ME Content from 1942: better or not?

[Deleted]

Whilst cogitating over the July 2nd, 1942 edition in the bath this morning, I was struck by the diversity of the contents, and the high proportion of editorial material - 21 pages out of 24!
The highly readable contents comprised:

Add to this the fact that it was in the middle of the War, then it could be considered a sterling effort. I haven't read ME in years, apart from my wartime collection, but have things improved?

[rodwilson]

I haven't subscribed to ME for some time. Having said that I now have a large collection and enjoy the old copies. For what it's worth I felt it became too specialized, for me, and aimed more at the experienced engineer.

Having got that off my chest; it is a wonderful source of information and I am wondering if we all have a right to help preserve this as a continuing reference aid.

MEW gets my vote for the less experienced.

[baggo]

Over the last few years I've managed to build up a complete set of ME's right back to volume 40 and quite a few before that and I do find more of interest in the older issues. It's worth reading them just for the old adverts!

It was certainly more varied in content but this is because in the early days it covered just about anything electrical and mechanical. Making your own batteries, dynamos, radios etc were all covered as this was all new technology at the time and ME was the only publication of it's type available. Now we have separate specialist mags for everything so the content of ME is bound to be more limited than before.

I have a regular subscription and will continue with it as long as my interest in model engineering continues, even though some of the modern day contents may not interest me greatly. I've always got several thousand old copies to read instead if there is nothing of interest to me in the new ones ;D

John

[classicsteve]

I have quite a collection from about 1938 through to 1952 - not complete by any means - but a good sample. I love to read them, and aspire to making models half as good.

Back then it seems there were many more people skilled in making things, and many of the SMEs were SMEEs - with the extra E being for experimental. I think it sad that these days a lot of people think everything is known, or at least out of reach of the home workshop - and I don't believe it is true. My next model will be scratch built - a bit of an experiment.

We have also lost the model aircraft engine makers as the engines are available off the shelf, and the hydroplane racers have sunk without trace - and with them, most flash steam development. Now there is something ripe for modern electronic control.

So at this stage I have to admit I don't know if the current Model Engineer is better - in fact I didn't know it still existed! I looked for a website to find an example, but couldn't find one.

For me the extra 'E' made all the difference. I think thats what I like about the 1940s magazines, sure there were great historic recreations, but then there was Westbury and others coming up with novel new designs. There are still people around like that, like Jan Ridders and his hit n miss 2 stroke, piezo ignition, hand made spark plugs. I wonder if any of his stuff has featured in a magazine, and which one ?

Steve

[baggo]

Hi Steve,

Some of Jan Ridders designs have appeared in ME recently. There are still some around designing new stuff. Nemett (Malcolm Stride) has described several new IC engines in recent issues and there have been articles on DIY spark plugs and glow plugs.

The main 'stagnation' is with steam loco design where little has been done since the LBSC days to improve the performance and efficiency of 'our' sizes.

I'm an inherent 'tinkerer' and will always incorporate my own ideas into a project. My 0-6-2 loco project based on Simplex will have a completely redesigned boiler to test out the formulae devised by the late Jim Ewins. He was one of the few 'engineers' in recent years to look at the design of locos and see if he could come up with something better.

I think the problem is that people don't seem to have the time (or even perhaps the knowledge?) to experiment nowadays. They want to spend their limited time building a 'known' design which will at least work when they've finished it. They can't afford the time or expense of a failure.

John

[classicsteve]

John,

I am rather surprised that making steam railway locomotives is still such a stronghold, given the size of them and the need for a track. Maybe it naturally flows from the success of all the preserved steam railways - surely more in GB than the rest of the world put together. Making a loco is a really big challenge.

Has anyone build the Tornado yet ? Thats the most up-to-date steam I can think of (excluding turbines).

Incidentally, talking of experimental engines, I see a Lotus engineer has designed a variable compression 2-stroke which they announced at the Geneva motor show as maybe the engine of the future. Search for Lotus Omnivore - they plan to run it on methanol - that could have been a home grown experiment. Compression can be varied from 8 to 1, to 50 to 1 !

I suppose my point is that Model Engineering doesn't have to be entirely retrospective, back in 1942 it was looking both forward and back, I hope it still is. So where is the ME website so I can see the sort of things they are covering ?

Steve

[standardsteam]

I think there are a few explanations for the content, one is that you couldn't necessarily buy things "off the shelf" in same way the 1950's.

Take the relatively recent development of model gas turbine engines for model aircraft for example. At the start the development was driven mostly by hobbyists, now the precision demanded and relative esoteric nature of the materials (inconel) with associated difficulty of machining to close tolerance and balancing to get the performance means most people that fly their aircraft don't make their engines, they just buy them off the shelf now the trade is established (similar for I/C engines with the exception of multi-cylinder). I've seen very few articles in ME about Gas Turbines, few would build Schreckling's original design with it's coiled copper tube and plywood compressor wheel now, although I would recommend his book!

The other reason I would put forward were the amount of time-served apprentices - more skilled home machinists. There was very little metalworking in secondary schools when I went through over 15 years ago, and now schools are one of the prime sources of used machinery for the model engineer. If you wanted it in 1950, you probably had to make it - although I doubt anyone would make a fridge as described in ME these days!

I suppose the continuing popularity of steam locomotive designs is that, apart from OS, Maxitrack and Polly, they're not really available "off the shelf". It does surprise me though that in LBSC's time he was describing contemporary machinery - his Britannia design was described when the prototype was new in service. Why aren't there designs for things like a Class 66? HST or Eurostar?

[Nigel Bennett]

Why aren't there designs for things like a Class 66? HST or Eurostar?

You can certainly buy a 66 commercially in 5" gauge. Perhaps that's what puts people off - folk will assume you bought it, even if you make one to exhibition standard, complete with miniature 2-stroke diesel and turbocharger!

Eurostar...another box on wheels. You'd be hard pushed to find a track long enough to fit a complete Eurostar on - you'd spend all your time gazing at the back of the rear driving car, assuming you sat on the front one...

[daybb1]

My view is that ME has certainly improved since new editor David Clark took over the reigns. I'm reading much more of the content than I have for several years and enjoying the broader approach to what model engineering is all about.

[steam4ian]

G'day all.

My access to old MEs is through the collection at my club. The older editions do seem better but that may be because of their quaintness and the fact that they are bound together so you can follow a project through quickly. I find the drip feed construction projects painful.
Personally I prefer the MEW style which is less episodic.
One thing the editor needs to watch is what happened to the electronics mags. The articles used to allow much more room for experimentation now they just describe how to stuff manufactured components into a manufactured printed circuit board. The tracks on a PCB fix everything in place and leave no room for modification or development. All the personal ownership has been lost in the march to make the projects idiot proof.

LBSC, Evans et al were designing when steam loco developemnt was contemporary. However we do not have to look back. We can still build improved exhaust systems or emulate Porta's produced gas fire boxes. There are old designs that were never fully developed eg Leader or the German V8 (thankfully a model of the latter has been built and runs successfully). Why not flash steam or velox boiler development?

BTW Less articles about shows, please! Nice for the people who get their models or faces in the mag, boring for the uninvolved. Pictures of what some expert has built do not further the craft, articles about HOW they built it do.

Regards,
Ian

[dscott]

I have found plenty to keep me happy in 4350 issue, even down to the detailing of a class 27 diesel which is crying out for a proper engine to make it sound convincing. I scribbled one out for my 08 with a face over Christmas but need more time!!!
V33 indeed, from stock material.

The Re-cycle engine has me hooked as another project the SIMP
also needs a modern motive power, if a power screwdriver can get you along the track one of these should.

Making piston rings, perfect, I need lots!

Then rounding off with Empire building, Camelot will be pleased.

Well done.

David.