CATEGORIES

RISE OF THE SUPER TELESCOPE

As work continues on its design and construction, we take you inside the Extremely Large Telescope as it prepares for first light

CREW DRAGON LAUNCH

This spring will see the return of astronauts being launched from American soil aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule

HAVE WE FOUND THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE?

Whether or not our cosmos comes to an end is a question astronomers are tackling with some surprising results

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

This member of the ExoMars team is a vital component in the hunt for methane in the Red Planet’s atmosphere

Celestron CPC 800 GPS (XLT)

Ideal for the serious astrophotographer, this superb instrument is a must-have for those looking to upgrade from a beginner scope

A Boiler Feed Pump

A Boiler Feed Pump

A Draught Proposal

A Draught Proposal

An Inverted ‘Ross Yoke' Watercooled Stirling Engine

As with all my hot air engines they are cheap to build, mostly from scrap

Building Dancer - The Boiler

Dancer needed a boiler that would be somewhat larger than the size permitted under the Model Engineering exemptions in the New Zealand regulations.

CLUB NEWS

My secret’s out!

SHOWCASE Paul's Engine

One day my son Paul came to me and asked if we could make something in my workshop, so that he could learn engineering processes.

Union Nuts, and How to Make Them

These are quite different from those commercially available and are made from copper

Vertical Boiler Locomotives

Vertical Boiler Locomotives

Wenford A 7¼ Inch Gauge 2-4-0 Beattie Well Tank

The stage has now been reached where the well tank body can be completed but beforehand there are some internal details to add.

WORKSHOP TIP - Boring Eccentrics

I am making a 1 inch Minnie traction engine and have arrived at the machining of the eccentric straps.

Vertical Boiler Locomotives

Martin Ranson presents a pair of 32mm vertical boilered locomotives.

Garrett 4CD Tractor in 6 inch scale

This article has been written to guide the builder through the construction of the 6 inch scale Garrett 4CD tractor designed by Chris d’Alquen. The writer has previously built a 4 inch scale Garrett and a 6 inch scale Foden wagon so has the benefi t of considerable experience in larger scale modelling. Most machining can be done in the average home workshop but the supplier from whom the castings and drawings are currently available is able to provide a machining service for the largest items if required.

Bradford Model Engineering Society's Annual Exhibition

Roger Backhouse visits the Bradford society’s exhibition at Saltaire

Magdalen Road Revisited PART 3

Jeremy Buck invites us back for a further tour of the Magdalen Road garden railway.

A New GWR Pannier

Doug Hewson decides that LBSC’s well-known GWR pannier tank design needs a make-over.

Wallis Advance Road Roller

Alan Barnes weighs the merits of modelling one of these road rollers.

A Darjeeling Himalayan Locomotive in 3½ Gauge

Keith Rogers tackles a project that is even more complicated than it looks!

The Barclay Well Tanks of the Great War

This constructional series addresses Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 narrow gauge locomotives supplied for use in the First World War. Built without the use of castings, the 0-4-0 design is described as two versions; asbuilt for the British Admiralty in 1918 and as rebuilt and currently running on the Talyllyn Railway as their locomotive No.6, Douglas. The 0-6-0 engines described were built in 1917 and operated on 60 centimetre gauge track at the Western Front in France. These were small, spartan machines of which only 25 were supplied and none have survived into preservation.

A Boiler Feed Pump

Ian Couchman redesigns the boiler feed pump for his Ruston Proctor traction engine.

Obituary Richard C. Guthrie

Richard Guthrie was a colourful character, with his smile, a glint in his eye and those decorative braces holding up his jeans.

A Visit To The Nottingham SMEE

My latest visit in this series was to the Nottingham SMEE at their impressive site at Little Ruddington about 5 miles south of Nottingham city centre.

Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition

The exhibition this year was the scene of yet another excellent assembly of models and traders, fulfilling the needs of the purist and casual model engineer alike.

Building Bridget Part 4

Building Bridget Part 4

Book Review Digital Model Making

The author started working as a model maker in 1987 in product design, moving onto architectural models and making props for TV.

A Visit To The Brecon Mountain Railway

Rhys Owen ascends the mountains of South Wales for a ride on a narrow gauge railway.