Want to ride on a miniature railway? In Walton park in Sale, Greater Manchester (some will say Cheshire), the Sale Area Model Engineering Society are keeping the art and tradition of model engineering alive. Miniature model trains you can ride on. Join us as we get a tour of their facility as they host one of their open days. They have a 440 yard track with two gauges (3 1/2" and 5")
Model live steam locomotives predominate as the most popular modelling subject in model engineering. Live steam refers to the use of pressurised steam, heated in the model locomotive's own boiler, to turn the wheels via miniature steam cylinders. Not all locomotives are live steam - some model engineers make model locomotives powered by electricity or internal combustion engines. The criteria however is that the model is self-propelled, hence requiring an engine to be made or motor to be installed, as opposed to the (usually much smaller) model trains that rely on an electrified track to run.
Live steam locomotives are made in a range of sizes, or scales, according to track gauge. The larger gauges are usually found on club tracks or miniature railways, and are intended to haul the driver and passengers. Usual club track gauges are 3½", 5" and 7¼", and 4¾" and 7½" in North America. Various gauges have existed over time. 3½" and 5" gauge were proposed in 1898 as standard model gauges. Not all model live steam locomotive enthusiasts are model engineers (and vice versa). There are many live steam enthusiasts who prefer running the models on a track rather than spending long hours building them in a workshop, and so purchase a ready made model locomotive. However, for many the joy of the hobby lies in the manufacturing process, ending in the great satisfaction of a running engine of any sort, which can be immense.
Wicked Acorn is "a man in a shed who makes things" www.wickedacorn.com
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Sale Area Model Engineering Society www.waltonparktrains.co.uk
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