Model EngineerModel WM epeUciye i IN THIS ISSUE 221 Smoke Rings 223. Sealion 226 Hilton Valley Railway 29. Workshop hints 230. Submarine 233 Norfolk traction ‘engines Locos I have known Lasc Railway topics Locomotive afficien trials aa 24 236 239 240 m1 242 4 246 29 250 | pooner MORTAR NEXT WEEK Making small springs Articulated locomotives Are welding Musical clock case—conelu- Museum models Trident Major Readers’ queries Postbag A big portable Club news ONE SHILLING - VoL 120 + 19 FEB. 1959 || No 3013 Published every Thursday Subscription 658. (USA and || Canada $925), post fr ieneaabler No SCROBEL ENGINEER imay bere: |) Grogucedwiehout writen permision, (© Percival Marshall & Co Lid, 1959 19/20 Nos Sereet, London, Wie || ‘Sekraed eal NIT i | L blame scientists and engineers for all the world’s troubles; they are often represented as. inhuman monsters bent on the destruction of the universe by bigger and better nuclear bombs, or costly researches in space travel and the like, which offer no prospect of benefit to the human Tace. In the course of a conversa- tion’ with a critical reader just recently, I was asked: “ Are’ we not suffering from too much science?” Practically the same question was [put to that great scientist and human- Sst, Sir Oliver Lodge, over 50. years ‘and his reply holds good ‘even "It is not that we have too much science—it is just enough science to make a mess of things, But not enough to put them right.” I: is common these days to Imperfect system ‘The fact that science is often directed to destructive ends. is not So\much the fault of the. scientist, 88 of an impertect world system in ‘hich ‘nations live in fear of ‘each ther and have to. devote. much of their. material and “intellectual re- sources to producing. defensive. and offensive. weapons. On the “other Side’ of the pieture, however, scence and ‘engineering “have contributed more fo material well-being and high Standards of living than all the well intentioned efforts of social reformers "The remedy for present ills is not less science,” but more and. better science, not only in material things, Suton teaching the word how to enjoy its benefite and. put an on to fear and destruction. Power thrown away F the many readers of ME who ‘are interested in experimenting with steam engines very few seem to be concerned with what happens to the steam after it has left the engine cylinder, and few small, engines are ever equipped with condensers. Yet it should be remembered that the ‘earliest steam engines relied upon the condensation of steam for their success, and the invention of the =A WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Smoke Rings By VULCAN: separate condenser by James Watt represented perhaps the greatest single step in improvement of economy and efficiency of steam engines ever made. It might perhaps be thought, that little practical purpose would be served’ by amateur’ experiments in condensing, and that everything that matters on this subject has already been fully investigated, Plenty of problems This is a very common fallacy; there are in fact many problems even in the best established departments of engineering which still remain to be solved. In the design of condensers, for instance, effective operation in conditions where the supply of cooling water is strictly limited, such as in steam cars and other mobile applications, presents “a challenge worthy of serious research effort, Al a recent mecting of the British Light Steam Power Society, some very interesting details were given of ex- periments with anew. system of evaporative condensing, in which the condensate itself played an important part asa coolant medium. The models used in this work were of Considerable “interest in themselves, and in particular, demonstrated, the scope ol model engineering, within the facilities of the small workshop, 10 serve the ends of research. It is hhoped that further details of these experiments will be available in due Royal Saloon OWARDS the close of the last century it was a common. sight for Mr J. P. Hewett, then a lad of 12, to. see ‘the ornate railway coach bearing Queen Victoria pass his house at Gosport, the Queen, of course, being en ‘route to her favourite residence Osborne House in the Isle of Wight. Little did he realise then that 62 years later he would be Set-Major J.P. Hewett of the United Services Corps “and custodian of that very coach when it Furniture Exhibit ‘Though it was interesting to look fon what’ was considered regal for railway travel in Victorian days T cannot say that I thought highly ofSMOKE RINGS... the interior decor, Aside from heswy “quilting. and ‘oramentation, wich as typical of the period, Tl Bm sure. thatthe” Britt Colour Council would, ‘not spprove. of a colour scheme based On ory, ‘god nd green. Ralivay historians would doubtless have found interesting ems exhibited With the Royal Saloon. ‘There was a Model of a fstclass London and Birmingham coach of 1840; a model of a North Union Rrilway’ coach of 1842; collection of decorated head lamp codes and train lights as used on Royal occaions; and fascinating display of headgear worn by rallway Peromnel of those, day. Twas tickled by to old notice boards, one from the South Eastern 2nd Chatham Retlvay informing any Catan. aught syliking that Would be removes from fis cab immediately, and the other from the Greshite ‘Lines imploring fshporters “ven was chating wit Sergeant wees chatting 7 Hewett about this interesting comer of the enhbition he told me that his fatter ras the caretaker of ‘one of ‘the early Victoria and Albert paddle Steamers and when it was ind’ up at Portmmouth he often fished from ‘a vantage point on the paddle box. For businessmen FROM iterate supe by ish TRulwayss I note that the Eastern Region is out to capture the tustonof the busy: executive who fs fo travel to Western Germany ang tins ie ‘tine to spare, To quote: BAL So pins seated comfortably in the dining car of the Hook Con- tinental, you glide out of Liverpool Street to arrive at Parkiston Quay at 0 pm. In no time at all you are instalied in the comfortable cabin in which you will spend the night... . by the time you're awake, you will have docked at the Hook’ and soon be making your way to, the Rhinegold Express which will ‘bring you into Cologne, having breakfasted en route, at 9.55 ‘am. in nice time for your appointment.’ ‘The old Great Eastern Railway, although better known for its amazing suburban service, always devoted special care to its Continental pas- sengers, and British Railways it seems are determined to keep this up. “* Crude oil” roller ONE ithe catia oit-engined road rollers ‘was recently working. stint ‘not far from Noel Street and ‘wrote to the manufacturers, Aveling and Barford, for particulars. "learnt that the roller, owned by Willment Brothers, the’ road. con tractors, was built in 1926 and was designed “to run’ on “crude. oll”* It weighs nearly 11 tons, is powered bya single horizontal’ cylinder. of Yin, stroke x. 8 in. bore, and when it is on full reys of 370 it works Up & road speed of 2} mp.h. | ‘Wheelbase is 9ft 9 in. hind roller Sft dia. and front rolier 3ft'6in. Unexpected reward 'Y friend Mr $. A. Walter, of ‘Wembley, hada pleasant sur. prise when he’ attended the annual general meeting of his club, the Harrow and Wembley MES. Recently retired from the post of treasurer, he was very thrilled when, Cover picture Miling the slot nthe rer foce of a slide valve, always a difficult reer: iy seating tt a brash se set on the faceplate. This photo- graph shows clearly the simple tiling ae, i ring pales tre Me eth) of meuneg on the veel she! operation, is overcome as a reward for his 12 years’ volun- tary labour of adding Uup the club accounts, he was presented with an IMluminated “addres “This came just at the right time to raise Sidney's ‘morale, for a burst Dips in the lot daring the recent old 5 luged his fist. floor ‘workshop, the water cascading over his small but beautiful lathe. To what depths can one's misery descend ! However, Tam pleased to report that ‘Sidney's morale is now well on the way up. Next week MAKING springs for small mecha nisms is a task which frequently confronts the amateur engineer and in the issue of February 26 A. 0. G. Usmar takes some of the tension out of this problem with an in- formative “article on small spring ‘construction, ‘An article which will eliminate shocks—literally and figuratively—for those who would like to construct their own arc welders comes from ‘Mr J. W. Cooper who has spent a lifetime in electrical engineering with some of Britain's leading industries. Side and rear elevations of the Aveling and Barford crude oll road roller. lis overall length was 11ft 4b in, and it measures 9 fi 10} in. t0 the top of the chimney. Other desails are given above MODEL ENGINEER 22 19 FEBRUARY 1959a Wee. two housings for the ball races which form the end ‘main bearings for the crank- shaft are straightforward _jobs. They may be turned from the solid if desired, though the provis- ion of suitable castings will reduce both the amount of machining work and waste of metal. In both these housings, it is most essential that the spigot which registers in the bored end of the body, and the recess in which the ball race is fitted, should be exactly concentric with eact other, This is easly assured by mach- ining both at the same setting, holding the work, spigot outwards, in either the fourjaw or the three-jaw chuck. ‘The spigot must be a close fit in the body, so that working stresses do not hhave to be taken in shear by the fixing screws, and the ball race must also be carefully fitted. ‘The ball races ExT gi0et_specied are Skefko groove single-row type, which have a bore of din., outer diameter of 1} in., and width of 3 in., ‘but any other make of similar dimen” sions and specification may be used. ‘Some latitude is allowable in the ‘housings themselves and also the bore Of the body to accommodate ‘modi fications. But the diameter of the body must not be less than 1; in., as it must clear the outside of the ‘crank webs to allow of assembly. Tn fitting ball races to light alloy housings, I recommend rather tighter fits than those specified by the makers, for two reasons; first, because ex pansion of the housings at working Temperature may loosen them, and second, because’ impact loads’ tend to compress the surface layers of the ‘metal so that properly fitted bearings are often found to be slack after running for a time. A light press fit, equivalent to about }thou inter ference, has been found satisfactory in most of my engines, and if the ‘housings are warmed to about “siz ing. point,” it is easy to insert the races. Some readers may find difficulty in gauging sizes when boring housings {or ball bearings, as it is not easy to use the race itself as a plug gauge— apart from the risk of getting swart into it in the process. My method is, 19 FEBRUARY 1959 head valve four- inder engine of the Seal class Anew design for ‘over- By Edgar T. Westbury to turn a plug gauge from any odd bit of scrap, material, preferably with go" and "not go” dimensions. at the ends) to conform with specified limits. IF in any doubt, test the gauge by boring another pioce of scrap material before applying it to. the actual job; a little waste() of time and material may prove to save both inthe end. If there should be any difference in the bore diameters at the two ends Of the body casting, take care to ft the Bearing housings to their appro priate ends. Note that this engine, Er'common with the Seal, is designed in such away that it can be built either right or left-handed, by chang Bag ove. th, Uiing and “Aywhes! en only structural component ‘which requires ‘to. be modified in Such cases is the timing housing. ‘As shown inthe general arrange- ment drawings (ME, January 8) the flywheel is intended” tobe fitted on the right, and the timing gear‘on the left, looking from the manifold ‘side of ihe engine, Rotation is intended {o be clockwise at the flywheel end, ed whl this ane revered by inverting the order of cam timing, it makes @ Sg erence to the sive Opening and. closing “characteristics, Which ‘may affect efficiency at high speeds. Aluminium alloy bushes The flywheel! end bearing housing ‘has. the outer extension bored to provide a steady bearing and also fan oil seal. A bronze bush may be fitted here, though T do not consider ita necessity, as ordinary aluminium alloy is a much better bearing metal than, most people realise, and where lubrication is imperfect jit does not tend to cut and score the shaft as hhard bronze docs. Fitting a bush does, however, allow of easy renewal, if'and when wear takes place. More elaborate bushes of oil seals may, of Course, be fitted at the discretion of the constructor, but whether they confer any practical advantages. for this particular purpose is a matter of ‘Note that the steady bearing or bush must not be long enough to make contact with the inner race of 223 Machining the main bearing housings and timing case the ball-bearing, and the face of the recess should also be relieved to about the inside diameter of the outer race, to avoid rubbing contact. On the timing side, this is not necessary ‘owing to the large bore which forms clearance, and also allows oil mist to pass freely through ‘the, race to assist in lubricating the timing gears. ‘This housing has a spigot on the outer side which locates the timing backplate, and to ensure that it is ‘concentri¢ with the bore, itis desirable fo use a stub mandrel for mounting the housing when machining the spigot. Lining-up the thin flange When this housing is assembled, the face of the thin lange should come exactly flush with the end faces of the Cylinder head and camshaft housing. A test may be made with a straight edge, allowing for any packing which may'be inserted between the housing flange and the body. Any necessary adjustment may be made by machine ing the outer’ face of the flange. Fixing holes should not be drilled in the flange at this stage, as it is best to locate them rom the outer attach- ments. ‘The holes in the Aywheel end housing may be marked out or {indexed equidistantly around its flange and drilled, the tapping holes in the body then being spotted from it and drilled and tapped. The timing backplate is not a casting, as it is. most easily "made from a flat piece of + in. sheet duralu- min of other metal, ts exact contour ‘not specified onjthe drawing, as it can easily be seribed off from: the timing case when the latter is offered Up for temporary assembly. A true flat surface on both sides of the plate is essential. ‘This should be checked fon the, surface plate, any necessary Correction being made as required. eis not advisable to rely on pulling the plate into truth by means’ of its fixing screws. The hole to fit closely over the housing spigot, should be red oF trepanned by clamping the plate on the lathe faceplate. ‘The plate should then be assembled temporarily on the end of the engine, fixing it by means of the five counter sunk 6 BA screws around the housing ange, and two in the end face of the camshaft housing. Do not drill the tapping holes marked X at this stage. MODEL ENGINEERte ae at ea in situ by using the camshaft bearing Ease reget bee teens Sig aunarateste aD ee Rae se i re iach ah a ae aoe ee eee SP ert By De ae le Pi ehe ert s Seon ae a en centres after drilling right through caine pour sae etter aide Ena ark Fite ond a8 en 0 sigue et wi i ce i hf aa a ee rs for lubricating the axles, by forming. eam ee Loe steer ik ae aici caneaie i ae ree os Se ea ae os Sareea para fennel Ea steno! rane ame race sate au Siees sores ar i cue ed Bothy Seaton e Set an ee ered ear pet ee er ea ve 2 im tn aly iat ts ae oan fae paces el aaa moet! Gb ma te sie ome ek Start ego ea tithe ok at SETS RCA BALL nace ‘SkF bed 6 HOLES, 68.4. CLEAR, LOCATE FRom the axles should be case-hardened and polished. ‘The timing case requires first to be machined on the joint face, which can bbe done by holding it in the four-jaw chuck, with two of the jaws reversed. ‘After’ checking the flatness of the face and its true bedding down on the Dackplate, the fixing holes marked Y in the drawing may be drilled and ‘countersunk on the outside. ‘The most important dimension on this casting is the distance between the two bores to line up with the crankshaft and camshaft respectively, and before attempting to fix it to the backplate, these bores must be prop- erly located. After checking up by measurement on the casting, and splitting any differences which may ust inthe position of the’ ‘osses, the hole at the crankshaft end may be bored and faced. This should be done by. setting the casting up with its machined face in contact with the faceplate, and then clamping it to the engine assembly, and lining it up by a straight piece of # in. dia. steel bar through the main ball races. ‘A similar piece of 4 in. bar may ‘then be passed through the camshaft Pec Migs Tiel MAIN Beanie Housing "7 Tarren 4 BA, 21 wasn -LZZEZIZL ~ (Sea clea PORTS & PASSAGES is DIA. Be Satna, INLET-EXHAUST MANIFOLD. MODEL ENGINEER 16 ¢- wn | OF % 6 s%¥—* Lore 24 M4 rns Wiprann] { ‘CUT OFF FLANGE NOT REQ? a 1 SRS SER Lae SR Te type Lm rw 19 FEBRUARY 1959€ a ‘W we TSS a 4 Ze | apeco4 ae g | MEER. [ea of, pour Ye 01. | Swotds, 6 aac on 136 Pein | se TIMING BACKPLATE OFF bearing housings, to locate the centre ‘of the bored seating in the timing ‘case. When proper location has been found, the tapping holes Xin, the backplate should be spotted off from those at ¥, drilled and tapped. The then be fixed tem- porarily in posit ‘Although a slight error in the alignment of the contact-breaker seat ing with the camshaft centre could be tolerated, it is quite simple to line it up positively and exactly. The best way to do this is to use the aligning mandrel as a boring bar by equipping it with a cutter, which can ‘be adjusted to bore out the two diameters and the front face. By centre drilling one or both ends of the bar, it may be run in the lathe, the engine body being held by hand, and feed controlled by Keeping it in’contact with an angle- plate or other fixture mounted on the cross-si ‘Alternatively, the seating may be machined on the lathe faceplate, by removing the timing case and back- plate from the engine, fixing them 19 FEBRUARY 1959 ~SiBo Drores6es clear, % bate TiMING CASE together, and locating. the camshaft Genre position by means of 11 dia, plog. in. the “mandrel socket. Fer method wil ensure actacy it properly carried out, Exact dimen sions of the seating bores fs much Fess” important tan hi, cork ligament, and squareness of faces. “Ye inkevexhaust manifold in rather simpler than that of the Seal engine, inoueh. the object of is particular fdesigm is much the same: namely, (© provide just suilent exhaust heating bf the incoming mixtore to eliminate reffigerating effect, and prevent, the Geposition ‘of fuel particles. This often has an adverse effect on proper Gisiton of ure in uli jinder engines, Hotspot manifolds, 3 they were called, are hat so popula Jn fll sc engne a they were In he cays. when fuels were of dubious ‘aunty. But it is usual to Provide Some ‘means of taking the chil off the induction pipe, either by heating the incoming sir, or by some appli tation of exhaust of waterjacket heat. ‘From the point of view of engine ns efficiency, it is not desirable to heat the mixture (0 any. great extent, as air expands roughly 1/273 of” its Volume for every degree (F) of heat applied. ‘Thus the actual weight of mixture in relation to volume is correspondingly reduced. But a welle designed hot-spot manifold does not raise the inlet temperature appreciably, except at idling or low speed, when this is. an advantage rather than otherwise. What it does is to prevent Towering of temperature caused. by rarefication of air and partial evapora- tion of volatile liquid, Tt may be possible to obtain a manifold casting with the passages cored, which will save a good deal of time in its production, but this is rather doubtful, as moulders are not ‘at all keen on’ small cored castings nowadays. To be on the safe side, I hhave designed the passages so. that they can be machined from the solid, and the machining methods are based ‘on this assumption. 4 To be continued on March § MODEL ENGINEERTHE HILTON VALLEY RAILWAY Hilton Valley Railway is I a Tin. gauge line about half-a-mile in length situated between Wolverhampton and Bridgnorth in Shropshire. Owned and operated by the writer, it is ‘opened for public traffic ‘every Sunday afternoon (weather per- mitting) from Easter to September. During the summer of 1958 over 7,000 passengers were carried. This is an account of the line—its track and equipment, motive power, rolling stock and general operation. Tt had always been one of my * pipe dreams” to build and own a “railway you can ride on.” "Con- stration and operation ofan extensive gauge O electric layout had occupie Some 30 years of Jelsure time, but the ‘opportunity to transfer attentions to a “Tiding railway” came unexpectedly. Tn May 1956, during a business Joumey along the A46 from Leicester to Lincoln, a pause for refreshment at a roadside cafe proved unexpectedly rewarding. Rolling stock ‘A large sign-board outside bore the Iegend “ Model Steam Railway.” This hhad to be investigated. Expecting to find a gauge 1 layout inside a shed, T was thrilled to find about 200 yards of grass-grown 74 in, track in a field. Further research. discovered a neg: lected but serviceable-looking and highly attractive Pacific locomotive, complete with eight-wheel tender, In father, faded ENER™ colour, its ‘general appearance was quite authen- fie, though a purist would not call it 100 per cent Gresley! Tn another shed’ were found some passenger truck bodies and bogies, and after ten minutes puzzling, it appeared that these could be made up into two atticulated sets of three trucks each. ‘The best was yet to come. Inspec tion completed, T was told’ that the whole outfit was for sale and the figure named seemed so absurdly low MODEL ENGINEER that the bargain was clinched on the spot. Within a week, the track was lifted and everything’ removed to a ‘Wednesbury works for storage. Choice of a site for the track was fairly easy. A large meadow, bounded along one side by a pleasant stream, Offered a scenically attractive run, capable of being easily graded to follow the natural fall of the water- course. The proposed course of the track was surveyed with a dumpy level and this showed that, allowing for banking at low places fo prevent flooding, a total drop in track level of 3ft in half a mile was all that would be required, though this meant an embankment “height of nearly 4it at the downstream end. - This was advisable in any event as the meadow is subject to flooding, and there have been recent occasions when the track has been high and dey with deep watery wastes on either side. In June 1956, four weeks after the idea of the railway was first conceived, site levelling began. The work locomotive Battery which” serves asa standby on the Hilton Valley Railway electric 226 By M. C, Lloyd Three years ago the writer bought a miniature railway. In this series he describes the line and its operation Proceeded apace, though only Satur- day afternoons ‘and Sundays were working days. With the aid of one ‘man, plus a Coventry Climax mecha- nical ‘shovel loaned by a friendly firm, the track was completed in March 1957 and after preliminary trials, public traffic began on Easter Sunday, 1957. Motive power is provided first of all by Lorna Doone, a 4-6-2 locomotive the history of which is obscure. Tt ‘was built by an engineer at Stanton Tron Works-—at a guess in the 1920s or early 1930s—and operated at Mablethorpe prior to 1939. It was presumably stored during the war and then transferred to Leicestershire where it operated on comparatively Fare occasions. When it ‘came tO ‘Hilton, examination showed it to be in fair mechanical “condition, . but some repairs to the firebox’ were needed. The tiny injectors fitted proved’ most unreliable and quite inadequate for “commercial” run- ning, and they were replaced by a 19 FEBRUARY 1959British Steam Specialities injector, which in two seasons running has proved thoroughly reliable and effi cient. Tn’ this condition Loma Doone operated throughout the 1957 season and proved herself a fair steamer and good hauler. The train load is 16 people (17 with driver) and the ruling gradient on the return journey is 1 in 200 (against the engine). This is well within her capacity, though some difficulty is apt to be experienced with slipping after a shower of rain. Boiler" pressure ig. 80p.si._ and equipment consists of lever regulator, lever reversing gear (Greenly valve gear), two water gauges, pressure ‘gauge, steam blower, steam brake, sanding lever, cylinder, release cock lever, ‘tender’ screw-brake, and of course whistle and safety-vaive. There is no axle-pump and boiler feed is entirely by means of the one injector mentioned, which gives no trouble or worry. Improved performance AMter the 1957 season, Lorna Doone was sent to W. G. Bagnall, of Stafford, Who gave her anew copper firebox and a thorough mechanical overhaul, ‘On her return her steaming capabilities were remarkably. improved, 10. the extent that the driver is often em- fuarrassed by the. safety-valve con- tinuously blowing and obscuring his vision. This i» preferable to the alteative of running out of steam ‘with a train load of passengers, and {bout 500 yards of uphill at 1 in 200 ‘between them and their home station. Her valve gear was revel, driving wheels tightened on the atles, one ‘wheel was found to be cracked through the centre, boss and @ new one. was east and feted She emerged in BE green with bright red coupling. a Conmecting rods, and “though the purists may shudder, she looks smart and gay and just right for the job she has to-do. "Bear in mind that the majority of passengers are children hough adults of all weights are tarred) and they like to See the rods going round. Reliable runner This locomotive is a most reliable hard worker. She runs anything up to 20 miles in traffic each Sunday pulling an average load (passengers and train) of over one ton. She has never suffered from any breakdown worse than a cracked gauge glass, oF a stuck non-return. valve on. the delivery side of the injector. ‘The need soon became apparent for an engine which would be readi available as a “* works” locomotive, or standby, or to haul occasional trains when time did not permit of 19 FEBRUARY 1959 steam raising. Electrical equipment ‘was available in the form of batteries, ‘motor, controller and resistances from an old industrial electric truck, which had lain derelict for some two years. ‘The problem was to design and build a locomotive around this equipment. ‘The ultimate result, as will be seen from the photograph, is a machine with external outlines somewhat re- sembling a BR diesel. (The prototype Thad in mind when designing it was the ex-SR’ 2,000 h.p. diesel N10203, which at that time was regularly jloyed_ on LMR Euston-Wolver- hampton expresses. ‘That there is resemblance is proved by the fact that most of the young passengers affectionately refer’ to our, electric Tocomotive as “ the. diesel.”) Seeking a foundation on which to build, an appeal was made. to. Mr Trevor Guest, the designer and builder of the magnificent, steam locomotives and rolling stock for the Dudley Zoo railway, which a few years ago changed From iGF'n, to 15 n, gauge, Had be ‘old 164 in, gies lying ‘bout, which might be converted to Thin, ” Re Takait exceeded my_ildest hopes. “A pair of bogies had. been completed for a 108 in. railway at a south coast resort, and for some reason, the original transaction had fallen through and these bogies were 24 able. One was a traction bogie wit Universal joint, bevel gear, -driving chain and connecting chain to give Four-wheel drive. ‘The other was a trailer bogie, Both were beautifully constructed, axles mounted on roller bearings and axleboxes properly sprung and mounted in horn guides, as in fall size practice. Conversion to 7#in gauge proved 27 not too difficult. The wheels were pressed off the axles, which were then Teshouldered to the’ narrower gauge. ‘The chain sprockets were fixed outside the wheels instead of inside and all fitted beautifully. ‘The universal Joint (fitted for icc, engine drive) was removed and replaced by a chain sprocket." The electric motor was mounted on a baseplate fed to the bosie side frames, the drive being sprocket and rolls chain. "There was The 46-2 loco LORNA Doone, a. reliable hard worker which runs up 10 20 miles on Sundays pulle ing’ more than a ton contained and free to swing on its Pivot within the vehicle body. "The main frame was next made up from 2'n, angle iron, this being 8 ft Jong and 21 in. wide with deep plate heastocks at ‘each end carrying sprung buffers set rather low down to match the height and centres of those on existing stock. ‘The. boxy ‘vas then built up with wooden frame swork and aluminium sheet, windows being of Perspex fixed in with rubber ‘beading. | Tho body hag a. central Griving’ compartment and 2 Sattery compartment over each bogie, ‘The main batteries are carried over the tale bogi a mach ofthe come tment over the “driving osie Is Sccupied by the electric motor itself ‘The locomotive is, of course, double ended and runs equally well in either direction. “The ‘controller on, the nda tuck was" mountc ho zontally, but here s mounted vertical and resembles a" small. tramway controller. There_are three speed alee ip et diction andthe radius path of the handle i stepped to event aceidental through movement From forward to reverse, Headlamps are fited at each end (ootor-car reversing lights) and also MODEL ENGINEER4 lusty hooter (single windtone). ‘The locomotive is painted dark green, ined at waist and cant rail with chrome yellow. “The waist lining is ‘catried round to a V-shaped stream- line effect at each end. The general ‘effect is attractive and impressive. Thrilling to drive ‘The experience of driving this locomotive along the track at night at fullspeed (10 m.p.h.) with headlights on is, really thrilling (although ab- solutely safe, derailment being vir- tually impossible as it weighs about IScwt). The battery equipment consists of 20 lead acid cells. A really good charger was available with the industrial truck equipment and this has a time setting for any charging period up to six hours. Normally, the batteries are given a six hour charge each week and this proves entirely adequate for normal working. This battery locomotive is quite unique and has attracted a great deal of “interest. Requests have been received for drawings from operators of narrow gauge railways much more distinguished than mine, but. un- fortunately I have been’ unable to comply. because the thing was made entirely without drawings, ‘only’ the roughest of skeiches being made, just to see how it might look!" She is always instantly available for any duty by day or night, without even the bother, of having’ to start fan engine. She is, of course, grossly foverscale, but, possesses an un~ doubtedly majestic, and at the same time realistic, appearance. Anyway, it is impossible to operate a7? in, gauge railway in public traffic and MODEL ENGINEER, at the same time keep everything strictly to scale. "Stock and equip- ment must be robust, foolproof and accident proof, and one simply cannot, afford the risk of breakages and mishaps, or even near misses. ‘The battery locomotive has now been running for to years and the amount of running she has done may be gauged by the fact that the cast iron wheel tyres are worn down on the treads as much as } in., forming an outer flange. These iyres are shortly to be replaced by cast steel, fan operation greatly facilitated by the fact that Mr Guest's admirable design included removable wheel rims spigotied to bubs and secured by 12 setscrews. ‘Under construction is Ame T2-wheel tender. is being built in the engineering apprentice training school of an engineering works with which I am connected, ‘The early work on this locomotive vs atated by Mr Trevor Gut as a private hobby, and in embryo form it was sold to the training school to form the basis of an engineering training course. Considerable interest and enthusiasm has been created. by this venture, which provides a practical outlet for’ the apprentices’ early exercises in lathe and bench work. Compared with the usual practice of turning, shaping, or filing “set ” pieces as training exercises, which are sub- sequently scrapped, the apprentices are given parts of the locomotive to make, and the best finished and most accurate products are built into it ‘The boiler had already been made by W. G. Bagnall. The main frames, American type 4-8-4 steam loco’ with 12-wheel render now under construction and soon due for service with the Hittori Valley Railway 28 Wheels and motion, gear have now been completed and bench tests under airpressure. have given. promising results, ‘The chassis has iso been given two track tests and after minor adjustments to the leading and traling bosies, with slight thinning of the flanges of the {wo centre pairs of driving. Wheels, it has been! passed as trackworthy.” The tender is already nearly completed. It is hoped that this locomotive will be completed for service du 1959 and that it will then be available on loan to double up” with Lorna Doone in handling “traffic ‘on. the Hilton Valley Railway—with selected apprentices forming a drivers’ rota. To be continued on March 3 A COMPACT LITTLE LOCO TTHHS fore ming relly, came about because of the need fora handy, compact. Ittle locomotive. to take "gue to tea” for 4 run on a ‘fiends Tine No definice design was thought of at the stare, but frames were cv and wheels machined. Outside cylinders were originally intended, but as. an side cylinder Block: was discovered in the junk box, and was just right, this wat machined up and used. "There was very little room for four eccentrics, plu the srank , webs, Sctween the frames of 22} in. groger fovtt had to be loy valve gear, and very suecessul iis to, ‘The boiler is 3E'n. dia. with nine jin. tubes and one {ins superhescer tube, ‘The grate i234 ines in, hence the tanks. being pitched. high. "The injector seen in the photograph Is dummy, serving 2 dial purpose, te feed 10 the hand pump and, by turning 2 cock, je drains the tanks afer Use. ‘This litle fellow ull two. adults with ease ona four wheel ear Ie Shares a sable. with "an O62 WR {nk and an Austere Ada. i'should like to thank LBSC for his instructive atices. "The Joy. valve gear war scaled-down from the Mad Sf Kent. b, BILLINGHAM. 19 FEBRUARY 1999WORKSHOP HINTS AND T Removing and fitting bushes ITH wear in engines and ment, it is essential to be able to Ba Mee ie aes major components. Maintenance 2a Se na Move are not subject to the same Joading and rubbing speed; and the higher these are, the greater wear is likely to be. ee ae Cees the most suitable materials to_mate with shafts or pins in, particular locations—whatever materials may be used for constructional parts. Thus, bushes may be of white metal, brass, phosphor-bronze, gunmetal, of hard: ned steel Except. for special circumstances where itis required to be " floating,” a bush is pressed or forced tightly into the surrounding housing or boss, and 19 FEBRUARY 1989 By GEOMETER its removal requires an application of force corresponding to that in fitting. If the bush is 2 plain parallel type with free access to both ends, as employed in a spring eye or for the smallend of a connecting rod, removal as at 4 is standard practice ‘A stout piece of tubing into which the bush will slide and slightly longer than the bush is required. Also needed is a stiff collar to bridge the end of the tubing; another collar Slightly smaller than the outside of the bush to bear on the end; and a bolt threaded about half its length to pass through all. These may be used to draw the new bush into position without risk of burring, which is always present with tapping or hammering. A paralleljaw steel vice will do the job quicker when a com- ponent can be brought to it, and it is 2 good amateur substitute for a mandrel press for fitting bushes quickly and squarely. 29 ‘The most difficult bushes to remove are those fitted in “ blind” holes where there is access only {0 one end and according to type, size, and ‘material, various methods of removal are possible. If the surrounding metal is aluminium it can be expanded by heating, and a steel bush may drop ut if the component is tapped sharply ‘ona block of wood. The heating may bbe carried out in hot water or oil, or carefully in the flame of a blowlamp: If the bush is a flanged type, it will most likely not be fitted right to the fend of its bore; and in the absence of oil grooves it can be removed “ hyd. Faulically.” As at B (left, it is hall filled with thick grease, and a well- fitting punch driven into it. Pressure at the lower end then forces the bush out. A bush capable of being tapped ccan be removed (right) using a special stud made by turning the hexagon from 2 suitable bolt and cutting & thread on it. This is the method used for some swivel pins on car steering. Removing fore-t bushes Dificultyinremoving bushes occurs, or course Decne they are fe of fMeduronce fio in thei housings asd ia material is n'a sale of com pronloat Kebese ths'aod personal Bruch easier Where posible the fest ay ofdoingitisasat ¢: Marat the same as the bush is roughly shaped to ts bore radius and wedged invwith packing Then il canbe fan dow toreit away the wall aod reduce Ie grip Wit the packing polled out ith pliers, the bush canbe dawn with Top Cored over'a colia'on & bolt Fora flanged bas, ss aD Cet, tis frethod wihout the: aillae prowes amos Cases a sucosaful Statens Fbrrthe orodox tapping and headed stud, as at B (right). Another method imi avoids tapping bust 8 10 ‘dill obliquely through the head of a ‘hig adhe pins Ine the bushy os at Dah. IED” clearance behind «bush, removal can be ett by enigeng Wiotea plte‘on sol, as al Ee Sieve ‘col at an angle akingin Shiering the plate ‘Ils then ithe dram “ftom the bolt or be Grugeotee and mat tobe: Altes: Wie Med "hols are” permisile inva bush housing. as at Peat punch tan be used for retioval and be ot filled with grubscrews. a MODEL ENGINEERMODELLING A SUBMARINE-4 sic down the sub with ballast until the water is Just lapping the tops of the ballast tanks, but not com- pletely covering them. ‘The tops of the ballast tanks ‘should just be showing above the water. If you want more of the submarine to be visible, use less ballast, which will mean a heavier diving trim keel (to be made later) ‘When the water-line” is correct mark" the positions. within the boat, and if sand has been used as ballast, mark or number the bags. Water hallast tanks, made. of copper oF brass can be introduced at this stage. These are ‘permanently fixed. within the hull at alow gravity, point and placed for'ard and-aft. "They have Small-bore copper tubing attached to them. One pipe goes down from the lower part of the tank, and emerges from underneath the hull, and. the pipe at the top leads to ‘the deck. ‘Avscrew valve lets air out of the tank fand admits water ballast. into. the Tower pipe. In this way, the diving trim of surface srim can be accurately controlled. with ease. It is now necessary t0 place the ballast in position. Sand can be simply tipped between ihe. bulkheads and sealed off to prevent it sifting from port to starboard, with ply or card- board and plenty of cement. Diving control The diving control rod can be made of aluminium needles socketed. to- gether. They should be long enough fo reach from one connecting joint of the hydrofoils or vanes to. the other. Brass about jf in. dia. can be used. The blocks. through which this passes are cemented at the top of the ballast tanks, to the hull sides. ‘They can be made of any non-corro- sive material and are held more firmly by dope and modelspan paper (or tissue) a8 are the other fixtures. ‘The drilled clearance holes should bbe quite a sloppy fit to allow for in- acctiracies of alignment. ‘The rod is threaded 2BA for an inch at either end, to enable adjust- ment to be taken via the links. ‘The measurements are given in the plan, Make and fit them by cutting the brass vane rods t0 be in line with the gs from the control rod passing along the ballast tanks. ‘The two MODEL ENGINEER In this final instal- ment, H. D. Woodward tells how to make the diving control rod and add the decking hydrofoils or vanes are connected| in this way and all four vanes will act together with the movement of the rod endwise, ‘About midway and just before the conning tower a T-shaped fitting ripped with Iocking-screws ont control rod and between two rod bearing blocks. This is actuated by the levers resembling a hinge, fixed to an axle on the hull side.” It is driven by a plunger protruding from the side of the hull near the deck from the clockwork motor and cam, thereby causing a rocking motion to the control diving rod and tilting the vanes forward and down, with back to level position, "The cam, which is fixed to the winder shaft of the motor, is about in. thick, The shape Of the cam is a matter of experiment. There should be no deflection of the controls after a half revolution of the cam’ when the vanes are level. There should be full “deflection on the other halt revolution of the winder shaft—the vanes then being set for diving. The rotation of the cam causes the plunger to project: through the side of the hull and returns following the profile of the cam. In doing so Hems three and four (fixed either end of the hinge pin) are pushed Outward and forward, thereby’ carry- ing the actuating rod forward. The “retum spring” is the ‘source of power which brings the whole mecha- nism back to “normal” (with the exception of the cam), “The angle of the diving vanes can be set at any position and locked, depending on the rotational position 230 of ie cam when, the eockwork motor is ‘the * stopscrew™ on deck i ‘The clockwork motor in my boat sives roughly five dives when fully ‘wound. would ‘advise. intending builders of the model submarine. to grease’ the motor internally before fixing it in the hull unless a separate hatch cover is made for inspection purposes. ‘The control rod can be operated by hand and set in any position for dive'or surface operations. It released by a spring and trip mecha nism, controlled, {rom ‘the ‘bankside by Button thread. The housing for the diving gear on the port side is straightforward. and needs no ex: planation, except to say that it can be Getached by unscrewing two. 6 BA bolts “screwed into two strips of ‘brass, crossing the deck. from port {0 starboard. The starboard. housing which is just a dummy, is intended to match. Ply for the decking ‘The decking can now be added. The ply used was } in. thick and put con in separate pieces coinciding with the. varying slopes of the deck-lines. Strips of Fin, % ¢ in, hardwood can be added to the tops of the bulkheads to afforda greater pinning and coment ing area. ‘Tubes for the purpose of ‘trim ballast or escape buoys or floats, can be fixed to the deck ply’ plates, 19 FEBRUARY 1959,but must, of course, be entirely self contained and sealed off at. their Tower ends to prevent flooding of the hhull should the lids come loose. "An entry must be made for the clock motor key and a small hatch (brass electrical bushes) fixed directly above the winder and cam. ‘This must be. watertight and the cover should bevIprovided with a rubber washer & ann. x 2458 Lo no” after winding and, screwing down. The rest of the decking should be added with plenty of cement on the joints all round, using the modelspan paper and dope method to ensure a good seal. The duct plank decking consists of Hin. sq. hardwood strips. ‘The bearer strips port to starboard should be cemented and pinned to the deck first’ and given three dope Sens Won Tas rnee Leno applications and a coat of paint or several of grey dope, because the top Strips will prevent your brush (or Spray gun) from getting down in between afterwards. ‘The top strips should be dipped, ‘or painted with dope several times before cementing and hung up to dry. ‘They can then be pinned and cemented con the bearer cross-pieces. hot 2 exeanveo ‘ee piece 5 id ; aga Locust r a 2 pace cy RK ilo EG = TEE PlECE-10FF-16c BRASS FORCE FIT ON PIN OW ROD VANE COUPLING = 20FF EACH BRASS 19 FEBRUARY 1959 21 MODEL ENGINEERio. ng tia Woon Te] Seo pi PLUNGER:IOFF onass LOWER _LevER - lore pivot torr PLUNGER TURE 4 PLATE xe, af veo ts [So vise ORR oan, con UR fe aK wile" one Te een can stbom hee etoge sovoeneo gu - wh 3 mt *0.40l8 10 sie 0m Stir toroR oe Seamete eon caMel onF mince pave TOP Leven of Toe anass eense Tomes amass ie mass \ The whole model should now be weight to pull the submarine down to [> given two coats of paint and sanded near deck level. ‘This depends on the ae - down with alee until the: suriige speed Ce saan and the e _ {seven” A further (wo coats may be amount of it on the diving vanes. given allowing each to dry hard. It is a matter of experiment with $ a 4 The final coat should be a flat, drab cach model, as is the length of the thi’ —e en cum finish to be correct. An anchor can run needed to gain speed when put be fited in the bows, or near, of in fo 'water, At ihe start, buoyancy Poce the torpedo ‘ways of the port side, should be. nearly negative fa “The diving-rim-keel”" is only "Submarines are’ not really fast ue aass fitted to the keel when diving opera craft, 50 don't expect the model to break speed records. a BASIC SIZES FOR SHEET, STRIP AND WIRE tions are required, and should be of a the result of extensive publicity given to basic AC nitioge Soe wire, a BSI committee has been able to reach definite conclusions on the problem presented by the multiplicity of sizes in current use. ie wena ap oes Bink eh “ie do this was strongly resisted, largely because ‘the Americans did ‘not use the s.w-g. and would be most unlikely ittce considered whether they could contemplate the adoption MODEL ENGINEER in Britain of the range of thicknesses represented by the American preferred umber series in inches. For this proposition there was support from the representatives of only one large firm; the rest of the committee felt unanimously that it would confuse matters. A proposal that the s.w.g. should. be modified to bring it into line with the American series was also rejected as being impracticable. Tt was felt that there was no adequate reason at present to disturb the current use here of s.w.g. and bg. ‘The commitice then faced the proposition that if they could not Support the American proposal there was little hope of securing agreement among the inch-using countries on fan inch series of thicknesses for the TSO recommendation. ‘The general feeling was that for international 232 purposes the ISO metric series already agreed upon would be sufficient and that there would be no advantage in introducing a parallel inch series. The committee felt due importance should be given to a provision in the present draft ISO proposal that the ‘method of designating the thickness of sheet or diameter of wire should be by stating the basic ‘size in milli- metres, followed (if desired) by the letter U to indicatethat this size belongs {0 the international metric series ‘At an early date they intend to consider the domestic position with Fegard to the use of ‘wire gauges. ‘They would like to see published British Standard giving full informa- tion both on the ISO metric series as well as the series of gauges at present in general use in this country, and giving some clear guidance that may Tead to greater concentration of United Kingdom usage on the s.w.g.and bg] 19 FEBRUARY 1959,Half a century of PLOUGHING ENGINE HISTORY erweeN them, the pictures on this page span B nearly half-a-century of ploughing engine history. ‘The top picture, taken about 1912 or 1913, shows a Garrett hauling a tank near King's Lynn Docks. ‘This engine was driven from, Lynn to Norwich to fetch two trailers from, Morgan’s Brewery, during the sisastrous floods there in 1912. The driver then is now the present head of J. W. Desborough and Sons, of Magdalen, Norfolk. He is seen standing on the right in the third picture. The impressive display of steam ploughing power in the second photograph, was drawn up at Magdalen in 1932. The straw-hatted gentleman was the present oviner's father. Nearest the camera is an Aveling and Porter compound ‘ploughing engine. Both pictures are the property of J. W. Desborough and Sons. Pictures 3and 4 show one of the last two engines retained by the firm at work in November, 1938. ‘The ‘engine is No 15340, made in 1919. She is of 16 n.h.p. and weighs 25 tons. The job on which she was employed, was rooting out large ties. These were but a moderate task, although root-craters up to 10ft x 5 ft deep were formed. A mere {ouch of the throttle for a few crankshaft revolutions wwas all that was required. For maximum pulling by cable, both cylinders can be used at high pressure—and at 200 ib, * She really talks !" as the driver said. Maximum test ‘pull on ploughing is, 105 tons on the cable. If this is possible one may query the ability of the engine to remain stationary. ‘Another view of the same engine is shown in the fourth picture. A few large farmers might return to steam plough- ing if coal was cheaper. A good day's work covers 10 aces and uses 1 ton of coal, ‘The Dredging and Construction Co., of King's Lynn, have converted some Fowier ploughing engines to diesel power, the chimney, cylinders and motion being re- moved, and the diesel engine mounted in their place The’ picture immediately below, which is reproduced by courtesy of Lim News and Advertiser, shows & MacLaren iesel_ conversion of Fowler 16 nh.p. ploughing engine owned by the Dredging and Consituction Co. Ltd. [) 19 FEBRUARY 1959 2233 By A. Beaumont ‘MODEL ENGINEERSouth Coast Railway was well suited to the use of tank locomotives, even for express passenger work; but this was not fally exploited until Mr D. BE. Marsh brought out his 13 4-42 tank engines in 1907 (ME, 28 June 1956) The success of those engines prompted a further advance in express passenger tank engines for use. on the heaviest express trains between London and Brighton; consequently, in 1910, ‘an entirely new type of tank enging was put (0 work. It was officially designated class J, and the first was No 325, Abergavenny, completed at Brighton in December, 1910. She had the 4-6-2 wheel arrangement and was the first tank engine of her type to run in England; and a most impressive ‘engine she was, with pleasing propor- tions and. generally’ neat, clean out lines. ‘In fact, for such a large engine her design was remarkable for ils simplicity and trimness. Her designer, however, retired in the same month that sho was ‘com. pleted but she vas gen an extended {eat esting ‘months, during Which she was painted. grey’ picked T: old London Brighton and LOCOMOTIVES I out with black striping and white lines. | She proved to be successful and able to cope easily and economic- ally with the fastest “and heaviest trains between London, Eastbourne, Brighton and Portsmouth, ‘Meanwhile, a second engine, No 326, was being built. "She was ‘com- pleted and put to work in February, 1912, and differed from Abergavenny in being fitted with outside Walschaerts valve gear instead of inside Stephenson ar, but was otherwise similar to older sister. ‘Her name was Bessborough, which was rather in the nature of an anti- climax to ‘many people who had taken it for granted that her name would be Grosvenor. Thave always understood that there vas a good deal of difficulty in desten- ing and assembling. the Walschacrts ‘gear for Bessborough, because it was quite a novelty for Brighton Works, nobody there having had any previous, design or manufacturing experience with the gear, The problem was not ‘made any easier by the cylinders being outside the frames and their steam chests inside. This was dictated by the desire to use cylinder castings similar to those of Abergavenny, 80 as fo save expense; but. Bessborough was duly finished and designated HAVE KNOW class 32, Abergavenny being reclassi- as i The popular, especially on suet trains as ie alkPullman Southern Belle” and the heavy, 5.5 pa, so-called "City “Limited,” the later a fine ‘two engines soon became corridor train’ conveying a large ‘number of season-ticket holders from ‘London Bridge to Brighton. On both trains speeds exceeding 75 m.p.h. were frequently noted, and occasionally something more ‘than 80 m.p.h. was recorded behind Bessborough, which always seemed to be the specdier of the two locomotives. ‘The principal dimensions of these two engines were: cylinder diameter 21 in, stroke 26 in, and inclination Tin 26,” The wheel diameters were: bogie 3 ft 6in., coupled oft 7 in. and trailing 4 ft, while the wheelbase was 354ft 3 in, divided into 6ft plus 64¢ plus 7ft 3 in. plus 7 ft 3 it plus 8 ft 6 in. Oyerhang was 2 ft 64 in. at the front end and 4ft 6 in. at the back. ‘The total length over buffers was 454t 6in. ‘A good boiler was provided, made in two rings, the diameter of the larger (back) one being Sft 3 in. Between tubeplates, the barrel was 15 ft long d its centre Line 8 ft 8 in. above rail level. There were 110 tbes of MARSH’S 4-6-2 TAN MODEL ENGINEER 24 19 FEBRUARY 1959A SECOND SERIES By J.N. MASKELYNE 2bin. dia., giving 1,461.69 sq. ft of hheating surface: to’ heater flues of Shin. “dia. added Brats Tie feos ih, vas t long and 3 ft 44} in. wide outsi had a heating surface of 1244 sq. ft so that the total evaporative. surface amounted to the respectable figure of 1,943.09 sq. ft. ‘The working pressure vias 170 psi ide tanks and a well-tank under the bunker gave total wat capacity of 2,232 gallons, while the bunker would hold 3$ tons of coal. ‘The weight in working order was 89 tons divided into 18 tons on the bogie, 17 tons 5 cwt_on the first coupled axle, 19 tons S-cwt on the driving axle, 16 tons onthe third ‘coupled axle and 16 tons 10 ewt on the trailing axle, ‘Apart from the valve gears, there were slight differences of detail to be poted in these two fine engines. When new, Abergavenny had super- heater dampers and was equipped with brakes on the bogie wheels; after a short time, both these fitments were removed. Also, this engine had laminated springs for all her axleboxes. In 1913, the ventilator on the cab roof was removed and the Rams- bottom safety-valves were replaced ‘by Ross * pops.” K ENGINES LBSCR 19 FEBRUARY 1959 Bessborowgh never ran with either bogie brakes or superheater dampers, and her leading coupled and driving axles were carried on spiral springs, Later changes were the same as {oF Abergavenny. But T should add that the valances on Bessborough termine ated, at each end, in nice shapely curves down to meet the bufferbeams and were not square-ended like those Of her sister. It will be noted that No 325 carried the same number and name as the Stroudley singlewheeler (ME, 27 June 1957] and this probably gave rise to the expectation that No 326 would be Grosvenor. Incidentally, these two 4-6-2 tank engines were originally ended to be numbered 36 and 37, respectively; but 37. would have clashed with the first Marsh Atlantic, So two other consecutive blank numbers in the official list were used instead. Tam aware that G. F. Burtt, the Brighton historian, states that ‘both these engines had bogie brakes when new. I think this must be a mistake, because none of the official photo” graphs of Bessborough, in her original condition, show such brakes, whereas those of Abergavenny do. A possible explanation of Burtt’s statement is that Bessborough was intended to 235 have bogie brakes, and they probably showed on the original drawings, for which he, as senior draughtsman, ‘was responsible; and even if they were put on the engine while she was being built, they were removed before she vas put on the road. After all it was in 1911 that bogie brakes began to be removed from the earlier Marsh Allantes, so they are hardly tikely to we appeared on any new engine built after that date. To any railway enthusiast of that period, the sight of one or other of these two beautiful locomotives at the head of that sumptuous all-Pullman train, the Southern Belle, especially with ‘the full nine-car formation, was unforgettable. It was a glorious vision of dignified neatness and scrupulous Cleanliness from one end to the other. And it matched perfectly with the beautiful and then entirely unspoiled ‘Sussex countryside through which it ran. Another vivid recollection to me, is of that train, with the proud, sedate, but lively Abergavenny in charge, dead on time, tearing through East Croydon station ‘in the evening sunshine, re- ceding rapidly into the distance round the north curve, followed by a faint Sloud of, dust’ and ‘alvays a few wit scraps of paper. It was a never-failing thrill ! B MODEL. ENGINEERLBSC deals with further components for the 5 in. gauge pannier tank engine Continued from 5 February 1959, page 176 0 178 WE full size engines have an injector at either side. The small engine will only need one, as it has the crosshead pump to feed the boiler when running. This is more satisfactory as. the water in the tanks absorbs heat radiated from the boiler, and when low will probably become too hot to be injector-fed. The injector is located in the same position as in full size, being between the tank and the running-board just ahead of the cab. 1 have explained how to make injectors for practically every engine in theve serials, so that another fully detailed “description is unnecessary. ‘The body, air release valve, and cones are made as previously described, but there is one small variation which can be made in drilling the vent in the ball chamber. Several correspondents have complained of difculty in drilling the diagonal hole usually specified. To meet their wishes I have shown an flternative way ‘Alter forming the ball recess and marking the position of tho vent on ing, drill the hole straight in instead of on the slant. Then drill another hole at right angles to'it, from the side of the fitting into the ball recess, cutting across the hole previously dee. “fap the end and Screw a plug in, or else fit pus Plug which can be sliver soldered when the fitting is attached to the body of the injector in the usual way. By this means there is no risk of damagi the ball seating, which was the usual trouble readers’ encountered, Injector water valve ‘The injector, being located close to the running-board leaves no room for attaching the, water pipe by the ‘sual straight union and pipe with a Uhend. Instead of fitting the union nipple direct to. the injector. body, it by means of an elbow. Chuck ¢ Piece of in. round rod, face, centre, Grill Now 40 to. din. depth, turn bare 3/32in. length toa. tight fit in the hole in the injector body. whic normally takes the union nipple, and art off at #in. from the shoulder, ‘At 5/32in, from the blind end, drill 5/32 in. hole in the side and ft the tion nipple into it, forming a union MODEL ENGINEER elbow. Fit this fo. the body of the Injector as shown, silver soldering the joints. “The overflow pipe can be made long gnough to project down through a hole in the’ running-board, the. end being bent to throw the water clear of the coupling rods and brake gear. ‘The delivery clack is made in’ the same manner as I usually specify, but instead of a union cap, it has & plain one and the water is discharged through a 5/32 in. %_32 union nipple at the side. ‘The whole set-up is Clearly shown in the drawings. ‘A. special water-valve is needed, whieh fed under the let-hand tank and operated by a long handle passin through a hole in the front of the cab. This valve is similar to the injector steam valve. Chuck a piece of } in. brass rod, face, centre deeply, tun fin. length to Fin. dia. and screw Lin. 40. Part off at jin. from the Shoulder. " Rechack the other way about, centre, drill through, No 40, open out and bottom to ¥ in, depth with 7/32 in. drill and D-bit, and tap the end din. 40, Drill a 5/32in. hole in the side. Chuck the fin, rod. again, face, centre, drill }in. for din. depth, turn 5/32 in. length to } in. dia. and screw Fin. 40. Part off at $in. from the Shoulder, rechuck ina tapped bush, ‘turn 3 in. fo a tight Bt in the hole in the side of the valve body, and bevel fff. a5 shown. Squeeze the, iting in fad silver solder the joint. ‘The gland Section, gland nut aid valve pit are made inthe same way” as_described {or the injector steam valve, but the pin is made in. fong and furnished Jul Goss handles Thies a lee of gate spoke wire about fin. long, rounded! off ateach end and squeezed ‘through a No 49 hole drilled through the end of the Pin ee Cin tot bck od of cn Resear anne sne oe fixing angle inside. ‘Tap this tin. x Safa aac tae Sar pea eee Fetes ate ye ee eee ele port emet eters iss of Pe care cit Me ris ton telesales She toting po Fastin copper tube with tin. x 40 union sedi ati ste lie a lone Seas ce Tere phn sling a hea Bf ll ag Reorrse rengergs ue he yer he Sy 7 fo) | ne) ns [ rad oon TE ARRANGEMENT OF SANDBOX AND GUARD IRON 236 19 FEBRUARY 1959hand top feed is made by a. in, pipe with union nuts and nipples for coupling up. It passes under the boiler barrel, runs along under the tank and ig turned up to mect the clackbox as shown. ‘The steam end of the injector is connected tothe union onthe injector steam valve on the baekhead by'a 5/32in. pipe with a union ‘nut and cone on, the upper end, and a union nut with'a fat collar, at the injector end.” This pipe will also pass through the eab front. As the injector ‘weighs only-an ounce complete, the pipes. are” quite Suifiient to support {and it 18 instantly detachable’ for cleaning “The last item in the plumbing job ig a connection between the leftchand side tank and the bottom union on the crosshead pump. Te is advisable to fit-a strainer on the tank outlet, and. a. simple. arrangement incor: Dorating this is shown in the accom- anying drawing. Feedwater strainer ‘The fitting can be turned up from Lin. round rod; cast or drawn, Chuck, face off, centre deeply’ with size Entre dul drill No 20 to about Zin. depth, turn fy in. length to ein. dia. ‘and screw fin. x 32. Part off at a full jin. from the shoulder, rechuck in a tapped bush and turn the other end to fin. dia. for fin. length. Further reduce ag in. length (011/32 in, dia. and make sure that the shoulder is truly faced. File the flange to the shape shown and drill the two No 41 serewholes in it. Roll up a gauze finger from fine-mesh brass Or copper gauze to fit on the 11/32in, step. Solder the seam, bend the top over to close it, solder that, and fit the finger over the step, soldering it in place as shown. ‘At approximately 12 in. ahead of the Pump union, and on the centre line of the underside of the tank, drill a Fin. hole in the bottom of the tank and fit the flange to it with a couple of 3/32 in, or 7 BA. screws as shown, I prefer home-made bronze screws LM TaN FEED PIPE FOR CROSSHEAD PUMP as there is no pressure and little heat to withstand. “Put a thin Hallite or similar gasket between flange and tank bottom. ‘Connect the union under the strainer with the union at the bottom of the pump valve box by a i in. copper pipe with union nuts and cones. at cach end. This pipe runs close to the motion plate and goes down to the Pump union between the pump ram and the left-hand frame. “Run it as close to the frame. as ‘possible, to kkeep it out of the way of the pump driver. ‘The exact length of the pipe should be ascertained with a piece of lead fuse wire or soft copper Wire as previously ‘mentioned. ‘The whistle is of the double-slotted* tube pattern, and should “give a passable imication of the well known Great Western signature tune. have had) many complaints from locomotive builders about the tend- cency, of these small steam whistles to “warble” instead of giving a PATA ee aor wise Shae noe Tass oe NRE 3 Png wl Ve = we Tomer) T= iw 2 as we 4 no ar |_swe Shes de Ra t END INGLES. TOM, Naess. | noe i yg 19 FEBRUARY 1959 FEEDWATER STRAINER entering a cold whistle and con- ddensing, and the rush of steam won't allow the condensate to blow out. If the whistle can be kept hot, it will always blow a clear note, and those ‘of my own engines with fixed ashpans have the whistle under the ashpan for that reason. “As Pansy has a drop type of ashpan, the whistle cannot be attached to ft ‘The only thing to do in the circum- stances is 0 put the whistle in as warm a place as possible and keep the steam pipe out of the draught as Well. If the whistle is fitted across the frames behind the boiler just clear of the brake spindle, it won't be cooled of by the rush of air when the engine is running, Making the whistle By way of variety I am specifying a whistle with two organ-pipe slots ‘The barrel is a piece of thin brass tube 3 in. dia, which should be faced off im the lathe to 43 in. length, so that it will fit nicely between’ the frames. | Two rectangular openings are filed in it on opposite sides, at Tin. from one end. They are yin. wide, and just deep enough to leave }in,’of metal at each side as shown in the assembly view. The slots between the deflector dise and the whistle tube through which steam emerges and blows across the sound openings, should be equal in length to the width of the oj and approximately 1/32 in, wi width should not vary ‘throughout their whole length. ‘One way of ensuring this is to chuck a piece of Fin. round brass rod, face the end, MODEL ENGINEERfo turn a full bin. length to a press fit in the whistle tube and form a groove about in. deep at yy in, from the end, with @ parting tool. With” a square-ended tool in the slide rest, cut two segments at opposite sides to'a depth of 1/32in. anda Tength equal to that of the sound ‘openings. This can be done by feeding the tool on to the disc and moving the lathe mandrel back and forth by hand. Then part right off and press the’ dise into. the whistle tube with the segments level with the sound openings as shown. = ‘An easier way is to turn the chucked rod to in. less than the inside diameter of the whistle tube, for about gona Wane Ti a “me FRAME-2 Turn up a double-ended din. x 40 union tipple from $ i 2 rod, ‘but countersink one end only. Screw: the Uppunteunk ead ito the tapped hole. "Phe whisle. should not sound a clear note if blown by ling pressure. Fit does, it will blast or sereeeh under steam which can pass through the ibe and slows rather quicker than & a being’s breath. “The resistance to boiler pressure offered by. the whistle valve and the ¢ in. connecting Pipe, will atiow sufficient. steam 0 ass for sounding a clear note when the whistle is hot ‘and free from condensate water. ‘At about Tin. behind the centre 1 ‘id J6BA ERECT CLEAR OF BRAKE SPROLE Te'eipe 70" wales vate PLAN OF ERECTED WHISTLE Jena Op the seduced gat metrically opposite, ft two pieces of 16-gauge brass, tin, wide anda bare, Ye in. long.'so that they just overlap the end of the rod. ‘They can be held in position with « long rivet (F piece of wire riveted over at both and then silver soldered, After leaning, chuck the rod again, face the ends of the pieces of brass flush ith the Tod, tam them toa press fit.in the ‘whistle tube, and part off i. slice. ‘Press in 3s above, Fhe" longer end of the tube is plugged by a disc of brass pressed in. This is turned from a piece of #in- rod. Drill a No 44 hole in the middle before parting off'a # in, slice. Press the dise into the end of the whistle tube and tap the hole 6BA. ‘The plug at the other end is also’ turned From fin. rod, but is in. long. After parting off, rechuck, centre, Grill through. No 44, open out to a bare Pin. depth with No. 30. drill and tap the remains of the 44 hole SBA.” Press in the plug with the tapped end outwards and make quite Sure thatthe clearance between it and the deflector disc is as shown. ‘At fin. from the end drill a 7/32 in, hole through the whistle tube and plug, piereing the hole through the middle of it. Tap this din. % 40. MODEL ENGINEER No 40. PART SECTION line of the brake column, and 1 in. from the top of the left hand frame, drill @ No 34 hole through the frame, and a corresponding one in the right” hand frame. Put the whistle between, them and fix it with a 6BA. brass screw at each end as shown. Connect it to the union on the whistle valve on the boiler backhead by a ¢in. pipe with a union nut and cone at either end. Run the pipe as close to the boiler backhead ‘and frame as poss- > ible, ‘The guard irons at the leading end are shown erected in the accompany- ing drawing. Those at the trailing end are similar, but are erected clear of the sandboxes at the point where the frame starts to slope up toward the rear buffer beam. The trailing sand- boxes are erected between the footstep and frame, just behind the footstep stay. The guard irons—which juvenil train-spotters of my childhood days invariably called " line-clearers,” much to my amusement—are sawn and filed from }in.. steel, an offeut_ of frame. steel being just the right material. Four are required, two Fighthand and two left.” ‘They are attached to the outside of the frames by four 6 BA screws running through the clearing holes in the guard irons into tapped holes in the frames. . As 238 the rear screwheads are exposed, hexagon heads may be used if pre- ‘The sandboxes may be either cast ings or built up from sheet steel. Iron castings would do very well. It was my original intention to” specify working sanders, but to make them operate, a. disc "valve would be re- ‘quired at the bottom of each sandbox, and this would be rather tricky 10 fit and connect up. It entails a vertical shaft running through a bearing at the top of the box, and cranks and rodding above the running-boards. Recollecting the trouble with the full ‘size article caused by valves sticking, sand becoming damp and 4 ¢ - So LEADING GUARD IRON clogging the pipes, plus various other spots of bother,” I abandoned the idea of working’ sanders for Pansy. ‘They are not really necessary, as small rails on club or garden lines can be Wiped clean or lightly sanded by hand. Although my LBSCR. single-wheeler hhas working sanders, I seldom use them, In her case the job was a piece of cake, as the sandboxes form part of the driving splashers and all that was needed were big full-bore plug valves under the running-boards out of sight. Fach was connected by a single rod to a lever-operated foss-shaft under the cab. ‘The sand Keeps dry as the boxes are right close to the boiler. Back in the days at Norbury, 1 fitted a working steam sanding gear to a pin. gauge engine, a 4-2-2 Lady of Narragansett. “There was a sand trap under each box as in full size, and an ejector at the bottom of each sandpipe. Details can be found in the Live Steam Book. This arrange- ment worked only too well Irvin emptied the boxes at one appli- cation, smothering the motion, him- self, and two boy passengers. "Ye To be continued on March 5 LBSC writes every week 19 FEBRUARY 1959,RAILWAY ToPIcs HYDRAULIC BUFFERS FOR ROLLING STOCK AILWAY enthusiasts with MARTIN EVANS describes a powerful new buffer now under test by BR and on the Continent ventional buffers. Almost all. the sharp eyes may have noticed a new type of buffer on certain items of rolling stock on British Railways. ‘This is probably the Dowty hydraulic buffer, many thousands of which have now been supplied to British Railways, Num- bers are also on test on the Dutch and Belgian Railways, The standards for conventional railway buffing gear were laid down ata time when, ‘was @ fraction of today’s total and when shunting speeds were only about three miles per hour. The. pressure of traffic today has inevitably increased shunt- ing speeds, and 10 mp, is now ‘common. "Hump marshalling yards hhave emphasised the problem, for their use has subjected ‘rolling stock to greater impact shocks. Robust construction ‘AS the shock absorbing capacity of conventional spring buffers cannot be increased without exceeding the space limitations, wagons have had to be ‘more robustly built to withstand these more arduous operating conditions, This has, of course, adversely affected new wagon costs and the tare-weight/ Payload ratio. The Dowty hydraulic buffer was developed to meet these new con- ditions and “uses a completly ‘ew ‘operating principle to provide for better shock, cushioning within the travel limitations imposed ‘Though of comparatively low cost, the hydraulic bufler, even at normal shunting speeds, has 20 times the ‘absorbing capacity of con- 19 FEBRUARY 1959 energy is dissipated by the buffer 30 that recoil is steady and controlled, and at full closure the piston is finally arrested by the hydraulic luid columa, avoiding harsh metal-to-metal con’ tact, Basically the Dowty buffer com- prises a” combined. reservoir and cylinder, housing a piston loaded by a helical spring. On impact, fluid is displaced by the inward movement of the piston into the ‘surrounding reservoir. in the tion imposed (on the oil flow causes a back pressure which reacts on the piston, giving the buffer its resistance to closure. "Only fone dynamic seal is fitted and this never subjected to high pressure, for adjacent to its pressure side a groove LAST OF THE (0. 58926, the last of the Webb 0-6-2 coal tanks, was withdrawn from service last November, and was the last_of Webb's locomotives to remain in service apart from rebuilds Of his 0-8-0s, The design of the coal tanks was characterised by a. stark simplicity, austere even for the old. LNWR. Despite their small wheels, they were quite speedy engines “ahd “proved themselves useful for passenger work in South Wales, in addition to the 239 in the cylinder wall intersects hotes leading t the reservoir; thus pressure aU the Seal never exceeds fhe 1 reservoir presure ‘The fd capacity of the buffer about ten pints, while the. basie Simplicity of its design and the smal number ofits working parts virtually Climates maintenance. Routine Shecking can be quickly carried out during major wagon overhauls, ‘Dowty hydraule bfters ae sufable for ase on all types of railway vehicles ani te rey fed eae tent of conventional types of bute, They are manufactured f al standard dimensions, and in view ofthe harder onditions of servise now ruling on our raiiways, iis ikely that thelr Sse will be reatly extended in the nee fture a COAL TANKS coal traffic for which they were de- signed. ‘No 58926 was built at Crewe in 1887, one of 300 engines, of which 292 were taken over by the LMSR. ‘The main details of the class were as follows: cylinders 17 in. bore * 24 in, stroke, coupled wheels ‘4 ft 54 in. dia, trailing wheels 3 f¢9 in. dia., wheelbase 21 {t3 in., working pressure 150 p.si., total heating surface 1,076.6 sq, it, grate area I7.1 sq. ft, dractive effort at 85 percent w.p.,16, 530 1b. MODEL ENGINEERSTEAM LOCOMOTIVE oper. steam locomotive effi- ency is a subject of great interest and many and diverse have been the formulae put forward for its measurement. The difficulty has always been to arrive at a formula that is sufficiently simple to give sensible results on the track and at the same time to provide a fair comparison between locomotives not only completely different in type, size, and design, but of different scales and’ gauges. Recently it was decided to call a meeting at the MODEL ENGINEER offices ff persons interested and experienced in the subject, and the whole matter ‘was discussed with a view to arriving ata formula which might be adopted universally. ‘That well known author ity on small locomotives LBSC was, of course, consulted, and my own ‘suggestion was that the most important item to be considered was the con- sumption of fuel, including fuel used in raising steam from cold. The first proposal was. that the oad hauled, ‘measured in Ib. should be multiplied by the distance covered in yards in a given time, say 15 min- nutes, and the result divided by the fuel’ consumed, measured in ounces. It appeared. ‘reasonable that the driver of a model locomotive should, be allowed to choose the weight of his own train, while his own weight and that of ‘the passenger-carrying trucks or cars should be included Mr J..N. Maskelyne took the view A VERY HANDY GADGET Ne of the handiest gadgets on my workbench is & piece of cold rolled steel, tin. square = about Sin. long. This is dred with 13 fol ‘ranging from in. dowa to S3bin alone the. eet line, and itiny equally space Tod that Kt useful in. many MODEL ENGINEER, ways, such as pushing shafts in and ut of wheels or pulleys, and driving bushings in and out of frames. Tt is quite simple affair designed to support the work all around instead Of only at two points, as when you use the vice jaws for support.—H. J. REES. 240 ‘that the coal used in raising steam should not be included. But when it is realised that the firebox of a big Sin.” gauge locomotive could be piled up with an enormous quantity Of fuel, ‘sufficient perhaps to last half the time of the actual trial, it becomes apparent, that this would leave something of a loophole. ‘Mr H.W. White, the well known model engineer and author of Main- tenance and Management of Small Locomotives, argued that a “safer method would be to allow as much MARTIN EVANS reports the results of a meeting at which an attempt was made to devise a formula for steam locomotive efficiency which might be generally acceptable as a fair standard of comparison charcoal, dry or soaked, as_was needed to raise, say, 20 p.s.t of steam, after which the iocomotive's own blower should be used and. coal, which would count towards» the formula, fed into the firebox. NATIONAL COMPETITION Mopet. ENGINEER is considering the sponsorship of a national efficiency competition for _passenger-hauling steam locomotives of 3} in. and Sin, fpauge provided sufficient support is forthcoming. Suitable prizes would be awarded and as entries may have to be limited, itis hoped that interested clubs and societies would be able to choose their (Say) two most efficient locomotives at meetings on their own tracks early in the season. 19 FEBRUARY 1959BPPICIENCY TRIALS Mr W. A. Caster, chairman of the SMEE. track “committee, concurred with this and the following formula was then adopted: the weight of the train to be hauled. 3. Locomotives 10 raise steam on soaked or dry charcoal or similar soft fuel until 20 ps. is shown on Total weight in Ibs « distance covered in yds in 15 mins ~~ Weight of coal used, In os ~ Notes: 1. Weight hauled to include the driver's own weight and the weight of all passenger-carrying trucks or ‘cars, but not the locomotive's own tender. 2. A driver may decide for himself the steam gauge. After this the engine's own Blower is 10 be used, ‘and coal fed into the firebox, such coal to count towards that used in the actual run, 4. Coal left in firebox at the end. of the runniust also” count towards the formula, but coal left in the loconiotive's ‘own bunker or tender may be weighed and deducted. 5. No. artificial. aids 10 adhesion such as" sanding” would be allowed. It is felt that the use of the above formula at the average track mecting will give a reasonably fair comparison of efficiency between the different locomotives competing. On the other hand it is accepted that, figures obtained at “up-and-down” tracks fare bound to be considerably below those at continuous tracks, a JAMES WATT STEAM ENGINES ' the 1760s when Watt was still very much at the experimental stage, he made. several models, two of which are now exhibited in Glasgow. The fist of these isan’ atmesphere engine working on the “Newcomen principle. The construction is cx tremely crude and it is apparent that Watt made quite 2 number of altera- tions to this machine before it was finished. ‘The frame and. atmospheric tank are made of wood, but most of the 19 FEBRUARY 1959, MUSEUM MODELS remaining parts are of cast iron, all of which is completely unfinished except, of course, the actual working surfaces. It must be emphasised that this is not a pressure steam engine. The steam enters the bottom of the cylinder at near atmospheric pressure and is then immediately condensed, thus drawing down the piston by suction and atmospheric weight on top of i. The valves are operated by levers acting against balance weights and the beam connecting rod is geared 24 to the lead flywheel by the famous sun and planet motion. ‘The second Watt model is of a much more sophisticated nature. It is a straightforward double-acting_single- cylinder beam engine. Again, this model is erected on a wooden frame, Dut most of the metal work is of brass and the quality of finish is such that it suggests that the machine was built for demonstration purposes, whereas the other model is quite obviously purely experimental, i MODEL ENGINEERIN THE ME WORKSHOP ‘AVING dealt with the modi- TRIDENT MAJOR EXACTUS describes the safety-valve fications, I propose to give details of some of the boiler fittings. It will be noticed that the details’ of the safety-valve given last week are for the one shown on the general arrangement drawing and differ from that shown in the illustrations (Figs 3 and 4). ‘They will be readily recognised as the common ball-type which needs no introduction. The safety-valve for which details were given is from the original design with ‘light’ modification. This has the works outside, s0 10 speak, and should appeal to’ those who ‘want something that Tooks more like the VSN eco. SAFETY VAWE SEATING GM “real thing " in the hull of their boat. It will be noted that a flange joint is provided at the steam outlet 50 that A pipe can be fitted to take the excess steam to the funnel in proper marine style. ‘The modifications that were carried ‘out amounted to the parting of the uo — Peewee US iam dee MODEL ENGINEER valve pintle from its stem. This was 1o make the lining’ up of the valve with the top pressure plate easier to assemble and prevent it sticking ‘rough misalignment. "The valve pintle has a small pocket for cup on which the spherical end of the: spring-loaded stem sits, thereby taking eare of any sight misalignment. Suitable materials that are readily available for making this component fare stainless steel for the valve pintle and. stem, and. phosphor-bronze or gunmetal for the body. Machining the valve pintle and stem only amounts toa straightforward turning job, the ne 6, 7 ee etieta terest Per ep oe 4 Co DP care in the bit 2° BP ce in he baler retest Sie, Sl, i eg i rate 2 poy we aalee inet tcnan eee PE aes Pee He coll mae ig OO me cleans tn sae, 20) roars 0c ree “pop” action. Should the action be too fierce, it can be remedied by seiee fen fan be ted, seg te, deen ot aes a hep — + by exe Ye'o.Gauce GUase LENGTH TO ‘SUIT upper PACKING Fae guide on the vale pnt being finally lapped to fit closely, but freely, in valve body. The purpose of the collar im- mediately above the valve seating is to promote a prompt. valve action. AAs the steam escapes, it impinges on this collar, which has a relatively low clearance in the. valve body. Acting to some extent like a piston, 42 WATER GAUGE VORF “BRASS Two pieces of material will be required (0 fabricate the valve body, ‘one for the body itself and the other for the escape steam outlet pipe. The first operation is to turn the escape pipe to ils finished sizes and then do the same to the outside. dimensions of the: body where the pipe is to be positioned. ‘The body should not be completely machined at this stage. 19 FEBRUARY 1959MARINE BOILER and how it differs from the ball-type Silver solder the pipe to the body and then return the work to the chuck and finish the machining. Completely ‘machining both items before: silver soldering is not recommended, "as this is likely to result in distortion of the machined surfaces. “The spring for the’ safety-valve is made from a piece of 20-gauge non- corrosive spring wire. There should be not less than six complete turns in its free length of # in., and the inside + diameter is ¥ in. ‘The water feed check valve fitted FEED_CHECK VAWE TOR BRASS to our boiler for experimental purposes was of the common ball type and not that which appeared with the original drawings in 1953. ‘This design was slightly more orthodox in its internal arrangements and had a valve known as the "* wing” type in preference 10, fa ball, Any particular advantage of ‘one type over the other in its practical application amounts to very little ‘and the question of choice is mainly 4 personal one. Neither are dificult tormake but of the two the ball type is undoubtedly the easier. Phosphor-bronze or gunmetal is 19 FEBRUARY 1959 Preparation of blir forse Mea teh suitable material from which to make the body and stainless steel for the yalve. The, body can either be made from’ a solid piece of mat fabricated” by "slver “soldering. the pieces together. Machining the body should proceed on similar lines to those used in the safety-valve, taking care that the bore and valve seat are true. ‘The design of the water gauge fitted to the boiler is also different from that shown in the original drawing. ‘This was not because there were any advantages to be gained but because ‘we happened to have one handy that was suitable for the job. Its main difference is that a drain or relief valve is incorporated in the bot fitting of the gauge whereas the original design specified a drain cock fitted as separate item and available com- mercially if desired. 1 think there is a point worth men- tioning in the building of the original design that_some may consider an advantage, Thatis, the top and bottom fittings of the gauge are identical apart from one’ dimensional. detail The hole drilled in the top fitting to take the gauge glass is only drilled sufficiently deep in the bottom fitting toate the glee, and the retandet of the fitting drilled right through wit a smaller diameter drill ‘The water gauge fitted to the boiler will be recognised as of the familiar pattern used by LBSC in his live steam boilers and needs no. intro- duction. To provide the reader with a choice from these two types of gauges, both are shown, the principal dimensions being applicable to either, Rubber packing rings are recom mended, and they may be made quite simply ‘from tubing, by slipping it Over a mandrel in’ the lathe, and parting off with a wet knife or razor blade. To be concluded PERCIVAL MARSHALL PLANS SERVICE LO 22—-NEWBURY Newbury a locomotive that would enhance the appearance of any gauge 1 layout. It is a beautiful 440 tender locomotive with outside cylinders and inside valve gear, designed by J. N. Maskelyne and’ built by Martin Evans in the ME Workshop. ‘There are four sheets to @ complete set of working drawings. Sheet 1° General “arrangement, 3s,_ (0.45). ‘Sheet 2 Frames, bogie, boiler and 243 cylinders, 4s. ($0.60), ‘Sheet 3 Boiler, fittings, cab and superstructure. 45. (50.60). Sheet 4 Tender details. 4s, ($0.60). ‘The complete set, 13s. 6d. ($2.00). Readers “who wish ‘the drawings to be sent air-mail should add the following amounts: Canada, USA, South America, South Altiey and India. 25 (60,30); ‘Australia and New Zealand, 2s. MODEL ENGINEERDO NOT FORGET THE QUERY COUPON ON THE LAST PAGE OF THIS ISSUE ‘Modifying starter motor am building an electric locomotive similar to Trog described recently, but to Thin, gauge to suit my garden railway. The car starter motor I intend using is of the I2¥, dec. series type, with four field coils connected in ’scries Parallel, wound with flat copper strip. Resistance of field is approximately Tohm. The armature is about 4 in. Tong x 2Pin. dia., 33 segments on the commutator.” " Resistance | of armature is T ohm approximate. ‘The motor appears to take 40 amp. on no load. "My requirements are that the motor should ranon 12. with maximum current consumption of 12-15 amp. from battery in the locomotive, and speed, not more than 2,000, pm ald you please give me details of the necessary switchgear and speed control equipment ?—A.S., Saltford. A Although car starting motors are series machines, they are designed ‘for a special application. These motors ‘are 10 develop a high horse power, usually in the region of 2 10 4 hp. ‘and the input currents would bein the region of 150-200 amp. or over. There is little you could do in the way of altering’ the existing windings {fo reduce the current input except redesign as a series motor proper. ‘Experimentally you could try con- necting the whole of the four field Coils in series, and in series with the ‘armature as with @ normal. series ‘motor, and you could try different Field coll values as to turns and wire ‘ize. In any case the field wire size ‘must not be smaller than the armature ‘wire section. In reconnecting, the oles must come up as alternate north and south round the system With the current ‘input you name, the hyp. output will be rather, small, probably less than th.p. We take this to mean the running. current. A series motor has no fixed speed. The ‘Speed ‘and the ‘current taken will spend on the loading on the motor, the highest speed being at the lightest Toad. In series motors of normal size they must never be run up. unless coupled to thelr loads, or they will reach a dangerous speed. In the larger Shzes this speed will reach wrecking point, and it only takes a few seconds MODEL ENGINEER ‘for the motor to reach this speed. We suggest It would be better for ‘you to discard the starter motor, and use @ standard direct current. motor ‘and rewind this to suit your application. These motors are to be found on the surplus markets and yout should look for’ one that is defective or. burnt ‘out, in this way you would obtain a ‘machine ata rather cheap price. Failing this, the only thing to do would be 10 contact any firm making small electrically-driven vehicles who might be able to offer @ motor to suit you. ‘As to the control of this motor,” you have a choice of two methods.” One is. by. battery ‘arrangement, that is parallel connecting 10 give elther 4-8 or l2v., the other is by a series resistance and simple rotary switch or other form of controller. ‘Ornamental model T wish to obtain 2 model locomotive for ornamental purposes and wonder if you would be $0 good as to let me know “of any suppliers. —) Weston-super-Mare. ‘A We suggest that you apply to passerovke Lid, igh Holborn, WC2, for the locomotive you wish 10 obtain. Alternatively you could try Bond's o' Euston Road Ltd, 357 Euston Road, London NWI, or Hamb- Tings, 10 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road, London WC2. Firing problem I have recently completed the chassis and. boiler of the simple gauge O- Beyer-Garratt locomotive described by LBSC [wopeL ENGINEER, March 6) but am having great diffi culty with the firing. T made 2 spirit lamp out of thin tin with four # in. tubes but found that after a. short’ while the whole thing went up in a sheet of flame, despite the fact that an air vent was fitted T lowered the whole lamp to within yin, of the track but still had the Same trouble, e.g. it gets so hot that the meth vaporises, and the burner floods over and up she goes. TT have now rigged up a temporary tank on the rear bogie with a flexible pi. a fourset Burner under the ier, which isan improvement but 244 Dublshal are extracts rough the pst: queries must not be sent wih any olher communications? valentions of mod- fs, or advice on selling, camot be. given ftainged ‘addersed envelope with each qoery. Mark eavelope leary Query." Mooel Engineer, 1-20 Noel Street, Leadon, Wal. does not seem to give enough heat to maintain steam pressure. ‘Could you please tell me, therefore, how to make a really satisfactory burner, which will burn steadily and ‘maintain pressure and what should be the working pressure ? ‘have also had to make a universal steam joint over each bogie as T found that the } in. copper pipe would not give, and caused a derailment at the ‘fist curve. Although this is fairly satisfactory, T would welcome your ideas on this item—G.DP., Kingsbridge. ‘A Jt is not as easy to design a really reliable and efficient spirit burner for gauge O as would appear. We think the best method of approach is 10 use a burner haying six wick tubes silver soldered into two feeder tubes, the whole construction being In very thin ‘metal, and t0 feed this by means of an ‘auxiliary tank set below the main tank, the auxiliary tank being below the level of the tops of the burner tubes. ‘Such an arrangement is used in most LBSC designs, and in the ME gauge 1 locomotive NewBURY recently described. ‘An important point 10 watch is that the wicks should not be packed 100 Ughily into. the burner tubes but they should be long enough 10 go from the bottom of the feed tube and stand out at least $n. above the tops of the burner tubes. Tt is also most important that the wicks are not allowed 10. burn until Imoist with the spirit, and they should be * blown out before the supply of spirit 10 them has quite ceased. ‘Regarding the lack of flexibility of the steam pipe used in the LBSC Garrat model our experienc, that even in gauge 1, a rigid + in. dia. pipe is really too stiff 10 allow curves to be resotiated easy. In gauge Ot would Schools class loco Having completed a Schools class locomotive in 3} in. gauge, Tam desirious of painting it, as far as possible, in the original fivery of the Southern Railway. Tam dubious, however, about the colouring. Possibly you ate able, and will be good enough, to advise me about the colour of the motion plates, stretchers, homns,, cylinder block ends, 19 FEBRUARY 1959