Merry Cfiristwas, Everyone!.

No. 131
CAUCE
Winter
2009
Merry Cfiristwas, Everyone!.
. . . and a Happy New Yearí
From the Footplate.
Welcome to issue No. 131 of the TA" Gauge News and your new Editor David A Nicholson.
Many thanks especially to Bob and the rest of the Committee for their help and support in the
changeover. Bob has put a lot of systems in place that make the Editor's job much easier than it
could have been and I am very grateful for this. 1 do not think we have seen the last of Bob as
Editor and I am sure he may edit several more issues in the future.
I was happy to meet some of you at the recent AGM and was glad to receive several offers of
articles for the magazine. Please do not walk away if you see me Coming, I am happy to receive
brief notes and a few sketches or photos if you do not feel up to writing the full article and I will
do the rest. Some of our most skilled members seem reluctant to put their work into print.
What seems obvious to someone with an engineering background may save a novice many hours
of wasted work.
As mentioned by Bob in his last éditorial and John Nicholson (no relation) in the letters section
of this issue I have been a member of the Society for many years. The early AGMs were very
enjoyable but very différent from Leyland, small gatherings where you could meet and talk to
everybody there. Unfortunately many of the early names are no longer with us but 1 hope to
recali some of them in later issues.
I am building a IVi" gauge American style narrow gauge locomotive which was in my workshop
for many years as work commitments permitted only very slow progress. I have now retired
and the loco has been moved to the Moors Valley Railway Workshops for completion. Thanks
to Jim Haylock and Tim Woron for their help and encouragement. I hope to have it at Echills
Wood next year.
If your railway has not had a mention in the "News" for some time, or you are in the process of
building something please send in an article. If you use a supplier who provides a good service
please let the Trade Liaison Officer know or if you are one of the companies that support our
gauge an article about your company would be welcome.
May I wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you ail.
Ed.
Merry Christwias J ^
jfirm everyone!!!
JH
PRESS DATES FOR SPRING ISSUE.
The latest possible dates for inclusion in the Spring issue #132 are; advertisers'
instructions and copy to be with the trade Liaison Officer NO LATER than 4th Jan.
Articles, Letters, Hints, tips & Snippets etc. Must be with the Editor by the 8th Jan.
Sooner eases the workload.
Notices of "Events" and members "Sales and Wants" should be put directly on to thp
new Website or in case of difficultv sent to. our Chairman. David Bovde hv tut
Februarv 2010.
2
CfonWhite
PO Box 60, Holyhead, LL65 4ZP
Tel. +44 (0)14077 42647
www.american-miniature-railroads.com or www.cromarwhite.co.uk and www.cromar-white.co.uk
email: sales@cromar-white.co.uk or sales@american-miniature-railroads.com
U-Boat
Now available with Kubota
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diesel, petrol or propane.
Used throughout the USA during the 1950's this Prototype
designed by Mick Savage and built in Wales by Cromar
White has 4 x 500 Watt drive motors running from internai
batteries with in excess of eight hours loaded running time.
Premium quality digitai sound
system is included.
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3
TINKERBELL DEVELOPMENTS
by Paul Ash - Member 02766
Firstly I would like to thank our latest ' N E W S ' editor for the support and
encouragement in writing this article. I was more than pleased to be able to offer my
support and I hope members will find this of interest.
My first experience of
miniature live steam came
as a child thanks to a 5"
gauge garden railway, then
as I grew older I moved up
to
IV"
gauge
and
constructed a narrow gauge
battery electric locomotive.
I have always loved the 7 V"
gauge 'Tinkerbell' design by
Roger Marsh, and following
a visit to the Moors Valley
Railway in the early 1990's
I resolved that one day
I would own one of these
beautiful engines. Helped on
by Jim Haylock I was finally
able to build my own
enlarged 'Tinkerbell' class
loco (named Perseus) in
2006 and this currently runs
at the Moors Valley Railway
in Dorset. I hope, with the
editor's permission,
for
Perseus to be the subject of
an article in a future édition
of the ' N E W S ' .
After completion of the first loco I soon found I had itchy feet and wanted to build
something new again. 1 have always had a soft spot for the Heywoodesque qualities of the
early Roger Marsh 'Tinkerbell' design and therefore it seemed a natural choice to build
another 'Tink'.
I purchased this latest 'Tinkerbell' loco from Joe Nemeth as a part-built in summer 2007
as a 40th birthday present to myself. The loco at that time consisted of the main frames,
wheel sets, cylinders (unmachined) and the completed (CE marked) steel boiler. Joe had
originally started the build I believe for the O l d o w n Miniature Railway
(now closed) however it appears to have had a number of différent owners up to the
point I purchased the loco.
The loco is a standard Roger Marsh design and features 2'A" bore x 414" stroke cylinders
with Heywood valve gear. In a change from the original concept the engine will feature
4
a locomotive type boiler, as opposed to the marine type of the original design. In order
to balance the additional weight of the firebox on the locomotive boiler 1 plan to add
some ballast weight to behind the front buffer beam and make the smokebox from 6mm
steel plate.
Other minor changes to the original design include adding sealed bearings to the rear
pony truck, hopper ash pan (required for the locomotive boiler) and a less obtrusive
draincock operating mechanism. From the outset it is planned to have an open cab with
front spectacle plate as currently found on the original 'Tinkerbell'.
Construction to date has been slow, however the frames are now fully assembled and
painted, with wheel sets and coupling rods fitted. The brake gear is complete and the
cylinders are fully machined (thanks Joe) and ready to go on. Whilst the build has gone
well it has not been without problems as can sometimes be the case when buying a part
built project. To date the main issue has been mis-set fly cranks causing the coupling
rods to bind. This was eventually diagnosed after checking the quartering between lathe
centres-it has since been corrected.
Attention has now moved to the valve gear where, in another change from the original
design-maximum use will be made of water jet eut parts and needle roller bearings
throughout. Hopefully this
should speed up the build
and see the chassis running
on air by the end of the year.
After that there is the
smokebox and chimney to
complete, plate work (cab
and side tanks) and then
painting and piping.
Expected completion will
be sometime in 2010 based
on the current rate of
progress, with the target
being the 7
gauge AGM
in September at the Echills
Wood Railway. 1 then plan
to run the loco not only at
the Moors Valley Railway,
but also to take the engine
to other railways and
special events.
1 hope you have enjoyed
this short piece and I look
forward to being given the
chance to write for you
again in the future.
5
• Engineers And Pounders-
Repairs To Models
Hunslet Linda quarry locomotive
no 590
Shown here is our prototype
locomotive Linda. We have
been working to produce a
robust engine that is easy to
construct and practical to
maintain but keeping the
spirit of the original.
This particular model has
been running since 2008 and
is based on measurements
taken in the early 1980 s
The locomotive will be available as
individuai machined parts
and ready to run
Parts are now being produced for stock
Instructions will be available to help
with construction
Parts currently in stock are :Frames,wheels ,axles, bogie, smoke
box, boiler, cab, cylinder parts,
chimney, brake parts, horns, springs,
some valve gear parts, boiler fittings,
tender chassis parts.
A price list will be available soon.
www.theengineersemporium.co.uk
info@theengineersemporium.co.uk
7
Steel boiler with copper tubes
working pressure 125 psi
8 dia steel wheels
Bail brg axle boxes
3 1/2 bore 4 stroke
Loco width 22 length 1610 mm
01455 220340
THE DRAGON AWAKES! - Part One
by Dave Lewis
The last time I put finger to keyboard we were waiting for the man with his JCB to start
building the embankment using the sub-base and anything else left over from the pond
excavations.
He arrived in December 2008 and in three and a half days he put in the complete
embankment, and in my mind it would have taken us about three and half months to
achieve the same result. It starts from the station junction and runs for 300 ft., to the
bridge and climbs to about 2 feet high after the bridge yet another 300 ft. to ground
level, so it should tax one or two loco's and drivers. On designing this site it seemed a
good idea (Oh the work).
Since Christmas it has been a hard slog of slaving away to build track panels and the track
bed, plus the bridge and the second set of points.
So far the track bed gang have laid some thirty to forty tons of chippings for the ballast,
plus the wood sides to retain it.
The whole of the track is being built to TN3 standard, this includes the bridge and ali the
curves are to a 70 ft. radius, so as to allow the bigger locos a chance run. We have also had
to move many tons of soil to backfill ali of the above work-while ali this has been going on
a few others have installed a second generator. Also we are looking for another container
to make a garage for our tractors, front loader and trailers, etc. As many of you know
ground maintenance takes up a good amount of time and effort.
This year has been the most productive in the building of the track as up until the middle
of last year we only had bits and pieces of track going into nowhere, or so it seemed.
But not now!
So what is it like to drive on?
On leaving the station we have a slight down grade to the first set of points, to allow you
out on to the main line and the first of the two level crossings (which are to be fitted with
gates) then the first of the 70ft. curves passing the site for the steaming bays on the right
and out on to the main straight passing the Station Junction points. On to the climb up to
the bridge at 1 in 100 level out over the bridge and with the second curve behind you have
an easy run down-grade (watch the speed). Straighten out and run down to the third turn
towards the clubhouse running parallel with the Newport to Hereford main line (good site
for steam specials), passing the club house, workshops, generator house and over the level
crossings for the second time this time to take right-hand fork at station junction (this is
where the exit from the steaming bays will be, yet another job!)And back into the station
after a run of some 2800 ft. This is phase two of the ground level track.
Phase three should include the extension to the raised track and possibly the wildlife pond
also there will be the canopy on the ground level station and the second road. At the time
of putting together this article we opened the track to the public for the first time in
conjunction with a (Meet the Police) day on the sports field of which our site is part.
It looks like the day was a success as far as testing the track for the first time in anger
so to speak, and apart from some minor bits of checking and fettling the ballast that we only
laid the day-before, the ride was first class (I had to say that for ali the hard work the track
gang put in) thanks guys!.
Our plans for this winter: we hope see a finished station and some way towards the
turntable and steaming bays and maybe the centre road.
8
The raised track gang are now looking at starting taking the track ìnto the middle of the site
which will shadow the ground level out and back to the stations.
It has been a hard slog to get to where we are today and I would like to put in print a big
Thank You to ali the members for their hard work to date, and by the way there is another
15 tons of chippings delivered to move!
I am hoping to put on a Charity event in aid of the British Legion so more on that in the
New Year.
I know that once we have a few more bits and pieces in place we will have an opening event
that we can invite members to have a run next year.
So watch this space!
9
SANDBOX
by Rob Bongers
After a few years of driving, it started to irritate me. Only a few drops of rain could reduce the
braking power to an irresponsibly low level, and tractive power went too. Not only wet
weather, grease and oil from the steam engines could also spoil the fun, especially in the station
area. Every full-size loco has a sanding system, in third-world narrow gauge there's a bloke
sitting on the front of the engine with a bucket of sand.
A handful of sand on the railhead can solve part of the problem, there's still emergency
stopping... I couldn't find any death-daring pixies to do the job, so a system had to be invented.
Biggest problem was the sand valve, it shouldn't be too big, the desired amount of sand proved
to be like what comes out of a table salt dispenser, very little is needed for good effect, too much
might cause damage to gears and bearings. In the big household rubble box I found a disused
gas valve, easy to mount with screw on pipe joints. I didn't need gas-tight closure; I figured
that removing the coil spring which kept the conical valve airtight might do the job, and
decided to put it to the test, expecting to need to replace it after a few months. Instead of the
knob I mounted a little arm, to connect a pull rod with return spring to open and close the valve.
The valve was mounted on the bottom of a steel bowl, containing about half a litre, and below
I made an upside down Y-shaped copper tube, to lead to the wheels. The whole system is
mounted on my moped engine powered loco 'Panter', just below the top of the hood. The last
five em's of pipe are made of garden hose, to prevent damage when derailing. I use special fine
braking sand, provided by Romeo, the Rotterdam historical tramway, or sieved bird-cage sand.
The system proved to be very effective; on wet tracks I had no problem anymore on moving
or stopping a full passenger train. On dry tracks the braking power is beyond belief, I can stop
like the full train is braked, with only two braked axles. The durability of the valve exceeds my
expectations; the first valve still works after more than ten years of service. Last year the system
was slightly modified, instead of a hand pulled rod I mounted a foot pedal, which made it much
easier to sand, especially when making an emergency stop, when two hands are already needed
for brake wheel and clutch handle. At the AGM on the Comrie Railroad I could put the system
to an ultimate test on the 1 in 23 slope. Solo engines stood with spinning wheels, I pulled my
ten wagon train with four
passengers from a full stop
without spinning. My engine
The Miniature Railway Supply Co. Ltd.
weighs 135 Kgs, the driver's
(my) weight adds it up to 200
www.mrsc.org.uk)
Kgs. One problem remains,
after a few hours of driving in
rainy weather the sand pipes
Phone/Fax:01442 2 1 4 7 0 2
tend to clog up, as the falling
Email:sales@mrsc.org.uk
sand sticks to the wet inside, so
42 Stratford Way, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP3 9AS
I have to figure out something
with an air jet to keep them
Lever
clean. And, when reversing, I
frames
have to use the old hand
[Signals]
method, as the pipes are only in
£ j cri'W
front of the first driving wheels.
42 Stratford Way, Boxmoor, ' W a g o n p ' |
I still have to build a second
Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP3 9AS
setup for reverse driving.
E-mail: sales@scalewaysignals.com
My oh my, there's always
Phone/Fax: 01442 214702
something left to do...
www.scalewaysignals.com
10
ALL
STEAM ENGINES WANTED
any âge, size or condition considered - any distance any time
ALL 5 " GAUGE LOCO's
WANTED
Hunslet, Simplex, Speedy, BR Class 2, Horwich Crab, BR 8400 tank, Maid of Kent. Black
Five. Jubliee. Royal Engineer, BI Springbok, Torquay, Manor.
ALL 3'A" GAUGE LOCO's
WANTED
Tich, Juliet. Rob Roy, Firefly. Jubilee, Maisie. Doris, GH'R Hall, Britannia, Hielan Lassie,
etc.
ALL 7V4" GAUGE LOCO's
WANTED
Hunslet. Hercules, Jessie, Ronmlus, Dart, Bridget, Holmside, Paddington, GWR Mogul 43xx,
GWR King, Black Five. A3, Bl, etc.
ALL TRACTION ENGINES WANTED
Minnie. Burrell, Royal Chester, etc.
ALL PART BUILT
MODELS WANTED
ALL WORKSHOPS BOUGHT
Graham Jones M.Sc. 0121 358 4320
Für a professional friendly service, please teleplione:
www.antiquesteam.com
H
FROM THE PRESIDENT
I w a s really delighted and felt greatly honoured to be appointed Président of our Society
at the recent A . G . M . It is indeed an honour to follow Brian Rogers w h o w e ail greatly
admired; w e o w e him so much for his foresight in the work he undertook to lay the
foundations for the Society - h e will always have a spécial place in the history of our
organisation and in ail our memories.
I could never equal the standing that Brian will always have so far as w e are ail
concerned; however I can certainly emulate his love and enthusiasm for the Society.
Kathleen and I have m a d e so m a n y friends through the Society and I h a v e always
enjoyed making a contribution over the years to the m a n a g e m e n t of our affairs and I
look forward to helping w h e r e I can in my n e w role!
I look forward to continue to see as many m e m b e r s as possible visiting Society Stands
at exhibitions, events at various railways etc.
M y thanks to the C o m m i t t e e and M e m b e r s h i p for my appointment - Best Wishes to
ail our m e m b e r s and their families for Christmas and of course "happy running for
next y e a r "
Brian Reading
Président of the 7 'A" Gauge Society
12
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13
THE 36™ A.G.M OF THE 7
GAUGE SOCIETY.
LEYLAND 2009
by John Arrowsmith
T h e only w a y to describe this event held at the L e y l a n d Society o f M o d e l E n g i n e e r s
o v e r the w e e k e n d of the 2 5 t h - 2 7 t h S e p t e m b e r is " W O W " ! W e l c o m i n g , O r g a n i s e d and
W o n d e r f u l . I think e v e r y o n e w h o attended this fine event w e r e astonished at the n u m b e r
of m e m b e r s w h o attended a n d registered, over 700 m e m b e r s c a m e to L e y l a n d a n d
b r o u g h t o v e r seventy l o c o m o t i v e s w i t h t h e m , all of w h o m h a d t i m e on the track d u r i n g
the three m a i n days. T h e L e y l a n d club did e v e r y o n e p r o u d with
their
superb
organisation of such a large n u m b e r of p e o p l e and engines. T h e i r w e l c o m e to the
Society w a s m a r v e l l o u s and the overall result w a s a w o n d e r f u l w e e k e n d . T h e f u r t h e s t
travelled m e m b e r w a s L i n d s a y M c D o n n e l l a m e m b e r of the British C o l u m b i a Society
o f M o d e l E n g i n e e r s f r o m V a n c o u v e r in C a n a d a . R o b B o n g e r s c a m e o v e r f r o m H o l l a n d
and a n o t h e r continental visitor w a s C l a u d e M a g d e l y n s f r o m Le Petit Train au Vapeur d e
Forest in Brussells, the hosts for the A G M in 2 0 0 7
T h e 36th A G M held in the large m a r q u e e c o m p l e t e d the f o r m a l b u s i n e s s of the Society
w i t h o u t any serious p r o b l e m s or a w k w a r d questions, except for getting o n e p e r s o n s
n a m e w r o n g in the report of the 2 0 0 8 m e e t i n g . This glitch w a s resolved with s o m e g o o d
n a t u r e d banter and h u m o u r , w h i c h a d d e d a little s o m e t h i n g to the
proceedings.
T h e presentation o f the C h a r l e s S i m p s o n T r o p h y for services to the Society in the past
y e a r w a s m a d e to Gareth Jenkins. It w a s received on his b e h a l f by his y o u n g son, w h o
again c a u s e d s o m e a m u s i n g m o m e n t s , for the a s s e m b l e d m e m b e r s .
F o l l o w i n g the sad loss o f the F o u n d e r and President of the 7 V"
G a u g e Society,
D r Brian Rogers, t h e m e e t i n g w a s asked to e n d o r s e a C o m m i t t e e p r o p o s a l that the
current Vice President, Brian R e a d i n g , b e inaugurated as the n e w President. This w a s
w h o l e heartedly agreed by t h e m e e t i n g , a n d Brian duly a c c e p t e d the n o m i n a t i o n to the
acclaim o f the attending m e m b e r s h i p .
A d d i t i o n a l c h a n g e s to the C o m m i t t e e s saw B o b G r a y relinquish his position
as
newsletter Editor r e m a i n i n g a c o m m i t t e e m e m b e r . T h e n e w editor of the 7 %" G a u g e
N e w s will b e D a v i d N i c h o l s o n . To c o m p l e t e the f o r m a l b u s i n e s s J e f f Stevens f r o m t h e
Echills W o o d Railway, duly invited the A s s o c i a t i o n to hold the 2 0 1 0 A G M at their track
in the K i n g s b u r y Water Park.
Prior to the f o r m a l business of the A G M , the Society m e m b e r s had e n j o y e d a full d a y s
operation of the s u p e r b track of the host Society. T h e variety of l o c o m o t i v e s j u s t had to
b e seen to b e believed. D i m i n u t i v e battery o p e r a t e d e n g i n e s happily m i x e d in with large
n a r r o w g a u g e prototypes, and in b e t w e e n w e r e the standard g a u g e l o c o m o t i v e s and a
w i d e selection of smaller n a r r o w g a u g e and f r e e l a n c e m a c h i n e s . T h e quality of all the
l o c o m o t i v e s r u n n i n g w a s excellent and a fine tribute to the Society. T h e
local
c o m m u n i t y f u l l y appreciated the size of the event and there w a s a l w a y s a g o o d q u e u e
for rides. T h e Track M a n a g e r and his assistants w o r k e d e x t r e m e l y hard to maintain a full
service on both Saturday and S u n d a y and w i t h over seventy l o c o m o t i v e s w a n t i n g track
space, it w a s no m e a n task. I m u s t m e n t i o n o n e particular train w h i c h had its turn on the
track and that w a s a special n a m e d " T h e M a t r i m o n i a l " b e c a u s e the drivers of the
d o u b l e h e a d e d g o o d s train Gilly G o u l d and Matt Rainer w e r e married t w o w e e k s prior.
14
What a wonderful way to start married life, I would like to add my congratulations to
them and hope that they continue steaming together for many years to come.
Brian Remnant from Romney Marsh in Kent brought along his latest effort in the shape
of a Simplex Rail Motor. This was just a basic steel frame with all the workings exposed
to the elements so that Brian could check the drive system. It looked most odd with
Brian travelling around the track with what appeared to be an open box in front of him,
many a raised eyebrow was cocked at this combination.
As usual though, there were no serious problems with either the operation or personnel,
and the younger drivers were able to enjoy themselves along with their senior
colleagues. The catering providers also had their work cut out to maintain a full service
with over seven hundred members signed in, but again they coped and everyone who
needed their service was able to enjoy a wide range of food and drink.
On Sunday the new President, accompanied by his wife, together with the Chairman
David Boyde and his wife, boarded the Presidential train driven by Bill Dadswell to
enjoy a circuit or two of the track whilst quaffing a glass or two of a suitable beverage.
I must say it provided a splendid finale to the official proceedings.
The local community again arrived in large numbers to ensure that Sunday continued in
the same way as Saturday. The weather remained fine and dry so that the maximum
number of drivers and engines could enjoy time on the track. Sunday is also the day
when the homeward journeys begin and the weekend friendships that have been
renewed, say their goodbyes, with the wish that it may be repeated in the near future or
perhaps even next year at Echills Wood. Whatever the outcome is, this weekend will be
remembered for its good organisation, camaraderie, and the superb hospitality of our
hosts the Ley land Society of Model Engineers. On behalf of the 7 %" Gauge Association
please accept our sincere thanks for a splendid weekend.
Noggin End Metals
Non Ferrous (mostly)
Aluminium, Brass, Bronze, Cast Iron, Copper
Engineering Plastics & Stainless Steel
Online shop at www.noqqinend.com
or phone: 01782 865 428, mobile: 07990 645 743
Email: mike(a)noqqinend.com
15
WHAT WE NEED IS A BIG DIESEL! - Part One
Designed by Martyn Redfearn (2212)
built by Brian Biggs (1158), with a little help from others.
Bogie as drawn
It all started when we ran the first Santa Special at Brighouse and Halifax Model
Engineers in 2004. 1t was my idea to run the Santa Specials and I did ali the planning
which included a 10 minute timetable. I had timed the physical process of driving the
circuit loading/unloading at both ends and the swop of locos at 'North Pole' at 7.5
minutes. No problem then two locos should easily cope, one at a push, but the first run
on the actual day took 12 minutes-we had problems! Anyway with a lot of geeing up we
settled into the 10 minute timetable. But then we lost a loco, now it became really tight
the answer was something that we could instantly get going, 'a big diesel'!
Brian and I discussed at various times over the next few months, then the Summer 7 VA"
Gauge News arrived and there was the first instalment on 'Albert'. Now someone else
has a similar idea, we were planning to go the AGM at Millerbeck so it was a perfect
opportunity to have a look and see someone eise's 'big diesel' or in the case of Albert a
battery electric. Also at the AGM were two big diesel-hydraulics, more food for thought
and a future project for Brian.
We started to think it through and the main thought was to keep it simple, scrounge or
buy off the shelf (well EBay) as much as possible. One aim was unlimited running
which ruled out batteries so Brian suggested a proper diesel electric, using a single
phase generator-feeding 3 phase motors through digital phase Converters. This would
provide industry standard Controllers designed for everyday use and therefore long term
reliability.
So the EBay hunt was on, first target a multi cylinder diesel generator (Brian wanted the
classic diesel sound and to be able to leave the loco ticking over whilst parked up then
increase the revs before you set off with one throttle control before using a second leaver
16
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to control the loco speed. After a few very low bids which led to failure we bought fairly
cheaply a 6KVA twin cylinder diesel which Brian completely stripped and serviced.
Now we had an engine we needed to start a design. I happened to have the remains of
a failed project to build a very large 2-8-0+0-8-2 narrow gauge Garratt (it would have
been 21 ' long and 27" wide). A few sketches later, I emptied my mother-in-law's garage
(which for some strange reason made her very happy) and loaded the car up with Garratt
remains; - wheel castings, flame cut cranks, flame cut frames and lots of 27" wide steel.
1 am not sure if the car springs ever recovered but it is a good job Brian had proper
foundations for his workshop.
Our thought on body design went through many phases, English and American
prototypes were considered, but ultimately we kept coming back to Albert and to be
precise one photo that I had of Carnegie which was the second loco in the originai
Hunslet series of 18" locos for Woolwich Arsenal. Once we focussed in on
Albert/Carnegie as the basis the project gained the name Victoria (or Vicky as she is
affectionately known to me and Brian), why because what other name would you
associate with Albert? For those who these means nothing your history is lacking and 1
suggest a Google search for 'Victoria and Albert'.
Production department (Brian) got underway with the first task being a bogie. 1 adapted
the drawings I had of the Garratt bogie from 2-8-0 to 0-6-0, this was first departure from
the prototype which is a 0-4-0+0-4-0, we had lots of wheel castings and with the
expected size it seemed that more wheels better spread the weight. Bigger narrow gauge
4 and 6 wheelers have increased the track (steel bar not rail section) maintenance
significantly at Brighouse and Halifax Model Engineers, we did not want to add to the
problem because guess who would have to sort it out?!
Sideview as drawn
18
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I have previously mentioned 27" wide steel, the Garratt was 27" wide across the buffer
beams and there happened to be 4 pieces 27 x 10" so to save lots of cutting Vicky ended
up 27" wide with 10" buffers. This steel and therefore the bogies start to set Overall size of
the loco, but all I had was a single photo of Carnegie and the one of Albert in the "News".
I did try the Yahoo Hunslet Group for drawings and one contributor suggested writing
to Hunslet, which I did. They were very helpful but most of Hunslet's drawings are held
by Armley Mills, Leeds Industriai Museum so 1 had to wait until they could check,
unfortunately no copy of the drawings could be found-now why did I not try Phil
Ridgeway? About this time the most fantastic design tool came my way, 3D drawing
software. I literally drew the whole loco in a week! Admittedly there have been lots of
changes since those initial drawings (well virtually every part has been redesigned) but
as you can build up parts into assemblies I could work out what needed to be changed.
'Production' (Brian) had the habit of not building to drawings, he blamed 'Design
Department' (me) for not getting it right but I think he was being lazy and was often
tempted to use a bit of material that was in stock. To be honest this was the first design
I had ever done I was trying to use as much as possible from the pile Garratt bits and
anything else we could get for free. The software is usefiil in swopping between metric
and imperiai, the Garratt stufi was all imperial, but 'Production' liked metric!
In the Garratt remains were lots of brand new roller bearings, now the 'Design
Department' had to sort out axle boxes, but I had just discovered take-up bearings which
seemed to fit our original plan of 'buying off the shelf' rather than spend lots of time
making (we still have lots of large roller bearings in stock if anyone can make use of
them). Amazingly the flame cut horn slots were a perfect size for a standard take-up
hearing, so Brian went hunting cheap take-up bearings. The guy at Spen Bearings got
very used to Brian arriving and asking for some form of cheap Chinese
bearings/sprockets, at least one of the sprockets was very old and slightly rusty stock
but cheap! He refused to seil us cheap chain insisting that we needed a good quality
chain. Interestingly the change away from axle boxes meant a change in width between
the frames of the bogies. The 3d software came into its own with a very quick change
to the dimensions to check everything would fit although it also meant I supplied
'Production' with some interesting measurements, 9.97561mm instead of 10mm,
Brian also reckons that I asked him to do '3 foot 4.6mm' but I don't remember that
one-perhaps he had been on the beer!
When I found 'tracepartsonline.net' it made 'Design's'job much simpler as I could just
download the pre-drawn 3d parts. That is how I found that the take-up bearing was a
perfect fit; this site is great (and free, well mostly) as it has lots of standard parts already
drawn for various 3d software packages. We tried to keep the coupling rods as simple
as possible; my original drawing had a take-up bearing on each end with a round bar
between and two separate rods rather than a jointed one. We ended up with bearings (yes
cheap Chinese) mounted in a bored piece of round bar with fiat bar welded between
them, the centre crank carries two bearings, the iront and rear have one each with a
spacer either behind or in front of the rod, a 'Production' redesign. Now as the cranks
were designed for normal locomotive style rods it is perhaps not surprisingly that these
simple rods were heavier that the cranks. This became obvious when the bogie always
ended up with the rods down when it was given a slight push, so we have had to weld
some plates on the back of the cranks. Now the weight was really piling on I am glad
we went for 12 wheels-one thing for certain adhésion would not be a problem.
20
Carnegie the photo it was drawn from
Take-up bearings
21
CHAIRMAN'S CHRISTMAS CHATTER
The time has come around to summarise 2009 and indeed to plan for the future
enjoyment of our Society.
The 2009 AGM is over and what a fantastic job the Ladies and Gentlemen at Leyland
did for us all! The site was magnificent, the hospitality was awe-inspiring, and the
picture on everyone's face was one of total satisfaction and enjoyment. Our thanks must
go to the fantastic work done by the Leyland Society of Model Engineers for a job
exceedingly well done and for that the IV" Gauge Society is extremely grateful.
Looking briefly at the past, it was with great sadness that the person who was chiefly
responsible for the forming of our Society way back in 1973, Dr. Brian Rogers, passed
away in 2009. His influence on us all is something we must never forget. He was a great
innovator in developing a very small group of people (40) into the Society we are now,
with a membership, as I write, of 1720 people, being represented in 26 countries
throughout the world. What an incredible achievement!
Brian Rogers' successor is Brian Reading, whose appointment as our President was
approved at the A.G.M. He has been our Vice President for the past four years, and prior
to that our Chairman for six years. Congratulations, Brian - 1 know your enthusiasm to
help develop our Society is equal to that of your predecessor.
So what happened at the AGM? Bob Gray, our ex editor ('X-Zed' as he now calls
himself), retired after four years and passed the pen (or is it the keyboard) over to Dr.
David Nicholson. Thank you Bob for a job well done and you certainly have achieved
a great deal in such a short time. David will, I know, strive to build upon Bob's
successes and we look forward to seeing his input into our Society magazine - The 7 Vi"
Gauge News. Dare we hope that it will be selected for next year's Booker Award?! !
I must also mention that David Tedford decided that he should stand down at the AGM
and I would like to thank him for his assistance throughout the past two years.
Where then are we going in the future? Members everywhere, our future bodes well!
We have introduced new systems to help our Society grow, including help for
Railways/Clubs. These were the AGM Assistance Scheme and our Beneficiary Scheme
and Development Fund. These two new schemes are completely new to our Society. So
I will briefly summarise their aims.
With the rapid growth of the past few years we really do need to continue spreading the
word about our Society, and our events throughout the calendar are an ideal opportunity
for this. For A.G.Ms, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new locations where
we can invite 70+ locomotives to attend with over 700 visitors. We can now offer
assistance to Railways/Clubs proposing to host an A.G.M. by contributing towards
enhancement of their facilities to standards now required for Staging this event. Making
a contribution in this way is bound not only to improve their facilities, but would
automatically provide for our members' long-term access for running enjoyment.
At the same time we are well aware that the average age of our members is increasing,
but it is interesting to see how the Proficiency Scheme and is helping to reduce it. Our
future is bound up with the Junior Members. Therefore with the last two points brought
to the fore we are introducing the Beneficiary Scheme and Development Fund. We have
been asked to do this by people who have been members for many years who have
enjoyed the benefits of our Society. The whole idea is to generate additional funds,
which can be used accordingly.
22
As part of these new schemes, I am pleased to advise you all that Rex Mounfield has
agreed to help look after the development of the Proficiency Scheme and Junior
Members. The Proficiency Scheme involves participants throughout the year which will
hopefully encourage and maintain their interests in our Society. Thanks to Roger
Greatrex, who was the 'early bird' when he helped start and hold the 'Juniors Weekend'
at Hilcote. Following the success of these (thanks, Roger), other railways are now
wishing to hold similar events.
More détails of ail these schemes will appear in the 'News' in due course.
Our new website is about to be launched with a modem interactive system. I personally
cannot wait. You will be able to update your own records, add or alter sales items, ask
questions, add pictures and videos etc. Come on everybody - make us the greatest!
"That's ail folks" - Come to next year's AGM at Echills Wood and see for yourselves
what they have achieved in a relatively short time.
In the meantime, my thanks go to your magnificent Committee. Their total support over
the past year has been awesome. Without them we would have been mere mortals.
Please remember, as I said at my inauguration as Chairman, four years ago - "It's a
Hobby so let's have fun"!
A Very Merry Christmas to you ali and a very Happy New Year and thanks for your
tremendous support and enthusiasm.
David Boyde
Chairman of the 7 'A" Gauge Society
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23
A UNIQUE PAIR OF PORTER SADDLETANKS
By Brian Lee
At the recent Montreal Live steamers 75th anniversary rally ( July 2009), member JosephJean Pacques (or JJ as he is known to his friends) was running his unique pair of 7
gauge
Porter 0-4-0 saddle tanks.
At a first glance the two locomotives appeared to be identical other than their names and
livery colour. However a close examination soon showed that this was far from the case.
NETTIE, like many Porter locomotives, has inside Stevenson valve gear which drives the
outside slide valves via rocking shafts. ELLAC on the other hand has the most unusual and
unique form of Walschaerts valve gear I have ever seen.
The most popular form of this valve gear is the outside cylinder and outside valve gear
version.lt was widely used with outside cylinders locomotives all over the world and
particularly in the USA.
A small number of British locos such as the GWR King, Castle and Star classes used the
inside cylinder version.
In the Walschaerts valve gear, as most people will know, the overall valve motion is derived
from two distinct functional parts. The combination lever / union link provide the lap and lead
function whilst the port opening is derived from the eccentric rod and expansion link.
In every example of Walshaerts valve gear previously seen which uses a combination lever,
the combination lever and eccentric rod are mounted in the same vertical plane and either on
the outside of the frames for outside cylindered locos or on the inside of the frames for
examples like the GWR Kings and Castles.
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ELLAC has the unique combination of the eccentric rods and expansion links mounted
inside the frames with the combination levers and union links mounted outside the frame.
The eccentrics inside the frames directly drive the expansion links/ die blocks. The valve
motion is then transferred via a rocking shaft from inside the frames to the outside of the
frames where it is connected to the combination lever.
Now, normally in Walschaerts valve gear, the combination lever is mounted outside the
locos crosshead. However in ELLAC the combination lever is mounted on the inside of the
crosshead i.e. between the crosshead and the frame. This is probably why at a first glance
it is not noticed.
JJ used a computer program which is available on the Internet to calculate the basic
dimensions for the valve gear.
Then using this information, he did the detailed and highly innovative mechanical design
for his locomotive which included the novel and unique layout.
It would be very interesting to know if any of the Society's members have ever seen a
locomotive of any gauge with a similar variant of the Walschaerts valve gear
Another unique feature of the two locos is the boiler design.
The horizontal barrel has four flue tubes and each flue tube contains ten cross water
tubes. Each flue tube has its own propane gas burner which is a very similar to a Bunsen
burner in that it has a primary air control very similar to that on a Bunsen burner. The
secondary air required to complete combustion is then drawn in between the end of the
burner tube which is slightly smaller diameter that the main flue tube. I have seen some
Gauge 1 models with a similar type of boiler, but these only have a single flue with a
single burner. JJ's model is the first 7 %" gauge model to be seen with this type of multi
flue boiler and burners.
To start the burners, JJ simply turns on the gas, opens the smokebox door and ignites the
gas. With a pop, the burners ali light up. The smokebox is unusual in that it has an open
bottom. It was also noted that no blower was needed to raise steam.
Whereas NETTIE has an eccentric driven water feed pump driven off the rear axle, ELLAC
has an outside crosshead feed pump.
JJ normally operates both locomotives as a double header and he sits on a driving truck
which contains the two propane tanks.
Whilst the driver can reach the regulator on the Train engine the regulator on the Pilot loco
is out of reach.
On many occasions, particularly in the USA and Canada, I have seen model locomotive
drivers driving a train which had more than one non-steam motive power unit.
The drivers usually had some sort of hand-held motive power controller which controlied
the multiple power units. The motive power units were almost always electrically powered.
On very rare occasions I have seen a single engineer driving a double headed steam train,
but do not think that I have seen this in 7 %" gauge. The driver has simply had a mechanical
rod connected to the regulator on the pilot engine so that he could open and close it.
However with JJ's train, the Pilot loco is fitted with a remotely controlied regulator which
is electrically actuated and this was the first time that I have ever seen this unique
combination. Indeed I believe that this is the first time that I have seen one driver driving a
double-headed steam train in 7 Vi" gauge.
JJ completed the locos in 2005 after three years of construction and he is clearly a very
innovative and talented model engineer.
26
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27
THE RINGSTEAD FOUNDRY - Part One
by Michael Coote (KLDSME)
On Tuesday the 10th of June 2008 Noel Shelley brought along his foundry paraphernalia to
demonstrate to Kings Lynn & District S.M.E. members, fortunately our meeting was arranged
for outside with the track being available for those also wishing to run a loco that evening.
Having seen Noel and his "Baby" in action several times at our events, it is still something to
gaze in awe at.
The Club had attended a Sandringham Fair Weekend a few years ago with a small display of
models, our portable track - and Noel with his fire breathing dragon! Some described this demo
as "amazing" whilst others were less hospitable and thought that it was bordering on "bl**dy
mad"! Everything went smoothly without any problems or mishaps, the demo was entertaining
and interesting with several enquiries of "can you make me one of these"? 1 think I recall a
Foden lorry emblem being put into a moulding box and soon after a duplicate casting was made
"on the spot" as it were.
Like all industrial processes it takes experience, the right gear and most of all the confidence to
do the job safely. Much is made today of "Health and Safety", however, using well established
practice and techniques gained over many years experience is the best yardstick required to
perform many of the "old fashioned methods" and ways of doing things. Achieving good results
is the whole aim of the exercise. Yes, you can learn from books but nothing beats "hands on"
experience. Sadly almost all of the old generation of skilled men of our great industrial
institutions have passed on and many of those skills died with them. These old boys instinctively
knew what would work and what didn't, so it was perhaps "over-engineered", but it was made
"fit for purpose" and tended to last a lifetime.
Where is Ringstead? It is a small village just off the A149 near to the village of Heacham and
town of Hunstanton. The best way for directions is to take the first right turning after passing the
Lavender fields; it is then only a short distance to find your destination. To contact Noel call:
01485 525473. or try e-mailing him: noel@shelleyl722.fteeserve.co.uk
Noel explained that it all started 50 years ago, when as a small boy he habitually stood in the
doorway of a large steel foundry in North Yorkshire watching all that went on, and being
awestruck at the huge ladles of molten steel carried by the overhead cranes, pouring the moulds.
The sparks, the flames, the noise. Oh the noise! The carbon arc furnace had carbons the size of
telegraph poles and the whole place was humming! Its all still there, cold and dead, in the middle
of a housing estate! As a teenager Noel played with lead, melted in a bean tin on a fire in the
garden, It must have been a catering size tin as he cast what could pass for a cannon ball. Then
his interest lay dormant for many years as he worked in various fields of engineering, and in a
bet which some would say he lost, ran a small waste disposal business for twenty years. He went
on to say you would never believe the many wonderful things people throw in skips! WELL, he
got to thinking, that there must be something more interesting, if not more profitable that could
be done with all the brass, bronze & aluminium as well as the lead than simply take it to the
local scrap yard.
Having bought and read most of the books on "Foundry Work" that he could find, as well as
saving all kinds of bits and pieces that might come in handy to make a furnace, one day Noel
got a call telling of a fellow near Norwich who was selling all he needed to get-started in doing
his own castings. Noel went over and bought the lot, a modified, propane fuelled Casenit
furnace, some steel mould boxes, some moulding sand and various bits and pieces. This first
furnace was affectionately christened " P u f f ' , it was a fearsome fire breathing beast fitted with a
one horse-power blower and had a voracious appetite for gas. The first attempt was a fairly
simple aluminium casting that came out well-then, having bought a range of proper foundry
lettering, an aluminium name plate. This was followed by several more name plates in brass and
28
various other small castings for a gunsmith. Having now got the hang of things, well sort of, and
after some experiments, one weekend Noël decided to make a "BABY "!!
Now, now chaps-don't get too excited!
The by-now large collection of bits and pieces (from various places) were arranged in an orderly
fashion, that by the evening had become an extremely efficient and fast crucible furnace. The
main components had come from a washing machine, a spin drier and a vacuum cleaner. Poor
"Puff' fell by the wayside, and although the new "Baby" didn't grow, Ringstead Foundry
certainly did!
With a range of lettering from to 4" and becomes in several styles, name plates for both scale
and full size engines (traction and rail), countless houses, as well as descriptive plaques have
been cast. From replica Rolls Royce door handles to very detailed, highly polished items, ail
have been cast in Mansfield sand.
Those of you who saw the last sériés featuring Fred Dibnah will have seen some of his work.
It was a great honour to have cast the brass plate used to show the title of the programme
"MADE IN BRITAIN".
During his démonstration visit, Noël took time to briefly explain the vast subject that is foundry
work and the setting up of a small home made foundry. Basic metallurgy, pattern making, sands
and mould making, the melting and casting. And we got to meet "The Baby" at close quarters,
which can, from cold have 181bs of brass up to 1050°C for pouring in 15 minutes. Once Noël
had got the moulding box ready and laid out, he explained what was about to happen, telling us
that "you can't chat over the noise of a jet engine blast" roaring away!
To the polite, Noël is a character, to the rest, perhaps bordering on mad (his words), but if given
the opportunity to see him speak and demonstrate the craft, judge for yourself?
These are a few ofthe images taken during Noel's démonstration.
Noël explains that this moulding box
could do with being a little longer.
Sprinkling a layer of fine parting powder over
the pattern whilst laid on a base board.
29
Adding a layer of fìnely sifted Mansfield
foundry sand into the mounding box.
Topping off and firmly tamping the sand using
both the handle and head of a lump hammer.
The exposed pattern is now rear face up having
been turned over to fit the other sand box.
Locking in the other half of the moulding box
using heavy metal bolting pins.
30
The Mould shows the riser / pouring hole made
in the top half plus the runners are cut in.
Noel explains the need for another dose of
parting powder (everyone else gets a dusting).
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100 YEARS OF BEYER GARRATT LOCOMOTIVES
The photograph shows Pete Waterman and Joe Lloyd commencing the proceedings with K.1 in the background.
The photograph of Richard Stuart's Beyer Garratt on page 15 of the last TA" Gauge
News is a timely reminder that this year celebrates 100 years of Beyer Garratt
locomotives. The two very first Garratt articulated locomotives built by Beyer Peacock
were made in 1909 at Gorton Foundry for the 2-foot gauge Dundas Tramway section of
the Tasmanian Government Railway. Beyer Peacock had helped Herbert William
Garratt to develop his design and to register the patent, his ideas having been earlier
turned down by Kitsons. By September 1908 Garratt and Beyer Peacock had concluded
an agreement setting down terms for the licenses, royalties, etc., and the resources of
Beyer Peacock were made available to him, with their Samuel Jackson playing a very
important rôle in achieving a practical design. The very first Garratt design was novel
in that the cylinders were positioned at the in-board ends of the engine units, no other
engines had this arrangement, and it was also a compound, a principle to be shared by
only one other Garratt built in 1927 for Burma Railways. The second Garratt to be built
in 1910 was also for the 2 foot gauge Daijeeling-Himalayan Railway. Perhaps not so
commonly known, is that Garratt drew up licensing arrangements also with the Baldwin
Locomotive Works, Henschel & Sohn and the Société St. Leonard at Liege, Belgium,
but of those only the last mentioned built any at that time and they were rather Strange
looking machines. Garratt was dépendent upon the royalties from sales of his patent
locomotives and the terms agreed with Beyer Peacock stipulated a payment of £2 per
ton on ail Garratts built, with Beyer Peacock having sole manufacturing rights in the
UK. It appears that by the end of 1913, the year when Garratt died, advances to him had
amounted to £583 for 25 locomotives.
34
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35
To celebrate 100 years since the production of the first Beyer Garratt locomotive the
Museum of Science & Industry (Manchester) mounted an exhibition of Beyer Garratt
engines in varying gauges from 32 mm to 4 ft 8 V2 inches. Naturally the centre of
attention was K1, the very first Beyer Garratt Locomotive, now owned by the Ffestiniog
Railway Company and operated on The Welsh Highland Railway. As the pictures testify
the 7 % inch gauge was well represented.
K1 0-4-0+0-4-0 built by Milner Engineering owned by Tony Marris, Length lift,
weight 3,400 lbs. based at a private railway.
Freelance No. 15 "William Rufus" 2-4-0+0-4-2 built by Narogauge Ltd. owned by Jim
Haylock, Length 12ft.8ins. Based around two Horton Chassis.
Class 59 E.A.R. "Mount Kilimanjaro" 4-8-2 2-8-4 built by Coleby - Simkins circa 1973
for Brian Hollingsworth sold to Brett Rogers who converted it to coal firing and reboilered it. The engine is now part of the RN.R Railways collection. Length 19ft.6ins
weight 5,040 lbs. in running order, normally runs at Echills Wood Railway. This works
out at almost 260 lbs per foot! The locomotive does tour the country and up to date
information can be found on the PNP website.
Class 59 E.A.R. "Mount Kenya" 4-8-2 2-8-4 build started by William Heller circa 1975,
finished for him by Milner Engineering, was going to run at Crystal Palace, (scheme
failed) bought by Roger Daltrey of 'The Who' fame, who (sorry about that) sold it to the
N.R.M. The engine is still oil-fired and is believed on loan to M.O.S.I. Dimensions and
weight as "Mount Kilimanjaro".
For further information about Beyer Peacock locomotives visit www.beyerpeacock.co.uk
7 'A inch gauge Beyer Garratt K1 0-4-0 + 0-4-0 owned by Mr A. Marris.
36
In the shadow of 2352 stands the 7 ' / " gauge EAR 4-8-2 + 2-8-4
Class 59 " Mount Kenya" owned by the National Railway Museum, York.
7 '/<" gauge "Mount Kilimanjaro" 4-8-2 + 2-8-4
class 59 EAR Beyer Garratt owned by PNP Railways.
37
7 Vt" gauge 0-6-0 + 0-6-0 Beyer Garratt "Myanmar" owned by Mr. N. Allsopp.
7 Vt" gauge 0-4-0 + 0-4-0 Beyer Garratt "William Rufus" owned by Mr. J. Haylock.
38
ill i a
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39
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DAYS OF STEAM - A TALE OF TWO SCOTS
by John Mills
A story describing one member's fascination with steam locomotives both in
full-size and in 7% " Gauge from early beginnings to the present day.
Early Beginnings
I grew up in North Wales close to the London Euston - Crewe - Holyhead main line
where we were treated to sights and sounds of all the famous classes of LMS locos such
as Princesses, Duchesses, Black Fives, Patriots, Jubilees and the Royal Scots, as well as
the new BR Britannias and other 'Standard' engines plus the occasional B1 from the
LNER. Trainspotting on summer Saturday mornings in the 1950's was especially good
as there was a non-stop procession of fully loaded trains mostly from the northern cities
taking holidaymakers to the coast. The four tracks from Chester reduced to two at
Shotton and it was here that the cavalcade of steam could best be seen, with trains
backed up from Chester on both fast and slow lines. About lunchtime the Down Slow
would be cleared and the Irish Mail would come through usually hauled by a Royal
Scot. As soon as the loco had gained the Down Fast the regulator would be opened wide
and we were treated to a crescendo of sound as the Scot accelerated the heavy train,
often made up to as many as 16 coaches, away towards Holyhead.
My first steam locomotive was a 3 V2" gauge LBSC Juliet which my father built in about
six months around 1948 and which 1 still have. It is called Romeo (just to be different!)
and I first learned to drive it when I was 5 years old. It held the club speed record (very
naughty!) for the Deeside Model Engineering Society which had a raised 354" and 5"
gauge continuous track situated adjacent to Hawarden Bridge Station on land provided
by the John Summers & Sons steelworks. The record was achieved by Dad laying on
the seat of the normal sit-astride car with his knees on the footboards to keep the C of
G low - he was probably thinking he was still on his 500cc Norton motorbike and flying
round the Isle of Man TT circuit! He then built a superb Hielan Lassie which was
completed in 1953 and which was a joy to drive. It became the workhorse for many fetes
which we did using our portable track in the following years. Although Hielan Lassie
was our first LNER engine, it was sad that it was modelled on Great Northern the ungainly Thompson rebuild of Gresley's lovely first Al pacific for the Great
Northern Railway.
I graduated to 5" gauge when the Deeside MES purchased a GWR-style Pacific, based
obviously on The Great Bear (as the GWR only ever had one Pacific), from a gentleman
who lived near Oswestry and who had seen the track from the train window as he
commuted to Liverpool. He also had a 5" gauge Stirling Single which one of the
members (Jimmy James) acquired. The Stirling was a fine engine to drive with its
seemingly effortless slow rotation of the large driving wheels. It was, however, a bit tall
(probably something to do with getting a decent sized boiler between the driving
wheels) and was soon nicknamed Rock 'n Roll to both describe its antics on the track
and to show that we were in touch with the new world of pop music! It was quite a
stretch for me (at the age of ten) to drive The Great Bear with its long bogie tender from
the sit-astride passenger cars, so sitting on the tender amongst the coal with my legs
dangling down the sides whilst perched up on the raised track was accepted as the best
solution - good job the H&S brigade were not around in those days! I'm still sitting on
the tenders but fortunately these are on the ground these days and they actually have
seats and footrests! Steam-up at the track took place on most Sundays in the Summer
and some of the crew from waiting freight locos (full-size ones which had arrived at the
40
Peter's
Railway
and the Forgotten
Engine
Book Three in the series is out now.
The Yockletts Village extension and the Great Railway Race, how-it-works and more....
To Order: Please send £13.49 to C Vine, PO Box 9246 (7), Bridge of Weir, PA11 3WD, UK
or visit www.petersrailway.com to buy on-line. Books 1 & 2 same price.
or get them at most preserved railways or good bookshops.
Fab Prizes - Don't miss the PR Christmas Prize Draw - www.petersrailway.com to enter.
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steelworks with iron ore etc and waiting to leave for home having taken water at the
nearby water column) would occasionally come down the embankment for a quick drive
in return for a few lumps of best steam coal and a milk bottle full of steam oil! Oh, and
a cup of tea, of course! I fancied driving their engines in exchange but I had to wait a
few years before this could happen. It all came to an abrupt end in 1957 when a new
road was built where the track was and it was never re-laid. The Great Bear went off to
a MES on the Wirral, after spending quite a long time hiding in my bedroom at home.
I wonder where it is now? Jimmy James then built a 5'77'/4"gauge ground-level track
around his garden in a village near Chester and acquired an LNER Pacific - an A1 or
an A3. Driving this was the next best thing to full-size. And dear old Rock 'n Roll
seemed so much more at home on the ground!
By the late 50's I was fortunate to spend each summer school holiday working on
British Railways as a relief porter on the Wrexham - Shotton (High Level) - Chester/
Birkenhead line. Although passenger services were by now run by DMUs, instead of the
lovely old Robinson Great Central 4-4-2 C13 tank engines from 1903 which had given
me my first footplate trip some years before and which had provided a daily distraction
from lessons, as our school was right next to the line. The iron ore trains were now
hauled by 9F 2-10-0s shedded at Birkenhead. This line was originally part of the
Cheshire Lines system and became part of the Great Central and then the LNER - a bit
odd having the LNER in the town where 1 lived in North Wales! Even the GWR had a
presence not far away in Chester, with through trains from Birkenhead to London via
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Snow Hill, so only the Southern never made it to North
Wales! Because it was part of the LNER, there began a fascination with that railway
(as well as the LMS) that was to lead to my first 7%" gauge loco eventually, even though
we were a long way from the East Coast Main Line and the superb A3 and A4 Pacifics.
One of 'my stations' was Upton (near Birkenhead) where the booking office spanned
the tracks. A 9F working hard with a fully loaded 800 ton iron ore train of hopper
wagons was a sight to see (and hear) as it blasted up from Birkenhead Docks towards
Hawarden Bridge steelworks. The passing 9F would shake a whole lot of tickets out of
the ticket racks as it passed beneath the booking office - and you might just get them all
back in their correct places again before the next 9F came through! I also worked at
Shotton Low Level which was on the North Wales Coast main line and close to the place
where that early train-spotting had been done. On one occasion I was cleaning and
re-filling the lamps on the top of the Shotton Up Main Home signal (usual weekly job
for the i a t e ' porter carried out on overtime on a Wednesday morning) when an Up
express came through hauled by a Scot - it looked fine from such a lofty vantage point
even if you got a face full of exhaust from a hard-working engine! A footplate trip on a
Scot on a day off from portering with a hand on the regulator for a short time and on the
shovel for a lot longer really got me hooked on these famous workhorses - I knew I had
to own one some day! Mind you, an A3 or a 9F would have been all right too!
The Start of 7 %" Gauge
In late 1962 I joined Associated Electrical Industries in Trafford Park in Manchester and
was the apprentice in the Railway Traction Department on the fateful day early the
following year when Dr Beeching announced his closure plans. The choice of a career
related to railways (albeit producing full-size electric locos for the then current West
Coast Main Line electrification) did not seem such a good idea if the railway as we
knew it was to shrink to a fraction of its former self and, as seemed likely, be killed off
by the private car. So, for no particularly good reason, I moved on to the Radar Systems
Department. I was posted to the Radar Receiver Laboratory which happened to be
42
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43
outside the main works and alongside part of the Manchester Ship Canal railway
system. It was also a stone's throw from the Manchester United football ground
but that's another story. So began a regulär lunchtime driving date with some of the
crews of the lovely little 0-6-0Ts the Ship Canal railway used to operate - much to the
envy - of the boss who was a silent railway enthusiast and who never came to terms
with the apprentice's antics! These included causing chaos to road traffic one day when
I learned that a loco steam brake on an unfitted train of loose coupled wagons was
somewhat harsher than the nice smooth vacuum brakes fitted to mainline passenger
trains! I managed to stop rather abruptly with the back of the train blocking a level
crossing causing much annoyance to passing traffic - to say nothing about the noise of
ail those clanking wagons!
After three years of University in Birmingham (close to the venue of the famous 7 Vi"
Gauge Inaugural Meeting) studying Electrical & Electronic Engineering, I returned to
AEI and the world of Radar and took a 4 year secondment to Saudi Arabia to build their
Air Defence system. Düring this period, Dad had commenced building a 5" gauge
model of one of the Indian Nilgiri engines - he had attended Lovedale School in the
Nilgiri Hills when he was young. These engines are 0-8-2 metre gauge, 4-cylinder rack/
adhésion tank engines weighing over 50 tons and they stili run to this day in southern
India from Mettupalayam to Conoor on the line up to Ooty. He also had moved to a
bungalow in North Wales and announced plans for a 5" gauge railway in the extensive
garden. I persuaded him to go to IV", as the Nilgiri engine was a long way off being
finished, despite a trip to see the real ones in 1969 and anyway I had seen Duchess of
Brighouse in the Model Engineer. We also had fond memories of Jimmy James' LNER
Pacific and thought that 7Vi" would definitely be the best gauge! So, it was agreed that
the track would be just 7Vi" and the 5" rail could be added afterwards. In the event it
never was. Dad then switched his attention to building a pair of Bridgets and we set off
to Oakhill Manor, in Somerset, to purchase some aluminium rail section for our track.
If you were fortunate enough to have visited Oakhill Manor around 1971 whilst the
10/4" gauge railway was being built, you would have seen the vast numbers of steam
locomotive models that Walter Harper had collected under his Flying Dutchman label.
On our first visit, whilst we were loading up the rail, I saw two 7 Vi" gauge LNER A3 s
as well as a Duchess among the many other 7Vi"gauge locos he had there which caught
my eye. One of the A3s was not quite completed and had 3 cylinders whilst the other
was a fully operational 2-cylinder loco, previously owned by a Mr Stan Hills of
Colchester. As I had to return to Saudi and didn't have much time, I decided to buy the
completed engine. Fortunately, working in Saudi Arabia provided a good salary and,
although the asking price of £1700 seems modest today, this was a large sum in those
days but it was affordable! So, a week later 1 was the proud owner of my own A3,
immediately christened Flying Scotsman, of course, in récognition of the only full-size
steam loco allowed to operate on BR metals at that time. We transported it back to North
Wales in Dad's Vauxhall Victor - 1 don't think the rear springs ever recovered!
Woodlands Light Railway
The railway around the bungalow quickly took shape. Construction was based on a
concrete raft on which the track was laid and ballasted. It was a simple continuous track
600feet in length with a passing loop and sidings with a turntable, generally fiat and
with a nice girder bridge over a small pond. An early visitor to the railway was John
Milner who had his locomotive works a few miles away in Kinnerton. It was during one
of John's visits that he told me about the upcoming inaugural meeting of the 7Vi" Gauge
Society in Birmingham, so in due course I made the trip to that now famous meeting on
44
20th October 1973. The railway hosted trial runs for several of John's Hunslets,
including Moel Fammau - a picture of which appeared in TV" News #7 alongside my
A3 - and Pendle Witch bought by Eric Doyle. Another regular visitor was George Peers
who subsequently bought a house a couple of doors away with the faint possibility of
extending our track to his house. I don't think he had taken the views of the neighbour
between us into account and so it was never built! He had a TV" Tich which seemed to
want to emulate little Romeo and attempt world speed records! Sadly Dad died
prematurely in 1979 and the bungalow had to be sold, though the remains of the railway
can still be seen.
Flying Scotsman
By now I was married and living in Leicester. Winter Tuesday evenings were spent
attending a night-class at the Wreake Valley College where Bob Moore (an ex-Derby
apprentice and now famous for his lining pens) was a leading participant and mentor.
These sessions were really an official way of model engineers being able to use the
extensive machine shop at the college and were run by the metalwork teacher, Norman
Smedley who built a superb quarter-scale Sentinel Steam Lorry. So the A3 was
overhauled and repainted and finally fitted with its Flying Scotsman nameplates - these
having been cast to my own pattern by a long-gone brass foundry in the city. 1 had
previously acquired another LNER pacific - a Peppercorn called Robert The Devil
(better known as Bob The Sod) also from Oakhill Manor which needed some work to
bring it up to running standards. But space and funds were now at a premium and so it
was sold. The purchaser was Colin Cartwright who is well known to many of you. Colin
had his railway in Walsall at this time and so began a friendship with Colin and his
family that continues to this day. During a visit to Twycross Zoo, I discovered some old
Cromar-White sit-astride coaches lying unwanted following their recent change to 12!4"
gauge and these were purchased for the princely sum of £ 10 (for three! ) and refurbished
and so I was able to run Flying Scotsman at local fetes in the Leicester area - there were
few 7%" gauge tracks nearby at that time. The annual Stoughton Air Show was our
biggest annual event where, on one occasion we carried over 1200 passengers in a single
day - not bad for just two of us (myself and friend Steve Jordan) considering we had to
bring everything with us including water supplies! Trips to the Walsall Steam Railway
were made as frequently as possible where the climb up from each of the terminal
stations to the top of the bank always seemed to bring the best out of the engines.
One of the highlights for me was, of course the 1980 AGM where Flying Scotsman
hauled the public service trains and my eldest son (2 years old at the time) proudly sat
on board his wooden 0-4-0T made for his first birthday. Arthur Glaze was another
regular at Walsall with his Number 7 GWR 2-6-2 tender engine. Arthur built many
engines including a fine Castle and a Royal Scot and his son John (who was a regular
driver at Walsall) is now a well-known boiler inspector on main-line locos including
tornado. Walsall Steam railway was a mecca of standard gauge locos, with Colin's
collection including Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Buccleuch, two Black Fives, a 9F
and the now completed Peppercorn.
The vagaries of the defence industry after the Cold War ended meant a change of job
and 1982 saw a move from Leicester to Bembridge on the Isle of Wight to work for
Plessey Radar. During the move Flying Scotsman sat outside our new house on my
trailer for a few hours while we unloaded the furniture van and was spotted by a chap
in the village who said he had an engine too. It turned out that he had a part-built 15"
gauge Britannia which he was unable to complete - well there aren't too many of these
around and so you will have guessed that in due course Colin acquired the collection
45
Flving Scotsman
with the author driving rounding the curve f r o m the extension back towards the
original loop at Bentley Central. Plenty of steam, situation normal!
of parts and compieteci the magnificent machine to be seen today in Bettws-y-Coed
Railway Muséum. There were no 7 %" gauge tracks on the Isle of Wight at that time,
so Flying Scotsman quickly settled back into a Summer routine of steaming at local
school fetes using my portable track and the Cromar-White coaches. I also built a
battery-electric loco at this time, based on a Hymek which was often pressed into
service for our children's parties, when a short track was laid in the garden and for the
occasionai fete.
A further career move in 1991 took us to Sussex and another overhaul for Flying
Scotsman. By now 1 had found Bentley Miniature Railway near Uckfield and was
grateful for the help given by Geoff Billington in getting the boiler repaired and tested.
After the long years of not having a real railway to run on since Walsall, Bentley
provided a superb location for Flying Scotsman to 'stretch its legs', especially when the
extension to the railway to its current size was completed. As time went by, thoughts
began to turn towards building my own steam locomotive. Somehow it didn't seem as
though my association with steam could be fulfilled until I had built one myself - but
which one should it be? Pretty simple choice really - it had to be a rebuilt Royal Scot!
There were quite a lot of original Royal Scot models built, especially by Bassett-Lowke
but I don't remember seeing many of the full-size parallel boilered ones - those on the
North Wales Coast main-line hauling the Irish Mails by then were mainly the rebuilds.
And so the plan began to take shape in 1999 with the acquisition of a GA drawing from
the NRM at York of the rebuilt Royal Scots and a set of Highlander drawings for
inspiration. A visit to Bressingham to see the preserved Royal Scot provided a lot of
photographs which subsequently proved invaluable as the design proceeded.
46
Scots Guardsman
The GA drawing of the model and the drawing of the main frames were quickly
produced, leading to a set of laser-cut frames 6mm thick being obtained shortly
afterwards. An early décision was to design the loco in imperiai dimensions but use
metric materials and fixings wherever possible, to keep the cost under control. Another
considération was to learn the lessons of many years of running Flying Scotsman and to
build the loco as heavy as possible whilst not compromising its appearance. Finally, I
saw no need for three cylinders as per the real ones and settled on two - after ail this
worked well on my Flying Scotsman. Construction of the chassis proceeded slowly with
time stili at a premium due to the need for frequent business trips to Europe and the
USA. The boiler design however moved quite quickly and was constructed in 2001. It is
a steel boiler with a design working pressure of 1 OOpsi, though only pressed at 90psi in
practice. The front bogie followed, based on Highlander, using some of the castings for
the Black Five and fitted with side control springing as well as working main leaf
springs. The smokebox was made from a piece of discarded
thick steel central
hearing pipe, which turned out to be within a few thou of the required diameter which I
spotted when the heating system at our factory was being replaced. Piston valve
cylinders were Highlander, nominally 2lA" bore but actually 2.354" to clear a blow hole
in one of the castings. Clupet rings were fitted throughout, though the odd size for the
pistons caused some delays but, given the lengthy build time of 9 years, this was not
really a problemi The piston valves were modified to give Y*" ports and 3/16" lap, to
provide a slightly greater cut-off when starting - this meant a re-design of the
Highlander valve gear which proceeded well until 1 wanted to work out the backset on
the expansion link - here the little book by Don Ashton proved invaluable.
Scots Guardsman makes its very first moves at Bentley in May 2009, with plenty of water coming out
of the chimney as the new boiler primes nicely. The author looks a little apprehensive, too.
47
I used stainless steel for the firegrate and ashpan and quite a few other areas. The tender
had been in my possession for some years in a partly constructed state, having come
from Colin as part of a deal to build a signalling system for Walsall and to make the
electronic control system for one of his electric locos. The tender was taken completely
apart, modifications made, including fitting a large stainless water tank and ali the new
parts made and fitted. I decided against working leaf springs for the tender and settled
for coil springs which 1 hid within dummy leaf springs - this turned out to be a good
solution as the coil springs are easier to specify and obtain than working leaf springs
when having to deal with out-of-scale loads (me!).
As the loco build progressed, thoughts began to turn to which of the 70 Royal Scots it
should be. Royal Scot itself would have been an obvious choice, of course. It also had to
have the characteristic smoke deflectors, as that is how I remembered them.
Finally, having got one green engine (the Apple Green Flying Scotsman) I thought it would
be nice to have a change from green. Research into the Scots quickly showed that only one
Scot had ever appeared in LMS days with smoke deflectors - Scots Guardsman in late
1947 was the first of the rebuilds to have them - ali the others followed in BR days and
were eventually painted in the BR Brunswick Green as were many express passenger
locos. The preserved Royal Scot is painted in Crimson Lake from the days when it sat at
a Butlin's holiday camp and Bressingham - incidentally this has continued to the present
day as it préparés for its main-line début after an extensive overhaul. Although the original
parallel-boilered Scots were painted in Crimson Lake, this is not a livery ever seen on the
rebuilt Scots when they were operational in either BR or LMS days.
I really wanted an LMS loco to partner my LNER one so the choice of Scots Guardsman
was an easy one to make.
So finally I have my Royal Scot - the end of the first days steaming at Bentley.
A few jobs to do but a good start!
48
There was the added bonus that the real 6115 was preserved and (at the time) awaiting
restoration after a few main-line trips back in 1978 wearing the LMS 1946 glossy black
livery lined with crimson lake and straw. So that was the decision made.
Running Flying Scotsman at Bentley continued to be a joy, albeit only an occasional one
as business and family life had to take priority. The railway there was going from
strength to strength, supporting the House, Wildfowl Sanctuary, Woodland Walks and
the Motor Museum. It also, of course, hosted the AGM held there in 1997, where again
I enjoyed hauling some of the passenger service trains. Besides normal operating days,
there is a Wood Fair held each year in September where large numbers of people attend
to see a huge display of items of all kinds made out of wood. This is far and away the
busiest operating weekend and I usually managed to attend with Flying Scotsman for one
of the days of the event. By 2007 Flying Scotsman's boiler ticket was due to expire and
the long-awaited major overhaul had become necessary, so rather than have two
locomotives in pieces at the same time, the decision was taken to concentrate on Scots
Guardsman and complete that job before starting the overhaul. So Flying Scotsman sat
out-of-ticket under its bench having a rest for a while 36 years after first bringing her
back from Oakhill Manor.
Fortunately, early retirement became possible and there was now more time to
concentrate on Scots Guardsman but a further challenge appeared. The real 6115 had
now been acquired by David Smith and was at Carnforth with its overhaul now being
carried out quite quickly and so it became my target to complete the IV" gauge model
about the same time as the full-size one hit the main-line. In the event, the full-size 6115
beat me by a few weeks and hauled its first trains in Autumn 2008, whilst I finished the
model in the November. With winter upon us its first steaming at Bentley finally took
place in the spring of 2009 and was interesting. The new boiler primed badly at first
(as they often do); the valve gear and timing were well up to my expectations; the engine
The full-size Scots Guardsman number 46115 in late 2008 making its first run on the main-line since
1978 - pity about the colour. Mind you, it goes really well!
49
appeared powerful and there were a couple of air leaks in the injector piping which were
easily fixed. In addition, both the pressure and vacuum gauges were hard to see when
seated on the tender and were changed to smaller ones and moved out from under the
cab roof to a more central position. The next couple of outings were much better, with
the priming much reduced. There was a problem with the draughting, causing
insufficient air getting to the rear of the grate in the shallow section of the ashpan above
and behind the rear driving axle - not a problem with the wide firebox of an A3!
This section of the ashpan filled up quickly and has since been modified with improvements
to the damper and air flows. It is interesting to recali that the real Royal Scots generally
never worked through from Euston to Glasgow, mainly because of a similar problem of the
ashpan being full by Carlisle! Meanwhile the full-size Scots Guardsman (numbered 46115
and in BR Brunswick Green!) has been putting in some fantastic performances over Shap
and the Settle & Carlisle - see reports in Steam Railway magazine. The blast on my Scots
Guardsman was still a little too weak causing the fire not to bum brightly enough and
steaming not up to expectations. Reference to Henry Greenly's excellent book on miniature
loco design showed that I had made the blast nozzles too large, even though they were 0.7
that of Highlander for a double chimney, so new smaller diameter ones have now been made
and fitted with a vast improvement in the steaming. The latest outing was excellent with the
engine steaming freely and finally ready to enter revenue earning service. Interestingly,
Flying Scotsman 's single blast nozzle is exactly in line with Greenly's table of
recommended sizes!
W h a t ' s Next?
The overhaul of Flying Scotsman has now commenced and is well underway with the
tender having been completed first, also with a new stainless water tank of increased
capacity. The front bogie finally has side-control springing added. The rest of the engine
itself is now in many pieces and remediai work on the rear of the chassis is nearing
completion. Jobs still to do include refurbishing the cylinders, rebushing the valve gear
and sorting out a troublesome minor leak in the boiler. Coincidently, the full-size 4472
is in the shops at York being overhauled too - I wonder who will finish first this time?
Meanwhile plans are afoot to extend the railway at Bentley which will provide a new
station and approximately double the present track length. So the additional water
capacity built into both tenders may prove to have been a good idea.
The Royal Scot had taken nine years to build - somewhat longer than the North British
Locomotive Company who took the order in February 1927 and then built and delivered
the first 50 Royal Scots for the LMS within a year! Well, I guess they had a few more
staff and facilities! My ambition to finally build my own loco had been fulfilled and
sixty-plus years after I first saw the Royal Scots pounding along the North Wales coast
main-line with the Irish Mail, 1 finally had one of my own! So, that is my Tale of Two
Scots, one Flying and one Guarding. But what to do after Flying Scotsman 's overhaul is
complete? Hmm, well a 9F would be nice in IV" gauge or perhaps a C13 tank engine.
Or maybe the Nilgiri 0-8-2 rack tank engine in IV" gauge!
If you wish to visit Bentley Miniature Railway then please see the club website
http://www.bentleyrailway.co.uk/
where you can find full détails of the location of the
railway (which is within the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum near to Uckfield in
East Sussex) as well as the operating days and other interesting information.
50
MEMBERSHIP NOTES
By Richard Shaw
Firstly I would like to thank ali the members who compieteci the direct débit form included
in the last issue. A total of 232 members have taken up this option (13% of the membership)
At the time of writing this we are now up to 1754 members which is significantly ahead of
the same position last year. It is particularly good given the current economic climate.
Once again my shift rota prevented me being able to visit the AGM, at least next year's
AGM at the Echills Wood Railway will be closer to home for me.
Included in this issue should be the renewal form for those wishing to pay by cheque, there
is no need for those on Direct Débit to fili the form in. We will not be sending out new
membership cards as we hope the current plastic cards will last for several years, so there
is no need to include a S.A.E. We have also included an âge section, we hope you will fili
in this section (Honestly!) as we have decided to try and produce an âge profile for the
society. Many members have talked about the membership getting older, but is it? Only by
carrying out a survey will we know. One thing I can confirm is that we have 46 Junior
members and number of those have taken part in our awards scheme, the Barton House
Railway and Purbeck Miniature Railway being particularly involved.
Once again we shall be able to take renewals at the London exhibition and also at the
Karlsruhe (Formally Sinsheim) exhibition. The German Show has moved to a new venue
and is readily accessible by tram and train. Looking at some train timings suggest the
journey to Karlsruhe could be completed from London with just one change of train in Paris
or two, Brüssels and Cologne. Our overseas members are also likely to benefit from the low
exchange rate this year!
"Robin on 7 '/<" G a u g e W a g o n " by Richard Shaw
51
HINTS, TIPS AND SNIPPETS
A Snippet.
Callum Darraugh driving Kim Walton's Erin at Hilton Valley Railway, shunting David
Everingham back to the loading ramp with his tram, sometimes affectionately known as
"Doyley's Cart" (a reference to a previous owner).
A Tip From Akela.
ArcEuro Trade supply brass oil cups very cheap and very suitable for our needs, but they
are 'simple' oilers not 'wicked', so I decided to modify them. The oil way in the
oiler
is around 3mm, so I drilled them out to ¡4" I got some
brass tube and using Loctite,
glued in a short length. Wick of various diameters is available from any candie supplier
and the
brass tube supplied by model shops will take a 5mm candie wick reasonably
easily, but if you have any trouble, lightly wrap the end of the wick in very thin copper
wire and pull it through with that. You could also insert the thin copper wire down the
centre of the wick if you prefer.
I have been told that Frank is wondering how I managed to get stainless steel balls to
stick to a magnet, quite simple as not ail stainless steel is non-magnetic and these balls
weren't. As regards using Nitrile balls in clacks I'm afraid that it was a question of any
port in a storm, as nothing I tried would stop it feeding back and short of a major strip
down to remove it and make and fit a new clack, it will have to do, and so far it hasn't
been any trouble.
Akela.
52
Model Engineering Course
Just a quick note to say that Colchester Institute in Essex is running a model engineering
evening course starting September. You will have use of the lathes, Bridgeport mills,
surface grinder, horizontal mill and cnc etc; you will also have access to an instructor.
There are only 18 places and it will cost £960 for 30 x 3hour sessions; for further détails
contact Steven Fitzgerald at the Engineering Dept at the Institute.
Cheers ali
Steve Crees
69 Leymoor Road
Longwood
Huddersfield
West Yorks
HD3 4SW
A BARKER
Engineering
Manufacturer of Steam Fittings for Model Engineers
Supplier of quality steam fittings
Email: sales@rabarker.co.uk
Tel: 0 1 4 8 4 - 6 5 4 4 2 1
Water gauges a speciality
Website: www.rabarker.co.uk
MODEL ENGINEERING PRODUCTS
(BEXHILL)
71/4" Gauge Diesel outline B/e
locos, Classes 08, 15, 20, 47
17 Sea Road
Bexhill on Sea
East Sussex
TN401EE
(15/20
chassis/bogies/body
are ail steel laser eut)
Fully machined kits or r-t-r
Good range of accessories.
Braked driving trucks &
01424 223702
Mob. 07743 337243
trolleys.
Now available - Class 47
Fibreglass body shell £450
Fully machined kit £3,500
including motors & controller.
Email - mep1 @btconnect.com
www.model-engineering.co.uk
Catalogue £1.75
53
You will recali, (you do don't you?) from my last article, that I volunteered to help Graham
Burhouse with the setting up of the IV" Gauge Society's Proficiency Scheme and a very
good scheme I said it was as well.
Of course once you hold your head above the parapet the 'Native Americans' will see you!
I was duly rounded up at Worden Park, whilst enjoying the excellent AGM meet, by Graham
and David our esteemed Chairman, with an offer I could not refuse. (They wouldn't let me!).
Due to the continuing success of the Proficiency Scheme, the increase in junior membership
and the requests from several clubs to hold Junior weekends they have decided to combine
ali these tasks, together with the Junior Jottings and appoint a member to become the contact
point for ail these matters. They were kind enough to offer me the chance to take on this task
and see to its day to day opération, as well as bringing the scheme to fruition by completing
the scheme with the introduction of the Gold Award for next season
As I am currently (I have taken time off to write this) editing the AGM video for the society,
therefore 1 will not be able to apply myself to getting on with this until after Christmas.
At the same time as I take over the job of Proficiency Scheme Award organiser I have been
asked to take over the post of editor for the 'Junior Jottings' and this is a job I am taking on
with a little trépidation. After ali, the jottings were started and run by Roger Greatrex for
some years and he will be a hard act follow. I am just very grateful to him for ali his hard
work during that time, and would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his hard work
for ali 'juniors' of the society.
54
I will officially be dealing with all these matters from January 2010 so please use the détails
below for contacting me about the award scheme or 'Junior Jottings'
Rex Mounfield
Little Orchard Railway
Ixworth Road
Norton
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP31 3LE
01359 231169
rex@littleorchardrailway.co.uk
or via the web site at
www.littleorchardrailway.co.uk
I would love to have plenty of items to put into the magazine under the 'Junior Jottings'
heading therefore please send me your articles, questions or ideas (preferably by email).
I would especially like to hear from younger members who have attempted their Bronze
award about how you got on with the questions and are you starting to learn about the Silver
Award yet.
With any correspondence don't forget to put in your Name, the Model Engineering Society
or Railway Club you belong to, your age and your return email address so I can let you
know 1 have received your mail.
Rex Mounfield
55
THE GOODS YARD
With 'Yardmaster' - Frank Sidebottom
Following the AGM at Leyland, an appréciation is due to those 'trade' folk who
enhanced the event with their displays - so grateful thanks to Fieldsend Miniature
Engineering (castings etc), Walker Midgley (insurance brokers), Cromar White,
Engineers Emporium (L A Services), Phoenix Locomotives and Jonathan Clay.
For some years Ride on Railways has been offering a range of products mainly for the
5" gauge market. As many of the company's locomotive designs are freelance in
concept, a naturai progression to IV" gauge has been possible, by simply re-gauging.
The first of the company's locos to receive the re-gauging treatment is the 'Hercules',
which has two power bogies. The wheels, to IV" gauge standards and having a wider
tread than the 5" gauge version, will be positioned outside the frames. This makes for a
comparatively portable loco in 'our' gauge, suitable for both garden and club railways.
See the Ride on Railways ad. this issue for contact détails.
Prolific author Chris Vine publishes yet another (the third) volume in his populär
'Peter's Raihvay' series! The previous two books have been received very well; this
one may well find its potential as a seasonal gift. Hopefully a review will appear in the
'News' in due course, but meanwhile - see ad. this issue.
The range of IV" gauge rolling stock from Phoenix Locomotives now includes a China
Clay Hood wagon, Confiât wagon, Steam Banana van, and a new Cattle wagon with
interior and exterior detailing. Ali rolling stock kits now include appropriate decal sets.
The recently-introduced AC traction system will be expanded in 2010 with a new 400w
motor suitable for the smaller locomotive or tram. Also available is the new Soundtrack
digital sound system offering 16-bit CD-quality (interchangeable) sounds via its built-in
amplifier. Able to run on 12 or 24 volts, the easily-installed system is compatible with
all populär motor speed Controllers.
Members visiting the recent Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition will have noticed the
Hunslet loco 'Linda ' on the Engineers Emporium (L A Services) stand; this loco has been
under development for some time, and has indeed been on exhibition display previously.
The loco is now available to the market - see ad. this issue for more information.
Also officially launched at the Midlands exhibition was the Bagnali loco 'Staffarci' from
Station Road Steam - check their website for further détails plus video clip.
Within our Society, the 'season of goodwill' extends far beyond that of established
tradition. The 'feel-good' mood of the AGM pervaded the Monday coach excursion
Charity Raffle, which raised £269.25 for Blackpool Transporté nominated Charity Donna's Dream House - www.donnasdreamhouse.co.uk - a most worthy cause which
enables terminally-ill children and their families to enjoy some 'quality time' in
Blackpool. The Chairman of the charity Trustees, writing in acknowledgement of our
contribution, included the quote "People likeyou are very special".
Thanks also to the Society members who generously donated the raffle prizes - including
a special framed Jonathan Clay print of a Blackpool tram - ali eagerly claimed by the
lucky winners!
Best wishes to ali for a happy festive season - from The Goods Yard.
56
CASTLE MINIATURE RAILWAYS
SECOND-HAND STOCK
Tinkerbell recently refurbished with re-tube,
2-6-2T Yeo Fully re-built & re-tubed
new boiler certificate £12,750
£26,500
Class 47 M a r d y k e Diesel—recent engine & overhaul
With two M K 3 earriages—£14,500. Would seil separately
Complété with armchairs, table light and
Bells Whisky bottles
ride
u t Class Carriage—£1750
in luxury
Large stock of second-hand carnages and trucks
Track and points: Large quantifies of différent types
CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS
MORE STOCK URGENTLY
REQUIRED
W e will buy y o u r « h o l e railway, lock, stock
& barrel for cash.
Immediate offers.
PART EXCHANGE WELCOME
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CASTLE MINIATURE
RAILWAYS
Bolebroke Castle, Hartfield, E Sussex TN7 4JJ. Tel 01892 770061 Fax 01892 771041
www.bolebrokecastle.co.uk
57
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear David
T h e a t t a c h e d p h o t o is o f t h e first t r a i n t o p a s s t h r o u g h t h e 7 2 f o o t l o n g W r e n ' s T u n n e l
o n t h e 7 V" G a u g e E c h i l l s W o o d R a i l w a y at K i n g s b u r y in W a r w i c k s h i r e . T h e t u n n e l w a s
o f f i c i a l l y o p e n e d o n S a t u r d a y 12th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 9 b y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m W a s t e
Recycling Environmental Ltd, the Landfill Communities Fund and Warwickshire
County Council.
First Train through Wren's Tunnel
T h e o p e n i n g o f t h e t u n n e l is a n o t h e r m i l e s t o n e in t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e n e w e x t e n s i o n
to F a r L e y s w h i c h is e x p e c t e d t o o p e n in 2 0 1 0 . T h i s n e w e x t e n s i o n w i l l g i v e a total t r i p
of approximately 2 km.
Regards
Alain Foote
Dear David
M a y I, t h r o u g h t h e p a g e s o f t h e N e w s , p l e a s e e x p r e s s m y g r a t i t u d e t o all t h o s e i n v o l v e d
w i t h t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e r e c e n t A G M at W o r d e n P a r k , L e y l a n d .
I h a v e a t t e n d e d m a n y A G M ' s o v e r t h e y e a r s a n d all h a v e b e e n u n i q u e a n d s p e c i a l , b u t
f o r m e t h e latest j u s t last w e e k e n d in L a n c a s h i r e e x c e e d e d a n y t h i n g I h a v e e x p e r i e n c e d
p r e v i o u s l y . T h e p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m a n d o r g a n i s a t i o n o f e v e r y t h i n g f r o m t h e initial m e e t i n g
at t h e c a r p a r k e n t r a n c e to l e a v i n g site o n t h e M o n d a y m o r n i n g w a s first rate.
58
As a locomotive owner I am especially grateful to the loading and unloading team for
their assistance and patience, but equally the catering, track management and general
well-being of the members was of a very high standard-thank you.
As a way of rounding off the season I can think of nothing better than renewing oíd
friendships and talking trains with new ones!
Of course the fact that my locomotive was still rurming after the weekend is a major plus
point (not always the case) and I hope to provide an árdele on this in due course.
Yours faithfully
Ivan Hewlett
Hi David,
Here are a couple of photos taken at the Eastleigh Lakeside Railway Summer Gala. The
first is of Garratt 0-4-0+0-4-0 Al Saint Leonard at the front driven by owner Mike
Marshall and L&B Taw driven by owner Ian Heys on the rear of the shuttle train
approaching Monks Brook Station. Both are 7% locos the stock is 10M.
Al Saint Leonard
The other is of
Taw on shed at
the start of the
day with two 10M
locos
in
the
background. Lord
Nelson and Rob
Roy.
Best regards
Dave Hillier 1285
Taw on shed
59
Dear David
I believe I have forgotten to renew my subscription to the 7 % gauge Society this year,
but I had to write to try and put right information that seems to be circulating about
Eaton Gearboxes and their use, and in the absence of a better forum, I hope you will
publish it..
These excellent gearboxes are in wide use throughout our hobby, but, sad to say, some
of the installations that 1 have seen are poor. It is in the hope that I can persuade any new
builders to properly use the gearbox that I write this.
Of the Eaton Hydraulic Combined Pump and Motors the Number 6 or 7 unit is more
than adequate for our needs is designed to run with a constant speed input of 3,600 rpm.
The output shaft then will move in either direction from 0 to 2150 rpm.
1t is not designed to be controlied willy nilly from a motor throttle.
I enclose a paragraph taken directly from the operating instructions for these units,
which is freely available on the internet, for anybody who would want to check this
information.
Operation
For optimum control and power, the transmissions should be operated at constant input
speeds. When operating the unit under varying load conditions there can be noticeable
changes in the output speed. If the output speed decreases due to increased load, the
shift lever should be directed toward neutral position to increase the output torque.
This produces the same resuit as shifting down to a lower gear with a typical mechanical
transmission.
From my own point of view this is clear enough, and my own engine (a Honda 5hp electric
start) is geared up to the gearbox (a 5 inch pulley driving a 3 inch pulley) and the motor has
been set to 2160 rpm output with a tachometer. The motor throttle has three positions.
Idle - Fast Idle - Run. Run gives the required 3600 rpm input at the gearbox.
The output from the gearbox is then geared down from 2150 rpm - its maximum output
speed, to give a maximum 7 mph running speed at the track. (Being hydraulic, the
gearbox will work at lower speeds, and appear to work correctly, but not as advised.)
Only two days ago, I heard a colleague giving advice to someone enquiring how to use
these units. Connect a petrol engine with a 1 to 1 connection and then use the throttle to
control it. The obvious problem is, do you want a Honda engine screaming away at 3600
rpm to get maximum speed out of your unit, as well as producing masses of heat. I think
not, and neither do the customers. However, operating the gearbox at a lower speed will
mean that to get speed out by altering the final drive gearing, the internal pressure in the
gearbox will increase enormously.
In these days of Health and Safety, it is beholding on everyone building anything the
public is going to ride one (and we all hope they will continue to ride), to use materials
and parts WITHIN SPECIFICATION and as is advised in literature available. It is no
good blaming Eaton for premature failure of your unit, with whatever complications
that might have arisen, if you are ignoring their advice which is there for ail to see.
I have no connection with Eaton Hydraulics other than being a satisfied customer.
Yours faithfully
J.S. Pinder
60
Dear David
Please fmd attached a couple of digital pictures of our recently completed Crâne. It is
built to a freelance design with a lean towards a Cowan's Sheldon 45 Ton Diesel
breakdown crâne. It is capable of lifting a good sized loco as per one of the pictures
where it is lifting a petrol-hydraulic 0-4-0. It has an articulated jib foot to allow it to
negotiate curves down to 20 ft radius and has a bogie jib carrier.
We have a number of pictures during its construction and would be happy to do an
article for the 7K" Gauge News if this is of interest.
Dixon & Scott Thomas
Maiden Law Light Railway.
61
Dear David,
I hear so many variations on accurately machining crank pin centres. The enclosed photos show
how I get accurate repeats, even years later.
A photo speaks more than many words!
Regards,
Frank Birchall
Dear David
I would like to thank all at Leyland for a superb AGM weekend. I had a very enjoyable four
days in Leyland. Good facilities with good catering and a superb dinner after the AGM. The
whole organisation of the event went very smoothly and pleasantly, the sign of a well oiled
machine. The visit on Monday was very interesting. It brought back memories for me of the
first AGM I ever attended at the Vicarage, Knott End on Sea, near Fleetwood in 1978. To the
best of my knowledge there were only 4 members that attended both 1978 and 2009 AGM's
and these were the Rev. Bob Jackson (our host), Doug Kempton (who became treasurer that
day), David Nicholson (our new editor) and myself. In those early days of our Society there
were no formal dinner arrangements after the AGM meeting. The day outside, having heard
the chat about steam engines, laying track and contemplating railways in general; left many
members feeling hungry so it was decided to travel into Blackpool to look for an evening
meal. The ferry service from Knott End to Fleetwood was running - we climbed aboard the
small ferry in very windy, rainy weather to reach the tram stop in Fleetwood to take us into
Blackpool and food. Naturally everybody wanted to sit on the top deck of the tram, to see
the best view of the illuminations; they had in those days a conductor and a driver on every
vehicle. I recall one of our members had an American chime whistle, which he had imported,
in his pocket. He did try to blow it! We all had a great time, and a good laugh! We still do!
The atmosphere, the camaraderie, the friendship, the exchanging of ideas, has not changed
over the years-it just becomes better and better. I must just add the return journey was made
62
by conventional motorbus back to Knott End and our cars.
Well done to all at the Leyland Society.
John Nicholson - Membership Number 254
*****
Hello David,
Thanks for your Email, what a great AGM. The loco is named Marie and Brian's wife is
Kathleen.
Since returning from Leyland the loco has run at my club (Chingford) on a charity day for Great
Ormond Street Hospital and Haven Hospice combined. It was a lovely day weather-wise and so
many people turned up they had to wait 1 '/i hours for a ride at the height of the afternoon.
We should have stopped at 5pm but carried the last passengers at 6.15pm. Since this last run, the
loco is now in my workshop. I have removed all the lining and taken the handrails off as they
are in the wrong position. Its next outing will be to Alexandra Palace in January (new lining etc)
and Harrogate later. I hope to visit a few different lines next year before coming to Echills Wood.
Hopefully I can get some realistic sounds for her and a better horn.
Brian sent me a nice letter regarding his run which he obviously enjoyed as he went round twice.
I just thought it was the least I could do for someone for whom the Society means so much.
I hope it won't be a year before we meet up again.
Best wishes,
Bill Dadswell
This letter refers to the picture on the rear cover. ( Ed.)
Our technical team
can provide batteries
to suit all your
requirements.
Being kept in the dark about
batteries?
b tTfr
Call in at one of our
depots in Leicester,
Evesham or Norwich, give us a call,
check out our website or contact one of
our Distributors.
Let us show you the ligm at the
end of the tunnel!,
MULTI
63
Leicester: 01455 283443
Norwich: 01603484471
Evesham: 01386 429100
www.multicell.co.uk
Northern Distributor:
Phoenix Locomotives Ltd
1 Colchester Road
Kew
Southport PR8 6XJ
Tel: 01704 546957
Mob: 07973207014
Contact: Keith McDonald
Southern Distributor:
The Strawberry Line
Avon Valley Country Park
Bristol BS311TS
Tel: 01179860124
Mob: 07960 151286
Contact: Mike Bass
fr
GREASE
TOPS
W
Engine Driver's 'Grease Tops' now available
Sizes 63/4 to 7 3 /í
Price only £21.00 ¡ncluding UK postage
(£25.00 including postage to Europe)
M I Walker Mid^ey Yorkshire Bank
" = Insurance Brokers
Chambers,
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Sheffield S1 2HD
Tel 0114 250 2770
Fax 0114 2 50 2777
www.walkermidgley.co.uk
Please complete the Order Form below (photocopy acceptable)
Your Name
Your Address
Post Code
Telephone No.
Email Address
Please enter below the number and sizes of
Hat Size
Head
Measurement (inches)
Metrie
UK
55
6.3/4
21.1/2
56
6.7/8
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7
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22.5/8
7.1/8
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7.1/2
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Total n u m b e r r e q u i r e d
H o w t o c o r r e c t l y m e a s u r e f o r y o u r hat size
Number
Required
To find your hat size measure around your head
the way you will wear the hat. Most people wear
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difterently measure your hat size that way. Pulì
the tape measure around your head, but not too
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64
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Polar Fleece with
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Black/ Royal Blue/ Navy/ Burgundy/ £17.00
Red/ Bottle Green and Grey.
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Sweatshirt with
embroidered logo
Black/ Royal Blue/ Pale blue/
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Red/ Turquoise/ Green, and Orange
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Short sleeved polo shirt
with embroidered logo
Black/ Royal Blue/ Pale blue/
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Red/ Turquoise/ Green, and Orange
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T. Shirt with
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£2.00
£9.00
Sizes M (38"), L. (40"), XL (44"), XXL (50")
The above clothing is available personalised with your name, or railway, or both, to
special order. Ring or email for a quote.
Baseball Caps
with embroidered logo
Navy Blue
£6.00
£1.50
Pull-on Woollen hat
Navy Blue
£7.00
£1.50
Car Stickers
Inside - 3ln. dia
£0.50
£0.50
Badges for riding cars
6"
£6.00
£0.50
9"
£7.00
£0.50
Blue Enamel - 1 in dia.
£3.50
£0.50
Sew on Badges
Navy with embroidered logo
£6.00
£0.50
Tote Bags
Canvas with logo
£6.00
£1.50
Binders with gold logo
Holds 10/12 issues of the News
£9.00 per pair £2.50
Lapel Badges
N.B. Also sold slngly at £4.50 each if collected at A.G.M., exhibitions or events.
Commission Sales: Solid Silver Hallmarked Engineman's Cap Badges, replicas taken
from Originals, at the moment offering L.N.E.R, L.M.S, G.C.R and G.W.R. Price £30
plus postage - please check.
Orders, with cheques payable to "The 7 % " Gauge Society Ltd.," should be sent to:
Mrs Valerie Westby, 4 Louise Avenue, Gedling, N O T T I N G H A M . N G 4 2ND.
Enquire if in stock on 0115 9114273 (anytime) or by email: valerie.westby@ntlworld.com
Please note we have no facilities for credit/debit cards.
A Publication of the TA" Gauge Society Ltd
' Production & distribution by IMPRINT, New Road, Newtown, Powys SV16 1BD