R No.77 - Preserved Railway Stocklist

R
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‘N’ RA
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I
OA
MAXITRAK OWNERS’ CLUB
MAGAZINE
Number 77
Winter 2015
1
Welcome to new members
These are the new members up to 20th January 2015
Mem Name
No.
998
999
1000
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1006
1007
Address
Mr J Worner
Mr M Manarin
Mr G Robb
Mr P Downes
Mr D Atkinson
Mr R Procter
Mr Barker
Mr Alexander
Mr R Barfoot
Mr A Duke
Should you wish to obtain further details of any member please contact the Secretary
On the front cover:
There are several Maxitrak connections with our cover photo taken at the Ickenham club
track - Mark Hamlin’s R1 ‘Areone’ on the right is being driven by Mike Werrell who
is the owner of a very old Maxitrak Warship. The Class 66 on the left belongs to Phil
Wimbush and is believed to be the first one built having been the showroom model.
There is another photo of ‘Areone’ on page 7 of this issue taken when it was on
passenger duties at the recent Model Engineering Exhibition at Alexandra Palace whilst
on page 5 there is a photo of yet another R1 at the Sandown Park exhibition.
Road ‘n’ Rail
Publication dates:Road ‘n’ Rail is usually published four times a year, in Winter, Spring, Summer and
Autumn
Contributions:Contributions in the form of articles, photographs and letters are most welcome and
should be sent to the Editor, details on the opposite page. Inclusion or publication of
an article however does not constitute agreement or endorsement of the author’s view
2
Committee 2014/5
ROAD
Chairman
Trevor Solly
‘n’
Secretary
Tony Pearson
RAIL
Treasurer
Tony Pearson
the magazine
of
the Maxitrak Owners Club
Magazine Editor
Jeff Dickinson
Club Webmaster
Mick Morgan
www.moc.org.uk
Groups.yahoo.com/maxitrakownersclub
Printed by:
Alex Probyn
MAXITRAK
01580 893030
© The Maxitrak Owners Club
Affiliated to
Southern Federation of Model
Engineering Societies
In this issue
Welcome to new members
Editor’s comments
Boiler test day at Leatherhead
A view from the Chair
Visit to Fawley Hill 10th May
R1 on passenger duty at LMEE
Visit to Norwich 6th June
Visit to Sutton Coldfield 5th Jul
Visit to Leatherhead & AGM
1st August
Visit to Worthing 16th Aug
Visit to Derby SMEE 12th Sept
10000 & 10001 locomotives
Simplicity 2
Australian sugar cane railways
Parish notices
Factory news Winter 2015
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21
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Editor’s comments
We have a very full programme of visits this year including the new venue at
Derby where there are at least 3 Maxitrak locos resident - a Swallow, a Dixie
and a 4F so let’s hope we can bring along several more to keep them company.
Please note that, like Worthing, there is no 7¼” rail. Traction engines are of
course welcome at all our venues or maybe come without a model to enjoy a
friendly day out.
I’m delighted that we’ve been invited back to the Fawley Hill Railway near
Henly - the spectacle of the steam loco storming up the 1 in 13 gradient is well
worth seeing and there is a very extensive museum of railway artefacts in the
private collection of Sir William McAlpine. We last visited the railway in July
2009 when we had a most enjoyable day. I hope that many of our readers will
be able to join us on this visit or indeed on any of the other visits.
There are several interesting projects in the pipeline at the factory, as well as the
7¼” version of the Southern R1 and the 5” Class 25, Andy is busy designing a
bogie loco similar to the Planet. Then on the factory stand at the Midlands
Exhibition last October there was hint of a 7¼” Deltic loco. I shall look forward
to the Factory News in the next issue of Road n Rail for progress on these models.
Please keep the articles rolling in - after all, feed back between Club members
helps us all not only enjoy our hobby but also make an occasional improvement
to add our own personality to a ‘standard’ product. .
Jeff
Boiler test day 2015 at Leatherhead
For Club members who get their boiler tests done at the factory, this year the test
day is Saturday morning, 21st March at Leatherhead. Trevor will be on site
from 9:30am (always a good idea to let Trevor know that you are coming,
contact details on page 3).
By way of preparation it will save a lot of time (and embarrassment!) if you have
first cleaned out the ashpan and smokebox ready for the annual visual inspection.
If the 4 yearly hydraulic test is due it will save a lot of time if you have checked
that all the steam valves are seating OK - easily checked with the boiler filled
and using the hand pump up to working pressure.
Please bring with you your last boiler certificate and also the blue record card,
if you have one.
4
A view from the Chair
Well, it’s been that time of year when the same old question is asked “what do
you want for Christmas”. As normal what do I ask for - everything I need I buy.
So I said a Maxitrak 4F - stingy family won’t buy me one!
Anyway my club had a stand at the Sandown Park Model Engineering
Exhibition and right opposite there were two stands with the Maxitrak Southern
R1 loco on display - see the photo below for one of them. The exhibition I feel
is going downhill with no major trade stands attending.
I am currently remaking the valve chests and the slide valves for my ‘Maid of
Kent’ but haven’t a clue when I am going to actually finish it! My Polly loco is
going to be stripped right down and rebuilt as I think it is something wrong with
the axle feed pump. I bet you all will be glad when I finish the thing and won’t
have to read about it anymore.
I am looking forward to the next season’s rallies and don’t forget we have the
boiler test day at Leatherhead in March where you can run your engine once
tested.
I was looking forward to two weeks off at Christmas. First thing I had to do was
complete my kitchen - it’s been a building site for a month now after I had to
cancel my leave due to workload, roll on retirement.
Anyway I hope you all have had a lovely Christmas and New Year.
Trev
5
Visit to the Fawley Hill Railway Sunday 10th May
Several years ago members of the Maxitrak Owners Club were privileged to
visit Sir William McAlpine’s private standard gauge railway and museum on his
estate at Fawley Hill near Henley-on-Thames. During this visit Andy spotted the
Fawley Planet shunting locomotive ‘Ernie’ and decided that it would make a
fine prototype for a new 5” gauge model locomotive. Although ‘Ernie’ is, of
course, standard gauge the origins of the Maxitrak Planet design are clearly
apparent from the photograph below.
The photo is taken in front of
the loco shed and museum entrance, this contains a vast
amount of railway memorabilia
and artefacts. Over the years Sir
William McAlpine has accumulated a fantastic collection,
most of which is on display. As
the McAlpine business was involved in many civil engineering projects several railway
related artefacts have survived.
For anyone who would like to see the inspiration for the Planet or who wants to
experience the excitement of riding behind the resident Hudswell Clarke 0-60ST up the 1:13 gradient of the Fawley Hill Railway This is a unique experience
to travel up the steepest adhesion gradient in the UK, all this in an open wagon
unless you are lucky enough to get a foot-plate ride. Then the top of the hill is
very close to the station platform so considerable driving skill is required!
I have arranged a provisional
booking for MOC to visit Fawley on Sunday 10th May 2015.
Invitation day operations start
with the first train of the day at
1200 and continue until around
1700 when the resident 03 diesel usually provides an auditory
finale with a blast on its 5-note
air horn from a Union Pacific
‘Centennial’ whilst running up
the hill (it’s well-worth hanging
around for this).
6
Visitors are requested to make a small (£10) donation towards the cost of coal
but this provides for unlimited rides on the railway and free access to the
museum. Note that at the public open days that Fawley have held over the past
2 years both train rides and museum access were extra cost attractions over the
£15 entry fees so our visit is a much better value proposition than attending the
next public open day, which is scheduled for 2016, especially as in 2014 the
train ride tickets for each day sold out in the first 2 hours of the day.
Refreshments on offer are limited to tea and coffee so visitors are invited to
bring a picnic.
At the moment I have 30 places available so I would advise members to register
an interest with me as soon as possible
Each visiting club is entitled to nominate a person for a footplate ride so, as with
last time, we will hold a prize drawer to determine the lucky participant and I
will try to ensure that I am the driver for that trip so that MOC members will be
in the majority on the footplate.
Mark Hamlin
R1 on passenger duty at LMEE, Alexandra Palace
Mark Hamlin’s R1 ‘Areone’ was running on Mark’s portable track at the recent
London Model Engineering Exhibition. I understand the rides were very popular
and the loco performed brilliantly. In the photo below Mark’s son Simon is
taking a turn at the regulator.
7
Visit to the Norwich & District SME, Saturday 6th June
This will be our seventh visit to the Norwich Club track in Eaton Park - a superb
5” and 7¼” ground level track of getting on for ½ mile. The facilities are first
class with a superb covered station - ideal if an unplanned rain shower tries to
thwart our enjoyment. There are also paved areas in the adjacent park where the
traction engine folk can run their models. We don’t often see many miniature
traction engines on our visits so this will be an opportunity to do something new.
As with our other visits we are made most welcome, it is an excellent opportunity to run on a well built track that is perhaps longer than we have at home. The
setting is magnificent and everyone is so friendly and helpful. Refreshments are
laid on as well. For MOC members who have not yet ventured away from ‘home
territory’ fear not - you will be be most welcome at any of our events - whatever
your model, road or rail.
Please let me know if you would like to join us.
The Norwich Club site is very easy to find, on my previous visits I have
approached Norwich from the A11, turning left onto the Ring Road I followed
the A140 for just over ½ mile before turning left into South Park Avenue. The
Club entrance is on the right hand side. For visitors not travelling by car, there
is a very good bus service, route number 25, from the rail station which drops
you off just by the Club entrance to Eaton Park.
Their web site is www.ndsme.co.uk
8
Visit to Sutton Coldfield Sunday 5th July
This will be our third visit to the Sutton Coldfield club track at Little Hay, on
the north side of the town, on Sunday 5th July between 10:00 and 16:00. You
do not have to have a loco to attend – everyone will be made equally welcome!
Please note that this year our event will be held on Sunday.
Full details of the Society including location, track plans and numerous photos
can be found on their website – www.scmes.co.uk For those without the internet
my route from near Cambridge takes me on to the M6 Toll Road, leaving at exit
T3 then a short distance on the A38 before taking a left turn to Little Hay. The
site is on the left side of the road just past the Hollybush pub.
SCMES will again be putting on refreshments throughout the day and look
forward to meeting us again. The 2760ft of dual gauge (5” and 7¼”) ground
level track has several route options, selected by the driver, instructions will be
given to select the chosen route. There is also a 460ft raised track.
If anyone has any queries before the Rally, you are welcome to contact Steve. It
would also be really useful if you could let Steve know beforehand if you are
planning to attend to ensure that they can get everything ready for you to have
as good a day as possible!
On page 12 of this issue we have a report on David Osbourne’s pair of prototype
diesel electrics 10000 and 10001. As David is a member of the Sutton Coldfield
club perhaps we will be able to see this splendid pair of locos on our July visit.
9
Visit to Leatherhead Saturday 1st August
Once again we have been invited to our Chairman’s home track of the Surrey
Society of Model Engineers, back to our traditional date of the first Saturday in
August.
The ground level track extension increases the length of the running line by
some 320 metres,There are now 3 possible ground level loops to choose from
as well as the raised track.
There is a large field where the road locos can run and the SSME club members
will be putting on food and tea/coffee in the amenity block, so come along and
enjoy yourselves. The post code for sat nav users is KT22 9AA and the Club
web site is www.ssme.co.uk which also gives directions to the Mill Lane site.
MOC 2015 AGM
Arranging the AGM to coincide with our visit to Leatherhead was judged to be
a success last year so we plan to do the same again this year. It is planned to start
the AGM around 12:00 mid-day and in the traditions of all good Clubs and
Societies, the formalities of the AGM are kept brief - so this is no excuse for not
having an enjoyable day at Leatherhead.
The agenda is limited to the usual Officer’s reports and the Treasurer summarises the financial position. Offers to join the committee are extended for anyone
who would like to take a more active part in the running of the Owner’s Club.
Most communications are done by e-mail so it is not particularly onerous.
Invitation to the Worthing Club on Sunday 16th August
The Worthing & District Society of Model Engineers have again invited us back
for another Maxitrak day at their track in Worthing.
The site is called Field Place which is in the Durrington area of Worthing close
to Durrington railway station. The track has 2½, 3½, & 5 inch gauges but no 7¼
inch. Traction engines and lorry’s can use the grass area outside the track if dry.
If you would like to attend please contact Paul Parsons.
The Club web site is www.wdsme.org, the post code for satnav users is BN13
1NP
10
Visit to Derby SMEE Saturday 12th September
We are very pleased to be invited to visit the Derby Society of Model and
Experimental Engineers at their track at Morley. Their ground level track is
around 1600ft in 3 loops which includes a tunnel and flyover bridge. The height
difference from the lowest part of the track to the highest is about 5ft and the
track is block signalled, controlled by colour light signals.
The Club can trace its origins to a group of enthusiasts getting together in May
1936. With a common interest in small models meetings were held in the town
with running days coming along later on a 5” garden railway belonging to one
of the Club members. In 1962 the Club obtained its own site on a recreation
ground at Darley Abbey, opening a 3½”/5” track the following year. Unfortunately they were obliged to leave the site in 1967 and moved to the present site
in what at the time was the grounds of a Dr Barnardo’s residential home. When
the home closed they continued to lease the site until 2012 when they were able
to buy the site outright ensuring security of tenure.
The Club web site is www.derbysmee.co.uk and their post code is DE7 6DG.
Looking at the map of the area, a good route would seem to be to travel north
out of Derby on the A61 then with Racecourse Park on the right take a left turn
at the roundabout on to the A608. This crosses under the A61 and leads to
Morley. The site is on the right after Morley Hayes Golf Club, see the local map
below.
Refreshments will be available (bacon cobs in the morning, pie & peas later +
cakes, tea/coffees) so, to assist with catering, please let the organisers know that
you are planning to join us. Just drop an e-mail to [email protected]
11
10000 and 10001 Diesel Electric locomotives
From my train spotting days in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, spent mainly at
Tamworth and Lichfield Trent Valley Stations, I can recall seeing the prototype
diesel locomotives 10000 and 10001 hauling the Royal Scot. Occasionally one
or the other, or both, were to be seen at Birmingham New Street Station.
Some eighteen months ago I mentioned to a member of the Sutton Coldfield
Model Engineering Society that I had seriously considered building both locomotives in 5” scale. I was subsequently informed that there was a very good
book in existence entitled “LMS Locomotive Profiles – Main Line DieselElectric Nos. 10000 and 10001”. I promptly purchased the book which contains
scale drawings of the two locomotives reproduced from the original works
drawings built at LMS Derby, the locomotives being introduced in 1947/48.
I decided to ring Andy at Maxitrak to enquire as to the availability of motorised
wheel sets suitable for such a project. Andy informed me that he had a slight
problem in so far as the electric motors that were used up until this point in time
were no longer available and that Maxitrak were actively working on a wheel
set version with two motors per axle. Some weeks later Andy informed me that
the new version had been produced and so I ordered six sets. Andy supplied me
with drawings of the plate bogies used on the class 66 diesel which I modified
to accommodate the axle centres for 10000 and 10001. My aim was to build
locomotive No. 10000 first and then decide whether or not to proceed with 10001.
Andy also suggested that I might adopt the scale of 11/16 in to 1ft for the height
and width and 1in to 1ft for the length; the reason for adopting the slightly
smaller scale for the length being to make the locomotives more manageable to
handle. I promptly set about drawing the locomotives to the aforementioned
scales using the original works drawings. In all I produced some twenty drawings and sketches.
I adopted an “inverted top hat” principle for the construction of the chassis,
(again similar to that used for the Maxitrak Class 66 locomotive), the two 12
volt batteries sitting into the well formed by the folded steel plate. The locomotive sides were constructed using 1.5mm brass sheet and the cab ends were
constructed in glass fibre. I spent a considerable amount of time making the
required patterns for the cab ends using plywood and also utilising some two
part wood filler in order to achieve the correct lines. My initial intention was to
also construct the roof using the moulded fibreglass technique, however, having
spent many hours making the required pattern in plywood I decided to use the
pattern itself for the same; the final details being added using aluminium sheet.
The photo at the top of the next page shows 10000 under construction.
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My main aim from the outset was to produce a “super
detailed” model locomotive
as near as possible to the
real thing. In some respects
this has left me with a few
problems in as far as the
detailing applied to the bogies is easily damaged if the
locomotive derails. No.
10000 being the first locomotive of the two which I
have built is also very
heavy; consequently I have
to use my hydraulic lifting table to access the track in our garden.
Despite the fact that I had four cab ends cast to facilitate the construction of both
locomotives I had to think long and hard before starting the construction of
10001. Eventually I decided that the two had to be seen running together in
order to make the right impact.
The photo above left shows the cab end of 10000 with the drivewr looking on!,
whilst the photo above right shows the cab detailing made from Plasticard.
In order to make 10001 more manageable I decided to construct the chassis
using 25mm square box section steel leaving the bottom open with the exception
of the stretchers supporting the bogies and buffer beams; the bogies were made
removable and the locomotive sides were constructed using aluminium sheet. I
also arranged two handles, one either end, inside the main body to facilitate
lifting the locomotive onto the track.
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The photo on the left
shows one of 10001’s removable bogies.
The photo below shows
the battery compartment
at the No 1 end of 10001.
Note the loco lifting handle and the open bottom to
the chassis.
Double-heading the locomotives proved
to be a little problematic. I had used a
4QD 120 speed controller in No. 10000
being unaware that in order to run two
locomotives together two 4QD 150 programmable controllers would be required
in order to achieve complete compatibility; consequently I had to purchase two
new 4QD 150 programmable controllers
which then had to be set up identically in
order to behave correctly.
The photo on the right shows the centre
compartment of 10001 showing the 4QD
150 speed control and the Digisound
sound system.
Despite the trials and tribulations along
the way the final result, seeing the locomotives running together, was very rewarding.
The photograph on page 9 of this issue shows the two locomotives coupled
together ready to be run on the track in our garden.
Finally, I would mention that the sound systems for both locomotives were
supplied by Maxirak, these being manufactured by Digisound. The sounds
reproduced by Digisound sound modules are recorded from actual locomotives.
As locomotives 10000 and 10001 were not preserved I had to make do with the
sound of a class 20 locomotive, however, I am reliably informed that this is very
close to the sound made by 10000 and 10001 as the same “whistling” sound is
present.
David Osborne
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Simplicity 2
Maxitrak started making a 5” gauge battery diesel locomotive in 1978, this had
a single battery under a narrow gauge industrial style body with a bevel gear and
chain drive to the wheels. This was the first commercial battery engine offered
to the public and proved a good seller with over two hundred made before the
design was updated in 1982. A nice example of a Mark 1 model was recently for
sale on the factory web site, see below.
The success of the small Simplicity made us keen to do the same for 7 ¼” gauge.
The result was Simplicity 2 introduced about 1980, this engine had a brazed
steel angle chassis like the small version but was fitted with ball race plumber
block bearings with spring suspension. Wheels were held to gauge on the axle
with grub screws and could be varied for gauge by sliding them along the axle.
This gave us a large locomotive for 5” gauge as well as the standard version.
You just have to keep the grub screws tight or they adjust themselves when you
don’t want them to!
The body style was more detailed, with a more European look about it. Initially
the motor was mounted vertically in the cab with a bevel drive to a lay shaft
under the cab and chain out to the axles. The bevel gear was expensive, difficult
to adjust and noisy if not correctly set, so we pretty soon had the motor mounted
horizontally with a separate chain drive down to the lay shaft.
This is the setup that remained little changed for over twenty years of production
and was the start for many enthusiasts and garden railway operators. The basic
look remained the same but there were a number of changes and conversions
available. We started with a Lucas motor, dual voltage 12 and 24, so it was quite
easy to put another battery in the riding car and get twice as much go out of the
thing! Eventually this motor went out of production and subsequent engines
were fitted with a big Fracmo permanent magnet motor, and then a smaller
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Bosch version. There were changes to the motor mount to suit different motors,
the Bosch in particular required a different mounting bracket as it was nose
mounted.
Control systems also evolved, from the original three speed resistance control
to the first electronic version using an IC 555 timer. This had twelve power
transistors to be wired up, made a loud buzz when working slow and lost nearly
a volt through the electronics, but it gave infinite loco speed. Some of these are
still working though we do not repair them now, just upgrade. Subsequently we
used 4QD NCC boards, and the updated versions of this up to the end of
production. As the original controller reversed through a switch rather than
relays we have sometimes updated with a non reversing electronic control and
stuck with the switch reverser. As you can see finding wiring diagrams for old
engines can be a nightmare!
The first examples of this engine had wooden dumb buffers and an angle iron
multi height rear coupler to suit 5 and 7 ¼” gauges. This took a bit of making so
we replaced it with a cast aluminium three pocket coupler both ends, still much
favoured by people making their own narrow gauge locos or rolling stock. An
0-6-0 version of the loco with cast aluminium coupler is shown below.
In addition to the standard locomotive we also produced quite a lot of variations
over the years, usually as a special order but subsequently some were put in the
catalogue. One of the favourite conversions was to put three axles on with
outside coupling rods. This had chain drive to the rear axle only, the bearings
had to be carefully adjusted to get the rods to run smoothly but it certainly added
to the visual appeal of the locomotive in action.
16
Another conversion that proved popular was the petrol hydraulic version. This
used a Honda G100 engine in the cab with a tooth belt drive to an Eaton hydro
unit under the bonnet. This drove down to a lay shaft under the hydro unit and
on to the axles by chain.
It all just about fitted under the glass fibre body though the engine was best
started with the body off. Unfortunately the Honda engine eventually went out
of production and although we used the smallest replacement, being overhead
valve instead of side valve, it filled the cab more than I like. It was one of these
engines that we sold to the National Railway Museum in York, and I managed
to get a photo of it with the replica Iron Duke, 7 ¼” gauge with 7ft ¼” gauge! It
has now been retired going initially to Swindon museum and on from there in
private ownership.
We also has a Swiss customer who had several rack conversion Simplicities, the
first was a four wheel electric chassis fitted with his own box cab body. The
second one was a six wheel version fitted with a larger Bosch electric motor.
The third was a conventional Simplicity 2 but with petrol hydraulic drive. To
run on the rack the electric locos need a clutch on the drive to the wheels, the
rack gear is run continuously at about one third axle revs so as you run into the
rack the clutch is disengaged and the power all transmitted through the rack
gear. Great fun, especially when you run out of the rack at the far end and find
no drive or brakes until the wheel drive clutch is re engaged!
All rack engines needed outside rod drive as there was no room for chains inside
the frame where the rack gear and brake were situated. The third petrol powered
engine was a more satisfactory design to my mind, it only had a single drive
system with the rack gear running at a speed to match the wheels. The gearing
was done through the hydro unit with a screw handle control.
17
This control had an indicator marked up for maximum speed on the rack, low
ratio, and on the level, higher ratio. Rack engines also need three braking
systems, motor, rack gear and wheels, quite a lot to squeeze into a standard body!
The photo below shows one of the locos in action, looking at the track in front
of the loco one can just see the rack.
The Simplicity 2 has now been phased out in favour of the new Ruston and
Planet 2 locomotives with metal bodies, but many of the old Simplicities
continue to give good service on miniature railways at home and abroad. The
photo below was taken at the Leatherhead rally in 2013, the loco also appeared
briefly on the BBC ‘One Show’ TV programme recently in a feature on Britains
Best Gardens..
Andy
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Australian sugar cane railways
When I was reading through Andy’s Factory News for this issue of the magazine I was intrigued by the reference to sugar cane railways in Australia and
realised this was a railway subject I knew very little about. Through the wonders
of the internet my research quickly found details of a large network of 2 foot
gauge railways on the east coast of Queensland still actively carrying the
harvested sugar cane to nearby processing plants. With my interest in narrow
gauge railways I was soon gathering more information which I would like to
share with our readers.
Sugar cane was brought to Australia from South Africa in 1788 by some of the
early settlers, later developments in the 19th century had links to the penal
colonies and West Indian convicts. The industry gradually developed, initially
in New South Wales but by the 1860’s had expanded up the eastern coast into
Queensland and the railways were increasingly used for the transport of the
harvested sugar cane to the local sugar mills.
Harvesting the sugar cane was very laborious work, much of the labour coming
the South Seas islands as attempts to use Chinese or European immigrants were
not successful. The industry continued to develop, indeed the early 1880’s saw
a boom in demand, possibly influenced by improved shipping to export markets,
until competition from European sugar beet producers resulted in the price of
sugar falling by a third in 1884. After a period of upheaval things picked up
again and between 1892 and 1902 production in Queensland doubled. After
World War 1 stable prices and improved rail access resulted in further expansion until the world depression years of 1928 to 1933.
After World War 2 the industry was hit by a shortage of labour, especially for
the cane harvesting so that experiments with mechanisation became a priority
and led to the successful introduction of mechanical harvesting in 1960. In
1961 just 5% of the harvest used mechanical means, this increased to 48.5% in
1966 and to 98.5% in 1974. The economies of the mechanical harvesting
resulted in a vast increase in output - between 1961 and 1974 the output doubled.
By June 1986, there were approximately 6400 sugar cane growers delivering
some 25 millions tonnes of cane to 31 sugar mills with twenty-six of the mills
operating their own railway systems. These transported some 22 million tonnes
of harvested cane per season (June to December) over some 3500 km of track.
During the 1980s, a process of industry rationalisation resulted in the closure of
several mills and further expansion of tramway systems to transport cane to
larger, more efficient central mills. By 1995, the Queensland crop was 35.27
million tonnes of cane which yielded 4.61 million tonnes of sugar.
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The job of the railway systems is to transport the freshly harvested cane to the
sugar mill for processing as soon as possible, preferably within 12-18 hours and
definitely within 24 hours. The work goes on 24 hours a day and in most cases
7 days a week during the crushing season. There are about 250 diesel hydraulic
locomotives in use and about 52,000 cane "bins", both four-wheel and bogie, are
used to transport the chopped cane. Locomotives of up to 520 kilowatts power
(700hp) are in use, with numbers of them converted to 610 mm (2 ft) gauge from
1067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and even standard gauge. The furthest run to a mill is 119
km and the average distance hauled ranges up to 35 km. Trains can run at 40
km/h and can be up to 2000 tonnes in weight and one kilometre in length.
The first half of the Twentieth Century saw overseas manufacturers like Fowler,
Malcolm Moore, Simplex and Motor Rail produce small locomotives that were
ideal for shunting and hauling small loads over the lightly laid tramlines. These
early locomotives were powered by small petrol engines with chain drives to the
axles through mechanical transmissions.
From the mid 1950’s Australia's sugar millers were rapidly replacing their steam
locomotives with diesels and as tonnages and train lengths became bigger, the
need to have heavier and more powerful locomotives developed. Manufacturers
like the Drewry Car Company, Walkers and Bundaberg Foundry offered light
weight but powerful locomotives. These and future rigid locomotives were
powered by diesel engines driving mechanical or hydraulic/hydrostatic transmissions to an axle or a jackshaft, where side rods would transfer power to the
driving axles. The majority of locomotives are 0-6-0DH or B-B DH types,
ranging from 15 tonnes to 40 tonnes.
In 1962 orders for over 100 2 ft gauge diesel locomotives had been placed, with
the market split between two of Australia's largest manufacturing companies Clyde Engineering Co. and Commonwealth Engineering (Queensland). The
family engineering business of E. M. Baldwin & Sons was also approached to
build a small canefield locomotive, and a year later the firm commenced its
pioneering work with flame-proofed rail vehicles. With frequent visits to potential and established customers to find what they needed, and a work environment
that promoted flexibility, over time E. M. Baldwin & Sons became the most
innovative and successful builder of diesel industrial railway equipment in
Australia, best known for their introduction to the Australian sugar industry of
the bogie canefield locomotive.
Rolling stock consists largely of cane "bins" which are box-like containers on
wheels, often constructed from tubular steel with wire mesh sides. These vary
in capacity from 4 tonnes to 14 tonnes. Four-wheel bins range up to 10 tonne
capacity, while bogie designs are used for larger types. Couplings range through
hook & chain, link & pin, a ball and socket type coupling, and miniature
Willison automatic couplers.
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Much of my background information for this article came from the excellent
web pages of the Light Railway Research Society of Australia, their web site is
www.lrrsa.org.au which is well worth a visit. The LRRSA also publish what
looks like an interesting book - ‘Built by Baldwin’ written by Craig Wilson but
I have not located a UK stockist.
I came across some interesting movie clips on YouTube using the search criteria
‘baldwin cane locomotive’, as well as the full size locos there are clips of a 7¼”
gauge petrol-electric model that uses a Toyota Starlet car engine driving two
large 270amp alternators which have been modified to drive two electric traction motors. The loco weighs 765kg and is shown in one of the clips pulling a
train of almost 2,500kg. It pulled that load with ease up a 1 in 30 gradient and is
based at Boulder Creek Tramway in Tasmania. A web search of ‘boulder creek
tramway’ leads to a web site that has several photos of the loco under construction (and also lists the YouTube clips)
We shall await with interest news of Andy’s new project, in the meantime below
are a couple of Andy’s photos of the sugar cane railway.
Parish Notices
March 21st
May 10th
June 6th
July 5th
August 1st
August 16th
September 12th
Boiler testing day at Leatherhead - note new venue
Visit to Fawley Hill Railway
Visit to Norwich & DSME
Visit to Sutton Coldfield MES (now on Sunday 5th )
Visit to Surrey SME, Leatherhead and MOC AGM
Visit to Worthing & DSME
Visit to Derby SMEE
When visiting another Club, owners of steam models must take with them a valid
current boiler certificate and ensure they have Public Liability insurance cover as
the insurance of the host club may not cover visiting models. Please let the host
know you are coming, it helps with catering and planning the event.
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Factory news Winter 2015
As I write we are expecting arrival of the new Case traction engine, this is the
one that was delayed by having the prototype stolen some years ago and it has
taken this long to recover the project. This is an American prototype, very
different in design to the normal British style engine, with a working clutch
mechanism and springing on a bewildering array of pivoting arms and levers.
One thing queried on this design is the fact that the reversing lever is pulled back
to make the engine run forward. A good hard look at the Hackworth type valve
gear showed that this was not easily changed. I then checked working full size
engines on You Tube, sure enough the lever works the wrong way round! That
is going to cause some confusion with new owners. This reminds me of a
customer a few years ago complaining that the flywheel on his Aveling lorry
rotated the other way to the wheels while the traction engine rotated the “right”
way. They are both three shaft engines so the all gear drive on the traction
engine rotates the flywheel one way while the chain drive on the lorry gives the
opposite rotation. If there is a quirk in the prototype design it is still going to be
there in the model!
The small Allchin traction engines are selling well in the run up to Christmas,
all the black ones are gone. We expect to be out of stock of this engine some
time this winter so if you fancy one don’t leave it too long.
During last summer we have been asked for the LMS 4F on a number of
occasions, in view of this we are ordering a new batch of these locomotives for
2015. These will be expected late spring or summer, after the next batch of 5”
Alice engines and the SE&CR R1 in 7 ¼” gauge, both eagerly awaited. We
expect to have the new 5” Class 25 locomotive ready for next season as well,
with just the mould to be completed for the glass fibre body.
We felt there was a gap in the electric locomotive range between the Planet and
the large main line diesels. As a result of my Australian visit we have come up
with a narrow gauge bogie diesel design, effectively a large Planet on two
bogies. This is a pretty close copy of the type of engine built by the Australian
firm of E M Baldwin in New South Wales for use in the sugar industry. These
remarkable sugar cane lines constitute the largest use of industrial 2ft gauge
railways in the world today, with trains carrying up to one thousand tons of cane.
For an idea of what to expect have a look at Australian sugar cane railways on
YouTube. Look out for this engine later this year.
Most preserved lines in Australia work steam on Sundays so our trips were
timed to coincide with a steam up. We went on the Brisbane Steam Sunday trip
with a 3ft 6” gauge 4-6-0, then visited the Queensland railway museum before
travelling down to Sydney where we made contact with Roger Jones of Mini
Train Systems, our Australian agents. 22
Roger took us around visiting a number of 5” gauge club lines along with the
NSW railway museum.
After this we went to
see some friends in
Canberra, here there
was another museum
to visit, and this one
had a standard gauge
4-8-4+4-8-4 Garratt in
steam for a boiler test.
An unexpected treat,
see the photo on the
left.
This was followed by a flight to
Cairns in northern Queensland.
This was timed to coincide with the
Sunday steam up on the 2ft gauge
Bally Hooley sugar line at Port
Douglas. Our loco (on the right)
was ‘Bundy’, built in 1952 by the
Bundaberg Foundry under license
from Fowlers of Leeds. The loco is
coal fired using ‘local’ coal, transported by road from Blair Athol,
only 500 miles away.
At this location we also managed to visit some working cane lines and the
Kuranda Scenic Railway climbing the escarpment behind Cairns offering superb views over the coastline.
This was all rounded off with sight seeing in Hong Kong from the top of a 3ft
6in gauge four wheel tram car! I am still not sure how I got away with so much
railway content in one holiday!
It does not seem like a year ago since I started going part-time. Alex, Michelle
and the rest of the staff at Maxitrak have coped well without me (maybe better!).
This has given me the chance to concentrate on design work as well as doing
some trips and getting on with some long term old car restoration.
Andy
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¾” scale Allchin traction engine
The prototype for this model is an agricultural traction engine built by
Allchin in their well known “Globe” steam works, Northampton, England.
This engine has typical Victorian characteristics of the period, with a
short smokebox, straight back tender, smaller front wheels and “dumpy”
looking boiler.
This sort of engine would be in general agricultural use, particularly
working threshing machines and other equipment with a belt drive off the
flywheel. There was a choice of power, this being the 7 nominal horse
power version built in 1893.
The model is built to the following dimensions
Length: 314mm, Height: 214mm, Width: 140mm, Weight: 3.5kg
Single flue gas burner with tender tank, displacement lubricator, Stephenson link valve gear with reversing lever, Piston valve, Single speed three
shaft transmission with neutral
Optional extras include: Lining and Globe works lettering transfer set,
Name plate set, Number plate set, Lamp set, Rubber tyres for wheels,
Scale shovel, bucket and hose set, Wooden footplate to go over lubricator
MAXITRAK LIMITED
10/11 Larkstore Park, Lodge Road, Staplehurst, Kent TN12 0QY
Tel: +44(0) 1580 893030 Fax: +44(0) 1580 891505
Email: [email protected] Web site: www.maxitrak.com
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