| One of my favourite events is the Harrogate Model Engineering Exhibition in May. The Kirklees lads have a stand there so I get a chance for a good look around in exchange for helping set up and break down the stand.
The exhibits are stunning from the home made railway engines to the all metal Tiger which must be at about 1/6th scale to the multitude of engines of various wonderfull means of propulsion.
I have quite a collection of steam engines now but my favourite is this four cylinder opposed piston engine. The cylinders form a cross with two being opposed and the other two also opposed but at right angles. The whole lot is joined by a pair of sliding con rods that run on eccentrics on the crankshaft. I'll take a picture when I get home.
I also have a three cylinder rotary steam engine, a couple of twins and a few singles. All model engines and all with long term projects in mind.
One more realistic one is a single cylinder steam engine which will be coupled to a controllable pitch propeller. This is because the single cylinder engine is not reversible or self starting so it will be reduced to a tickover only when the pitch is at zero. The engine speed will be controlled at the same time as the pitch is increased giving the thrust. Direction control, will also be on the pitch controller.
I love stuff like this and could play for hours with ideas and experiments.
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“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days" | 
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