AMAZING MODELS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21507, 21 November 1939, Page 3

AMAZING MODELS

Years Of Work By Craftsmen t Exhibition Display The modelling of locomotives, machines and ships included in the Model Engineering Section at the Exhibition is a tribute to the standard of work in all parts of New Zealand. Many of the models have taken years of sparetime work to complete and all of them have intricate detail and a finish not excelled in the originals themselves. One of the many interesting pieces of work is a model of the first Leyland fire brigade engine used in New Zealand. It has been made by a fireman in the Petone Fire Board, and is a beautiful model complete to the last detail: it took ten years to make, and all its parts were made with a footpower lathe. The engine is a working model and has pneumatic tyres; every nut and bolt is made by its creator, and it has also a complete set of fireman’s equipment, including leather belts, helmets, hatchets, and keys for turning on water cocks. The pumping apparatus on the model engine pumps 10 gallons a minute. Another particularly fine model is that of a railway goods crane made to a one inch scale by Mr R. S. Bender of Wellington. The crane works exactly as the one used in the Wellington yards, and is fitted with a Westinghouse braking system, is properly sprung, and the only difference between it and the original is that the model is spick and span and not begrimed with soot and smoke. In its tiny tool box are bottlejacks, beautifully machined and capable of lifting a load of one hundredweight although they are only one and a half inches high. The lay-out of an electric railway station, completely wired, is another feature in the display. Marine Exhibits In the marine exhibits is a particularly fine model of the Flotilla Leader, H.M.S. Shakespeare, housed in a glass case. By moving a switch beneath the case the engines of the ship are put into operation, and it is a fascinating experience to hear the whine of the engines of this tiny warship. A model of a torpedo boat destroyer in fighting trim with all its fittings painted grey, was made by Mr E. H. A. Furbey, who served on the ship modelled. It is a working model and its creator spent many happy hours watching it circumnavigate a small lake when undergoing trials. To the average visitor the working of the machines is their greatest charm, but to the creators of these minute marvels of engineering their fascination lies in the changing of design and experimentation of new ideas for their construction. Unusual in design and appearance are two modelled ships made out of cardboard and fashioned with a pocketknife and a hacksaw blade, by a man who occupied himself with modelling while in hospital. A model of the ship “Santa Maria,” in which Columbus sailed to America is a particularly fine piece of work involving delicate wood-work and an extensive knowledge of rigging. The man who made it had great difficulty in getting a suitable material for the sails, but finally he solved his problem when he saw a 7/11 shirt in an outfitters window, which had the right texture and pattern for tiny sails on a medieval sailing ship. They have been treated with a water-proofing substance and look remarkably real. The whole exhibit has been arranged by the Wellington Model Engineering Society, and members of the society are always in attendance to relate the history of the models and the details of their working to visitors to this section.