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Vol. 234 No.4761 24 January –20February 2025
184 SMOKERINGS
News,views andcomment on theworld of modelengineering
188 WE VISITTHE WORTHING & DISTRICT SME
John Arrowsmith visits awellequippedclub on thesouth coast.
193 ATANDEMCOMPOUND MILL ENGINE
DavidThomasrevisitsArnoldThrop’s design of aCorlissmill engine
197 FRED –A 5INCH GAUGELOCOMOTIVE
Youngengineer SpencerPriddy describesthe construction of hisfirst locomotive
203 ML7MODIFICATIONS
Mike Joseph catalogues thevarious improvements he hasmadetohis Myford lathe
206 AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEM FORA TRAVERSER
PeterRussell brings modern technologyto theSunderlandclub’strverser.
208 POSTBAG
Readers’ letters
212 OBITUARY -PHILIPBELLAMY
Martin Goddard remembersthe lifeofa leadingmemberofthe SurfaceWarships Association.
213 ABRSTANDARDCLASS 4 TENDER ENGINE
Doug Hewson leadsusthrough the construction of theBRStandardMogul
Andrew Breese,Worthingclubpresident, takeshis 5inchgauge B1 locomotive around thetrack (photo:JohnArrowsmith)
AllChange
MARTIN EVANS Editor
DIANE CARNEY Assistant Editor
Eagle-eyed readerswill have noticedthatthe datesonthe frontcover of this issue indicate a‘lifetime’ of a full monthratherthanthe customarytwo weeks. This indicatesa major change in theway that ModelEngineer is published. Afterthis issue, ModelEngineer will become amonthly publication. Furthermore, themagazinewill incorporate ModelEngineer’sWorkshop, whichwill nowcease to exist as aseparatemagazineand the titleofthe combined magazine will be ModelEngineer and Workshop.Thisraisesa number of questions, whichI will attempttoanswerhere. First, alittlehistory. The ModelEngineerand Amateur Electrician startedinJanuary 1898 as amonthly magazine, sellingattuppenceanissue. Less than threeyears later, by popularrequest,the magazine became atwice-monthly publication, starting from the September1900issues. The magazine didn’t last long in this form though,and became aweekly publicationfrom January1st 1903. From the 1stofMay 1963, themagazine became once more atwicemonthlypublication, promising ‘a refreshinglymodernstyle, with more pagesand printed on betterpaper’. From about thebeginning of 1997, that switched to fortnightlyand has (asfar as Ican tell) remained in that form untilnow
arationalmove, taking the magazine back to itsoriginal conceptofa monthly, wide rangingmagazinefor model engineers. Thenew magazine will be substantially bigger than either ModelEngineer or Workshop andpromises abigger, brighter andmore secure future.The editor of thenew magazine will be Neil Wyatt, thecurrent editor of ModelEngineer’sWorkshop, so thenew magazine will be in good hands.
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ThefirstissueofModel Engineer andWorkshop will be Mar-25 on sale 21 February 2025. Thankyou foryourcontinued support!
Farewell
This reorganisation of the twomagazines provides me with agoodopportunity to retire,which Ihavebeen anticipating fora littlewhile Ihavea number of projects that requiremyattentionand Ineed some relieffromthe rather strenuous, buthighly stimulating, effort of turning outa fortnightlymagazine. Ihad always rather fancied theideaofbecomingeditor of ModelEngineer and– lo andbehold! –the opportunity came,quite unexpectedly, when Iwas askedtostand in forDiane when shehad to take abreak back in 2017.This continued, of course,when that turned into apermanent position,givingmeseven years in theeditor’schair.Ithas been agreat privilege to undertake this task andI shallhopeto continue to be involved,asa contributor, from time to time in thefuture.
The editor can be contacted via the email belowand would be delighted to receive your contributions, in the form of items of correspondence, comment or ar ticles. MEeditor@mortons.co.uk
Amajor change came in thesummerof1990withthe launch of ModelEngineer’s Workshop,witheditorStan Bray,who wasatthe time Club News editor of ModelEngineer As thenamesuggests, this magazine focussedon workshop techniques rather than theconstructionof models.Inevitably, this ledto areduction in theworkshop contentof ModelEngineer.The newmagazinewas quarterly at first butsoon became bimonthlyand then monthly. Thereorganisationofthe twomagazines into asingle monthlypublicationis, Ibelieve,
We understand this might notsuiteveryone. If this is thecase, please contactus at 01507529 529oremail emailqueries@mortons.co.uk, andwe’ll be happy to suggest an alternativemagazineor arrangea refund if needed.
Forthose whosubscribe to ModelEngineer’s Workshop only,your subscription will continue as usual, andyou’llreceive thenew ModelEngineerand Workshop magazine,now biggerand better!
KeyDates:
ThefinalissueofModel Engineer will be Issue4761, on sale 24 January2025.
Ishouldliketothank those whohavegenerouslyhelped andencouragedme, as amere amateurinthe publishing business, in getting ‘upto speed’. Most especially,my thanks aredue to DianeCarney, Mike Chrisp,Chris Rayward andthe late ChrisDeith.I should also liketothank Steve O’Hara at Mortonsand all my contributors,who have suppliedmewitha steady stream of very varied and interestingmaterial. Thanks are duetoyou readersfor buying themagazineand keepingme in ajob!I am also very grateful to have made so many good friendsduringmyspell as editor,which is awonderful bonus. Thankyou!
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PhotoCredit: PaulsWindross
We Visit the Worthing &District Societyof &Distr So f ModelEngineers Model E ers
John Arrowsmith visits the HenryGreenly Memorial Railway in West Sussex.
Abright,warm, spring daydawnedfor my visittothe Worthing &DistrictSociety of Model Engineerswhich is located at FieldPlace,situatedabout amilefromWorthingtown centre.The impressively smart club site is in an attractive area andhas been built by the memberstoblend in very well with itssurroundings. Iwent on oneofthe club’s working days andwas metbyvice chairman,Geoff Bashallwho introduced me to themany members, workingawayand chatting abouttheir various projects (photo1). It really is an immaculate site with neatly mown grassareas,which are availabletothe public during open days,and averysmart andsubstantial brick-built clubhousealong with equally impressive infrastructure
Thepresent club was reformed in 1974 following thedemise, in thefifties, of an earlierclub. In 1974 five foundermembers,Andrew Reese, Bert Perryman, John Rea, Victor Hodgsonand John Edwardsstarted the presentday set-up andwithin sixmonthsmembershiphad risentoaround60. Present daymembershipisaround110 includinghonorarymembers
ThesiteatField Placeisowned by Worthing BoroughCouncil througha privatecharitable companywhich hasaccess to avariety of grants etc. for thelistedbuildings within the
A superb clubhouseand patioareaadjacenttothe footbridge.
park,grantswhich otherwise wouldnot be available. The relationship betweenthe organisationsisverygood becausethe councilliketosee thelocal population enjoying theparkfacilitiessomembers here enjoytheir club without anyrealproblems.
Theclubhouse andworkshop wasbuilt in 1992 andhas an attractive outsideappearance with alarge canopy over apassenger loadingarea (photo2). Inside it is equipped with allthe facilitiesneeded by membersand guests in,again, averysmart environment.
Thegroup of happy membersposingfor theirteamphotograph.
Themainsignalcontrol
Membersand club models are displayedina side area where themulti-gauge 2½,3½and 5 inch trackand signal controls arelocated (photos 3 and 4). A good sizedkitchen area hasa servinghatch to themainroom whichhas comfortableseating andall theusual trimmingsthat modelengineersenjoy.There is also averygood 00 gauge
layout,built by members, within theclubroom whichisfully operationaland scenic;indeed, it includes aworking funicular railway as well (photo5)!
Allthe tracksignals are automaticusing a24volt system that uses oldstyle relays forinterlockingsothat trains arealwayskeptsafely distancedduringrunning
3 5 7 6 8 4
times. Thegroundhas been landscaped so that themain linerunsina loop likea folded figureofeight,sothatit crossesoveritselfduringthe run(photo6)and provides some interestinggradients and also some good long straights to enable spirited running(no doubt),ifthe trackisnot fully occupied.Itisabout aquarter
of amile long on afullcircuit Anumberofsteamingbays adjacent to theclubhouse and bridge areconnected to the main linewitha flatplatform traverser(photos 7 and 8). Theclubholds acharity open dayoncea year and onememberhas access to sponsorship, meaningthat whatever amount is raised by theclubismatch funded by the sponsors andthe totalbenefits alocal charity. Last year it was atotal of about£2,000which is an excellent amount,and wasnodoubt well received.At Christmastimetheyenjoy the traditionalSanta runs where parentsand childrencan enjoy thefestivities andmeet Santa, withoutany extracharges for theday out. This helpsthe localcommunity andismuch appreciated.
ThefirstmemberI spoketo wasGeoff Symes(bigGeoff), theclub’schief engineer who wasbusyhavinga steamtest on his3 inch scaleBurrell
storageunits in theclubhouse
Thetraverser from thesteamingbaystothe main circuit.
Asection of theOOgauge layout showingthe workingfunicular railway
From theother side showinghow thetraverser connectstothe main track.
Animpressivetunnelportalonthe
traction engine whichlooked resplendentinthe bright sunlight (photo9). Iwas also in time to seechairman, Kevin Aylingusing theclub’snew portable testingequipment benchtotesta couple of safety valves (photos 10 and 11). This very useful piece of kithas agas fired boiler andvarious outletstoenable different sortsoffittings to be tested understeam pressure.Itisall mountedon aneataluminium trolleyfor ease of moving around the site.The noveltyisthatevery componentwas donatedby memberssothatthe total cost wasaroundthe £50 mark,which seemsexcellent valuefor such ausefulfacility. At this time club president, Andrew Breesehad his5 inch gaugeB1inoperation;itwas traversing thetrack very well andseemed to have plenty of
andsee theolder members runningtheir enginesand beinginvolvedwiththe club, however, they still have that sparkle. Ithought that wasa very profound andinteresting remark whichI also thinkis very true.Model engineering 9 10 11 12
steamand powerfor theshort trainitwas pulling(photos 12 and 13). Anotherfine example of aClass 33 diesel electric built by thelateAlanNorman wasalsobeing putthrough itspaces on thetrack.The builder hadcopiedall the main detailsdirectlyfroman original examplelocated on the Watercress lineinHampshire -and it showed!(photo14).
Long time club member,Jim Alderman fired up his5 inch gaugeSweet Pea, Vera May andhetoo enjoyedsome good running time on thetrack (photos 15 and 16).
TalkingwithGeoff Bashall, thevicechairmanabout membership wasvery interestingbecause he said that thenumbers here have been over 100for the last 25 yearsatleast and that they have agood mix of ages with some skilled
youngerpeopleattending as well. He mentionedan observationmadebythe wife of onememberwho said that, generally speaking,aspeople getolder they lose thesparkle in theireyes. When youcome to amodel engineeringsociety
Theset up of thesmart newportabletestbench
GeoffSymes tendshis 3inchscale Allchinwhich is at theclubfor asteam test
The fine5 inch gaugeB1owned by theclubpresident,AndrewBreese.
Blowing down thenew test rigbuilt by club members.
Awellequippedworkshopwithinthe club building.
certainlyhas that benefit of keepingolder mindsactively engagedfor farlongerand this in turn leadstoa longer and, hopefully,happier old age. Onememberwho was thereand thoroughly enjoying himselfwas 92 year oldJohn whotoldmeofhis interests andhow,togetherwithhis sonwho is also amember, he still gets involved with the
club.Itwas arealpleasureto meet this venerablegentleman (photo17).
Ausefulworkshophas all thenecessary equipmentto enable running repairsand maintenancetobecarried out(photo18)togetherwith agood ground maintenance storageshed. Outsidethe clubhouseisa fine, well built footbridge whichgives access
Andrew Breesetakes hisB1for aspinaroundthe track.
Almost readyfor arun
Clubmember, 92 year oldJohnwiththe LBSC lamp
Afine Class3 BO-BODieselelectriclocomotivebuilt by Alan Norman
Jimhas plenty of steamashestartshis journeyround thetrack
to theinnergrassed picnic area (photos 19, 20 and 21). There is also anothersturdy, low profile carriagestorage shed whichblendsinwellwiththe area
Therailway itself is called theHenry Greenly Memorial Railway becausequite a number of yearsago the localareaofDurringtonwas beingsurveyedfor anew four trackrailway bridge and thesurveyorwas none other than HenryGreenly.The area included thecurrent site of the club andknowing hisrailway
connections,itwas considered to be arespectfulactionto name therailway afterhim (photo22).
Oneother notablefeature of theareaoutside theclubhouse is thegenuine LBSC Railway stationlamp. It wasgiven to theclubbyBritish Railways andmembers erectediton site.The lamp itself hasbeen completely rebuilt by members by referencinganexistinglamp locatedonthe Watercress Railway in Hampshireasthe master.A nice little story emergedfromthisexercise:
when trying to finda suitable mantle forthe newlyrestored gaslamp, aclubmember, whowas on hishoneymoon in America, founda source of the mantlesthere andpromptly bought asupply. On hisreturn thenew mantle wasdulyfitted and, when lit,itgives that lovely soft,yellowglowthatsuch lampsusually emit.The ironyis that when theacquisition of the suitable mantle wasdiscussed at theclubittranspiredthat
thesameitemcould be bought from asmall shop just down theroadinLittlehampton (photo23).
It only remainsfor me to thankGeoff Bashalland all themembers at Worthing whomademywifeand me so welcomeattheir club.Itwas arealpleasuretomeet youall andtoenjoy your wonderful railway.Thank you.
Thesplendidpedestrianfootbridge
Lots of conversationsgoing on around thesteamingbays.
An aerial view of thesteamingbaysfromthe footbridge
This displayboard indicatesthatthe club hada renowned member of themodel engineeringworld
ATan dem ATandem Compound Mill Engine
David Thomas builds
Arnold Throp’smodel of aCorlissmillengine.
Continuedfromp.131
M.E.4760 January 10
The original drawings show thecladdingsheets andpiecesofbrass angleneeded forcovering cylinders with square corners. Having chosen to make the high pressure cylinder with roundedtop cornersI needed to do abit of design work for
thecladdingand thecorner angles.A good waytostart on that wastolook at examples of original enginesand seewhat wasdonewhenthe engines were beingbuilt.Intwo visits to theUK, Imanaged to get to theAnson Engine Museum andthe Bolton SteamMuseum
of theNorthernMill Engine Societywhere it is possibleto getclose to original engines andtalktoknowledgeable people.Atthe AnsonMuseum (ona non-steaming day) Iwas allowedclose enough to take pictures of theStott engine (photo192)and in Bolton I
couldphotographaroundthe J. &W.McNaughttandem compound (photo193). The latterengineisa good example of thesortofengineonwhich Arnold Thropbased theoriginal model. He describedthisas being‘…representativeofthe smallertypes whichweremade in greatnumbers from about 1860 onwardsinthiscountry fordriving textile mills…’ (ref11).
Photographs192 and193 providea lotofusefuldetails of howthingsweredonein therealworld of theengine
builders. Both show howthe cladding andangleswere fixed,and they also show two ways of finishing theedges of thecladding.Inthe Stott engine some things (e.g.valve bonnets)thatprotrudethrough thecladding have asmall rebate in thebacksurface and theedges of thecladdingare coveredbythat; otherparts (e.g.cylindercovers) have external coverstripsapplied. In theMcNaught, coverstrips have been used everywhere to hide theedges.Onthe original drawings forthe modelthere is
anotefor thecladding sheets that reads: ‘Trimwhere needed to clearcylindercovers’ which is probably thesimplestoption if youthink youcan manage it neatly.I chosetocopypartof theStott method andturnedin smallrebates deep enough to accommodate cladding about 0.01 inch thick. Thedrawings in fig 31 aredimensioned for this method with theholes 1/16 inch smallerindiameter than theoutsidesofthe various covers.The curved angles in therealengines were made as separate smallpiecesbut there wasnothing to show howthey hadbeen made Thereare nowtwo rather different ways forthe storyto go:the wayI diditand theway Iprobablyshouldhavedoneit! I’ll startbydescribingwhatwas done.Itseemed reasonable to assume that smallbrass angle
of thecorrect appearance wouldbeeasytobuy in but when Iwenttolook,any small anglethatwas availablelooked likeithad been folded from sheet andhad very curved cornersthatdidn’tlookthe part at all. What Idid findwas 3/16 inch square x0.014 inch brass tube from K&SMetalsthathad nice sharpcorners andcould be seen as four lengthsof3/32 inch anglejoinededgetoedge. Allthathad to be done wasto cutthemapart.Thisrequired afixturefor holdingthe tube while afine slitting sawwent to work.Thisfixturewas a 3/16 x3/32inchgrooveonone corner of alumpofstock from thehoard (photo194)and the tube wasSupergluedintothis andattacked with a0.01inch slitting sawwhich wasa tool Ihadn’tusedatall untilnow This ignoranceled me to use
Fig 31
TheJ.& W. McNaught tandem compound in theBoltonSteam Museum.Author’s photograph
Making anglestock from square brasstube– first cut…
…and second cut.
1/4BSB or anyfinethread
Bendingjig forsmall anglestock.
Cutting outthe cladding plates
thesaw ‘asis’ in theholderbut it tended to wander offthe line so some thickwashers were adaptedtokeep thesaw where
it should be Photograph 195 showsone of thesecondcuts dividing apiece of channel sectionintoangles. 196
With theanglestohandI went lookingfor thin steel sheet,ideally some that had been bluedalready.Blued steel Icouldn’tfind anywhere and itsprobablya very long time indeed sincesuchwas made so shim stock, whichcomes with averynicefinish,was the next choice.Ten thou sounded aboutright as it wouldn’t occupy much spacebehind theangle andthere mighteven be room forsomethincard to providea bitofthermal insulation (notethe lack of anycalculation). WhereI am, larger pieces of 0.01 inch shim areonlyavailablenicelycurled up in atube, butthe finishis nice -and all(!) Ihad to do nowwas getitflat andturnit blue.The flattening wasn’t that easy butturnedout allright,
so templateswereprinted and theparts cutout (photo196). Blueingbyheating on atray of sand in themuffle furnace worked well forsmall samples butachieving asatisfactory uniformcolouronthe actual pieces proved impossibleand even onebit of sand getting onto thesurface left adistinct spot.The simple solution wastouse some blackgloss enamel,and that looksgood. Thenexttaskwas to make four ½inchradiusbends in the brassangle andfortunately a design forthe necessary tool (and some of thebits) was alreadytohand. When Iwas finishing offa 1inchscale MinnietractionengineI’d made apipebendertoDerek Brown’s design (ref12)which Iknew worked very well. Figure 32
12BAbrass RH screws in place. Thesteam levertrunnion in thecentreshows how overlapping thefittingsoverthe cladding givesa neat appearance.
hasthe necessary drawings foradaptingthe tool to bend angle; this couldbeadapted forother sections by changing theslotinthe fixed former Afterannealing, thebrass angle couldbebenttoquite precise angles andin photo197 a 90 degree bend hasbeen completedwiththe material obscuringa linemarkedon
thebasethatshowedthe end position.In photo198 there is afine marker lineacross thematerialthathas been lined up with thepoint on thefixedformerwhere the bend will start(theblack dust is powdered graphite used to lubricatethe bending) Photograph 199 showsthe final resultsand also shows
Close-up of theangle before bending; note thelinemarkedacrossthe angleto indicate thestart of thebend. Quiteprecise angles andlengths arepossiblewith this bendingjig.The blackdustisgraphitetolubricate thebending
that I’dovercompensated forthe cladding thickness whichrequiredthe angles to be cutand asmall amount removedtofittightly in thefinal assembly.Inorder to screw everything together Ihad to be able to drill andtap for12BA screws -something that just wasn’t goingtoworkwithany of my existing kit, so afew weekswerespent building aGeorgeThomasUniversal PillarTool from aHemingway kit. Youcan seein photo200 that Ididn’tspend anytimeon unnecessary details;there are no ball handlesfor instance. Ibroke onedrill during the assembly andthatwas dueto getting careless andhitting the edge of thecastiron. Ishould have made theUPT yearsago! Photograph 201 showsthe bits at this stage. What hasalsohappened before photo201 wastaken is that Iabandoned the3/32 inch angleand went to ¼
inch commercialstuff, crude bendingand all. Theway that thescrew heads go to the edgesofthe angleshows the folly of trying to usethe smaller angle, a12BARHscrew head hasa diameter of 0.09 inch whichwould hang over both edges. Furthermore,the top diameter of a12BAthreadis 0.051inchand aclearance hole forthisdoesn’t leavemuch from oneleg of 3/32 inch!I really should have done this arithmetic before starting work on thecladding.When(if?) Igo back andtidyupthe modelI’ll startwithsome¼ inch square tube (toget thenicesharp corners) andmakethe angle from this.For thecladding sheet somethinglike0.5mm wouldbeeasiertohandleand wouldbesuppliedflat.I may also exploreother ways (e.g chemical colouring) to tryto achievethe colour visibleon thecladdinginphoto 192.
To be continued
REFERENCES
Ref 11 Throp, A; AModel Condensing Corliss Engine; Model Engineer Vol 149 No. 3687 20th August 1982 and No. 3689 17th September 1982.
Formingthe second bend in apiece of cladding angle.
Tapping 12BAthreads into cast iron requires theuse of atapping guide.
Fre d– a5I nc h
Gau ge Lo co mo ti ve Ga uge AYoung Eng inee r’sPro je ct r’
Spencer Priddy constructs hisfirstlocomotive.
Portsmouth Model EngineeringSociety
ModelRailway,Boats andPlanesona Budget
Introduction
My name is Spencer. I’ve always hada love of trains and modellingand this allstarted, as with many youngpeople, with Thomas theTankEngine. IjoinedPortsmouthModel EngineeringSociety (PMES) in 2022 alongwithmydad Sincejoining Ihaveentered the Federation of ModelEngineers YoungEngineerscompetition andthisarticle documents my 2023 entryfor whichI was oneofthe winnersawarded theVeryHighlyCommended Certificate at the2024AGM (photos 1 and 2).
Theproject
AfterI wasgiven alarge number of ModelEngineer magazinesfromthe late 1980s to theearly 1990s from a fellowsociety member,I set aboutreading them over the Christmasschool holidaysof 2022 -2023.
1
Spencerreceiveshis awardfrom theFederationofModel Engineering Societies– (L to R):Bob Polley (Chairman, FMES), Matthew Thomas (Polly), Spencer, Julia Thomas (Polly).
Spencerwithhis newlyawarded certificate.
2
3
Ifound an articleabout a5 inch gaugebattery locomotive in a1989issue. It wasfrom readingthese ModelEngineer magazinesthatthe next project wasestablished- a5 inch gaugebattery locomotive that Iwas goingtotry andbuild as much from scratchaspossible. At thesametimeI wanted to build thelocomotivefor acost below£500.
Istarted research over the Christmasholidays, readinga ModelEngineer article‘Going Electric’byRex Nicholls.This articlewas good andgaveme an understandingofhow and wheretostart scratchbuilding. From here Iwentontodoing furtherresearchonthe internet andfound anotherarticle in a ModelEngineer magazine whichI didn’t have acopyof. Aftera littlesearchonthe Internet Ifound therequired
copiesoneBay, so they were purchased. Thesearticleswere abouta locomotive build Fred (photo3). Ipreferredthisbuild articlefor my first build,asI believedthiskindofdesign couldbebuilt forbelow £500
My design of Fred Imadethe decision this would be thelocomotivetobuild butwitha fewchanges,for examplemy Fred wouldhave sixwheels, twomotorsand a different body shape. Other than this Iwould be usingsteel to make theframesand driving thewheelsbychain from the motorjustlikethe articles I researched Thereasonfor my changes areasfollows.The first change wasthatI chosetomake Fred with sixwheelsinstead of four.After reviewingmy ideasand thearticleswith otherclubmembers at my monthlymeetings at PMES, they suggested that six
Thearticle whichinspiredSpencer
wheelswould be betterthan four,givingmorestabilityto thelocomotivearoundthe PMES track. Thereasonfor thesecondchangetohave twomotorsisdue to the availabilityofsuitablemotors andproviding abetterpower deliverytothe wheels. This idea followsthe practice used in most modern built locomotives. Thefinalchange wastothe body -thiswas in ordertomake Fred look distinct from my otherlocomotive Comet
Afterworking outthe correct thegearratio to achieve7mph thelocomotivewas to be built to thefollowing specification:
Thebuild of Fred startedin 2023 with thepurchaseofsix
wheels, axlesand hangers from SMREngineering, with thehangers receiving some modifications.These partswerethencleaned up, sharpedges removedand assembled. Theparts went together well with only minor filingrequiredtothe edges (photos 4 and 5). Imadenew frontcoversfromthicker 6mm steel to give more area forthe springstosit on.I also drilled aholeinthe frontcover to help with oilingand changedthe machinescrewsfor hexbolts togivea more realisticlook
Forthe next part of thebuild Imoved on to making the chassisofthe locomotive.For this Iusedthe articles from ModelEngineer magazine as a guidetothe size of theframes, substituting materialsas required duetochanges made by me andavailability. 25mm equalangle wasusedtomake themainframes. Icleaned up theends, checkedfor square andmarkedthe centre (photos 6, 7 and 8). Allmaterials were cutbyhandwitha hacksaw. Theframesweremarked out, drilledand assembled with 6mmbolts used to attach thehangers to theframes. Once thetestfitprovedto be successful,Loctite was
used on thebolts attaching thehangers to theframes only.The toolsI used were asquare, steel rule,vernier, centre punch, hammer, drills, pillardrill, spanners andsocket with ratchet. Next Iwentonto make theframe braces and motormounts. 4mmbolts were used to attach thebracesto theframes. Thesewerealso Loctited as well as the6mm boltsfor themotor mounts (photos 9 and 10).
Next Idrilledout thecentres of my sprocketstofitthe motor shafts andaxles (photo36). Ithendrilledand tappedM4 holesfor grub screws -these
grub screws wouldhelpin securing thesprockets on to themotor shafts andaxles Once thesprockets were fitted to theaxles,the wheelswere then fittedand Loctiteusedto retain thewheelsinplace.The chains were then fittedand powerfroma 12Vbattery was suppliedtotestthe motors,the directionofrotationand chain tension(photos 11 and 12).
Next Imadea startonthe body,firstmakinga mock-up outofcardtosee if everything wouldfitand making thefinal decision on how Fred would look (photo13). Idecided on somethinglikea Class14 shape(there’sanother change from theoriginal Fred).
Thebodywould go on to be made from 6mmMDF.This
Drillinganaxlebox
Acompleted axlebox.
Squaring offthe end.
Motormounting.
Fixing themotor suspension.
Measuringupfor axleboxfixings.
Thechassisiswellonits way.
Motor anddrive chaininstalled.
wasa bargainfind in theB&Q offcutsbin andonlycost £6.Thiswas marked outand cutbyhand, thelocomotive chassisbeing used as ajig to build thebodyuponto, ensuring each part cutfitted before moving on to thenext piece. This wasglued and
pinnedtogetherand sanded to shape(photos 14 and 15). Next Icompleted thewiring to my diagramand partslist, making my ownhandremote forthe controller(photos 16, 17 and 18). Isuccessfully test ranthe locomotive in Aprilonone of thetrack
maintenancemorningsinthe Easter holidays(photo19). No adjustmentswereneeded with Fred performing well, pulling me andtwo adults at aspeed of 8mph on thestraightpartof thetrack.
Summary
Fred waspainted alight blue with ayellowfront ready forpublic runningoverthe summerthisyearwithfurther detail painting plannedfor over thewinterready for thestart of thenew running season next year
Thebuild of Fred startedin February 2023 aftercompleting hoursofresearchreading past ModelEngineer magazines. Fred hasproventorun very well andhas nowdonea number of public running days over the summerof2024 (drivenbyDad duetomyage – photo20)and hasclocked up 45.83 milesof troublefreerunning Fred was built by myself with just afew hand toolsand apillardrill -no latheormill wasused. The work wascompleted underthe supervisionofmydad along with many club members providingendless support and advice.I also incorporated afew club members’ suggestions into thedesignof thelocomotive. Iwas also able to keep to my target cost of a sub£500locomotive- thetotal cost of Fred was£421.93p.
Ihopethisproject goes on to inspireotherstobuild their ownelectriclocomotives from scratch. Ifeel Ihaveprovedyou don’tneed expensivetoolsor abig workshop or even deep pocketstoenjoy this hobby or build alocomotivefor public running
What’s next
I’ve plannedand startedmy next projectfor this year’s youngengineers’ competition, researchingthe booksbyTubal Cain andplanning to overhaul aLBSC Maisie in thefuture with many more projects to follow.
Furtherupdates andprojects canbefollowedonthe following Facebook pages: Portsmouth Model EngineeringSociety
Spencer’sdad driving Fred
www.facebook.com/share/ MG3EXhCJzyzPMqCZ ModelRailway,Boats & Planes on aBudget
