Vintage model diesels rescued from the tip.

[leccyflyer]

A few months ago a pal of mine, Rob, who isn't a modeller, was having a clear out and was going to take some old model diesel engines from his younger days to the tip. I said that was a shame and he said I could have them. They have last been run over 60 years ago in the Netherlands, have been well used, in control line models and have some lovely alloy spinners and vintage nylon and a wooden prop, plus a matching aluminium engine mount, which looks like it might be from a C/L speed model.

There's a pair of Webra 1.5cc diesels, one with no needle valve assembly and a rather nice ETA 15 diesel with a blue anodised head, rear venturi and black nylon backplate. I think I'm going to put them in a small display frame and put them on the wall, as I don't use diesels anymore and they don't have silencers or throttles -open port diesels wouldn't be very welcome at my club fields. I suppose it might be nice to give them a run before consigning them to display but I was doubting that they will fly again. I didn't have a lot of success with CL in my teens and I reckon I'd fall over after two circuits now, Nice things to look at though.

Following a thread that I started on the RCM&E forum, I've had some suggestions, had some offers to buy them, then got some diesel fuel from Leeds Model Shop, found some of my old control line tin tanks, dusted down my old engine test stand and plan to give them a wee run in the near future.

[Spike S]

Whatever you decide to do with them, it would have been such a shame for them to be consigned to a skip.
Ether: the real smell of Nostalgia. Get flicking

P.S. Falling over after a few circuits is great fun and often accompanied by gales of laughter (from spectators and the handle-holder). Even old Farts will de-sensitize after a few sessions.

[leccyflyer]

I've been doing a bit of background low-level research on where there might be somewhere that you could fly an unsilenced diesel control line model locally. There's a fly-in this weekend at Glenrothes and I know that they do fly control line there, so might take a look and ask the question.

[F2B]

About the 'Dutch Connection'....
I do recognise the Webras as being from the ~1965 variety that had been sold together with an ARF CL trainer.
It was at a ridiculous low price at an Amsterdam dumpstore. Hundreds of them found their way into the Amsterdam clubs.
Most Webra Records we're running nowadays are still from that origin....

I got one at St. Nicholas eve (the Dutch version of Christmas presents).
Colours were like the Cox PT-19, yellow wing and stab, bright blue fuselage and fin, red wheels.....
The mounting strips on the Webra without spraybar and the props were the giveaway.
You can just see one of the four self tapping screws that connected those mounting strips to the plastic fuselage.


I learned to manage this little engine and afterwards taught myself flying CL with this model.
Time well spent, as only three years ago I concluded my 'career' as a F2B contest pilot.

[HenkB]

Handsome guy!

[leccyflyer]

Thanks F2B - that's fascinating history. I'll pass that news back to Rob when I see him. Looking at your picture you could be twins, as it happens.

[F2B]

Handsome guy!

Ha ha! But fading fast....
After learning the beginnings of Stunt with the same Webra, I 'progressed' to a similar (yet larger) model, with a Fox 35 that -in turn- ended up in my first Nobler, all about 50 years ago...
I'd just shaved off my beard and cut my hair to shoulder lenght...

By that time I sort of established my own F2B 'house style':

Thanks F2B - that's fascinating history. I'll pass that news back to Rob when I see him. Looking at your picture you could be twins, as it happens.

I think it is highly interesting seeing the Webras in a connection with the ETA.
That engine was past it's prime shortly after the Webras flooded the Amsterdam market.
I remember, as my clubmates Bert and Rob Metkemeijer just 'upgraded' to a modified Super Tigre G20/15 (glow with a dieselhead) by then.
Through 'dieselized' G15s and Bugl T/R diesels, they finally developed their own engine (FMV) and the rest is history (WCh 1978).
It was my first WCh as well, though not too successful (50-somethinged )

[leccyflyer]

Douglas Adams talks about The Interconnectedness Of All Things and I'm sure that there is something in it. You mentioned a Super Tigre G20/.15 engine - I was also giiven a brand new, still in it's box, never run one of those, with an RC throttle on Saturday. It's a glow, rather than a diesel, but I'm getting quite a collection of older engines, having sold almost all of my glow engines some years ago. The only issue these days is that many of these have no silencers fitted and I don't have a field where I could fly them, so still need to find a suitable site.

[leccyflyer]

Having got back together with my pal Tim Hooper at Ponte last weekend, we were talking about diesels in general and these diesels in particular and hatched a plan that I'd send them to Tim for him to take a look at, with a view to fitting some form of silencers and making them usable again.

Tim messaged me today with some video clips and successfully got the three of them going - despite one of the Webras missing it's needle valve assembly, a spot of substitution and the application of some heat to liberate a stuck contra piston being involved. Shaun had cautioned on the nylon props of old and sure enough two of them lost a blade, thankfully with no damage done to life and limb.

It was great to see the clips of the wee diesels being run and that ETA 15 looks like a complete beast - I can see what the fuss was about. If Tim works his magic on the Webras I already have a home for one of those in mind- having committed to build another JayPee stunt trainer of my youth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCOflmetF6g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDX-XezqKzs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n98stl3XBXM

[Tim Hooper]

Cheers Bri,

It was fun to get the engines running again!

To avoid traumatising the neighbours too much, I took the engines to our club field, and clamped the test stand to a B&D Workmate.

Webra#1 looks unused, and fired up without any drama.

Webra#2 was obviously not new, but over compressed and the contra piston was gummed in place. I did try to start it in the hope that the CT would break free, but no dice. It backfired, and the prop hit my hose-clad starting stick, breaking a prop blade.

The ETA 15 just coughed a few times and broke a blade just for fun, I think.

A 5 minute drive home, and a new Kavan 7x6 prop on the ETA. Webra#2 had the cylinder warmed with a heat gun. This was removed to allow access to the top of the contra piston. More heat, and some gentle tapping with a wooden dowel and rubber hammer saw the CP come free.

Back to the field, and the two recalcitrant units started and ran after a few minutes of messing amount with the settings.

The ETA is a scary thing......

Fuel used was Model Technics D1000, which dates backs around 3 years, but is kept in a tightly closed tin in a dark cupboard.

Fitting silencers or throttles to the Webras is liable to be a challenge.

Tim