Model Engineer issue 4748 *20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**

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Vol. 233 No. 4748 26 July – 8 August 2024

THE ORIGINAL MAGAZINE FOR MODEL ENGINEERS

Boiler management without burned fingers

G3 LMS coach bogie

A fishy tale from the City of York

Trams make way for other traffic

Winding engine governor and lubricators

220 Published by Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529589 Fax: 01507 371066 © 2023 Mortons Media ISSN 0026-7325 www.model-engineer.co.uk

189

EDITORIAL Editor: Martin R. Evans MEeditor@mortons.co.uk Deputy editor: Diane Carney Designer: Druck Media Pvt. Ltd. Club News: Geoff Theasby Illustrator: Grahame Chambers Publisher: Steve O’Hara CUSTOMER SERVICES General Queries and Back Issues 01507 529529 Monday-Friday: 8.30am-5pm Answerphone 24hr help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk ADVERTISING GROUP HEAD OF INVESTMENT – Lifestyle & Tractor Publications | www.talk-media.uk Mason Ponti mason@talk-media.uk A: Talk Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL Investment Manager: Karen Davies karen@talk-media.uk PUBLISHING Sales and distribution manager: Carl Smith Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Commercial director: Nigel Hole Publishing director: Dan Savage SUBSCRIPTION Full subscription rates (but see page 186 for offer): (12 months, 26 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £132.60. Export rates are also available, UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Enquiries: subscriptions@mortons.co.uk PRINT AND DISTRIBUTIONS Printed by: William Gibbons & Son, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XB Distribution by: Seymour Distribution Limited, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTION Accepted photographs and articles will be paid for upon publication. Items we cannot use will be returned if accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope and recorded delivery must clearly state so and enclose sufficient postage. In common with practice on other periodicals, all material is sent or returned at the contributor’s own risk and neither Model Engineer, the editor, the staff nor Mortons Media Ltd can be held responsible for loss or damage, howsoever caused. The opinions expressed in Model Engineer are not necessarily those of the editor or staff. This periodical must not, without the written consent of the publishers first being given, be lent, sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in other unauthorised cover by way of trade or annexed to or as part of any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial manner whatsoever.

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Vol.233 No.4748 26 July –8 August 2024 188 SMOKE RINGS News, views and comment on the world of model engineering.

211 LEARNING TO DRIVE Mitch Barnes reports from the Society of Model and Experimental Engineers’ boiler management course.

189 ENHANCED BY VEHICLES Ashley Best adds a little variety to his 1/16th scale tram display.

215 THE LEUFORTIN PROJECT Ian Bayliss builds a freelance ⅞th G scale internal combustion locomotive.

192 A DIVIDING PROBLEM Mike Joseph tackles the trigonometry involved in crossing out clock wheels accurately.

220 BOXERS TO POLKAS Ron Fitzgerald describes the work of George Forrester, originator of the ‘Crewe Type’ of

195 BUTTERSIDE DOWN Steve Goodbody writes with tales of the trials and tribulations of a model engineer’s life.

locomotive.

225 BASSETT-LOWKE ECLIPSE REPLICA

200 POSTBAG

Jason Ballamy revisits a small boat engine

Readers’ letters.

produced by Bassett-Lowke a century go.

201 SMEE NEWS Martin Kyte reports from the Society of Model and Experimental Engineers.

230 SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH Roger Backhouse regales us with a fishy tale from the York model engineers.

202 A TWIN TANDEM COMPOUND STEAM ENGINE Graeme Quayle presents an interesting design for a compound winding engine.

232 CLUB NEWS Geoff Theasby compiles the latest from model engineering clubs around the world.

207 PHUKET’S FIRST RAILWAY Colin Standish brings the benefits of the iron road to the jungle in Thailand..

235 CLUB DIARY Future Events.

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Vol. 233 No. 4748 26 July – 8 August 2024

THE ORIGINAL MAGAZINE FOR MODEL ENGINEERS

Boiler management without burned fingers

G3 LMS coach bogie http://twitter.com/ modelengineers

ON THE COVER...

Upside-down view of a gauge 3 LMS coach bogie by Patrick Twemlow (photo by Patrick Twemlow).

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A fishy tale from the City of York

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Trams make way for other traffic

Winding engine governor and lubricators

This issue was published on July 26, 2024.

The next will be on sale on August 9, 2024.

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Summer Hols

MARTIN EVANS Editor

DIANE CARNEY Assistant Editor

Martin Evans can be contacted on the mobile number or email below and would be delighted to receive your contributions, in the form of items of correspondence, comment or articles.

07710-192953 MEeditor@mortons.co.uk

188

Now that the summer is well and truly upon us, and the school holidays have started, you may well be wondering what to do during all those sunny weekends. There are many desirable options beyond mowing the lawn and washing the car.

If you live in the South West you could have a fun day at the Gloucestershire Vintage and Country Extravaganza, which takes place on the 2nd to 4th of August at South Cerney Airfield, near Cirencester. It claims to be the biggest and best steam, vintage and countryside event in the UK, celebrating all modes of vintage transport.

So – basically – anything on wheels. A major star of the show is the magnificent steam section, which is packed with 30 miniature steam engines, 70 stationary engines and 60 full-size steam engines of all descriptions. For many visitors, seeing the fabulous line-up of showmans’ engines, with their gleaming, twisted brass, really is a highlight. The ‘Demonstration Arena’ puts the mighty machines to the test, and there’s even the opportunity to drive one. Also, you shouldn’t miss the grand parade of miniature steam in the Alec Tanner arena, and be sure to check out the steamrollers in action. There’s even a beer tent and a brass band. There’s too much to say about it here but you can find out more at www. glosvintageextravaganza.co.uk More specifically model engineering themed events include the Federation of Model Engineering Societies autumn rally, to be held this year at the Nottingham SMEE on the 31st of August and the 1st of September. You can bring along a model, to run it or to enter one of the two competitions. More details are available on the FMES website: fmes.org.uk Alternatively, there is the LBSC Memorial Bowl (a.k.a ‘Curly Bowl’) which I mentioned last time or the Rob Roy Rally.

This latter event will be held at the Bromsgrove Society of

Extravaganza Model Engineers on the 14th of September. Further information will no doubt appear in due course on the society’s website.

There is also more news about the Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition to be held at the Warwickshire Event Centre from the 17th to 20th of October. This year’s show has a focus on showcasing Young Engineers as the Young Engineers Club will be there with members as young as 7 years old. Model Engineer will feature ‘Nelly The Copter’ in the pre-show issue and you can see this at this show. Angus French, a previous junior winner three times and now a young professional design engineer, will attend the show. His superb, fully instrumented Formula 1 steering wheel will be on display to show everybody what young engineers can achieve.

Following the successful and well attended talks at last year’s exhibition, our sister magazine Model Engineer’s Workshop is pleased to host the talks at the 2024 Exhibition again. This will include Mark Noel’s talk on building a seismometer and Bob Reeve talking about thread milling. By popular demand Noel Shelley returns with a presentation on foundrywork as do Malcolm High and Roger Froud who will be giving talks on contrasting aspects of 3D printing. Brazing can be a challenge but Shaun Meakin aims to make the task easier for you and finally, Model Engineer’s Workshop editor, Neil Wyatt, will share some of the more unusual and challenging workshop tasks

FMES Rally

Midland Show he’s undertaken in his ten years as editor. The latest about the show can be found at www. midlandsmodelengineering. co.uk

Junior Engineer Award

NAME Chairman Denis Mulford presenting his award to William with Avonvale secretary Geoffrey Edwards looking on (photo D.Mulford).

The Northern Association of Model Engineers chairman Denis Mulford visited the Avonvale Model Engineering Society’s track to present the junior engineers 8 to 10 years award for 2023. The winner who received a trophy and £40 prize was William Hobbs-Gray now 11 years old but 10 when nominated.

William was chosen as the winner having been put forward

by Avonvale secretary Geoffrey Edwards. William is a very active member of the society and this was evident on the day as he was helping out on site with foliage cutting. William is keen and able to help out wherever he can be it on track work, selling tickets or getting stock out and is also a very good locomotive driver as was shown when he took the party for a trip around the railway behind the society’s diesel class 20. William has also rebuilt an electric locomotive to full working order.

Model Engineer 26 July 2024

Enhanced By Vehicles

PART 1

How introducing road vehicles improved a model tramway Introduction Ashley Best realises that a typical street scene is not all trams.

Although common in the very small scales, display backgrounds are rarely seen in the scales much above 7mm/ foot. However, this article draws on a slightly unusual layout designed for a model tramway in 1/16th scale and the need to provide for some road vehicles in the quest for realism (photo 1).

An issue of scale In all the larger scales, model engineers are content to produce accurate scale models of chosen prototypes with results that provide an onlooker with work enabling an understanding of the prototype and at the same time to appreciate the often enormous skills necessary to achie e the finished wor .

Such models stand alone with no need to incorporate in their display any reference to the environment from which their original inspiration was drawn.

However, in the small scales, especially the very small

scales, this has been treated differently, and especially so in the world of model railways where there is a quest for miniature realism involving the background environments which actually become the main feature. These small scales probably originated in response to overcoming the problem of space where even a 7mm ‘0’ gauge layout needed a lot of room. Some of the layouts exhibited at model railway shows are truly stunning and re-create real places with remarkable accuracy. The Pendon Museum provides a wonderful example of what can be achieved. However, as already mentioned, the constraints of space mean that, outside a museum environment, the larger scales cannot easily be constructed in a way that allows models to be displayed in truly accurate visual context.

Garden railways can do this to some extent but even here scale accuracy is a bit of a compromise.

1

An alternative road vehicle for a model tramway.

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This preamble leads me to my own exception to restrictions imposed by space.

Some readers might be aware that I make one sixteenth scale model tramcars (photo 2).

This scale is at the bottom of what might be regarded as the larger scales but even this is quite big. Tramcars in model form are, like their prototypes, double ended and so can be run back and forth on quite a short length of track. For testing, this can be perfectly satis actory and my first model - way back in 1973 - had nothing better.

At the same time as this model was being made, I was also fully engaged in building an extension to my bungalow.

I took the opportunity of effecting an improvement which would mean a loft extension of almost 20 feet.

This extension, I realised, would be long enough for a decent tramway test track.

Indeed, it was and the space subsequently became a bedroom with, all down the

2

>>

A one-sixteenth scale model tram.

189

3

Fig 1 Sketch Plan Of Layout Numbers refer to electrical sections Breakers in overhead Buildings line 3

Hand operated

5

2

4 Pre-set point

6

1 Pre-set point 19’ 6” There is an automatic trolley reverser at each end of the loop, 2 & 3 hold two trams, sections 5 & 6 one each. Up to four trams can be operated at the same time.

Tramway test track.

4

Adding realism to the test track road surface.

One of the author’s tram paintings. side, a 2 foot wide cupboard/ shelf on the surface of which I laid out a 3½ inch gauge track (fig 1). The back edge, under the sloping roof, is about 18 inches high. After the track came traction poles and overhead wires. The cupboard spaces beneath were gradually filled with o es containing the growing tramcar eet. At this juncture, I feel I have to add that a construction such as this, situated in what is, in effect, a bedroom, requires a wife with unique and wonderful tolerance.

Background

Pavements and buildings on the tramway.

My interest and enthusiasm for tramcars came from seeing and experiencing them shortly before they all disappeared.

South Lancashire, with Bolton and Manchester in particular, was the inspirational source and so mist, granite setts, drizzle, grime and gaslights made an immense and lasting impression inspiring my oil painting shown here in photo 3. After a while, running the trams on this test track, I decided it was not really interesting. There was obviously the possibility of making it all look a bit more realistic. The road surface was tac led first with the trac s set in simulated setts made rom olyfilla painted and then varnished to create the illusion of drizzle damped road surface (photo 4). Pavements were added followed by a background of buildings, some being based on styles of the period and others from actual

190

Model Engineer 26 July 2024

5

TRAMS

6

7

Only classics at this cinema!

A one-sixteenth scale street light. prototypes (photo 5). Street lights were installed (photo 6), ollowed y figures all made by hand from Milliput. So far, over a long period, I have made figures and dogs. here will have to be more…

Photographs of all these features, with trams and people in an imaginary street, make clear that, with the right situation and space, even a 1/16th scale model can be made with many of the attributes usually associated with the highly effective small scale layouts. It is not the same though and in this e ample, confined to a street scene, it is possible only because it is a model street tramway. It is necessarily onesided with buildings just seen opposite the viewer (photo 7).

There is, for this model, the problem of the sloping roof limiting the height of the buildings and preventing the fitting o chimneys which really should be there as they were such a feature of the Lancashire scene in 1946. The point of this elaborate introduction is now emerging. The tramway

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street, with the tramcars able to run on paved track, past shops and pedestrians was quite satisfactory but I came to realise that something was missing (photo 8). Any townscape street would ha e some other road tra fic, especially during the tramway era, and indeed photographs of streets often depicted tra fic filling them. there ore concluded that there was the need for some road vehicles to add at least a degree of verisimilitude to its appearance.

I am aware that a truly accurate impression is impossible as the people cannot move but, in any case, to gain the most satisfaction from observing a model requires a large degree of imagination.

Research Having decided on the need for some road vehicles, I then did some research before making any models. I used a number of publications as essential aids and in doing so I came to realise what an interesting project I was about to embark on. My model tramway eet was all based on the systems in and around Manchester which were traditional and stopped adding to eets beyond the early thirties. I then decided to restrict the cars and vans to the period no later than the late thirties and mostly the late twenties. This was not entirely for reasons of history but for a very practical requirement. The vehicles were to be simply for display

8

only, with no intention at all to make them to exhibition standard. They would though, have to look right, so were to be ‘appearance models’.

I have long been an admirer of the late, great Gerald Wingrove and his book The Complete Car Modeller has been a source of admiration for years. What I was hoping to produce was absolutely far removed from exhibition standard models and would be simple additions to the scenery on my layout. Eventually, I worked out a method of construction which might be of interest and a possible help to others wishing to do something similar.

To be continued.

REFERENCES Books, probably now out of print: British Cars of the Early Thirties, Olyslager Auto Library Classic Trucks by Nicholas Faith, ISBN 1-85283-948-1 A-Z of Cars of the 1930s by Michael Sedgwick and Mark Gillies A-Z of Cars of the Twenties by Nick Baldwin The Austin Seven by R.J.Wyatt British Lorries 1900 – 1992 by S.W.Stevens-Stratten

191

A Dividing Problem Mike Joseph discusses his own solution to the problem of crossing out clock wheels.

he problem: I wanted to cut a template to use on a pantograph engraver to do the initial crossings on cloc wheels finishing with filing etc. hese techni ues are also e ually applica le i someone wants to create, say, wagon wheel spokes – just alter the starting parameters, i.e. the num er o spo es (sectors), the dimensions and re calculate.

I commenced a beginner’s cloc under the guidance o Elliot Isaacs on a course at the British Horological Institute (BHI) in 1988 and thought that it was a out time not sorry about the pun) that I might like to get on with it (I don’t like to rush things . he course ga e the theoretical background to a cloc or more accurately timepiece since it does not stri e . his included practical work such as cutting the teeth o the pinions and wheels, creating the plates and pillars and some o the other its. A working clock in the time was

1

T

Cutting the template – completed! not really easi le.

I began with a perspex template o . inches diameter and, rom another course at the BHI, a wheel that I had made and crossed out with ret saw. lliott at the time said that most clock wheels are cut with fi e crossings and to get a good looking one with six was much more o a challenge

ecause i the crossings were not all alike and each properly aligned to its opposite it was o iously wrong . So ust to e Mr Aw ward went or the si crossings. he result was not too ad at all, ust. his wheel used as a model and scaled up to suit the perspe . then had the challenge o the crossings on the mill with a rotary ta le.

Fig 1

Boss

Crossing

Clock wheel.

192

Model Engineer 26 July 2024

DIVIDING

Fig 2

riginal heel Dimensions

Template Dimensions

utside iameter

.

.

Inside Diameter

.

.

IDw

idth o crossing

.

.

Wc

iameter o

.

.

Db

oss

Template dimensions will not ore you with all the iterations that I went through but I will give the steps that got me there or anyone else trying to do it the same way. And please bear in mind that this is my solution there may e other and etter ways o doing this. would e ery interested in hearing a out them please. ssentially there are two di erent operations re uired on the template – the wheel has to be considered as well: Cut the sides o the template crossings, o setting rom the template centre to allow or half o the crossing width plus half o the cutter diameter with an extra allowance or hal the wheel cutter size.

Cut the arcs o the segment to e remo ed. hese need to e concentric with the template.

So, the template is centred under the cutter (start position) and then moved so that the oss edge is under the cutter.

The mill table is moved to allow or the hal the crossing width and cutter diameter. ne side o one crossing is cut.

The table is returned to the start position allowing or ac lash lots . he rotary ta le is rotated or the other side o the segment and the ta le mo ed, again to allow or crossing width and the cutter. he other crossing side is cut.

The table is centred again to cut the two segment arcs, starting at the boss edge but this time turning the rotary table so that the cutter starts at one end o the crossing, urn the rotary ta le until the ne t cut is met. hese steps are repeated or the other arc. ery cut has to e commenced with re erence to the start position otherwise what should be a template crossing parallel to a radial ecomes angled. Similarly the

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same applies to the arcs. t may e that ha e o er egged this ut could oresee cutting a template that would result in a ero width crossing And a out the only use that can see or this was i one was to cut crystal wheels with a spo e e ect any olunteers ow comes the di ficult it and ha e to say that this to a relati e new ie has een ery, ery challenging. irst, created a ta le o the arious dividing wheels that I have with the num er o di isions and the decimal ractions o a turn or each step o e ery di ision. or e ample using my di ision plate since this is the one that will be used having the most convenience or the actual di isions needed, used the and di ision circles once each and the 33 circle twice. hese were not all the best options but the di erences were only minor to three significant figures. ollowing this, the template dimensions were calculated and then the movements or the ta le and di iding head. he table above shows these dimensions or a cutter diameter c o . inch mm . All dimensions are in inches. he ollowing assumes * That the cutter has been aligned with the centre o the template, mounted on the rotary ta le. hat the rotary ta le eing new does not ha e any significant ac lash. hat the mill ta le has ery significant ac lash and yes, have tried to do something to reduce it. ailed.

Division plate B. edge (Cb) iameter o oss iameter o cutter C c C . . rounded to .

. c

. .

Movement calculations for table and dividing head

Calculation 2: Table movement to allow or crossing width m idth o crossing c . iameter o cutter c . m c c m . . . rounded to .

Calculation 1: Distance table mo es rom centre to oss

Calculation 3: Cut length (Cl)

iameter o oss . nternal diameter o template w . iameter o cutter c .

Cl w c Cl . . . . rounded to .

Calculation 4: otary ta le rotation or sector angle My rotary ta le rotates turns or degrees or degrees per ull turn o the handle. n this calculation and the next set, I kept to one set o di isions to ma e the

193

>>

adjustment between each step easier and ha e een ortunate in the ery close matches on this particular wheel with its 33 di isions.

Choosing sectors or a wheel, the angle su tended y a sector is degrees. hat is now needed is the amount the ta le must e rotated or the sector: degrees sector . , ie turns o di isions, plate , error) Calculation 5: otary ta le rotation allowing or crossing width What is now needed is the amount the table must be rotated to the start point or the inner arc: tan-1 m C 1 tan-1 m C tan-1 . . . degrees so, . turns . turns, ie turn and o di isions, plate , . error then the rotation or the other end o the inner arc . degrees 1a . degrees so, . turns . turns, ie turns and o di isions, plate , . error and now the start point o the outer arc: tan-1 m C Cl 2 tan-1 m C Cl tan .

.

. . degrees turn . turn, di isions, plate ,

so, . o error then the rotation or the other end o the outer arc . degrees 2a . degrees so, . turns . turns, ie turns and o di isions, plate , . error ie

There are closer appro imations ut pre erred to keep it simple and not have to change plates or even di isions part way through. easily miscount and also bear in mind the comment that when rit reisler was playing a iolin duet with Al ert instein yes, that physicist and Al ert missed a note, he said he trou le with you mathematicians is that you can t count .

Cutting of the template To cut the crossings (ie the straight bit) – all table mo ements must allow or ac lash and m using plate .

The anticlockwise, clockwise, etc. is to remind me which way to twiddle the relevant handle – one wrong movement and it’s start all over again! ot only is the template centred but also a nick should be made on the template’s perimeter (X-axis is easiest and

Fig 3

Theta 2

Theta 1 Theta 1a Theta 2a

most accurate so that i the divisions are miscounted then it is possible to revert to the original start point. got lost and had to re-start, again, and again...

Cut first segment side 1 Centre cutter on the template and zero the hand wheels Mo e ta le A A cloc wise m . .

Mo e ta le anticloc wise C .

Mo e cutter . and zero depth C mo e ta le (anticlockwise) - cut one side o crossing Cl .

Mo e cutter .

Cut second segment side: Mo e ta le A S anticloc wise m .

Mo e ta le cloc wise Cl .

A rotary ta le degrees to sector, cloc wise turns o 33 divisions Mo e cutter to ero C mo e ta le (anticlockwise) - cut other side o crossing Cl .

Mo e cutter . eturn to centre o template Mo e ta le cloc wise Cl .

A rotary ta le ac degrees rom sector anticloc wise turns o di isions

Mo e ta le A A cloc wise m .

Mo e ta le cloc wise C .

We should now be at the centre o the template again.

Cut the arcs, starting with the inner arc: Mo e ta le anticloc wise C .

A rotary ta le to 1 cloc wise turn o divisions Mo e cutter to ero C A rotary ta le to 1a cloc wise , cut arc turns o di isions Mo e cutter .

Return to start point: A rotary ta le rom to 1, anticloc wise 1a turns o di isions A rotary ta le rom anticloc wise turn 1 o di isions Now cut outer arc: Mo e ta le anticloc wise Cl .

A rotary ta le to cloc wise o 2 divisions Mo e cutter to ero C A rotary ta le cloc wise cut arc 2a turns o di isions Mo e cutter . ow stop e erything, hands o and start reathing again The template can now be mounted on the engraving machine. will e using a crude di ision plate made rom an aluminium disc with six divisions on it so that each part can e cut rom the one sector on the template. his should have meant that I could have more patterns on one it o perspe or thic er crossings and so on. he trou le is that with all the alse starts and errors it now means that I will need another it o perspe . o hum .

However, one sector used six times saves me cutting another fi e segments with a lot o counting and re setting with grate ul than s to eter aycoc or pointing this out thus sa ing me a lot o unnecessary wor with a huge potential or error .

ME

Angles schematic.

Model Engineer 26 July 2024

Part 15: Hauling the Toys - Part 6 Steve Goodbody takes a random walk through model engineering.

Continued from p.160 M.E.4747 July 12

ith a halfhundredweight of nuts, bolts and washers holding everything together, the author’s trailer is just about ready for use. In this episode, he meets some old friends, adds a handful of hinges and a bushel of bungee cords and single-handedly loads the trailer with a host of railway equipment to prove that he can.

W

Öhrwurm Hello again dear Reader, and once again I must begin with a confession.

Many years ago, our wonderful next-door-neighbour, Gudrun, wife of Rainer who appeared behind Ruby Swann in Episode 9 (photo 22), introduced me to the delightful German word öhrwurm earworm in English – meaning a piece of music which gets stuck in your head and repeats itself endlessly for hours or, in extreme cases, decades.

Should you, like me, choose to look up earworm on the Internet, it will tell you - rightly or wrongly, for one can never be certain with Wikipedia - that

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the earliest English usage of the word was in a 1978 novel

by Desmond Bagley; an author with whom I am thoroughly unfamiliar, but which I mention here because, coincidentally, 1978 was also the year that the wholly forgettable movie Convoy - a piece of Hollywood drivel centred upon a band of American truckers with a penchant for Citizens Band radio first appeared on the silver screen. Need I say more?

Okay; on the off chance that you, bemused Reader, are struggling to join the dots, and in case you are one of the fortunate few who have never heard the music in question, and especially given the black looks that our unrivalled editor is casting in my direction, then perhaps I should explain further. But before I do, I want you to know that it will be me who suffers as a result and I hope you appreciate the sacrifice am a out to ma e on your behalf.

Believe it or not, the theme song to the movie Convoy – itself imaginatively entitled Convoy – was a big hit of the time, reaching number two

in the UK singles charts and receiving substantial airtime on BBC radio - both local and national. And every weekday morning, as your then-ten-yearold author devoured his boiled egg and readied himself for another rain-blown assault on Crowborough Hill, there in the background would be Terry Wogan’s breakfast show with Convoy’s singer C. W. McCall telling us he was “….about to put the hammer down” and regaling us with information concerning “…I-one-oh…”, “… huntin’ bear”, ”….smokies thick as bugs on a bumper…” and other similar details in his twangy Iowan drawl. And, while I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, I knew for certain that, from that moment onwards, my long uphill walk to Saint Mary’s school, and much of that morning’s lessons, would be accompanied by the annoyingly catchy chorus as it reverberated endlessly around my inner cranium: “’Cause, we got a mighty convoy, Rockin’ through the night. Yeah, we got a mighty convoy, Ain’t she a beautiful sight … …” orty fi e years later, to my immense frustration, I confess that this damnable refrain still occasionally plagues me, usually beginning the moment I think about loading up the trailer and thence continuing at random intervals throughout the day until the toys are put away and I am tucked up in bed that evening. Pathetic, isn’t it?

But at least you are now aware of the disturbance I will be suffering today, and the lengths to which I am willing to go on your behalf and I trust that you will support me through my trauma in return.

Meanwhile, back at the point… >>

195

The finishing touches With both traction engine and railway train ready for transportation at the drop of a hat, although admittedly not at the same time, one job remained which, if I am honest, caused more head-scratching than it really should have done: how best to enclose the trailer and protect its contents from rain, ying de ris and prying eyes, yet without the cover itself potentially damaging the contents during its installation and remo al or, worse, filling with wind and tugging the trailer into the stratosphere to be mistaken as a spy balloon?

The cover itself was a straightforward decision - a tarpaulin was the obvious choice – and I reasoned that, with grommets sewn along its periphery and hooks strategically mounted to the outside of the trailer where needed, an abundant array of sturdy rubber straps would hold everything in place and prevent an embarrassing and potentially dangerous exit midjourney (photo 72). After all, I would not want my trailer shot from the sky by our military powers - we have all seen the trouble that can cause.

No, the trickier bit was - how to keep the tarpaulin well clear of the trailer’s contents, given that both traction engine and railway locomotive were taller than the trailer’s sidewalls and therefore at risk of damaged paintwork whenever the tarpaulin was installed and removed?

After yet more head scratching, it eventually dawned on me that a solution might lie with two wooden crossbows, for want of a better word, each raising the tarpaulin to a height decently above the trailer’s contents at its centreline and tapering downwards to meet the trailer’s wall at each side. This, I reasoned, would also help prevent rainwater from pooling on the cover and straining it when the trailer was stationary etween duties, a definite bonus. While the idea appeared sound in principle, clearly those crossbows, if a permanent fi ture, would e a real nuisance whenever the trailer was loaded or unloaded.

So, how to get them out of the way when not desired, yet have them readily deployable when needed?

As I stood back and surveyed the scene, my mind wandered towards the many-hinged loading ramp, an innovation which had worked particularly well and with which I was truly pleased. And just then I heard three near-forgotten voices inside my head.

“What if you arranged them to swing sideways like a gate?” the first whispered so tly.

That’s not a bad idea, I thought. Anything else?

“Well, what if you also added a hinge in the middle? Then they will take up less space when stowed and, when folded in half, would be easier to control while swinging across the trailer” the next continued, clearly on a roll.

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Two wooden crossbows hinged at their centres, together with a taught rope on either side, keep the tarpaulin clear of the trailer’s contents.

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On the other side, a shorter tube sits in a locating receiver.

On one side of each crossbow, a long tube provides an improvised gate hinge.

The galvanised bracket holds the two halves together once folded.

Hmm, I like that. Is that it?

“What if you added two taught ropes, one at each side, attached to an E-Track clip at the front of the trailer and

looped over hooks at the rear?

That would prevent the tarpaulin from sagging onto the engines during removal and installation” the second added as an afterthought, eager to please.

“And what if you made everything easily removable?

Then, should you be using the trailer to haul something bigger

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A plethora of rubber straps holds the tarpaulin in place.

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A toggle clamp keeps each hinged centre joint rigid. As you can see from the surrounding holes, the author tried a few different clamps before arriving at this satisfactory version.

Model Engineer 26 July 2024

BUTTERSIDE DOWN

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With the toggle clamps released, the ropes unhooked and the short tube lifted from its receiver, each crossbow folds in half and swings sideways to provide unimpeded access to the load bay. and don’t need them, they would fit neatly in the boot of the car with the folded tarpaulin” the last concluded triumphantly, not wanting to be outdone.

And please don’t tell them, because I’ll never hear the last of it if you do, but that’s exactly what I did (photos 73 to 78). Thank you, Wonderland Dragons, and welcome back to the story once again.

A summary summary With the last piece of the puzzle seemingly solved, the time finally arri ed to assem le it all together and see whether it worked in practice. And, fortunately, to put things in a nutshell, it did, and photos 44 to 47 in Episode 12 record the arrival of Jennifer Ann and her driving wagon at the New Jersey Live Steamers’ track in the spring of 2022 during the first outing o the completed trailer in its train-hauling guise.

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For larger loads, the folded crossbows are quickly removed for storage in the car boot.

Now, with this summary simply summarised, and with our gracious editor’s permission, let me take you through the single-handed train loading process step-bystep. It’s taken a lot of thought and a fair bit of trial-and-error experimentation to arrive at the following and if you, weary Reader, are struggling with similar challenges then I hope this may be of some help with your own situation, at least in part. For those following along, you may also want to have the pictures from Episode 15 to hand as they depict some of the finer details and it would be tedious of me to duplicate them in this episode.

Here we go…

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Loading up To begin, 7 1/4 inch narrow gauge Hunslet locomotive Jennifer Ann is removed from her wheeled wooden

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A hydraulic lift cart, hooked to Jennifer Ann’s wooden stand, ready for the locomotive to be rolled across and lowered.

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One half of the two-part railway bridge is attached to the hydraulic cart and aligned with the trailer’s centre road. A dome-headed carriage bolt, dropped into a hole at the trailer-end of the bridge, keeps everything in place.

Jennifer Ann crosses the chasm. construction stand and brought to a less lofty and more stable height. To accomplish this, a hydraulic lift cart, topped by two square steel tubes spaced 7 1/4 inches apart and incorporating a rolling road (another story) is hooked securely onto the end of the stand to enable Jennifer Ann to roll safely from one to the other (photo 79).

With the locomotive now on the hydraulic cart and the construction stand rolled clear, the hydraulic lift is lowered, an adapter is connected to the cart’s 7 1/4 inch-spaced square tubes, and one half of the trailer’s don’t-trip-over-me-red railway bridge is attached to its front (photo 80).

Next, with a dome-headed 3/8 inch carriage bolt dropped through a hole in both bridge and trailer oor to eep everything aligned at that end, Jennifer Ann is nudged gently across the gap and onto the trailer (photo 81).

Jennifer Ann is now pushed up the slope to the front of the trailer, her buffers entering the frontmost wooden bufferblock thanks to the alignment wedges which are then removed. The second wooden block is added over her rear buffers and both blocks are tightened down snugly to the trailer s oor photo 82).

With the locomotive safely dealt with, next comes the driving wagon. The hydraulic

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With wooden buffer-blocks bolted down, we’re ready for the next arrival.

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The second half of the railway bridge, slid into the first half trombone-style, and attached to the railway wagon’s wheeled storage rack, is ready for the driving wagon to descend.

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The driving wagon, safely in the trailer, is coupled to Jennifer Ann’s rearmost wooden buffer block with a chained pin. lift cart, now detached from the short railway bridge, is moved out of the way and replaced with the wheeled wooden wagon rack (try saying that three times fast!).

The second half of the railway bridge is then attached trom one li e to the first half, lengthening its span and

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reducing the severity of the slope to the trailer (photo ).

The bridge, still aligned with the trailer’s centre road thanks to that carriage bolt, is connected to the wagon rack with yet another steel pin.

The driving wagon is now rolled merrily down the bridge to the trailer, where it is

Next comes the first passenger wagon’s chassis - please use your imagination to visualise the completed item! attached to the rear of Jennifer Ann’s rearmost buffer-block to keep it in place (photo 84).

Then, with the bridge now connected to the rack’s lower level and its other end repositioned to one of the trailer’s side roads, the carriage

bolt is dropped through that road’s alignment hole. With both ends of the bridge secure, the passenger wagon (okay, presently the passenger wagon’s chassis) is pushed up the slope to the front of the trailer where it is hooked by its

Model Engineer 26 July 2024

BUTTERSIDE DOWN

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With the author distracted taking pictures, a lightweight hook prevents the passenger wagon from an unplanned rearwards departure.

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to the oor mounted E-Track strips between the wagons and thereby keep their vertical movement at bay (photo 88).

The end of the road

A birds-eye picture of the result. Rear buffer blocks will be added for the two passenger wagons when they are finally complete, and ratchet straps, also omitted from this picture, will hold each of the wagons down to the wooden rails. frontmost buffer to keep it in place (photos 85 and 86).

With the bridge lastly attached to the rack’s upper level and its opposite end shifted to the trailer’s remaining road, the carriagebolt is inserted into the new road’s alignment hole and the second passenger wagon (chassis) is eased down the slope and up the trailer to be similarly hooked in place by its buffer (photo 87).

Finally, with everything in its designated position within the trailer, all that remains is to (eventually) add a buffer block behind each of the two longer passenger wagons to constrain their movement fore-and-aft, and to clip and tighten some ratchet straps

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So, there we have it. The trailer, single-handedly loaded with half a ton of railway train, or perhaps a similar mass of combined traction engine and driving trailer for we really can’t tell once the tarpaulin is in place, is ready for its next road trip and the author hasn’t broken a sweat in the process (photo 89). And even though the loads are heavy and the contents precious, at least to me, am personally satisfied

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The bridge now connected to the storage rack’s upper level and realigned with the trailer’s remaining road; the second passenger wagon chassis is ready for its descent. that, except in extreme cases, the Deceleration Demon and its shockingly high resultant orces will e held firmly at ay should something untoward happen during the journey.

I hope that some of this may have proven useful to you and your endeavours, dear Reader, and should you wish to adopt (or adapt) any of the ideas or components for your own purposes then you are very welcome to do so. However, with that said, I will again direct your attention to Episode 14’s postscript and reiterate that you must do your own sums, determine what is safe

and appropriate for your own situation and rely on nothing I’ve shown or described in this mini-series because you are responsible for your actions and decisions and I am not. It’s sad that I must spell that out, but there we are – such are the times in which we live.

And with a gleeful ’10-24’, whose meaning you can decipher on the Internet if you feel the need, I wish you happy motoring, safe travels, and bon voyage. “’Cause we got a mighty convoy……..”

To be continued.

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With crossbows in place, tarpaulin bungee-corded and gate raised, we’re ready for the road.

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Draughting Dear Martin,

Views and opinions expressed in letters published in Postbag

By sheer coincidence after reading Steve Goodbody’s analysis of the exhaust of his engine drawing air down the chimney find it is ac ed up by an earlier letter in Model Engineer.

In the 2nd November 1979 edition of Post Bag, Brian G. Hughes talks about a SMEE visit to the Swindon test plant to see a BR 2-10-0 going through its paces. He mentions air being drawn down the chimney when some engines were working hard. I quote: ‘Surprisingly, some main line locomotives were a icted y this trou le [ingress of air] as had been shown up on the test stand, when smoke from a lighted cigarette held at the chimney top was drawn down the chimney’.

I am not sure that I would have enjoyed holding a cigarette (as a non-smoker too) next to the chimney of a large engine thundering ‘along’ at full chat!

Regards, Mike Joseph Chipperfield

should not be assumed to be in accordance with those of the Editor, other contributors,

Norse Mill

or Mortons Media Group Ltd.

Dear Martin,

Correspondence for Postbag should be sent to: Martin R. Evans, The Editor, Model Engineer, Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR F. 01507 371066 E. MEeditor@mortons.co.uk Publication is at the discretion of the Editor. The content of letters may be edited to suit the magazine style and space available.Correspondents should note that production schedules normally involve a minimum lead time of six weeks for material submitted for publication.

In the interests of security, correspondents’ details are not pu lished unless specific instructions to do so are given.

Responses to published letters are forwarded as appropriate.

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Being a lttle bit behind in my reading I’ve only just read the article A Norse Mill in the Hebrides by Roger Backhouse (M.E.4739, March 22).

One point that caught my attention was the reference to the reconstruction of horizontal mills at the Highland Folk Museum (Kingussie).

Whilst I was holidaying in Aviemore over 40 years ago (at that time we lived near Manchester) my family and I visited the museum. One recollection that will never be erased from the mind is the battle-axe on duty that day who lined us up against a wall and spent quite a few minutes instilling into us the correct pronounciation of Kingussie.

The ‘g’ is silent. Ironically, my

son-in-law is from Kingussie and his parents still live there.

Anyway, the point of getting in touch is to alert readers to the fact that the museum isn’t in Kingussie, it was moved to Newtonmore, three miles down the road, I believe in 1999. I am told the reason for it being moved was the building in Kingussie was beyond repair even though it is still standing.

Ian Longley (Forres)

Parting Dear Martin, Regarding John Bauer’s remarks (M.E.4744, May 31), please see the attached photograph of my tooling. This is a toolholder supplied by RDG Tooling in the UK. I have no connection with this business e cept as a satisfied customer.

I mount the holder on the toolpost with plenty of the tool projecting from the holder, which is then slackened, the saddle wound towards the stationary three-jaw chuck and the side of the blade pressed with fingers against the chuc face before tightening the toolpost nut. Maybe move the tool back in the holder, if necessary. Half normal turning speed, slow steady advance of the tool. Some neat cutting oil is used.

Works perfectly every time.

This is on a Super 7.

I have tried several toolholders over the years and none ever came close to this one.

Best regards, John Coleman (Brighton & Hove Society)

to put in my two bob’s worth relating to David Machin’s letter about the Flying Scotsman.

When visiting the UK in 2018, we spent several days in York and before leaving Australia I had made arrangements to iew se eral A acific drawings at the NRM and whilst there bought two books, one on the Cock ‘O The North and the other, Haynes Owner’s Workshop Manual for Flying Scotsman.

This latter title is a wealth of information for any model engineer wanting to model such a famous 100 year old steam locomotive.

From the Haynes manual, it would appear that as originally built as an A1, Flying Scotsman was right hand drive. She went into Docaster works between 8th March and 6th April 1954 for general work and at that time was changed to left hand drive. There is a photo in the manual of the US general Colin Powell in 2005 sitting in the driver’s right hand seat and there are several modern documentaries showing the right hand drive.

I cannot remember what era Peter Seymour-Howell - if he ever said - is modelling his version of the Flying Scotsman.

If it is before 1954, then Peter is correct with the right hand drive. The Haynes manual also shows that between 18th November 1946 and 4th January 1947 Flying Scotsman was converted to A3 and given the apple green livery.

One would assume that the Haynes Manual would be correct. Also David is correct ecause since it is now left hand drive, and Peter may also be correct, depending on the era he is modelling the locomotive.

Tony Reeve (Tasmania) A very satisfactory conclusion to the debate! – Ed.

Flying Scotsman Dear Martin, Having just read Postbag in M.E.4741 (April 19), I wish

Model Engineer 26 July 2024