Marc Horovitz also has built a clockwork locomotive using the mighty Mecanno No. 1 motor as a base. It is in 7/8ths scale with the interesting name of "Greek Flag". Here's his story...

"Greek Flag" is so named because an olive-oil can by the same name provided most of the raw material for the engine's body. The prime mover is a reversible Meccano motor from the 1950s, a gift from Mr. D.B. Pinniger of Great Britain, who said casually, as he handed me the motor, "This would make a fine 7/8"-scale engine." I silently cursed him because it was plain that I would now have to build one. Greek Flag is the result.

The locomotive has frames made of maple, with ball bearings inset. These are covered with brass disks screwed to the outside with tiny wood screws. The wheels were turned on my lathe, as were the sprockets, which were made to fit some ladder chain I had in the scrap box. The body work, as mentioned above, is tinplate, largely from a one-gallon olive-oil can. I had wanted to try working in tinplate, and this is my first effort. I'm looking forward to more of this and have been stockpiling old cans.

Levers were contrived so that the engine could be started, stopped, and reversed from the cab. These link up with the levers on the motor via shafts outside the frames and beneath the footplate. Dummy gauges finish out the cab. There was no key, so I made one out of square K&S tubing, inset into a round shaft. The key was polished and lacquered so it will never tarnish.

After ten full turns of the key, the engine will run at a fine, sedate speed about three quarters of the way around my railway, which translates to around 100+ feet, which I find satisfactory.

I plan, at some indefinite point in the future, to build a 7/8"-scale, point-to-point line to be powered entirely by scratchbuilt clockwork locos.

Stay tuned.

 

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