Tidman Organ Engine Castings

[Stewart HartParticipant @stewarthart90345]

Hi

Does any one know of a supplier of Casting for the Tidman Organ Engine.

I know full size Casting sets were available at one time but I have no idea who supplied them and when, my own research has drawn a blank, any information would be appreciated.

For those interested a goolge search will come up with pictures and information of the engine

Stew

[Stewart HartParticipant @stewarthart90345]

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

There was a set on e-bay that hung about for quite a while.

We will have to do a tune together as I fancy doing a larger size Savage one at some time. Though I will fabricate mine.

Nice one on youtube that was only posted recently, may be worth contacting the builder to see if he knows of a source, or even a copy of the drawings if you are going to scratch build.

Edited By JasonB on 26/01/2015 09:56:27

[davidsuffolkParticipant @davidsuffolk]

Bit of a co-incidence here as the building of this engine in the YouTube article was submitted to ME as an article for consideration and I hope it may appear soon.

As for a source of castings I can't help. The set I bought were the ones on eBay. The vendor said that they were originally made by a small company that had ceased trading many years before. He had bought 5 or 6 sets (all there was) and the one I had was the last left and which he had planned to make for himself.

As far as I know, there are no plans anywhere (which made the building for me as a beginner quite a challenge) but there is a complete example in the Bridewell Museum in Norwich, The curator there was very helpful and took it off display so I could measure and photograph it.

I put a request for help on the homeworkshop website and I was contacted by a man with another set, at that time unbuilt and I have since been told that there is a further set with a man in Norfolk.

If wished I am more than happy to share my very limited knowledge.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

David, I think that is why Stew is asking as it would have been nice to include a source for castings to go with your article.

I have a lead for another man in Surrey with a set

[davidsuffolkParticipant @davidsuffolk]

The eBay vendor told me that he had bought all the sets from Gratton Model Engineering when the owner sold up due to ill health some 8 years before. I don't know any more than that and whether Gratton had them cast themselves or bought them in.

[Stewart HartParticipant @stewarthart90345]

Thanks for your replies and information chaps.

It would seem there are odd sets of casting about but you need to search them out and have a bit of luck dropping on them.

Stew

[Diane CarneyModerator @dianecarney30678]

I am strangely drawn to this engine and David has written a nice little article. Unfortunately the whereabouts of the patterns is apparently unknown but I am still inclined to publish the article. It's certainly uncommon, compared to the Savage version of (essentially) the same thing. You never know – the patterns might just turn up once it goes to print. That would be nice, woudln't it? Is anyone familiar with the surviving foundries of the Derby area? They may just be in a cardboard box in a cupboard somewhere…

Diane

Edited By Diane Carney on 28/01/2015 00:24:57

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Then again there are those of us who like to fabricate a model from scratch and don't really need any castings This also gives us a chance to adjust the size to suit our machines.

As you say its a nice looking engine and I prefer the governor arrangement.

David if you have any of your own sketches or drawings these would be useful to go with teh article or maybe Diane could put them up on teh site in teh subscribers area?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Could be a first for someone to prepare the STL files for 3D printing lost-plastic patterns.to accompany an ME article?

There was a Sheffield-based company who can get castings from prints at MEX.

Neil

[davidsuffolkParticipant @davidsuffolk]

Sadly, the only sketches I made were done in a notebook which got very dirty as the building progressed and in any case were extremely sparse. Definitely not sufficient or good enough to be any help to others!

I had really looked for plans because the original maker was local to me but even the Norfolk archive said they had nothing. Tidman ceased trading in the 1920s and not much seems to be left.

The reasoning behind the article wasn't so much as to say look at this perfect copy of an original engine but more to document the trials and tribulations of a complete beginner trying to make his first "proper" build"

Most of the parts were made just based on the photos of the museum machine and were complete guesstimates for position and size. I used what I had to hand rather than what perhaps there should be and consequently there is a mix of imperial and metric. The screws are all imperial for example whereas the shafts are all metric sizes. If anyone wished to make a copy I don't suppose it will be a problem as it wouldn't matter if a shaft was 12.5mm instead of 1/2" ? I really ought to re-iterate that many of the parts were just what I thought "looked right" rather than being correct. The governor for example didn't exist on the machine in the museum so I had to guess what should have been there.What is on the final machine is about the 3rd version (as the first 2 didn't work well!) and was made as much for looks as function.

What I can do however is to measure my machine and try to draw some basic plans but with the caveat that they may be not 100% correct to the original. I have friend who may be able to change hand drawn to proper engineering drawings. This may well take a while so probably best if I email them to ME later on. If anyone does want to try and build from scratch I am more than happy to measure or send a picture of a specific part.

[Diane CarneyModerator @dianecarney30678]

Posted by JasonB on 28/01/2015 07:28:37:

Then again there are those of us who like to fabricate a model from scratch and don't really need any castings This also gives us a chance to adjust the size to suit our machines.

Indeed.

I think, as David says, we might publish some basic drawings with the article. Should be good…!

Diane

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Speaking as an ME subscriber… In the past there were regularly articles (like my short roller one ) that just gave general arrangements and critical dimensions – Locomotives Worth Modelling, for example, and more recently Edwardian Elegance.

These are usually a single part and a nice complement to long constructional series. Something similar for the Tidman woudl be welcomed here!

Neil

[davidsuffolkParticipant @davidsuffolk]

I have my rule and pencil in my hand as I type. Hopefully have something to send by the end of the day!

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