|
..... Model Engineering Links A few of the (many!) sites I have found of interest over the years |
|
Groups and Societies: The National 2 1/2" Gauge Association - concerned with the preservation of this once very popular gauge. Drawings, article reprints, and castings available. The Gauge 3 Society - Similar to the above but geared more to scenic railways rather than passenger hauling. The Gauge One Model Railway Association The Midland Railway Centre, Butterley - Preservation group running and restoring several standard gauge locos. Museum and various model railways including the Butterley Park Miniature Railway. New home for the HMRS. Warrington & District MES - the longest 2½" track in the country so far! Sutton Coldfield Model Engineering Society Chesterfield and District Model Engineering Society Stafford and District Model Engineering Society Leicester Society of Model Engineers Southern Federation of Model Engineering Societies Northern Association Of Model Engineers North West Leicestershire Society of Model Engineers - My home Club!
Steam Related Web Sites: Building Miniature Live Steam Locomotives in 1/8 Scale - an excellent Finnish website giving blow by blow accounts of building several live steam locos. Lots of photos. Station Road Steam - Interesting and often humorous site advertising models of all types and sizes for sale. Part built locos, sets of castings, etc. are advertised with honest descriptions and plenty of good photographs. Live steam from castings - building a Japanese version of 'William' . Site has moved to new URL and a new project is under way. Sharpo's Miniature World - 100's of photographs of railways etc.from 3-1/4" to 15" gauge (What, no 2-1/2" Gauge!) Michael's Locomotive Pages - Interesting Canadian Website showing construction of a 7-1/4" Gauge Garratt. Also articles on designing and fitting Lempor Exhaust Ejectors for locos. Not been updated for some time. The Ultimate Steam Page - Website containing a lot of information on developement of the modern steam locomotive. Great for those who like delving into the technical side of things! Saturated Steam Tables - Online calculator to determine the properties of saturated steam at different temperatures and pressures. Did you know the temperature of saturated steam at 100 psi is 164.4 degrees C ? The Model Engineering Clearing House - Online directory of model engineering suppliers, books, clubs and societies, free software, etc, etc. Also a web based forum for discussion of model engineering topics. Model Live Steam Locomotives - Erik-Jan Stroetinga's site describing the building of his locos including a superb 5" gauge 14XX. Toy Steam Engines - New website dedicated to model steam engines such as Mamod, Bowman etc. Valve Gear Simulation Software - Free software by Charles Dockstader. Great for demonstrating and designing locomotive valve gears. Modelworks Britannia Builders Diary - Website following the construction of the ModelWorks 5" Gauge Britannia kit. Duchess Builder - Website following the construction of the new ModelWorks 5" Gauge Duchess. Seems to have ground to a halt! Alan Stepney's Model Engineering pages - Good website full of model engineering and workshop information etc. Cumberland Model Engineering - Website by an American enthusiast charting the history and development of Gauge 3 from it's origins to the present day. Shlemon Live Steam Models - Website of a prolific loco builder who seems to produce a new model every month! Dr John's Model Engineering - Website of a retired Scotsman building a Simplex and Black Five in Malaysia. The Scale Model Exchange - Online market place for the sale of models etc. Based in Australia/New Zealand. Romubricoltout - website by a French enthusiast showing the construction of an 0-4-0 Decauville loco. Difficult to follow if you don't read french but plenty of good photos to show the build. Using a translator such as Babelfish makes it very entertaining! Bryan Rozier's Website - website of fellow NWLSME member building Spencer in 3½" gauge and other projects. NorthernSteam - Website showing the construction of a 7¼" gauge South African Railways class 25NC loco. It's Huge! History of IMLEC - pages charting the history of the loco efficiency trials
Discussion Forums: Half Inch Live Steam Forum - discussion group concerned with all things 2 1/2" gauge. Not very well supported. Model Engineering Clearing House - Popular forum for model engineering and related subjects. Can get a bit heated at times! The Home Machinist - US based forum for many model engineering based subjects. Scale-Steam.co.uk Forum - New forum intended to be mainly for traction engine builders but covers other subjects as well. Model Steam Engineers - discussion forum run by Union Steam. Useful discussions on CAD and lost wax casting
Suppliers: Reeves 2000 - Model engineering supplies and castings for a wide range of locos and traction engines. GLR Distributors - Similar to Reeves but often cheaper for materials. Some castings etc. for 2 1/2" gauge locos RS Components Ltd - Large range of tools and electronic components with next day delivery. Carry a small range of materials such as silver steel, bronze, etc. which can be quite reasonably priced. Bearings and seals etc. EKP Supplies - Turned screws, nuts, bolts, tools and materials - very good - usually next day delivery. Cup Alloys - Mail order supplier for silver solder etc. Chronos Ltd - Tools and materials Blackgates Engineering - Tools, materials and castings Polly Model Engineering - castings and materials Macclesfield Model Engineering Supplies - Tools and materials with online ordering. Prices for materials, silver solder etc.seem very reasonable. Live Steam Models - Model engineering supplies and castings for larger traction engines. Traction engines made to order. Folkestone Engineering Supplies - Very reasonable prices on a large range of materials, fastenings, taps and dies etc. No minimum order and no VAT. Model Engineer's Laser - suppliers of laser cut parts for a large range of locomotives etc. Cotswold Heritage Model Steam Engines - suppliers of high quality steam models, machined kits, unmachined kits, boilers, and accessories. German language based homepage here Hemingway Kits - Kits for various machine tools, tool posts, etc. and also some stationary engines and i.c. engines Model Engineering Services - Kits for some machine tools such as the Quorn and the Kennet tool and cutter grinders. Unfortunately the kit for the Dore-Westbury milling machine is no longer available. Chester UK - Suppliers of imported lathes, milling machines etc. Warco - Suppliers of imported lathes, milling machines etc. Arc Euro trade Ltd - Bearing suppliers. Also tools, lubricants etc. Bearing mods to improve cheap import lathes and a mod to eliminate backlash on Myford Leadscrews. Technobots - Suppliers of modelling materials etc. Sell metric size needle roller and ordinary bearings. Also silver steel for axles, gears, chain and sprockets. Miniature Pressure Gauge Ltd - manufacturers and suppliers of pressure gauges from 1/2" to 12" diameter. Also offer a calibration service and repairs. Steam Fittings - Manufacturer and supplier of steam fittings, lubricators, gauges etc. Phoenix Precision Paints- supplier of authentic railway colours, primers, thinners etc. Please note that due to a fire in July 2005 the company has had to move and it will be some time before production is back to normal. Fox Transfers - Large range of waterslide decals for locos etc. Mostly for the smaller gauges but expanding to cover larger gauges up to 7-1/4" as well
Miscellaneous Web Sites: Martin Finney Locomotive kits - Very high quality etched brass kits for 4mm and 7mm scale locos. Specialist Calculators - Online calculators, conversion tables etc. Model Engine News - site devoted mainly to i.c. aero engines Thermal Expansion Equations and formulae - how much does it expand when it gets hot! Brian's Homepage - Website containing useful thread data (and fishing and British motorcycling!) Model Engineer/Engineering in Miniature - website for the two popular magazines. Includes a discussion forum, sales, wants etc.
|