Swansea 2023

LittleLEC Report 11th June 2023

By Arthur Green, Swansea Society of Model Engineers

Photos by various Swansea SME members

The busy steaming bays

After plenty of site and track maintenance we were ready for the 2023 LittleLEC. The weather was excellent and tee shirts and shorts were the order of the day. Due to the low entry numbers it was decided to make it a one day event on Sunday the 11th June. We had three visitors who had ventured over the Severn Bridge and two Swansea SME members competing.

The steaming bays were soon a hive of activity and the first engine was ready

Sean Pritchard making steady progress on his first run

Run No. 1 The first competitor was Sean Pritchard driving a well turned out 3½" Juliet. Sean set off at a steady pace and Lap 2 was going well but at the lowest point of the track steam pressure was a bit low and he came to a standstill, once pressure was raised Sean set off to complete Lap 2 and continue into Lap 3 unfortunately pressure was lost again and Sean ran out of time.

William Powell and the “Purple One”

Run No. 2 was William Powell driving "The Purple One". This engine has been made up from a 2½" gauge LBSC Southern Maid chassis found in a skip, that he has widened to 3½" gauge and fitted with a boiler from a Canterbury Lamb. The regulator and blower controls are globe valves fitted on either side of the steam dome. The loco looks like an 0-6-0 but is a 2-4-0 as there is not enough room for coupling rods to the front axle.

William set off and managed the gradients very well. There was a minor stoppage on the start / finish straight, and the same thing happened on Lap 2. Lap 3 went with no problems and four laps were squeezed into the 25 minute time allowance. He achieved an efficiency of 0.256%.

Tom Henderson preparing his Rob Roy

Run No. 3 was Tom Henderson (SSME Member) driving a 3½" Rob Roy. Tom set off opting to go for four laps and he finished in 22.34 minutes with an efficiency of 0.169%. One of the experimental features on the loco is that the feed water is taken into the space in the superheater tube and then into the boiler.

William Musselwhite at the controls of the late Bill Roebuck’s Rob Roy

Run No. 4 was William Musselwhite (SSME member) driving a 3½" Rob Roy (ex the late Bill Roebuck). William had a problematic injector on the start line but copious amounts of cold water made it behave. William set off with the minimum of wheel slip and reeled off five laps at a steady pace, achieving an efficiency of 0.173%.

Run No. 5 was Les Pritchard driving a 3½" Mona. Les took his grandson Sean as a passenger and he set off in fine style. Laps 1 and 2 were brisk though steady. Lap 3 started the same but unfortunately a mechanical problem caused an enforced retirement from the contest.

Run No. 6 In the afternoon, running restarted with the "Purple One". Once again William made a steady start but came to a stop on the start / finish straight, after a blow up running resumed. Laps 2 and 3 reeled off in a steady uneventful manner. He achieved an efficiency of 0.244%. This locomotive has a lovely exhaust note on starting and not only is William a really good loco builder he is no slouch as a driver.

Run No. 7 Tom Henderson was next at the start line and ready for his second run. He reeled off five laps in a very steady and efficient way with an efficiency of 0.177%. There is talk of a top secret Rob Roy boiler project in progress at the Henderson workshop, perhaps all will be revealed at next year’s LittleLEC.

Run No. 8 William Musselwhite's second run was carried out in a steady manner that belies his age of 18. Four consistent laps being recorded inside the time allowed. This was his first attempt at a LittleLEC and he achieved 0.201% efficiency.

Run No. 9 The last run of the day was Sean Pritchard. There was some priming at the start but Sean soon got on top of things and recorded two steady laps, watched by his grandfather Les. Lap 3 required a short stop, Lap 4 was steady, Lap 5 required a short stop and Sean continued and did a sixth lap in the time allowed and showed an efficiency of 0.158%.

The results were William Powell first with 0.256%, William Musselwhite second with 0.201%, and Tom Henderson third with 0.177%. A presentation was held with the prizes being presented by the Swansea SME Chairman, Colin Morgan. In addition, there was a special trophy presented in memory of the late Bill Roebuck who was a Swansea SME member and a regular LittleLEC competitor in recent years. This trophy was awarded to Sean Pritchard who participated in the spirit of the LittleLEC and it was presented by Bill’s widow, Hilary.

The winners line-up – from right to left

William Powell – first place with 0.256% efficiency
William Musselwhite – second place with 0.201% efficiency
Tom Henderson – third place with 0.177% efficiency
Sean Pritchard – the Bill Roebuck Trophy

The day was enjoyed by all. Thanks go to Gill Holmes and Hilary Roebuck for the refreshments, also to all the members who have maintained the grounds and the track. Also thanks go to a local company called "Planeweighs Ltd" who loaned us a digital platform scales to weigh the locos, rolling stock, drivers and passengers.

LittleLEC_2023_Leader_Board.pdf

Postscript from Bryan Finch, LittleLEC Co-ordinator

The coordinators of the LittleLEC (now under the stewardship of Guildford MES) wish to express their thanks to Arthur Green and the team at Swansea SME for hosting this year’s LittleLEC, and also to all the competitors without whom there would be no competition.

Next year, LittleLEC will be hosted by the North London SME over the weekend of 8th and 9th June 2024. Details will be published early in the new year.

For more details about the LittleLEC competitions, its concept, guidelines, efficiency calculations, and past runners and results, please take a look at the LittleLEC website https://www.littlelec.co.uk

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