Rotative beam engines

Part of the marvel of the case was the drive mechanism originally designed by Professor Wilfred Kernot of the University of Melbourne, who helped install and activate the first four models. Over the years the layout and contents of the case gradually evolved, but the principle remained the same. Each model was powered by a leather belt from a common overhead shaft and could be started by pushing a numbered button to engage the appropriate dog clutch.

The models themselves have interesting origins. The oldest, a portable steam engine and a horizontal stationary engine, were made by Ransomes & Sims of Ipswich, England, in 1859, as fully steamable models depicting the firm’s full-size products. Another 14 models depicting governors, ratchets and other mechanisms were part of a group of 120 models that the Industrial and Technological Museum ordered from the scientific model maker G. Cussons, of Manchester, just prior to reopening in 1915.

During the 1930s, the case was supplemented with further models, including miniature marine engines built by James Struthers of Renfrew, Scotland, and intricate models of a Maudslay table engine and rotative beam engine built as a hobby by A.E. Smith, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Victorian Railways.