemselvesand gave generous donations.”.
Here is afinalreminderthatthe ever popularMidlandsModel EngineeringExhibitiontakes placeatthe Warwickshire Events Centre from the17th to 21st of October. Over 30 clubsand societiesare expected to attend,along with nearly 40 of theleading modelengineeringsuppliers In addition,there is afull programme of lectures along with plenty to seeinthe display andcompetition classes. Avoidthe queues by buying your ticketsonlineinadvance (meridienneengineering. seetickets.com)! Aday in the show costs£13 foradults(£5 forchildrenover4). However, if youcan squeezeina 65th birthday before theshow, you canget in fora mere £12.
Les Brimsonishandedthe Australia Shield by FMES chairman BobPolleyat theFMESrally
York ladies dispense teaand cakesatthe York summercharity event (photo:Roger Backhouse)
AG WR Pa nn ie rTank in 3 ½I nch Gauge
PA RT 1 – IN TR ODUC TION
Gerald Martyn decidesto build alocomotivethat he canlift.
ModelEngineersLaser
Age catchesupwith us.Mylastmodel locomotive,thatI once thoughtwas manageable,I cannow barely lift.Ithas,too, around 1500 mostly cosmetic rivets in theplatework (photo1). Ifelta need to return to making something more basicaswellasa lot smaller. In thepastI’vebuilt in 3½ inch gaugeand when I runone of my smallermodels oftensomeone will sayhow they wish they hadsomething similarastheir King/B1/ monster, whatever,istoo heavynow they’regetting old. Andwhatofbeginners who areperhaps,after purchasing some expensivetools, more consciousofthe costsofa
biggerengineand looking forsomething cheaperand relatively simple that still looks likea real one?
It seemstome, too, that oursuppliers arelesslikely to providecastingsfor new designsinthe same wayas
they have in thepastbecause with so many otherdesigns alreadyavailable(as well as complete engines) themarket will perhapsbesmall. In the past I’ve used pre-existing castings andrepurposedthem to make somethingelse, and usingthisapproachfooled the judges into awarding my 3½ inch gaugeBeattie well tank asilver medalinthe 1998-99 show
So,mylatestideaisto return to whereI startedinthe 1970s,withRob Roycastings. Some maysneer at RobRoy butminewentpretty well and theniceman wholoanedme his oiler an in lates used histopassenger haul during ourannual open days in the
Rivets on side tank.
1970s when it wasall handsto thepumps andmodelswere mostly smallanyway- proof that smallengines cangivea good accountofthemselves. There’sbeen very little publishedabout thesesmaller designsin3½inchgauge for quitea fewyears andmaybe it’s time to putthisright too. Models in this gaugeare not only cheapertomake, they need less capablemachinery andmanyofthe partscan be easil cutand filed hand If youmakea nice jobofit then permission mayevenbe grantedtodisplay it in theliving room!
Some of thelargerdesigns andsuper scalemodels, and theserious machineryusedto make them,publishedinrecent years, must have appeared quitedauntingtonewcomers Of course,I occasionally have problems when drivinga small
onebut at leastthenI can usethe excuse ‘I’m only little’ What’s nottolike? Thereare negatives, of course.The main oneisthata smallboilerneeds alot more frequent attention than alargerone andsois reckoned to e harder to fire consistently well.Checking waterlevel andlittleand often firin are thenorm Also, running sessionstendtobe shorterasthe fire etschoked more quicklythanona large engine.Perhaps this is notso badafter all, as sitting fortoo long in aslightlyuncomfortable position behind an engine may notbeterriblygoodfor some of ourcreakingjoints.
Thedesign
Thehuntfor aprototype began. It hadtobea recognisable outsidecylinder0-6-0 from a main line company, aboutthe same size as RobRoy and,
mostimportantly,not already availableeitherasa design or commercially in this gauge. I alreadyknewthatGWR hada littlecracker -the 1366 class shunting locomotives- andit didn’t take long to eliminatethe alternatives.These engines, six of whichwerebuilt,are fairly well knownand thereare some nice pictures of them takenon Weymouth quay in the1950s and60s,for example(photo2). Scheme design work was started.
My main sourcesfor detail area generalarrangement drawingfromthe National Railway Museum anda couple of topqualityworks photographsfrom‘Steam’, Swindon. Thesehad to be hunted outbut Isee they are nowadded to thelisting on the ‘Steam’website,ifyou want one. I’mafraidthere area fair fewtinyrivetsfor people to
count, if youwanttoput them in.Onthe original thetanks areall welded butthe caband smokebox arelitteredwith thelittlenuisances.Thisis somethingI wouldhaveliked to avoidbut theprototype is so obviouslydying to be made that it wonthe argument In termsofsizethenitis alittlesmallerthanRob Roy buthas proved to be quite capableofpullingmearound my localclubtrack.Inthe past modeldesigns by LBSC and others have been givencute namesbut I’ve falleninline with themodernfullsizenew build movement andgiven my design thenextnumberinthe original classseries, ‘1372’.In keepingwithfullsizepractice this allows me to usemodern materialsand redesign as necessary (!). Thedesignistargetedata similarlevel of weight,costand
Pannier tank 1370 at Weymouth (photo:The TransportTreasury).
Generalarrangement.
difficult as o o ut with maximumuse of lasercutting to speed thebuild.Rob Roy castings will be used where castings arenormally needed, exceptingfor thedomewhich is sourcedfromanother model design.The wheelsare not quiteright butmostlikelyfew wouldnoticeifI hadn’t told you. Theboilerisround-top as perRob Roy, rather than a prototypically correct Belpaire type,and notsuperheated. Dispensing with superheaters allows more tubesand greater heatingsurface andissimpler to make.The round-topwill be completely hiddenbythe tanksand arearcover shaped as fora Belpaire type.The fire ox is small ut dee so the usable coal volume andheating surfaceare similartoRob Roy. Thevalve gear is Allen straight-link, similartothe fullsize engines- more (laser cut)
bits buteasiertomakethan Stephenson’s and, when you studyit, quiteversatile
My plan is to design andbuild abasic version then follow-upwithsome enhancements such as all thelampbracketsand other sticky-out bits andrivetsetc forthose whowishtomake amoredetailedmodel.Ithas to be said,though, that these don’tmakeitgoany betterand some canbea nuisance,catch on things andget in theway when cleaning aftera run. Due to thecurvedbunkercorners andsuchlikeitmay be abit more difficult than o o , ut Ifound thecurveswereeasily made usingsimplewooden tooling. I’ve built andproved thebasic design andcorrected errors foundbeforepublication, slightly to oureditor’s annoyanceashewantedit sooner
his is m first model designed from theoutset with lasercutting in mind and, while Ican proudlysay that theframesfor allmyprevious ones,including twoin5 inch gauge, were allcut usinghand tools, timeschange. Lasercut partsare reasonably priced, save many hourswork, andthe accuracy is excellent.I will not be providingfully dimensioned drawings forthese parts, just thoseneeded to finishthem off. ModelEngineers Laser (www.modelengineerslaser co.uk) have allthe necessary models andwill be happy to provideparts.The only downside,sofar as Ican see, is that youdon’t endupwith abox full of useful offcuts to make otherthingswith. I will say, also,thatwhilstlaser cuttin is ood for at arts thereisstill lots of work to do andplentyofother bits to
make,and it allneedstobeput together,soyou canstill say “yes,I made it”.
To endthisintroductory article, will sa that find making things immensely satisfying andI hope Ican convey some of that in my words hefinalillustration this time is thesideviewgeneral arrangement(fig 1)soyou can contemplateitand become enthusiastic forthe next episode.
To be continued.
The Changi ng Fa ce of Mo del En gineering Mod el Eng ineeri ng
Tom Parham wonders wherenew directions in ourhobby will take us.
Ihave been consideringwriting this articlefor quitesome tme, andsomerecentevents, coupledwitha bitofspare tme, have prompted me to give it a go
Isuppose thebestplace to startiswiththe originsofthe hobby.I will lead on to where we areand what hasprompted thisarticle.Now this is where my knowledgeisshady at best, howeverall will have theirown memories of what thehobby hasbeen forthem, or have talked to others whohave longer associations with the hobby
Forme, Iama second generation modelengineer,with my father having been involved sincethe late 60’s.Withmenow approaching40, between us we have seen thechanges over at least55years andprobably almost 30 yearscollectively.
During dad’searly days, therewereprobablyonlytwo places that youcould buya second hand modelaway from aprivate sale.These
were adealerinLondon, or an auctoneer. This meant that generally if youwanted alocomotivethenyou would have to build one. At that time most people would have been taught some sort of metalworkorwoodwork at school or throughreadily availableevening classes, often in schools. Ihaveheard tales of materialsbeing availableat
theclasses, whereparticipants only paid forthe material as it left theroom,pricedbyweight, so anymistakesthatwere thrown away andany swarf removedwould notneed to be paid for… abonus.Thiswould have been theintroducton formanyofthe long standing memberswho arestill in the hobby today.
Over theyears many things have changed, the manual skills arerarelyand barely taught thesedays, as engineeringcompanies with apprenticeshipshavebecome fewerand thereare,itseems, no readilyadvertisedevening classes. This hasmadeitmore difficult fora newcomer to learnthe skills needed to build amodel.Add to this,factors likethe increase in thecostof living, ever increasing prices of materials, nottomentonthe machines,itgetshardertoget started… Even if someonewas in apositon to startout,with housepricesand mortgages theway they arenow,new homeownerhousing being smallerbydesign, with even
Polly VI,built by Andy/LukeBridges –a frst time build anda very successful locomotive
smallergardens,it’sbecoming more unlikelythattheywould have thespace to starta workshop
Forthose that do manage to make astart,despite the setbacks mentoned,where does theskill andthe learning come from thesedays?
Iknowmanywillbetoo shytoask,fearing that what they areaskingwillseemtoo basic, so they turn to places likeYouTube or Facebook,to name buttwo,which canbea hive of differing opinions and notalwaysthe best advice.I have heardrecentlyofsomeone really strugglingfor asmooth surfacefinish while facin off asteel barinthe lathe, having followeda tutorial on YouTube. Aftera while he didask forhelp, butsadly he hadalready lost some motivation.Itwas pointed outthatthe videos viewed were turningbrass andaluminium, whichnaturally give that better finish his is whereclu s are so eneficial, utitcould e so easy forsomeone to be put offcompletelybytalking to the wrongperson, in thesameway as social mediacan be
Over theyears theintroducton of kits,fromthe likes of Maxitrak andPolly,has made it easier forpeopletoget startedwithanend in sight, while still giving theopportunity to improveuponthe original design (a Polly hasbeen takenasfar as to winIMLEC). This starting pointgives the knowledgeofhow alocomotive works, in ordertobeableto maintain it properly,and indeed in time many people starting this wayhavegoneonto become accomplishedmodel engineersbuildingfromscratch Unfortunately, therehave been in thepastother kit manufacturers, wherethe kits beingproducedwiththe tagline‘bolt together on the dining table’,weren’t quite to thesamemechanical standard.Thisled to many kits notbeing completedand potentially putting people off thehobby altogether.Thatsaid, in thehands of acompetent en ineer andsi nificantwork, thesekitscould be turned into exceptionallocomotives
This does lead me to a personal annoyancewithsome of thelatestkits. They arevery well finishedtoa hi h le elof detail, leavinglittlecosmetically forthe beginnertohavea go at to improvethe model, which couldleadtonewcomers not beingencouragedtohave agoatall to developthose skills.(Maybethatisjusta bit of oldschool mentalityinme still, butitcan be annoying to spenda long time building andattempting ahighlevel of detail, only to turn up to arally andsomeone brings something of asimilarstandardwhich wasboughtoff theshelf.) ButI digress…
Thesedaysmanypre-build or part-built models aresold offaspartofanestateordue to financial concerns or s ace issues.Add to this theincrease in availabilityofmorereadyto-run models andthe entry pointtoowninga locomotive is fareasierthanever. That said,the expectationmight not always meet reality. Forthe newcomerstothe hobby who buya locomotive,theymight notalwaysappreciate theneed forthe maintenanceinvolved on aregular basis. Abit like, for example, howweall buycars either neworused, butnot all of us have theskills or time to maintain them andrelyon skilledmechanics to do that Some maynot appreciate to work that goes in between runs to maintain theirlocomotives This is wheresomegood advice is importanttoshare Unless they getlucky or usea reputabledealerwho provides afulltest, theymight purchase somethingthathas minororevenseverefaults. It hasalwaysbeen my opinion that fewpeoplemanageto buya greatlocomotive, unless topmoney is involved.Often a locomotive is sold becauseit mayhaveanissue whichthe ownerisnot able to rectify, whicha newcomer would then have asimilar issuewith. Personally,evenifsoldwitha new oilercertificate, would always recommend getting
4
5
afresh one, just to be sure of what’s just been bought Digression once again, my pointbeing that someone buying alocomotivedoesnot need to have thespace for aworkshopjusttoown one, so this maybethe only entry pointfor them (and they may
nothavebeen involved to know what is required just to maintain arunning locomotive). On theother hand,there arestill many people building models;Itishardtosay if this is as many as ever,but the build processisoften very different thesedays. 3
Skills such as boilermakingbeing done at theclubpassesonskills.
Myown Jinty, built over aperiodof20years -myfrstscratch build,proving to be a rewardinglocomotive.
Keepingthe hobby alivebypassing on experiencesand teaching newmembers
Historically everything was cutout by scratchand there arestill many whowill do this.However,makinguse of modern technologies,starting with CADdesign, laser/water jetcutting,etching etc. can save aconsiderableamountof time andeffort.Furthermore, CNCmachining cangivevery good,quick resultswithsome components.Morerecently theintroducton of 3D printng givesmanyoptions forthe progression of thehobby, either printing waxesfor lost waxcastings, patternsfor traditionalcasting methods, or even,asI have done,3D printing thecomponentsto build awhole wagon. In fact, in thesmallergauges, Ihave seen complete 3D printed locomotives.
Although possiblynot in thespiritof‘traditional’ model engineering, buildingonthe skills with CADwhich are taught thesedays, this is an area wheresomema findan entryintothe hobby,and that maybeasfar as they take it, or it couldbea stepping stone to getthe enthusiasm to then build more traditonally. Thesecan also bringsmall specialistsuppliers into the hobby andindeed have enabled theready-to-runmakers to do what they do.Think back to howcarsusedtobe predominantlymadebyhand untila certainHenry Ford came alongwithhis Model‘T’ I’msureyou arewondering if I’maimingtowards some sort of pointwithall of this,and
yes, my pointisthatthe world haschanged.People’sattudes towardshobbies have changed. Thehobby itself is changing Whetherthisisfor thebetteris alldependent on theopinions andmaybe attitudesofthose of us in thehobby already. It couldbesoeasyto dismissnew ideas, andthe youngernextgeneraton,but wheredoesthisleave the future of thehobby?Ifwehave anyambiton forthe hobby to continue then we need to encourageall newmembers, by whatever routetheychoose to enterthe hobby.One of the biggest issues Isee with model engineering, modelrailways, andI assume preserved railways(although Idonot have personal experience)is that theyounger generation, although they wouldliketoget in ol ed,find that com etin againstcomputers andonlinecontent,streaming etc. is increasin l difficult for theseactivities. Furthermore, probably from about17-30+ they will most likely be lost to jobdemands,sociallives and courting.Maybe when they have settled down andlook to pick up ahobby again, it can e difficult to etin ol edfor thebeforementioned reasons, addedtofndingtimeonce familiesgrowwithchildren. So,it’smyopinion that the childrenwho areinterested at theyounger ageneed to be encouraged so much more so, to ensure that they remember theenjoyment andare keen to getinvolvedoncemore.
Ihopemyclubisnot unusualinhavinga varietyof club locomotives, whichare availablefor anymemberto use, so newcomersneednot be made to feel that they must have theirown locomotive before they canjoin. Iwould much rather teachona locomotive Iknowratherthan alocomotiveI’venever seen before (plusit’sa bonusto have reliefdrivers around).
Iknowverywellthatthere’s a lotofworkneeded to keep the club going, with maintenance of thesite, andthe track, not to mentionstation duties to allowpublic running to happen, as well as boiler testing, etc. It shouldn’talwaysbelefttothe ‘old guard’ to do this butthere is afine line etween teachin and encouragingthe newcomers to startgetttnginvolvedand thepossibilityofpressing them toohardtoo soon and putting them of altogether -not everyone will have the time to committhe hoursthat others can. SomeoneI know looked at joininga localclub andwas told at thefirsthello “wellyou’llneed to come along on Tuesdays or Thursdays formaintenance work,not just come to run” -clearly not noticing theage of theperson, whichwould placethemway before retirement.Personally Iwould always encourageany attendance to build enthusiasm andthenencourage helpingout anddevelopingthatsideofthe hobby
In thesameveinwhenthey do startgetting involved,if they getthingswrong it can be easy to push them away by ‘tellingthemoff’ rather than steeringthemintothe rightway of doingthings. Neverforget that howevermuchemphasis aclubhas to putonpublic running,possiblybased on what they need to do to remain on theirsite(whetherthatbe acondition of thelease by a council, or in ordertoraise revenuetopay forrent),the membersare taking part on a voluntarybasis,asa hobby,and wish to enjoybeing apartofit. IhopeI haven’trambled too much,and that some of this is apoint that clubscan take on,
butI thinkwhere I’mheading is that I’ve seen toomany people over theyears startto getinvolvedbut forwhatever reason lose theenthusiasm, or have it driven outof them;someleave thehobby altogether,othersare luckyand mana e to findanother clu (usually thosewitha longer historywiththe hobby)who are more welcoming.
a e m ein selfish becauseI hope to have afew more decadesinthe hobby and Iwantittostill be around butI do sometmes worry aboutthe future of themodel engineering community andsometimes fear that if some attitudesdon’t change abit towardsnew/ youngmembers,thenthere maynot be enough to keep the clubsgoing
Many thanks if you’ve managedtoget throughall of this,and Ihopethatitmay have givenfoodfor thought amongstsomeclubs.Looking forward, what do we need to keep going?
Forsurvivalofthe hobby Ibelieve it is essentialto encouragethe newcomers, youngorold,tobeacceptingof all, regardless of background, andprovide help forthemto developintomodel engineering hobby as farastheywishand evolve to incorporatemodern technologies andwaysof thinking
As aparting thought, whyis it that so many thinkthatthey must owna locomotive priorto joininga club?Orindeed have to be apotential owner/builder? Thereare allsorts needed in acluband sometimesthe guys youneed to rely on to run on aweekly basisjustwant to be apartofa community andhelpout,withminimal interest in running or building locomotives…
Many thanks if you’ve managedtoget throughall of this andI hope that it mayhave givenfood forthought amongst some clubs. Idohopethatour pathscross over thecoming years- I’dalwaysbehappy to sitdownwitha cuppa (ora pint)for achat.
Brandon ’s Stea mWeekend Brand on eek
Kevin Baldwin and Martin Evans report from the BrandonSociety’s steam up at Weeting.
Given theBritish weather’s well-knowntendencynot to cooperateonsummer bank holiday weekends, youmight thinkthatsucha weekendwould notbea good choice fora modelengineering club’s SteamOpenDay.The Brandonand District Society of ModelEngineers, however, were nottobeput offand, true to form,the weather didits best to dampen the proceedings
TheSociety occupies a field in eetin , a illa e ust outsideBrandon,which lieson theborderbetween Norfolkand Suffolk eetin iswell known forits annual SteamRally,one of thelargest in thecountry, andthe Society, with its miniaturerailway,alwaysplays aprominent part.Although theclub’sown Open Daywas inevitably notonthe scale of the eetin all it was, nevertheless, well attended despitethe rain,demonstrating that people from northSuffolk andsouth Norfolkare equally uninclined to be putoff by the vagaries of theEastAnglian weather. Some enthusiasts e en came from as farafield as Bedfordshire!
Fortunately, asmall marquee wasput up forthe event, whichcontained adisplay of members’ work (photos 1 and 2), teaand coffee, anda very largequantityofcake. Themarquee wasmadegood useof, while outsidea haze of smokeand steamfromthe visiting enginespresented stiffcompetition to therather persistent rain.
It wasverymucha road locomotive eventand there wasnoactivityonthe railway track. ProximitytoThetford, thehomeofthe Burrell traction engine,tends to make the Societyratherroadlocomotive oriented.Annotable exception wasa very nicely made mill engine,built by Eric Strawson, aformermemberofthe club, andnow in thecareofPeter
1
2
3
Baldwin(photo3). Next to him wasDavid Etheridge, with his long wheel base Fodensteam lorry,built aboutten years agofroma SteamTraction
4
DavidEtheridge broughtalong a4 inch Fodensteam lorry
orldkit photo4). Outinthe rain, hris Ha elwas firin u his3 inch ‘Minnie’,scaledup from thewell-known1 inch engine andnamed Scallywag
Part of thedisplay of Societymember’swork– here arethree models by John Merrett.
Amodel of HMSChatham by chairman,DaveMoore. Theprototype wasbuilt in 1911, sawactionatGallipoliand wasscrappedin1926.
PeterBaldwin in charge of Eric Strawson’s mill engine
A 4½ inch Fodensteam ‘bus belongingtoPhilBarrett.
(photo ). Nearby wasanother sixinchFoden tractor, again built from aSteam Traction orldkit,owned o er Venni (photo6).
Doug andBev Fleet brought alongtwo youngDalmatian dogs anda four inch Burrell showman’sengine(photo7).
This wasbuilt aboutten years a oand has ust eenretu ed andhad ahydraulic boilertest. henext o is to o erhaul the motion work.Running around thefieldwas Kitchener,a four inch Fowler road locomotive belongingtoBen Tregear andDarcy Stroud (photo8).
Arow of engineswaits patientlywhile beer andchips areconsumedbytheir owners
Theprototype hasa rather interestinghistory,startinglife as Kitchener butendingupasa showman’senginecalled Iron
A4 inch Burrell road locomotive belongingtoMikeTurner.
by Mike Turner from aSteam raction orldkit in
Lastly,hereisa rather unusualmodel (photo10). Theprototype startedlifeasa long wheel base Fodensteam lorry butwas convertedintoa ‘bus,tobeusedfor conveying thecompany’s brassbandto events.The model, in 4½ inch scale, wasbuilt in Scunthorpe in 1997 andnow belongsto Phil Barrett.
At theend of theafternoon, while therainwas taking arest, therewas theusual pubrun into eetin illa eto isit he Saxon’ andGeorge’sFishand Chips(photo11). Then it was back to themarquee andthe cake.The weathercleared by theevening andafter dinner, everyone gathered around the cam firetoen o con ersation andrefreshments. Doug’s 4 inch Burrell Scenic wasseen generating andproviding lights whichmadea er finesi ht thinkhefinall utthe en ine to bedatabout midnight! Sunday dawned much brighter than Saturday,with
clearblueskies anda very welcomesun
Steamwas soon raised by thevisitingengines,withevena steamlocomotiveinthe shape of GeoffEllis’s 5inchSweet Peahavinga turn on thetrack Many electric locomotives oined eoffintrundlin around thetrack forthe rest of theday. Visitors andenginedrivers mingledhappily,withmuch chugging about. Afew participants even foundtime foranother quicktriptoThe Saxonpub in thevillage!
Activity on theboating pond wasbrisk (photo12), with severalboats having asail, from asmall pond sail yacht, to Dave Moore’swonderful steam-driven warship HMS Chatham
Therefreshmentshad themselves been refreshed, with many more donations of cakesand nibblestokeep isitors fuelled e certainl thankall thosewho donated such lovely treats
At mthere wasa rand Parade with theparticipants
12 13 14 15 16
circumnavigating thesitefor afew laps before forminga neat andveryimpressive line up (photo13). Theprize giving ceremony then took place. KevinBaldwin hadmadea few surprise awards to be givenout to deservingwinners.These consistedoftwo miniature golden shovels, anda woodmountedgoldenspanner!
TheBestInSteam By PopularVoteAward andthe first inductee to he rder f TheGoldenShovelwas Clive andEmily Randlesome (photo 14 withtheir ma nificent inch McLarenroadlocomotive Magic.Clivewas awarded this accolade afterthe engine owners andexhibitorshad been consultedastowhich engine wastheir favourite. A very worthy winnerindeed, as Clivepresented theengine superbly,and wasgenerous enough to letothershavea drivethroughoutthe weekend.
Thewinnerofthe Golden Spannerfor Best Engine Built By TheOwner wasChris Hazel (photo1 )for his3 inch Minnie Scallywag.Chris hadmade this engine in itsentiretyby scalingupthe original 1inch scaledrawings,making hisown
patternsand then machining theresulting castings, completing theengineina very finest le he en ine alwa s runs faultlessly.
ThesecondinducteetoThe OrderOfThe Golden Shovel wasJonas Bailey(photo1 ). He is ayoung manwho showsgreat promiseinour hobby.Not only didhebring alongand runhis impressive collectionofMamod and ilescoen ines, ut he was also seen ably drivinghis grandmother Marian’s 4inch Burrell traction engine for most of theweekend. He was also luckyenoughtohavea driveofClive’sMcLaren,and demonstrated greatskill fora ladofhis youngage in piloting this handsome engine
KevinBaldwin gave avote of thanks to allthathad made theweekendsucha relaxed andpleasurable success and everyone received awelldeserved roundofapplause
Alltoo soon preparations were beingmadefor exhibitors to pack up andmaketheir way home aftera trulysplendid event.
Geoffrey Bethell’storpedo boat at full throttleonthe pond (photo:GeoffreyBethell)
Cliveand Emily Randlesham receivetheir Golden Shovel (photo:Geoffrey Bethell)
An impressive line-up afterthe parade(photo: Geoffrey Bethell).
BookReview De Re Met al lica
‘Agricola’,TranslatedbyHerbert andLou Hoover
Thisbook hasthe most remarkable history. Originally published in Latin, in 1556,itwas not translated into Englishuntil 1912,bythe Mining Magazine, despitebeing thestandard work in itssubject throughout that time.Itwas otherwise translated only into Italianand German GeorgiousAgricolawrote his vade mecum afterfield studiesand observationofhis subject, mining,makingthis thefirst ook earin detailed technicalillustrations. It was themostreferred-to book in the historyofmining, despitethe language.Agricolawas born in Saxony in 1494and died in 1555
HerbertHoover,yes,THAT
Herbert Hoover,havingmade hisfortune in mining,was retiredand lookingfor a projecttooccupy him. Ably assisted by hiswife, Lou, both Latinscholars, he beganthe translationofthismasterpiece
Thebook is dividedinto12 sections,plusappendices.It begins by offering theworkto thenoblesofthe area,posssbly sponsors,orownersofmines
Mr Hoover notesthat, despite beingconducted in Latin, his translationsuffers by thefact that mining sciencehas moved on in thelast1000years.We nowhaveconceptswhich did notoccurtothe ancients
Facsimile Edition, 1930
ISBN 978-0486600062 638pp,hardback, £30
Mr.Agricolatherefore invented severalLatin phrases, notall of whichweretranslatable. Mr.Hoover goes on to describe mining,not as alowly trade, buta very important, practical endeavourworthyofthe greatest respect. Book 2 explains howmineralscan be prospected by noting the
naturalworld andbyits sight, look andeventaste maybe recognised.The powerof divining also stood them in good stead. Theworkis illustratedshowing howveins anddepositsofminerals, includinglodestones, may differ, andwhy,without the knowledgewenow have of geology. Book 3 handleshow thedepositsmay be foundand identified Book 4 dealswith mining areasand methodsof markinga mine’s limits, plus theofficialswho mana e such agreements.Thiscontinues into Book 5 dealingwith surveying. Book 6 concerns toolsand drainage of themine. Thewheeled travellingwagon, used to remove minerals and wasteisguidedinits path by a rigidironpin,not unlikea model slot car. Themachinery is not ignored. Cleardrawingsshow pumpsdrivenbycranksand formsofwater power. Pumps oftenwerearranged in threes, sincetheyoffereda smoother turningmoment. Wind-and water-mills arealsoseen,as blowingengines andbellows, creating draughts forthe smelting furnaces.Whilstwe areperusingthe pictures,look forthe minorcharacters; dogs, otherminersetc., oneofwhom wearsstriped knickerbockers or pantaloons. Sometimes mineswereabandoned,citing threeofthe reasons- 1) the vein is exhausted2)demons andgnomes, beliefinthese waswidespread, 3) badair Book 7 covers assaying or measuringthe purity andworth of asample. Themethods and chemicalsand theirmethods andorigins were allconsidered. Book 8 handlesthe extraction andseparationofthe valuable
minerals from thedross. (One storydescribes akeen young surveyor andassayist who used to descendthe mines himself, collectingsamples and smelt.) Book 9 continues, with threecrucibles,asatAbbeydale ndustrial Hamlet,Sheffield Book 10 extendsthistogold, silver andcopper, frequently foundtogetherinnature. This continuesin Book 11,whilst Book 12 dealswithobserving thecontent of wastewater and otherrunoff, andrefinin them sulphur, salt andglass, notably. Appendix Cisquite interesting, describing theweights and measures of theperiod. Recommended forany engineer’s bookshelf.
GeoffTheasby
The Le ufo rt in Pr ojec t uf o
IanBayliss presents an internal combustion G-scale locomotive.
Continuedfromp.415
M.E.4751 September6
Thecab
Thespace problemfor the cabhad really reared itshead by now. Thealuminium alloy footplatesocarefully planned previously hadberemadeto give some extrawidth,taking themodel up to afull6 foot 6inchesscale widthand the frontmountingfeet of thecab structurehad to sitonthe front gearboxmountingfeetand be allboltedthrough together.The cabitselfisa rivetedstructure with thesheetsguillotinedfrom mm rass sheet andthe final shapes marked outand cut with ajewellers’piercingsaw (photo50).
Arivetingtable wasknocked up from scrapply that had therivet setjustclear of its to whensat firml inthe benchvicesoI didnot need to grow anyadditionalhands to complete theriveting (photo 1).
Thesequencehad to be worked outtoensureall rivets couldbeclosedinternally leaving thebestheadon theexterior. Sides, corner andsiderails first andthen
Photograph 52 also shows theroof frame. It is 1mm brasssheet with thebeams shaped anddrilledasa group to an accurately made steel template.The spacingpillars arestock brass, drilledand tappedeachend M2.M2studs areusedtoclamp thewhole assembly together.The whole is soft soldered anddistortion turned outtobeminimal.The roof itself is rolledslowlyto matchand thewhole assembly is designed to be detachable as complete unit (photo53). 50 51
thespectacle platewitha hardened andtemperedpiece of silver steel as apunch to i e a at head internall (photo52). Atemplatefor the cabmountingholecentres wasneeded andthiscan just be seen in theaperturefor thegearbox in thespectacle plate. This is an off-cutof brassangle trimmedtolength andtwo holesatthe gearbox foot hole centresdrilledinit. This wasboltedthrough the cabmountings before riveting of thespectacle platewas commenced
52
53
Riveting ‘table’ forcab alleviatingthe need to grow an additional hand
Assembledcab androofsupport skeleton
Cabroof fnishedand trialftted.
Bodywork assembledand spectacles ftted.
earviewoffnished item minus Creceiver.
Thecab spectacles are simple turned frames from brassstock with abored rebate on theinside. Theglass is real.Theyare 24mmdiameter atmineral watch lasses 1.5mmthick sourcedina smallquantityfroma jewellers’ suppliers forthe previously mentionedBagnall project. he arefixed c anoacr late clearadhesiveand thebolt holesare spottedthrough (photos 54 and 55).
Well here is thefrsttragiciteration fnishedwiththe added‘radiator’grille
Dumbbuffers,moulds, toolsand couplinghooks.
Thedragbeams and couplings were addedalong with agrille to coverupwhat hadbecomea not-so-good view.I hadthought Iwould get away with it untilthe fuel tank hadtoberaised.
inall ,the ca isfitted with square rear posts(silver soldered in handrails of 2.5mmdiametermild steelthey areone anda half inch tube in real life)and therear sheet is only ahalfsheet as
access is needed to change directionofdrive manually. The2.4GHzradio control receiver is mountedina little bespokewooden carrier on this back sheet (photo56). Standing back to admire the o nowfittedu , the realisationhad dawned that thefront looked terrible. What hadbeen thoughtofasjust aboutacceptable across the front, nowthe fuel tank had been liftedtosuitthe new
engine arrangement, looked awful. Some sort of tinwork hadtobedreamtuptobein keepingwiththe ethosofthis project. Aslotted grille of the simplest design seemed to be appropriateand onewas duly made from 1mmbrass sheet,proving to be really difficult to fit into some existin tappedholes in theend frame stretcherbut notimpossible. This late addition canbeseen in photo55.
