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308 SMOKERINGS
News,views andcomment on theworld of modelengineering
309 ATANDEMCOMPOUND MILL ENGINE
DavidThomasrevisitsArnoldThrop’s design of aCorlissmill engine
314 ENHANCED BY VEHICLES
Ashley Best adds alittlevariety to his¹⁄16th scale tram display
316 BUTTERSIDE DOWN
SteveGoodbody writes with talesofthe trials andtribulationsofa modelengineer’s life.
John Baguleyprepares Ayesha forher appearance at hercentenary rally staged by theNational2½InchGauge Association (photo SteveEaton).
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Southpor t
MARTIN EVANS Editor
In thelastissue Iwas celebratingthe IMLECevent (International Miniature Locomotive Efficiency Competition) at the Southportclub. Of course,I wasnot to know then of thetruly appallingeventsthat were to followjusta week later. As Iwrite this, theaftermath of Axel Rudakubana’s inexplicable rampageisstill very much underway butI hope,bythe time youreadthis, that some degree of sanity shallhave been restored
My thoughts andprayers arewitheveryoneinSouthport andthe surrounding area as they trytodealwithwhathas happened.
IMLEC
DIANE CARNEY Assistant Editor
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
Iwas hoping to includea report on IMLECinthisissuebut I thinktodosojustnow would be inappropriate.
Life of LBSC
Ihavementioned the‘Curly Bowl’competition before, otherwiseknown as theLBSC Memorial Bowl competition, whichtakes placeat theCheltenhamSME on
September1st.Nicelytimed to coincide with this is the publicationofEddie Castellan’s book on thelifeofLBSC, Battle of theBoilers,the titlereflecting possiblya pivotalevent in LBSC’s career.Eddiewrites aboutthe battleinthisissue (page334)and SteveEaton givesusa previewofthe ‘Curly Bowl’competition on page 333. Ican’t resist includinga picture of thetrophyhere– don’tyou thinkthe shapeofthe handles nicely reflectsits nickname? This must surely be deliberate… Eddie’sbook is publishedin alimited editionof500. It is abeautifully produced book andI am sure it will be much sought aftersodobequick if youwantone!Itisavailable from LBSCbook@proton.me or from GS ModelSupplies(info@ gssmodelengineers.comor 01278-788007).The priceis £30plus£3.80 UK P&P. We hope to includea review of the book in ModelEngineer shortly.
RobRoy Rally
This year’s RobRoy Rally takesplace at theBromsgrove SMEonSaturdaySeptember 14th from 11am.Ifyou have aRob Roylocomotiveplease do bringitalong!Evenifyou don’tbut have adifferent 3½ inch gaugelocomotive, please do feel free to bringthat instead. Youcan findout more aboutthe Bromsgrove club at bromsgrovesme.co.uk. If you plan to attend please contact IanHorsfieldon01386-792628.
DerekBrown
On Saturday 27th July at theYorkCityand District
SocietyofModel Engineers
Alan Hopwoodonbehalfof SMEE waspleased to award DerekA.G.(‘DAG’) Brownwith an Honorary Membership Certificate in recognitionof hislongservice to theSociety of Modeland Experimental Engineers.
Alan referredtoDerek’s wide knowledgeof engineeringmatters and hisdemonstrationsofdrill sharpening at showsusing the QuornTool andCutterGrinder by thesix facetmethod. Derek haddeveloped this technique forthe Quornand in particular hasinventeda setting jig whichmakes this procedure very much quickerand more effective.
Aheartyround of applause marked themomentfromthe York Society, whereheismuch appreciated.
Cock-upCorner
In RonFitzgerald’sarticle on George Forrester twoissues ago(M.E.4748, July 26)part of thetexttowards theend of thearticle somehowended up beneatha figureand thus hiddenfromview. My apologies forthis. This issue’sinstalment overlaps theprevious, in order to includethe missing text
Bromsgrove SME
‘DAG’Brown is presentedwithhis certificate by Alan Hopwood
The‘Curly’ bowl
EddieCastellan’s newbook on LBSC
ATan dem ATandem Compound Mill Engine
David Thomas builds Arnold Throp’smodel of aCorlissmillengine.
Introduction
This series of articles will describe thebuildingofa modelofa tandem compound, condensing mill engine,typical of thosethatdrove textile mills in Britainand around theworld up to the1960s. Forthe author this provided both achallenge to improvehis workshop skills anda linkbacktohis family originsinBurnley,Lancashire. Onesideofthe family,there, were road builders(‘Paviors andContractors’ina Burnley directoryofthe early20th Century),the others were brushmanufacturers,and allofthemwerepeoplewho made things.The brush making business produced everysortofbrush from ladies’hairbrushes to rotary broomsfor road sweeping machines buttoa largeextent they were dependanton thecottonindustryfor their survival.The loss of theclothmaking industry to overseas competitionfinished offmuch of themanufacturing work that hadbeen needed to support it andthe brushmakerswere no exception. By the1970s the cottonindustryhad gone and
most of theequipment was scrapped it’s difficult to move andhouse anything as bigand heavyasa mill engine and only afew of thethousands of engineswerepreserved.Scale models arelessimpressive than 2000 HP full size machines,but they canatleast show somethingofthe look andfeel.The buildingofthe models also helpstopreserve alittleofthe skills that once existedfor theirmanufacture
History; theoriginofthe model
Arnold Throp, whowas an apprentice with Cole,Marchent &Morley, engine builders in Bradford (Yorkshire,UK) describeda modelofa typical small-to-mediumsized mill engine in ModelEngineer in 1982 (ref1)but didn’t give anyconstructiondetails and, as farasI know,nosuch details have been published. Thropdescribed it in general as ‘… representative of the smallertypes whichwere made in greatnumbers from about1860onwards in this countryfor drivingtextile mills …’.The original model wassoldbyChristies in 1984 to thePowerhouseMuseum in Sydney andisstill held by them (ref2, photo2). Throp also describedhis experiences in theindustryina book first publishedin1988and this book hasa lotofuseful informationonthe construction anddetails of mill engines (ref3). Thedesignofthe
modelwas worked on by Peter Southworth andheevolved five or sixversionsand made (or modified) patterns forcastings.
In hisbuild logonthe Model Engine Makerforum (ref4)Tug Wilson gave ashort historyof howthe modeloriginatedand evolvedovertime, reproduced belowwithhis permission:
‘The engine wasoriginally designed by Arnold Thropfor Terry FleetofFleet Engineering Services whoofferedcastings forvarying versions forsale.
‘Itwas nota scalemodel of an original prototypebut Arnold haddesigneditonbasic engine principles learnt as an apprentice andsubsequent engine fitterinone of thelast firmsofenginemakers, Cole, Marley andMarchant. He produced hisown patternsfor asinglecylindercondensing versionthatwas describedin theAugustand September1982 issues of ModelEngineer
‘Unfortunately Terry lost allhis patternsand castings when thefoundry he used shut overnightand thedesignwas fundamentally lost to theME world.
‘Several yearslater during aconversationwithPeter Southworth this design cropped up.Hetoldmehehad Arnold’s original patternsfor theleftside engine andalsoa full setof drawings.Hehad bought them at thesaleofArnolds estate but hadnointention of sellingthem commercially.The conversation developedmuchfurther andthe upshot wasthatPeter kindly made patternsfor theother side engine andthe castings then became commercially available again.’
Lateron, BobPotterbought theSouthworthEngines business alongwithall Peter’s designsand continuedto sell castings from those patterns. More recently still, theSouthworthrange has been takenoverbyBlackgates Engineeringand they nowtell me (June2023) that castings forthe bigCorlissengineare availableagain
History; George H. Corliss
TheDirectory of American Tool andMachinery Patents(ref5)
shows George H. Corlissas having been granted19patents between 1849 and1880. US Patent No.6,163 of May10th, 1849,‘Cut-Offand Working theValvesofSteam Engines’ describesa trip gear applied to conventional slidevalves. In No.24,618ofJuly5th,1859, (fg 1)Corliss describesthe ‘RotarySteam Valve’ combined with atripgear- or,asCorliss namesit, a‘liberating gear’. He describesthe combination as providingbotha reduction in theforcesthathaveto be provided by thegovernor (‘regulator’ in histerminology) anda reductioninthe necessary rangeofmovement needed forfullcontrol
In the1859reissueofhis 1849 Patent [ReissueNo. 763 12th July 1859]Corlisswrites: ‘Aliberatingvalve-gear presents,asI have discovered, peculiarfeaturesofadaptation forworking in combination with aregulator,asithas the capabilitybeyondother species of valve-gear of reducing the amount of powerrequiredof theregulator in controllingthe periodsofclosing thevalves, andalsoofreducingthe range of movement,requiredof theregulator in fulfillingthe requirements of regulation; andthoughthe regulator possessesa very limited amount of availableforce within thelimitsofvariation in velocity consistent with proper regulation,yet that forcemay be so appliedtoa liberatingvalvegear as to be felt at each stroke of theengine, andvarythe period of cut-offtocorrespond with thechanges in velocity ’
Theseideas in thetwo patentsmadepossible thedevelopment of steam engineswithreduced steam consumptionand which provided thetightly controlled speed necessary fordriving textile mills
Therotaryvalve hasalways been knownasa ‘Corliss’ valveand wasverydifficult to re-designtoevade the original patents. Theideaofa trip gear howeverwas taken up by many companiesand implementedinmanydifferent ways.Bob Potterincludedwith
thedrawingsa copy of afigure in thebook, Valves andValve Gearing describing onemade by Messrs. Musgrave which lookstobethe source forthe gear on themodel.
This versionofthe model
Aftertwo successful IC engine builds(LenMason’s ‘Mastiff’ andanETWestbury‘Wyvern’)
Iwas readyfor asteam engine projectfor thenextmodel Idescribed both thepetrol engine buildsonthe Model Engine Makerforum (MEM) andhad hada lotofhelp andsupport from theother buildersthere.The choice of engine forthisproject wasthe result of my interactions with MEM, particularly TugWilson
George Corliss’ patentfor a‘Rotary SteamValve’.
Fig 1
Arnold Throp’soriginalmodel.Now displayedatthe Powerhouse Museum in Sydney,NSW
whowrote up hisbuildingof oneofthese engines(thank youTug!).Atthe Forncett Industrial Museum’s ‘Model EngineersDay Out’ in October 2018 Isaw Tug’sprogresswith hisall-Corlissvalve tandem compound versionand was impressedwithit(both the design andthe workmanship!). At that time BobPotterwas running ‘SouthworthEngines’ andsupplying drawings and castings forthe mill engine and he sent me aset of drawings Theenginewas -just- within what my machines coulddeal with andI wasverytaken with theideaofbuildingone,soI parted with themoney.Bob had givenuponsending castings viathe post/couriersbut he, very kindly,delivered the23 kg of metaltofriends of ours ‘toawait collection’.Customer serviceindeed!Nearlya year laterwewereinthe UK again andI wasabletopickupthe castings from ourfriends near Huntingdon.After collecting thecastings, Ire-packed most of them into asmall trolley case andspreadthe smaller ones outamong ourother bags.Oncheckinginfor the flightbacktoAustralia Idon’t thinkthe person on thecheckin desk hadeverhad acaseso smallthatweighed 23 kg,but sheaccepted my explanation of thecontents- without much idea of what they were,I suspect(photo1).
Of thevarious versions shownonthe Southworth drawings,mychoicewas the tandem compound with Corliss valveHPand slidevalve LP cylinders anda combined air pump andspray condenser (fg 2). Thecross-compound versions were attractive but toobulky foreasystorage, transportordisplay.The tandem is nearly ametre long butwillatleast fit on ashelf.It wouldbepossibletobuild the modelwithout theair pump and save some space, butall the full-sizedengines exhausted to vacuum andthe model wouldlook incomplete in that form.Ifitwerenecessary to save space, weight,ormoney it wouldbepossibletoomit theLPcylinderaswelland still have aworking engine;after all that wasthe form that Arnold Thropfirstdescribed in Model Engineer in 1982 On thedrawingsprovided by Bob otterall fiveversions
of themodel were detailed together.The informationis allthere,but Ineeded to see formyselfexactly what Iwas goingtobuild so Imodelled theparts needed forthe
tandem compound in the Alibre 3D CADpackage.From theCAD modelI have been creating detail drawings as I go along, then buildingfrom these(fgs3 and 4). Iknow
Ascreen captureofthe 3D CADmodel (Alibre27)
Fig 2
Fig 4
Ageneral assembly drawingofthe model.
Fig 3
it’s difficult to proveyourown drawings,but Ithink I’mfinding most of theproblems(e.g. missing dimensions)asI go along. Therewerea fewminor problems in theoriginaldesign, whichI hope I’ve dealtwith, andI’vealsomadea fewdetail changes, mostly to simplifythe manufactureofparts
Thelargest componentof themodel is theflywheel at 9 5/8inchesdiameterby2 3/16
inches thick. It wasonlyjust possibletomachine this on theauthor’sHercus260 (10¼ inch swing) lathewithsome extremeand chatter-prone set-ups; a12inchswing lathe isn’tessentialfor building this engine,but it wouldmake things alot easier.All the necessary millingoperations were within the300 x135 x 260 (x,y,z)mmrange of the Aciera F3 universalmill which
hasa DROfitted. TheDRO isn’t essential, butitdid make a lotofoperationsmucheasier, particularly when drilling rows andcircles of holesofwhich thereare many.Mostofthe time themill wasinthe vertical mode andthatisprobably theonlyessentialset-up, but afew operations used the slotting head.A rotary table anddividingheadare essential, anda sine tableorsinevice
will be very useful.There are severalhundred smallholes to drill andtap,lotsof6 and8BA plus 10BA and12BA, these last convincing me to make aGeorgeThomasUniversal PillarTool -something Ishould have done alongtimeago. ThePillarToolisaninteresting andinstructive build in itsown rightand tapping 12BA without it wouldhavebeen closeto impossiblefor me.The iron castings were allfine grainand uniformintheir properties with very fewhardpatches,all of whichwereonthe outside, and machiningthese waspleasant. At thetimeofwriting the modelisrunning on airbut only completedasfar back as the HP cylinder (photos 3 and 4). TheLPcylinderand airpump have many fewerbitsthan I’ve made so farso, barring disasters, Ishouldbeableto stay aheadand keep theseries goingtocompletion.
To be continued.
REFERENCES
Ref 1 Throp, A; AModel Condensing Corliss Engine; Model Engineer Vol 149 No. 3687 20 August1982 and No. 3689 17 September 1982.
Ref 2 Model Corliss valve steam engine 2022, Museum of Applied Arts &Sciences, accessed 22 June 2023, <https:// ma.as/231080>
Ref 3 Throp, A; The last Years of Mill Engine Building; International Stationary Steam Engine Society 1993; ISBN 1872986 07 2
Ref 4 Tug’s Corliss Tandem Compound Project (modelenginemaker.com) Retrieved 04/02/2023
Ref 5 Patentsfor George H. Corliss (datamp.org) Retrieved 06/02/2023
Thecurrent stateofthe newmodel –1
Thecurrent stateofthe newmodel –2.
Enhanc ed By Ve hicles Enha nc
Howintroducing road vehicles improveda model tramway
Ashley Best realises that a typicalstreet sceneis notall trams.
Continuedfromp.290
M.E.4749 August 9
Louvres
Louvresare an important featureonany vehicle. Igavea lotofthought to this as abit of aproblem.Inthe end, Idevised asimplejig tool that works well. Forthis, Imadeuse of my very first latheand combined drill press, Unimat S.L. This has asmall machinevicewhich wasfixedtothe crossslideand allowedveryfine positioningto be achieved beneaththe drill chuck. Imadea simple slotted bedand adjustable width side guards to accommodate
possiblewidthsofthe louvred panels.Somemild steel stamping cutters of different widths were made to be held in thedrill chuckwhich was then alignedexactly in position so that broughtdownfirmly it puncheda louvre in thethin aluminiumsheet.The cutter couldthenberaised, thepanel movedforward andeased back gently forthe cutlouvre to be held againstthe spacer, thus making thenextcut in the rightposition. This manoeuvre couldthenberepeateduntil
therequiredtotal wasachieved fg
Radiator
This is amostimportant and definingfeature of anyroad vehiclefromearlier days. Mine aremadefrombrass andrequire useofa piercing saw. Thefront shapeismost important. It is cutfrom marked-out sheet brassand then anarrowannealed strip wrappedround thefront of the engine block. As an accurate fit it canthenbesilver-soldered
Fig 5
to thefront part whichiscut slightly oversize to allowit to be filed to si e photo 23 This,whenfinished should be aperfect push fit.Suitable gauzeissituatedbehindthe fronttosimulatethe radiator grill (photo2 .Onlyatthe endofconstructionisthe fillercap fittedand astarting handle canalsobeadded. I make this wholeengineblock to be held in placebyscrews
from beneathand then the main bodywork fittedtobuttup againstit. Thescuttlemight be attached as part of theengine blockormadeasa separate item.Onthe earlyMorris commerciallorry of 1927, thescuttlewas adistinctly separate item photo 2
Bodywork
Themainbodiesofthe vehicles made so farfollowthe same
Thescuttleisseparateonthe Morris commerciallorry.
Radiator cowl andgrille
Radiator in position
Wooden frameworkfor thebodywork.
Thesignwriting goes on before assembly.
Main panels arethinply or aluminium.
construction.A frameworkis made to followthe profile of thefloor andcan be fixed in placewiththe screws beneath photo 2 .Thismakes it possibletoremoveand re-fit
theframe if required.The next stageisthe main panels forthe sidesand rear.These arefirst developedaspaper patterns andthencut from either thin plyof0.9mm or from thin
aluminiumsheet photo 2
Anymouldingcan then be applied. Painting is done before fitting to theframework and this includes anysign-writing as it is so much easier than on afinished model photo 2
Metalsheetingcan easily be primed andsprayed with thedesired colour.However, when plywood is used,painting is abit more demandingand it needsa lotofpreparation andmuchrubbing down after theapplicationoffillerprimer. Whichevermaterialisused, onedifficultproblem is the cut-outrequiredfor therear mudguardsasthese recess into thestructure.A paperor card profile drawnround the mudguard is essentialand is then used to outlinethe shapetobecut out. This has to be done with greatcareand slowly
Iuse apiercingsaw on whatever material is being used.Itneedsa finetooth blade. Tiny adjustmentscan be carefully made,ifrequired, by sanding. It is oneofthose
things whichisfrequently overlooked,orassumed to be aminor difficulty, butactually is of majorimportanceasa botchedeffort looksawful Some details that arepartof theconstructionprocess can be seen in photos 2 and 3
Interiors
Only in acar modelisthere the need foratleast some interior detail. Vans or lorriesneed a littlejustatthe frontend.The main things required areseats photo 31 ,a steeringwheel photo 32 ,footpedals, gear lever, handbrake (photo 33 anda dashboard. Again, unless making an exhibition standard model, alarge degree of simplification will do nothing to detractfromthe general appearance.I couldfind very fewpicture references of interior details,soI employed abit of creative imagination with some dredgedupfrom memories drawnfrommyearly motoring experiencesinmy 1932 Austin Seven.
Seatsare straight-forward andare simply awooden frameand then blackMilliput, shaped to representthe upholstery.Steeringwheels were constructedfromthick brasswirewithspokesand centressilver-soldered. Gear levers andhandbrakeswere easily made from scrapbitsof metal. Dashboards were kept very simple –myAustinhad fewbasic dialsand Iassumed that this wouldprobablybetrue of most 1920 eravehicles.
To be continued.
Thefinerparts arecare ully sanded.
Attachingthe panels to theframweork
Asteeringwheel is avital asset.
Seatsare provided forthe driver andhis mate
Ahandbrake is even more important.
Pa
18 :
Pa stures New -P ar t2
Barn Raising
Steve Goodbody takesa random walk through modelengineering.
Continuedfromp.276
M.E.4749 August 9
InPart1 of thelatest missive,a mechanical mule unwittingly entertained amemberofthe local constabulary sippinga hot beverage (the policeman,not themule).Havingfulfilledhis
civicdutyand bidden farewell to thepseudo-wildlife, your fearless author wasleftwitha strangeformation in hisback garden whichwas,worryingly, decidedlysinglestoreyinits overallappearance.
Three-dimensional puzzles
As with many spaceconstrainedcities, New York -and theislandof Manhattaninparticular- has made remarkably creative useofits limited footprint. Of course,there’s thesubway system which, likethe London underground, is aworkof engineeringgeniuslargely hiddenfromview, andGrand CentralTerminal, with its simultaneously spectacular, soothing andcathedral-like above-surfacespaces(which, beingbothfreetoenter andfar more impressive than many of theheretoday/gonetomorrow tourist-traps, should be on everyone’s must-see listin my view)isanalmostwholly subterranean edifice when you getright down to it,so to speak.
Once abovegroundof course,the city risestoan almost miraculous degree, as allwho have visitedwill attest andall thosewho haven’twill surely know from theendless stream of movies andtelevisionshows whichcontinuetofeature itsresonatingstreetsand penetratingskyscrapers andwhose production once disturbedmydaily commute with tediousregularity. Yes, Manhattan’sskyline,streets andavenues are déjà vu familiartoevery newarrival; they have seen them alla thousand timesbefore.
Nowthe reason Imention this is that,inmyopinion, we modelengineersshare a featurewhich is commonto theprofessional engineersand architects whovisualisethese
multi-levelpossibilitiesand turn them into reality, afeature which, while youmay take it for grantedyourself, is notaswell developedinmanyother folks as youmight believe.Towhit, we,justlikethose city-building experts, tend to be rather good at thinking in threedimensions, don’twe? And, as Istaredat ournewly arrivedtwo-story shed sitting proudlyonits fortunatelyright-sized concrete base (photo95), onerather non-trivialquestionwas in the forefrontofmymind: where’s theupperhalf?
Thegang’sall here
On thedot of seveno’clock thenextmorning aknock at thedoor announcedthe arrival of asmall butdedicated band of Pennsylvanians, allbearing aremarkableresemblance to ourdriverofthe previous dayand allprimedtoget on with thejob.Withthe coffee ordertaken –cream andfour sugars in everycup once again –and carryinga tray bearing theresult, Iemerged from the housetoa remarkable sight forthe shed,inthe spaceof ust fifteen minutes, wasnow much tallerthanithad been when thekettlewas switched on.Infact, as Iwatched,the last of theupstairswalls magically unfolded from its flatpackpositionand was hauled upwardstoabutits now-vertical neighbours,a set of hinges at itsbaseensuring
that it endedupexactly where it should.Moments laterit wassecurelyand permanently attached by itsbasetothe lowerstructure.Whata relief!
As theday wore on,the speed at whichthe shed continuedtotakeshape wassimplydizzying. With thesecond-floor walls in placethe roof wasadded, followedbyunderlaymentand weatherproofing shingles atop, so that,asthe late autumn sundippedbelow Butterside Down’s treeline, thesingle-story boxofthatmorning wasnow transformedintoa two-story structureclosely resembling thedrawingswhich we had approved severalmonthsprior (photo96).
Thefollowing day, aseven o-clocktap-tap-tap on thedoor heralded theteam’sreturn once again, alllooking farmore cheerfulthancould reasonably be expected afteryet another hundred-mile earlymorning journey, andbythe time I emergedwiththatmorning’s coffee, severalsheetsofvinyl siding hadappeared on the weather-wrappedwalls and more wasclearly on itsway With work nowfocused upon theoutside andafter checking to ensure it wasokay, Istuck my head throughthe yet-to-beinstalleddoorway, marvelled at thesubstantial bracing whichhad kept theshedsolidly square during itsinterstate truckjourney andsubsequent
mule ride,and gazed inquisitivelyaround. These folks, Iconcluded gratefully, really knew what they were doing(photo97). By theend of that second daythe shed was, believe it or not, complete -and never have Iseen such arapid transformation from box-on-atrucktofully formed building -all thanks to aremarkably clever flatpackdesignand an incredibly hardworking andgood-natured team of installers.After shakingtheir handsand waving them off with adecenttip,I turned to admire ournew edifice,the realisationslowlydawning that this unpowered, unlit, un-insulated,unheated, unairconditioned andinternally incomplete structure representedthe startof anothersubstantial servingof elephant fricassée foryours truly(photo ). In short, Inow needed to turn this basicshell into ayear-roundhabitable building.
Brasstacks
NowI’m notgoing to bore youwithall thedetails of theten months’largely solo effort that followed, relieved Reader,but over thelastfew yearsI’venoticed occasional correspondenceinvarious Internet forums relating to workshop construction, especially regardingthe prevention of that ever-present
nemesis- rust -and while some of it is undoubtedlyaccurate, Iamsorry to saythatthere is theinevitablesmattering of wishfulthinking, questionable economicsand (withapologies forbeing so blunt) downright rubbish.And while Idon’t professtobeanexpertonthe subject, it is fair to saythat agreat deal of thoughtand planning went into thefitting outofmynew workshop-cumoffice, with theaim of making it simultaneously comfortable, energy-efficientand hostile to theformation of thedreaded ferrous oxideuponthe precious contents within,ina climate that is both hotand humidin thesummerand bitterlycold in thewinter. In short, if a pleasantly habitableand rustfree workshop canbecreated in ashedinNew Jersey then Isee no reason whythe conclusionsand solutions wouldnot applyequally well to otherlessclimatically extremelocations,wherever they maybe.
Of course,there’s no such thingasa free lunchand it is true that thedecisions and solutionswhich Iarrivedat were targeted upon theirlongterm paybackand benefits, and that meantthattheywerenot thecheapestinthe short-term, but(Ireasoned) Iwould be spending alot of time in this building, year-round,regardless of theweather andI really did notwanttoskimp nowand end
Fortunately, by theend of thefollowing day, asecondlevel hadmagically unfolded
Although depicted afew months laterwiththe electrical system by then installed, forty-eighthours afterits November arrival theshedwas externally complete!
upregretting it later. So,with that squarely in mind,let’s get down to business.
Thestuffng within Formanyyears Iwas fortunate to runthe operationalsideof asolar energy companyinthe United States –focused upon thebig systemsproducing electricitymeasuredintens or hundreds of MegaWatts andoccupyingvasttracts of real estate (you know the type)– andinthe earlydays, before such systemswere commonplace,I wouldoften visitprospective clients, typically municipalitiesand thelargerinstitutionsand corporations interested in buying cheaperenergythan wasotherwise availablefrom theelectricity grid,toexplain thetechnology, addresstheir questionsand concerns and puta face to acorporate name Believing that honestywas both thebestpolicyand thesurest path to trust, Iwould always beginbystating,unequivocally, that theverybestway forthem to save moneyona sustainable basiswas nottopurchase cheaperelectricity from us!No indeed (I wouldcontinue),the
surest waywhich they could reduce theirenergybills was to uselessenergyinthe firstplace, it really wasthatsimple. So,if theirwindows weredoubleor even triple glazed,their lighting high efficiency, theirbuildings well sealed,their ceilings andwalls properly insulated andtheir thermostatsboth programmableand underclose supervision, then oursunlightsourcedelectrons wouldbethe icingontheir cake.Inevitably, each organisation wouldassure me that they hadalready done allthose things;surprisingly, some even had.
Sadlyhowever,asyou may well imagine, thetruth was oftenotherwise,for changing windowsand lights, sealing cracks,improving insulation andupdatingenergymanagement systemsare all labour-intensive,expensive, time consumingand invasive tasks, especially in an alreadycomplete-and-operational buildingand,evenworse,they areall dull activities which neitherexcitethe readers of corporateprospectuses norgarnervotes from local constituents.Put simply,solar powerwas newand exciting,
AnthonyRobins’ 2013 book GrandCentral Terminal which, in addition to outliningthe fascinatingstory of NewYork City’s earlydevelopment and theimportanceofthe railway in itsnorthboundexpansion, details themanyengineering andarchitectural innovations that made GrandCentral atruly one-of-a-kindrailway terminus In fact,ifyou areconsidering a trip to NewYorkCitythenyou really must read this booktake my word forit- andwhen youarrive,I promisethatyou will make abeelinefor that remarkable stationand its surroundingstobeholdwhat youhavediscoveredwithyour owneyes.
ticked thegreen sustainability boxand couldbeachieved by simply signingonour dottedline– afar less taxing proposition. Butatleast my conscience wasclear and, I reasoned,I hadsownthe seeds whichwould hopefully result in some of theirsaved money beingploughedintoless exciting butultimatelymore beneficialenergyefficiency projects in thefuture. Ilived in hope
So,withthese reminisces runningthrough my mind,I stood,caulk-gun in hand after sealingevery tiny gaptothe outsideworld,and surveyed my bare-bones shed,deliberately purchasedwithhigh-efficiency windowsand doorsasa part of thepackage,preparing to putthose yearsofenergyefficiencyadvocacyinto practice anddeterminedthat therewould be no accusations of half-measuresorhypocrisy levelledinmydirection.Those Wonderland dragonswould garner no leeway this time, Ivowed
Postscript to Part 18
If youhaven’t yetreadit, I canheartily recommend
Now, to return to the overpoweringly threedimensionalarchitecture of my nearestcity, while I hope that many of youwill indeed read andthen visit GrandCentral Terminal,gaze in aweatits jaw-dropping architecture andvisualise therabbit-warrenoftunnels andpassageways beneath your feet,the same cannot be said forthe city’s main busstation,the uninspiringly namedPortAuthority Terminal which, despiteits equally space-clever design -its buses arrive at anddepartfroma levelseveral storiesinthe air- is abit of afleapitifthe truthbeknown.Despite its sanitary flaws,however,the Port AuthorityTerminalhas afondplace in my heart for onereasonand onereason only –itfeaturesprominently in oneofthe best dad-jokes in my repertoire,one taught to me severalyears agobymy daughter whichleftmeboth proud, grateful andoptimistic forthe youthoftoday.And as my partinggift, hereitisfor your benefit too
Q: What’s thedifference between thePortAuthority Terminal anda well-endowed lady lobster?
A: One’sa crusty busstation, andthe other’s a…….
I’ll leaveyou to fillinthe rest.Don’t mentionit, you’re welcome.
To be continued.
The Le ufo rt in Pr ojec t uf o
IanBayliss presents an internal combustion G-scale locomotive.
Continuedfromp.255
M.E.4749 August 9
Chassisassembly
heelswerefittedand secured as detailed at thecorrect back to back distance.The gear had been keyedand fitted. inally Leufortin1 is up on ownlegs (photo22).
Theflycranksquartered well andwere usttemporarily grubscrewed(forany ad ustment). This wasbased on theview that this wasthe slowestpart of thetransmission andwould last long enough to checkthe running before thefinalstrip down readytopaint.The same udgment wasmadefor plain axle boxbearingsinbrass, well lubricated
Thesubsequentlyinfamous forward reversegeartumbler mechanismhad to be assembledand installedwith the ackshaft into thechassis. The ackshaft went in with its gearsand tumblerassembly. Gear meshingwas good andverysmooth. Ithink the pictures areselfexplanatory (photos 23, 24, 25 and 26).
littledid IrealisethatI had alreadybuilt in aloadof troublefor thefutureofthis modeland more wastocome. It pushed alongsosmoothlyit felt really good Moving swiftlyon, next up came theenginemounting plate, footplateand engine mounts themselves.The engine mounting plateand footplate were to be from 2mmthick aluminiumalloy sheet.Each hasa number of drilledholes besidesbeing setsquare and- yes- Ihad forgottenthat thewheelscameabove the anglemountingsurface of the chassis, foulingtheseplates. Back to thedrawing board. Thecut-outsweremilledout andtheyweremounted up Adisappointmentwas that themachining anddrilling wasmadedifficultdue to thesoftnessofthe basic alloyand lowmelting point. It fouled up allthe cutting edges andthe only waytoeasethe situationwas to useparaffin as thecoolant- suds oilwas notgood. It wasa messy business or,alternatively, go slowly andclear thetool regularly(photo2 ). Ihad not experiencedthisquite this badly before when cutting alloys Ihad nowreached acritical pointinthe design and thebuild -thatofthe main reductiongearbox. ortunately as it turned outI had udged that in keepingwithmodel car practice allshaftingwould have to runinballraces.As 6mmprecision ground silver steel wasbeing used as the shafting then fitswould be alot easier to deal with,and so it was. Referencetothe LeufortinGearbox 01 (fg 3) givesa clearviewofthe original arrangements.By nowitwas evidentthatnitro modelcarsof1 10thscale and1 8th scalehavelots of spaceand Iwas rapidly running outofroom. IfeltI needed amagic figurebeyond the2 1ratio suggested by collectivewisdomtomakethe locomotive runslowlyenough as Ihad decidednot to reinvent thewheel anduse acentrifugal clutch nota home-brewedplate clutch.I really needed afourth
Takin shapewith ycranks couplin rods otor ountin plate and ootplate.
