Power for the Beam Engine

The main body was re-worked

A few weeks ago, Sue built a version of Bert Love's Beam engine as a static model. See HERE. The model was used as a guess the number of parts competition at the recent NELMC Exhibition. The model became a bit of a talking point on the day as the construction made it look a bit different.  Built using zinc strips instead of plates in order to increase the parts count, it has a very solid feel.

The modified engine...

...and from the other side

The original Bert Love model was powered by an Embo motor and was friction drive to the flywheel via a pulley and rubber tyre. I decided to have a go at powering the model. The friction drive seemed like a good idea but I decided to use a modern geared motor supplied by Stan Baker in New Zealand.

The motor and friction drive unit

A very simple motor/friction drive was built as shown in the photograph above, This was installed on a threaded pin that was fixed to the inside of the base. this allows the rubberised tyre to swing into contact with the flywheel. it is held in position with an aero collar. this allows just enough float along the axle to allow the tyre to 'follow the flywheel without binding.

The motor and friction drive mounted into the body

Pressure is applied using a tension spring attached to the drive assembly and anchored to a rod, held in place across the inside of the body by a couple of collars - see not all our parts are shiny! Meccano tension springs are too long for this job so I found one in a selection box of springs I found in one of the cut-price supermarkets, Aldi, I think.

Now for the test...

 

...That's good it works! The addition of a motor makes all the difference - I like this one!

Ralph.