rbackus@ogdenpubs.com
Scale engines are building big interest these days. One look at
this issue goes a long way toward confirming that thought, with no
fewer than seven pages devoted to the pastime of building scale (or
‘model’) engines.
Writing in his monthly column on page 6, Rusty Hopper gives
readers’ impressions of the 2004 North American Model
Engineering Society Exposition held in Southgate, Mich., this past
April. While stationary engines – both gas and steam – are a big
part of the movement in scale engines, devotees craft remarkable
miniatures of just about everything under the sun, from twin-cam,
eight-valve, four-cylinder Offenhausers to 18-cylinder radial
airplane engines. Amazing stuff, and it just keeps coming.
We’re privileged to have well-known scale engine builder
Dick Upshur write in this issue, sharing his experience in the
scale engine hobby (page 16), and Jim Limacher likewise takes
readers through a listing of engines he’s had the pleasure to
build (page 29).
The drive to craft scales and offer castings to hobbyists is
strong, and continues to grow. Red Wing Motor Co. (660-428-2288),
well known for its 1/4-scale Red Wing Thorobred hopper-cooled
engine, has introduced a 1/3-scale version of the Red Wing 2-1/2 HP
air-cooled engine. Bob Bank (503-472-0282) recently introduced a
new 1/3-scale of the 1903 Red Devil 2-1/2 HP vertical, and
Rocky’s Model Engines (503-399-8039; has a new 1/2-scale 1 HP
Root & VanDervoort available. And the folks at Morrison &
Martin (www.morrisonandmartin.com), who wowed many of us with their
scale Mery Explosive, are currently gearing up a scale Gade.
Clearly, interest in small engines is big. Some do it for love,
others for money, but either way the scale-engine enthusiast is the
winner.
Regular readers will note the absence in this issue of Glenn
Karch’s regular column on Hercules gas engines. Not to worry,
Glenn hasn’t left us, he’s just taking a breather from his
normal beat to write about the rare 3 HP side shaft Perkins
Windmill Co. engine he recently restored. Glenn had his eye on this
engine for years – over 25, in fact – and he finally got his chance
to secure and restore it (page 24). Glenn returns next issue with
more on the voluminous offerings of the Hercules Gas Engine Co.
