Meccano Marine Steam Engine

Описание: This is the Marine steam Engine from the 1950 7-8 manual.
I built this and also the 3 cylinder set 9 version back in the mid-60s and then (as now) I prefer the more elegant lines of the two cylinder model.
As a young lad I just built to the plan without question and its only now with an extra 58 years under my belt that I look more closely at my models. Often with Meccano I find that I end up researching the prototype and this always highlights design compromises and results in “improvements”. The trick is knowing when to stop, otherwise you might as well ignore the manual and design from scratch.
I’ve attempted to retain the spirit of the original but there are many changes. The bearing layout was bizarre so I’ve beefed this up a bit. No valve gear was present so I’ve added Stephenson’s which is fully working. The jacking engine at the low pressure end is a fake, but looks the part. In the prototype the vertical worm is removable for normal running and is added when maintenance is to be done. The steam jacking engine can rotate the crankshaft to precise positions and the worm “locks” the crankshaft to prevent sea currents rotating the propeller with disastrous consequences for engineering staff.
I added a plinth to hide the electric motor and also give the whole model more presence.
It runs really well and is fascinating to watch. I can strongly recommend this model (even in its original form). Interestingly it disappeared in subsequent manuals, probably reflecting the changing engineering interest of Meccano builders.