GMES Gala 2nd & 3rd July 2022

[Kim]

Thanks for the pictures of the show, Jo and Mike!
Sorry the attendance was so low
But as has been said, hopefully, you all had some fun

Kim

[Admiral_dk]

Thank you to you too, for the pictures Mike     

Per

[Bearcar1]

Jo, Mike, I would like to thank-you both for supplying some excellent photos of some extremely fine engines. WOW!! Wish I could hasve been there, but alas, getting across the pond would have made the trip far to pricey for my tight arse to fathom.    Several years ago there were several shows around in the area, but as the memberships of those clubs has dwindled, the shows are almost non-existent anymore, and when they do appear, it is the same old collection of models that, don't get me wrong. are beautiful, but new presentations would sure be a blessing. The youth of today do not seem to find this hobby as entertaining as modern video games or they feel the rewards are just to time consuming for them to champion through. Its the instant gratification thing rearing its ugly head I suppose. Anyway,, once again, THANK-YOU for sharing your outing with us. 


BC1
Jim

[derekwarner]

Thanks....certainly some amazingly beautiful model work........... ....... Derek

[Pete49]

Thanks for the pics of a fine collection and variety of engines. I was there in spirit.

[Larry]

Great pictures. Thanks so much.

[Zephyrin]

Thanks to share these pictures, large collections of various models, all made with an incredible level of skills !
Really top notch work...

With this never-ending pandemic, many people have changed their interests and no longer go to their usual meetings.
last fall, the audience was so small that our modest steam train rally, a crowded week-end usually, turned into a club meeting.

[bobh]

It looks like you had a beautiful day outside and a good visit with friends. Be glad  for what you have. I wish we had something like that over here to go to. You said something about showing the evolution of Stuart verticals, maybe you could do a quick write up on them here? Bob

[Jo]

You said something about showing the evolution of Stuart verticals, maybe you could do a quick write up on them here? Bob

Sidney Marmaduke Stuart Turner, was generally known by his second middle name 'Stuart' over his years he tried his hand at many things but he eventually arrived at Shiplake, near Henley-on-Thames and got the job of looking after the steam generating plant at Shiplake Court. While at Shiplake Court, Stuart Turner designed the first of a long series of model steam engines now known as the Stuart No. 1 Engine.



This was the very first Stuart design and it has been made with very few modifications, ever since 1901, featuring in every single catalogue ever since. It is considered to be a very fine engine with beautiful lines and has the advantage of being not too difficult to build. The Single standard holding the cylinder above the crankshaft is quick to machine and can be made on a relatively small lathe. The completed engine running at 1000rpm could generate 1/4 HP so was more than adequate to drive the constructor's lathe if required.

But, there is always a but... this engine is designed to run in only one direction with the crankshaft turning and connecting rod pushing away from the standard on the downstroke. With the crankshaft running in the correct direction the crosshead is pushed into the standard bearing surface and pulled into it on the up stroke. Running the engine in reverse apples force to the crosshead guides that are not designed for full support.

ST recognised the need for a reversing engine and introduced the No 5, which had the same bore and stroke as the No 1 but with options for a slip eccentric or Stephenson's reversing gear to change the engines running direction.

Surus's size Naughty engine is similar to the original Stuart 5 as it has two standards:



My intention is to build this engine with slip eccentrics so that I have at least one example in my collection. Slip eccentrics are simpler to manufacture than reversing gear but require the engine to be stopped to reposition the eccentric strap - possibly not a problem if running a lathe.



But (another but  ) a pair of standards can be a real devil to machine and set up with the correct running gaps on both standards and many attempts can be found on these early engines where the builders could not get the tolerances quiet right  Then someone came up with an alternative arrangement replacing the standards with an A frame shape that could have the cross head surface turned on a lathe.

The No 5 proved to be a good engine for boats but lacked a bit on the power front so when the time came to update the design with the A frame ST also increased the Bore diameter by 1/4".  Hence we have the Stuart 5A (all Stuart designs with these A frames have a letter A in their designation).



On this 5A you can see the "posh" reversing gear the Stephenson's reversing gear . The engine can be reversed while still running using the lever. It also has the advantage that you can "notch it back" which means reducing the movement of the valve so that steam is let into the cylinder for less time.  The result is that the engine uses steam more efficiently. On Steam Locomotives there are notches on the reversing lever into which a peg drops to hold the lever in position, the Stuart reversing gear does not have the notches 

This proved to be a successful boat design so much that in 1976 they introduced a double engine version - the Swan:





With the Swan design was a complicated condenser design which utilised car parts  available in the mid 1970's. This engine does not sport those as I thought they looked horrible. And, No I wasn't going to lift the Swan outside to photograph it 

Jo

[Vixen]

Thank you Jo

That's some very interesting background information. We need more background stories like it. They add so much to the whole Stuart Turner story and name.

No I wasn't going to lift the Swan outside to photograph it 
Jo

Or wipe the cobwebs off before the photo   

Mike

[Jo]

No I wasn't going to lift the Swan outside to photograph it 
Jo

Or wipe the cobwebs off before the photo   

Mike

Or get the vacuum out to remove the wood ash 

Jo

[crueby]

Great collection and story of the Stuart engines Jo!

[Michael S.]

Jo, thanks for the detailed history of Stuart steam engines. I just think this series of machines is classically beautiful! I built the number 1, 10, and 5 A myself. I'm still missing number 7.
A set of materials is currently on offer on ebay for around €350. Maybe I should grab it?
At my first exhibition with Stuart's number 1, an old ship's engineer immediately pointed out to me that there was only one preferred direction of rotation with a half A stand. With ship steam engines of this type, the ship's propeller should fit the machine for forward travel.

Thanks for the pictures and greetings Michael

[Roger B]

The various Stuart 'small power' engines are very interesting    Where did the boilers come from? In Henry Greenly's book he describes a flash steam boiler for a workshop power system. What did other people use for workshops, boats, etc?

[Jasonb]

Like the engines stuartturnersteam has some details and history of some of  the various boilers that have been available over time. The "kit boilers" are likely to have been used to drive workshop engine.

http://stuartturnersteam.com/