Jon from SW UK

[Nobby Sideways]

Good Afternoon, my name is Jon and I come from the South West of England on the Dorset/Wiltshire border. I'm a Military Flight Simulator engineer, coming from a background of aircraft flight testing as a Flight Test Instrumentation engineer with a bit of motorsport thrown in.

I'm primarily interested in steam engines and older internal combustion engines. I'd love to build something like a scale Merlin Engine one day but will probably content myself with small steam engines.

I've recently completed a Martin Evans "William" in 3.5" gauge which I steam at my local MES whenever possible (WWSME near Westbury, Wiltshire). This locomotive I purchased half-complete from a lady in Wales whose father started it but became discouraged by some of the feedback he received at his MES so stuck with Traction engines, and passed away with it covered in dust under the stairs. I've learned a lot from machining up all the fittings, plumbing, and improving the motionwork, which hopefully will aid me with the completion of my 3.5" Britannia (to LBSC's drawings). I am lucky enough to have my grandfathers old ML7 and a Seig Mill to play with.

My first build was a Stuart 10H; I quite like horizontal steam engines. I'm currently sketching up a design for a slide valve twin cylinder slide valve engine with a flywheel between the cylinders, and potentially a vertical boiler to power it. My aim is to make an engine that will run at a very low speed, or with enough torque to run something interesting.

Thanks for reading,

Jon.

[Dave Otto]

Hi Jon
Welcome to MEM!

Dave

[Vixen]

Hello Jon

Another welcome to the MEM forum

Mike

[Nobby Sideways]

Thank you very much. 

[simplyloco]

Welcome from 'Simplyloco'!

[Roger B]

Welcome to the Forum   

[nj111]

Good to have you here!

[Nobby Sideways]

Thanks all, already spotting some names I've seen before elsewhere!

[Kim]

Hi Jon,
Welcome!  Sounds like you're already off on creating a new build thread!   I'll certainly be following along 
Kim

[Jo]

  Jon

Thanks all, already spotting some names I've seen before elsewhere!

Small World isn't it 


Are you are planning on a gas powered boiler as they are quick and easy to get going? I know the shows get very fussy fussy if you are shovelling coal on their display tables  .

Jo

[Nobby Sideways]

I really love coal fired stuff, if that means I don't get to fire it at shows I'll take that on the chin.

I've already got a Stuart Boiler which will be meths powered but I think this will need something with a bit more grunt, hence the vertical design. I'll include a blower and blastpipe to get her boiling up well.

[rick41]

Welcome!  I read most of your posts on the Model Engineering Clearing House site.
Rick , Cape Cod & Sarasota

[jadge]

Jon: Welcome to the forum. I'd hazard a guess that you do/did work at A&AEE Boscombe Down? I worked there for a few months of detached duty in the late 1970s. I've also worked in motorsport, mostly Indy car with a bit of F1 thrown in for good measure.

Andrew

[Nobby Sideways]

Jadge,

That's right, I used to work there as a Flight Test Instrumentation engineer looking after the instrumentation on the Empire Test Pilot School fleet, then as a systems engineer, and then for Boeing modifying Chinooks. The one thing all these jobs had in common was I wasn't very good at them. My family have worked on that site for a couple of generations, but I've now broken the mould and left for another site.