Member postings for RevStew

Can I just thank Silly Old Duffer for his wonderful, entertaining, and easy to follow descriptions of things. S.O.D, please tell me you're a teacher?

Ah you baby boomers, you do make me larf!. 8 grand for a lathe, painted to match the orangery no doubt, and will it fit in the boot of the Jaguar XF?

Ah, you can almost smell the wet ink on the most recent pension statement.

"Eee times used ter be ard", they say, as they lean nonchalantly on the old '254' in the double garage...

"And then we bought our first 'ouse. Scrimped and saved we did, and lo and behold, things were wonderful for the next 50 years...."

I was in Florida as close as you could get for the launch of the shuttle mission (Challenger) STS 41G in 1984, and I remember being amazed even then by the immense amount of energy needed to escape atmosphere with just a relatively small payload, and then weeks later nature reclaiming her debts in a show of light and sound and heat.

It takes a lot to get things away from earth. Obviously the future is in sorting those things out away from earth orbit, and accelerating them as efficiently as possible, even if it takes a lot of time.

Hi all.

I'm considering a used Flexispeed Meteor 2. Apart from the usual, is there anything I need to know? More importantly, if wear exists, can it be rebuilt and how? It's purpose is to build a 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 gauge loco at the very most, amongst other smaller projects.

Can new chucks be fitted to this machine?

Your advice very much appreciated.

Edited By RevStew on 24/11/2018 11:50:42

Hi, yes, I've read all that, the 'Battle of the boilers' and interesting it is too. I just thought, before I knew more, that the Ayesha castings were to his design, like the later and indeed current castings are. But now I realise he came up with a design for his loco, and used proprietary castings from what were then current, and available designs.

Lovely to read of the little loco being considered old in the 1930's, I wonder what those guys would have thought if they knew it was still running in 2018?

I wonder what a modern day Curly would be doing? Would sort of modeling would he be championing? He would no doubt be much more comfortable in today's world with his favoured mode of dressing, and his other eccentricities may well now have been considered to have been on the autistic spectrum. Personally I find his slightly cryptic form of writing very pleasing, and it spans the generations very well for anyone moderately well read. When reading his contributions it's like they were written yesterday, and it comes as a repeated shock to realise the guy was already old in 1950. How long since his birth? 140 years now?

Many contributors of the time come across like the Harry Enfield 'Mr Cholmondley-Warner and Grayson' characters, and LBSC is the polar opposite of that.

Having read many ME magazines and the book on LBSC (his life and locomotives) I still feel unsure as to how 'Ayesha' came to be. Was it (she?) an existing design that he modified, as I understand he purchased the castings, or was it his own design?

One of the reasons I stopped going to airshows. Always some utter git on the PA system, with nothing to say, and saying it too loudly.

If you want to know about the aeroplane, write it's name on the back of your hand, and go home and look it up. In a book.

Well chaps, I'm pretty keen on it being an LBSC design, and not really a lover of narrow gauge, so It's Ayesha in the running so far, although I'd have to drive further to run it, although in that gauge theres always the option of a garden track, if I win the lotto....

Well people, I'm all of a dither.

Money burning a hole and I want to crack on and build something, 3 1/2 gauge maximum. My local track has that as their smallest gauge.

I love Ayesha, but being 6 feet 3 and 18 stone (and looking to loose two stone) I think she'd have trouble pulling me about. I'm mainly looking to pull either me, or 1 other pax.

I like the 'early' looking locos in 3 1/2 Northumbrian, Cantubury Lamb, Rainhill etc, but again, maybe a big ask for a little machine.

I like Maisie, but not for the beginner? But then, if I'm pouring time and money, it may as well be in a more capable loco?

Penny for your thoughts?

Edited By RevStew on 19/11/2018 18:09:19

I keep my digital photos on my PC hard drive, and then I back it up. Why would people want to share them with anyone online?

Oh apparently you can store them on other services, Cloud, Flickr etc etc, but that I'm afraid, is somebody else's computer, no matter how you want to dress it up. You're loading your photos onto somebody else's computer.

Why?

Edited By RevStew on 08/11/2018 21:00:36

I've used that technique on hydraulic systems running up to 720bar. Now here's a thing. I wonder if such an arrangement would be more likely to leak with more pressure, or less pressure?! Anyone care to hazard a guess?

Thanks chaps. I think i have my motivation now!

John, you lucky guy, that's a living piece of history, It must be quite something to drive that engine. It must be close to 100 years old now. I'm so happy that she's still being run. I think Curly would be very very happy about that.

As a PPL and later a CPL/FI, I have had some experience of VW aero engines. Basically a Beetle motor with dual ignition and two spark plugs per cylinder. There are also some chaps who have successfully 'halved' the VW flat 4 and used the resulting 2 cylinder motor in very lightweight aircraft.

We have had a few Beetles in the family, a 1300, 1600GT and a 1303 super beetle, and a bay window camper, so that along with John Muirs excellent book for the 'How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, A Manual of Step By Step Procedures For The Compleat Idiot', means I have a soft spot for this engine.

I always remember reading the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comics, and the 3 hippies in their camper speeding away from the Narcs with the sound of 'Vroooooom-tweetle, Rooooaaaaarrrr-tweetle'

The most perfect literary representation of a VW flat four I've ever heard!

Yup, you're dead on. I seem to be eating OK, but wine and a more sedentary job, and medication for a few things are not helping me. I'm not gaining weight, but not losing either. Serious effort needed! I'd dearly love to be a good bit thinner. I was very good all through my 20's and 30's, 15 to 16 stone, a keen mountain biker and fell walker, but now in mid 40's the old body needs a bit of work!

Hi there.

Does anyone know of someone who has completed a working model of a VW Flat 4 air cooled motor?

Cheers me dears.

Hi all.

Having exchanged a few emails with a nice chap from the 2 1/2 inch gauge society, I find myself interested in the 'Ayesha 2' as a possible build choice. I'm 6 feet 3 and just shy of 18 stone, (around 250 lbs). Is that choice of loco dead before it's started?

I believe LBSC himself was only slight, and the pre-war guys weren't as nourished as we are today, so maybe they didn't have such an issue!

Cheers people!

Edited By RevStew on 02/11/2018 17:04:32

Brass pin punch onto the ball and a sharp tap with a hammer works for me.

Pleased to say I didn't understand a single word of the original post! I don't own a phone, and the internet is something 'she' organises. Posting on here is me at the bleeding edge of my tech world.

Happy, innocent, and free.

Was referring to today's ME content. LBSC's articles are great! I do wonder where all his locos went to though, and lathes and so on. Somebody must have them? Enigmatic sort of chap wasn't he.

Too picture heavy, and text light for me, and the text that is there is often a bit boffin technical. More Model Engineering, and not just Engineering...

Off the topic a bit, how did a niche magazine writer with a dirt poor background who by his own admission didn't get out much, get a house in Purley Oaks?!!