Boys Toys and All Steam Ahead

About a week ago a colleague at work, knowing my love of tinkering with all things mechanical and old, came into the office and asked me if I would have a go at fixing something for him. He had bought it when his lad was a very young boy ( he’s now in his thirties) but it’s been in the loft for the last 20 years and it won’t go. “What is it” I asked but he would not tell me he just said “you’ll love it, I’ll bring it in next time I’m in the office. The next couple of days I was out of the office undertaking contracted work, but when I returned on Monday there was a box on my desk with a note attached saying, “weve tried to start it but it wont go or do anything, see what you can do please”.

Well Talk about toys for the boys – I could not wait to get it home and start tinkering. “What is it” I hear you all ask, well here’s a clue.

Still don’t know, well it was what I can only describe as every boys dream in the 1950’s-60’s I would have given my right arm for one of them here’s another clue

It was a working model of a steam traction Engine, built by Birminham Compay Mamod Limited of Gravelly Hill which used to be close to Salford Junction. At the time that my colleague had bought it, the company we both work for were working in association with them and he used to go in there as their Training Officer looking after their apprentices. Here is the inside of the flyer that was inside the bow showing the full range of the vehicles that they had on offer.

Below are all the bits as they came out of the box, all there, just in need of a little TLC.

I started by doing what every young boy does, working on the kitchen table and taking it all apart to see how it works (usually used to end up remaining in it’s box ,in bits, for the rest of it’s life) after stripping down I examined all the moving parts for damage or wear and all seemed all right then the fault became obviously apparent to me. The years spent in the loft without oiling and with the remnants of the last charge of steam left in the cylinder without cleaning had, first of all allowed a ‘growth’ of verdigris to turn the inside of the cylinder green stopping the free movement of the piston, and secondly there was that much clag in the workings that the steam delivery valve/hole was completely blocked. With the assemble completely removed and the piston eased out through the top end,I was able to run a strip of cloth coated in brasso through the cylinder and remove all the gunk. The delivery hole was simply cleaned with some Ajax surface cleaner, a cotton bud and a cocktail stick left over from Casino Royalle. All parts were then cleaned , wiped over with a clean oily rag then re-assembled. The safety relief valve was unscrewed and the small funnel placed into it’s hole in the top of the boiler and the boiler was filled from a boiled kettle (just to speed the process up) and the water level checked on the working sight glass! Two of the solid fuel tablets were loaded into the fire tray and the whole thing put back together. I struck a match and lit the fuel then sat back while the magic was performed.

A bit like starting my Bolinder and it’s at this point with the bolly that I usually put the kettle on and make a brew, or as in the case of the traction engine I decided to amuse myself by reading the text on the side of the solid fuel tablet box, and amused I was as I thought what Health and Safety would make of it today and state “What sort of toy is this to give to a small child” for the warning read.

May be harmful or fatal if swallowed. Not to be used by children except under adult supervision. Contains Methenamine – in case of accidental ingestion, feed sodium bicarbonate and give plenty of water to drink. Call a physician immediately! So that’s why Dads always played with them and the child would not get a look in, the dads were ensuring the child’s safety!

After five minutes of heating, the hiss of escaping steam from the cylinder told me that she was ready. A couple of spins on the flywheel and she was away. Childhood dreams flooded back aided by the smell of the steam and the hot oil.

With the fire box held up on the box of matches and under full steam, holding the traction wheel off the table allowed the engine to just run as can be seen from the blur of the flywheel and driving wheel unfortunately what did not show up was the steam coming out of the stack. While I sat there ‘playing ‘ I gave several loud blasts on the steam whistle which alerted the attention of my good lady wife who stuck her head round the kitchen door, tutted, shook her head muttered ‘childish’ then disappeared back into the lounge. I continued playing until the steam ran out! After wiping every thing down, it was all carefully put back into it’s original box ready to take back to the office tomorrow. I don’t really want to give it back though!

I must go down the boat this week end and have another tinker with my Bolinder- that will do the trick, as always

Don’t bang ‘em about

Blossom.