Mamod Pre War Whistles.

flywheel61 · Mamod Pre War Whistles.

I've just checked out the whistles on my prewar SE3 & SE4 and neither seems to turn off at all. How is the the little handle and screw supposed to work and does anyone know what thread and size the screw is?. I know it's smaller than BA6.

Cheers

Chris

Mamodman123

They work by twisting the whole whistle in the thread so it covers a hole or uncovers it.

mj

Chris, there's an old thread about the bowman whistles here
http://modelsteam.myfreeforum.org...light=bowman+whistle&start=30
should explain everything

[url][/url]

flywheel61

Thanks MM & MJ for solving the mystery, that thread was before my time, I'm glad someone archives posts,

. I didn't realise that the little handle was for just turning the whistle so it works or not,

. Now I had better check the bottom of the boiler collars to see if there are washers in there,

. Both whistle work so that's a plus,

.

Cheers

Chris

Cranko

Interersting thread

Mamodman123

flywheel61

Having reread the thread that MJ archived, I've found the following.

Both of my whistle collars are blanked off at the bottom, there are no washers in either, both hold water so there is no small hole in the bottom of the collar to let steam out when the whistles are raised.

As both my SE3 & SE4 have dark green engine frames, but no decals, from the above examination/testing it indicates both are Hobbies engines,

.

Someone in the archived thread commented about Hobbies engines not having working whistles, from the examination of both of my engines, this appears to be right. This then begs the question, why put whistles in there in the first place, as it is obviously more expensive to supply the engines with the whistles. It would have been far cheaper just to put a threaded plug in there.

I'd like to drill a small hole to have working whistles, but I won't as I think that the integrity of the engine would be comprimised.

Cheers

Chris

Mamodman123

Sometimes the holes are in the sides of the thread I think..... The only way to find out is to fire it up or use air of course

mj

Chris, the washer in the bottom is a solid fibre disc with no hole in the middle. After 60/70 with the whistle screwed down tight it almost does look solid. Have you tried pushing a pin or small nail into the base of the threaded boss to be sure it's not just compressed fibre disc filling the bottom of the thread?

flywheel61

I had another go using the pin, it's very confusing as both now have holes in the bottom in the middle of the brass disc. Looks like they were both blocked up with lime scale.

The SE3 had a washer and the SE4 didn't, by using the pin and blowing in the SV collar both holes are now working. Problem is that the SE4 is supposed to be a Hobbies as it has the right original condition base and engine frame colours, and the boiler is slightly shorter than the Mamod SE4,

Bang goes the theory that only Mamod had working whistles and Hobbies didn't, unless a previous owner of the SE4 decided to drill out the disc.

Ah well, more little mysteries,

.

Cheers

Chris

mj

I'm sure it's a myth about hobbies whistle bushes not being drilled out (do we know who started it?), although the audible sound from the whistle isn't too good.
I've just looked at an unfired hobbies se3 boiler & can confirm that there's a hole in the bottom of the whistle thread. The fibre disc is as red as the day it was put there about seventy years ago & the hole is about 1mm in diameter

fcrammond

My Hobbies SE4 has no whistle and never has had one. Could this be the origin of the theory. An absent whistle cannot work. Perhaps the whistles were fitted to the later engines only or were they omitted as a cost cutting exercise? Quien sabe?
Fred

fcrammond

Further to that the Hobbies SE4 in Malins' book is described as "one of the first" and has no whistle. The Mamod version does.

mj

A page from the 1938 hobbies catalogue

SE4 'sans' whistle & also still selling the bowman 101 as self assembly.
The Hobbies se3 boiler with whistle.

Mamodman123

MY Hobbies SC3 has a whistle which was of course one of the last to be made!