Clockwork or Windup?

A wellknown book on toytrains by Gustav Reder is called "Clockwork, Steam and Electric" and in German "Mit Urhwerk, Dampf or Strom". In my country the word "opwindtrein"is used; which would be wind-up train in English.

Regards

Fred

Many moons ago I saw a few articles on improvements to clockwork drives for layout operators.

Back then there were still a few layouts seen in the model railroad press that ran on clockwork and timetable operation. Key winders were hung at every station and locomotives had their own 'clock' diagram that showed exactly how many turns got the train to the next station.There was talk of PTFE/Teflon bearings and governor improvements, etc. 

I think the terms are totally interchangeable, but "clockwork" is more on the British side, and "wind-up" could be more North American. The term "spring drive" seems to pop up occasionally.

Firewood is right about "Clockwork" being prevalent on the other side of the Atlantic and "Windup" being used here in the states, not to mention that Americans like to use "clockwork" and "windup" interchangeably.  It's been my observation that "Clockwork" gives the connotation of a quality mechanism for the discriminating enthusiast, whereas "windup" gives the connotation of a child's toy.  However, there really isn't any hard-and-fast rule; I don't mind mixing and matching terms.  Let's face it, "Clockwork", "Windup", "Spring Drive" and "Mechanical" all differentiate a train that is driven by energy stored in a spring from a train that is driven by an electric motor.  Glancing through some vintage advertisements, the British call them "Clockwork", but in America the terms "Clockwork", "Wind-up" and "Mechanical" are used by various domestic manufacturers. 

I do tend to refer to my trains with machined gears as "Clockwork", and the trains with cheaper stamped steel gears as "Windup", but I'm pretty flexible on that.  Let's face it, none of them have 17 jewel movements in them... 

Jack Ray one of the biggest proponents of Clockwork trains (author of "A Lifetime with 'O' Gauge" well worth a read) tended to refer to them as "Spring drive" Locomotives.

Roland

 Here is a photo of a "controlled clockwork" locomotive from the UK.  The lever controls

the speed of the locomotive by a revolving pressure plate on a fixed felt pad.  I agree that wind- up seems to be used more in the USA, usually with cheaper locomotives.  The classic textbook on the subject is Ernest Carter's Model Railway Clockwork Mechanisms published in the UK in 1950.

Lew Schneider

Lew, the body on that locomotive looks like my Walker-Fenn... but the drivers, siderods and keyhole location make me think it may have the postwar Walker-Riemsdyk motor.  I can't make out the W-F governor in the cab... what is it?

Rebuilt Walker-Fenn:

Walker-Riemsdyk:

Ad I scanned from a 1953 W&H catalog:

Thanks for sharing the photos. Great-looking vintage stuff. I remember seeing a copy of Ernest Carter's 'Model Railway Electrification' decades ago, and I don't think he was talking about overhead wire! 

P.S. Looks like I wrote "clockwork" a few times up there, so that's the word I use, I guess.

Here is another interesting E.F. Carter clockwork book I picked up recently:

James

What type of electrification is Carter talking about in that book.

Bill

It has to do with electrically controlling the stopping, starting, reversing and speed of clockwork trains.  It was an option for more realistic operation for those who wanted to continue to run clockwork instead of transitioning to electric trains.  It also important to those that didn't have household electricity available - the theory being that a battery would last for a long time when used for controlling clockwork trains, but the same battery would be consumed very quickly if used for purely electric trains... an important consideration when battery power is the only available source of electricity.  Carter also addresses such things as signaling in the book, too.  It's a very interesting book!

Hi James,

My controlled clockwork loco is supposedly a postwar W&H product. I've always wondered

about the shell, because it looked a lot like the Marklin controlled clockwork shells. But the mechanism is  indeed a postwar V. Riemsdyk product. My loco stable includes a bunch of Hornby clockworks, but my pride and joy is my collection of Bing superclockwork locos.

Here are some photos.  Lew Schneider

Lew... WOW!  That is a fantastic collection - thanks for sharing the pictures.

Very interesting about your controlled clockwork locomotive.  I suppose it would make sense if W&H still had some older style shells in stock, that they utilize them with the new Riemsdyk mechanism when production resumed postwar.

I also have a Bassett-Lowke controlled clockwork project locomotive that I haven't got around to rebuilding yet.  The motor has a Riemsdyk style governor, but the weights are considerably smaller than the ones in my Riemsdyk locomotive, and as such it doesn't work nearly as well as the two different "Walkers".  The disappointing performance dampened my enthusiasm for the project, thus the reason I've never rebuilt it.  Maybe someday I'll take the motor apart and rework the governor...

Hi James and other clockwork fans.

Here are a couple more photos including a Bing 5320 King George V 4-4-0 and some Hornby #2  Special Clockworks.

Lew

Beautiful collection and pics. Thanks for posting them.

I'll never look at my Hornby #31 the same way again.

Ca. early 1920's... you can't get much more toy-like than a Hummer (Am Flyer).  "key-wind" is an interesting modifier.  after all, there were electric clocks.

cheers...gary

Gauge 1 clockwork: BIG keys!

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/beat/no...021/jul/P6107386.JPG