Includes a selection of projects for economical and easy-to tackle conversions of ready-to-run models to transform them into unavailable loco classes and variants.

Those of an engineering bent who wish to make a live steam model have a basic choice between a railway locomotive, a stationery engine, a marine engine or a traction engine in one form or another. The locomotive needs a track, the marine engine a hull and a stretch of water, but a traction engine can run on any area of reasonable ground. Coupled with the enormous growth of interest in preserving and running full-sized engines at agricultural shows and steam rallies, it is no wonder that traction engine models are so popular. In this book, John Haining, the doyen of traction engine modelling, explains what is involved in the construction of working steam models and outlines briefly the history and variety of such engines. A degree of reader familiarity with normal machine work and workshop practice is assumed, but even the inexperienced lathe owner will easily follow the procedures with the aid of the many clear illustrations provided by the author and will be encouraged to try his hand at this fascinating branch of model engineering.

A considerable amount of engineering work takes place on the bench, using hand tools and techniques which are second nature to those who earn their living in an engineering environment; they probably learned at a technical college, as an apprentice, or possibly by the example of older and more experienced workmates. The amateur or hobbyist engineer may not have enjoyed such advantages and, for example, may break a lot of hacksaw blades because he has not been shown how to use the saw or what sort of blades he should be using. This book sets out to cover all the normal bench processes in a simple but informative manner which should help all who have come to enjoy working with metals but whose education did not include a grounding in the basics of engineering benchwork.

All professional engineers have a little book in which they jot down those notes of fact, figures and formulae which they feel that they are likely to need on future occasions. It is always more convenient to look up one's own records than to wade through a lot of associated, but irrelevant material, especially as this may mean a trip to the reference library. Over a period of years, the contents of such notebooks grow to cover a wealth of vital information, and the time saved can be considerable. During his professional life, Tubal Cain filled three such books and, as a lifelong engineer, he is in a unique position to select (and add to) the material most useful to the amateur engineer. Model Engineer's Handbook comprises a compilation of those tables, facts, procedures and data which the author himself found valuable in his model engineering activities and it provides a real mine of information to which you will return again and again. Not the least of its attributes is the use, where appropriate, of data and calculations in both Imperial and SI units, so that all generations of model engineers can feel at home. In this third edition, all the existing data has been updated or re-arranged for greater clarity and much new matter has been added to provide an even more comprehensive book, indispensable to the expert and beginner alike.

Discover a relaxing new hobby, with all the equipment and techniques you need to create 25 beautiful botanical watercolours