One Man And His Lathe

Andrew Johnstone and his Harrison M300.

Background

My engineering background is in electronics and signal processing. But I have always been interested in machining and metalwork, buying my first lathe while at school. That lathe was sold when I left home to go to university. After moving into a bungalow with a double garage some years ago, I was able to start assembling a workshop again.

Harrison M300 Lathe

Before buying the basic machine tools, my thoughts turned to what to build. I chose a traction engine and reading comments on various forums 4” scale seemed to be a good compromise between practicality, in terms of driving, and the size of machinery required. I wanted something more complex than a single but not a showman’s or double crank compound. I settled on the Burrell single crank compound. Having had a bad experience with a set of castings for a hit ‘n’ miss engine I wanted a casting supplier that I could visit. I selected John Rex at Miniature Steam. Although 120 miles away from me, in Pontefract, he is conveniently located a couple of miles off the A1, a route I travel regularly to go flying in the Cheviots in Northumberland.