Bradford Model Engineering Society's Annual Exhibition

Roger Backhouse visits the Bradford society’s exhibition at Saltaire

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Bradford’s model engineers always have a good display at the Northern Model Engineering Exhibition at Doncaster and their own exhibition in Saltaire on 30th November didn’t disappoint either. President, Jim Jennings told me the Society has 122 members with a wide range of interests, well displayed at the show (photo 1).

It’s sometimes claimed that true model engineers are so involved making tooling that they never get round to models. A calumny, of course, but there were several good tools and items of workshop equipment displayed. I liked a machine gauge to ensure a milling machine head is vertical to the table. Maker, Martin Birch said he’d had access to a surface grinder and it showed in a beautifully finished job (photo 2). Society newsletter editor, Graham Astbury displayed several tools including a lathe filing rest and a hot air engine made in 1968 when he was a sixth form student. I doubt if today’s sixth formers get the chance to make items like this (photo 3). Robert Beach showed a quick action hand set built to plans by G. H. Thomas; always good to see one of the maestro’s designs (photo 4).

The West Riding was home to many mill engines, now almost all scrapped, but modellers keep their spirit alive with models. Phil Procter entered a part built model of a Pollitt and Wigzell mill engine in the competition, a high quality job even unfinished (photo 5). Geoff Cowton, a master of the miniature, made an horizontal engine (photo 6) and an exquisite sectioned model of a Watt beam engine (photo 7). His model engineer’s workshop was a delight.