Allbon Javelin Diesels?
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
I was going through some junk boxes from years ago and found a box with a label "Allbon Javelin MkII 1.49cc Class A Competition Diesel". Inside were two diesel engines, non-RC. One looks like an .09, the other looks to be about a .049.
Can anyone tell me what these are, and some history on them?
RC_Fanatic
Can anyone tell me what these are, and some history on them?
RC_Fanatic
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
Allbon were an early UK company making diesels. Their first was a long stroke stovepipe of a device of 3-port configuration and 2.8 cc capacity (0.18 cu in).
In 1949 the Arden style of shaft valve porting and radial transfer ports hit the UK in a big way via a motor made in Liverpool - the Elfin 1.8 cc (0.11 cu in). It revolutionised diesel design in this country and in a matter of months everyone was jumping on the banwagon. One of those doing the jumping was Allbon who in early 1950 produced a glow 1.5 cc (09) called the Arrow which wasn't teribnly well received - few over here had even heard of nitro at the time and few were familiar with glow operation so the Arrow was very quickly folowed by the Javelin - same size and weight and a good bit more powerful. Later that year a scaled down version, the Dart, of 0.5 cc (0.03 cu in) was introduced. Both, but especially the Dart, were very successful - the Javelin had strong oppositiopn from a new Elfin of identical size, whereas the Dart had its own market niche.
If your motors say Allbon on the side they are early ones - the first darts had green anodised heads, Javelins were always red. Later darts also had red heads. Around 1956 (don't quote me on that) the company was taken over by Davies-Charlton and subsequent version had 'DC' on the side of the crankcase rather than Allbon. Can't remember when production stopped - around 1960s IIRC
Hope this helps - I still have an early Javelin but stupidly parted with a couple of early darts years back - wish I'd kept them just to gloat over!
Mike
In 1949 the Arden style of shaft valve porting and radial transfer ports hit the UK in a big way via a motor made in Liverpool - the Elfin 1.8 cc (0.11 cu in). It revolutionised diesel design in this country and in a matter of months everyone was jumping on the banwagon. One of those doing the jumping was Allbon who in early 1950 produced a glow 1.5 cc (09) called the Arrow which wasn't teribnly well received - few over here had even heard of nitro at the time and few were familiar with glow operation so the Arrow was very quickly folowed by the Javelin - same size and weight and a good bit more powerful. Later that year a scaled down version, the Dart, of 0.5 cc (0.03 cu in) was introduced. Both, but especially the Dart, were very successful - the Javelin had strong oppositiopn from a new Elfin of identical size, whereas the Dart had its own market niche.
If your motors say Allbon on the side they are early ones - the first darts had green anodised heads, Javelins were always red. Later darts also had red heads. Around 1956 (don't quote me on that) the company was taken over by Davies-Charlton and subsequent version had 'DC' on the side of the crankcase rather than Allbon. Can't remember when production stopped - around 1960s IIRC
Hope this helps - I still have an early Javelin but stupidly parted with a couple of early darts years back - wish I'd kept them just to gloat over!
Mike
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
Mike
Thanks for the info.Both of these say Allbon on the sides, and in a lovely script font, and both have red heads. From your description, it sounds like there was only the one Javelin with 1.5 cc displacement. Does this mean that the smaller one is a later Dart, or were there more than one size of Javelin?
Thanks for the info.Both of these say Allbon on the sides, and in a lovely script font, and both have red heads. From your description, it sounds like there was only the one Javelin with 1.5 cc displacement. Does this mean that the smaller one is a later Dart, or were there more than one size of Javelin?
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
The Javelin was always a 1.5 cc motor. If the smaller motor looks like a Javelin which has been shrunk it is a Dart. There were two in between sizes - a Merlin at 0.76 cc and a Spitfire at 1 cc, but they look rather different. Neither has the rounded aspect of the cooling fins which both the Dart and the Javelin possess. The Spitfire fins showed a slight straight taper in side view. Like the Javelin and the later Darts it had red anodising. The Merlin looked rather different. Unlike th other three with their circumferential exhaust ports clearly displaye, the Merlin had two ports in the case and fins which were parallel in side view. Some Merlins had plain ali finish heads, some had red anodising - usually also with a red anodised spinner nut rather than a plain one. These tended to be called Super Merlins. I'll try and post pictures of them - not done that in this forum yet.
Mike
Mike
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
Here are the promised pics. The compression screw for the Dart (nearly as big as the whole motor) is non-standard. Early ones had a single sided tommy bar like the Javelin pictured. Later this became a two sided affair like the Spitfire shown -–and the Javelin also switched to a two sided tommy bar.
The Merlin shown is actually a Super Merlin – the ordinary Merlin had a plain nut in palce of the spinner nut and no anodising. Not all Merlins had the started spring shown – I think, but can’t be sure (it was a while ago!) that the earliest Merlins lacked the spring and that once it was introduced all new Merlins had them, but many folk took the things off anyway.
Hope this all helps – it surely brings back the memories.
Mike
The Merlin shown is actually a Super Merlin – the ordinary Merlin had a plain nut in palce of the spinner nut and no anodising. Not all Merlins had the started spring shown – I think, but can’t be sure (it was a while ago!) that the earliest Merlins lacked the spring and that once it was introduced all new Merlins had them, but many folk took the things off anyway.
Hope this all helps – it surely brings back the memories.
Mike
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
Should have said that the Super Merlin is a later DC made one, not the early Allbon (same engine, just made by different company). I can't remember if the early Allbon made Merlins had the 'Allbon' motif on the case - it was a budget engine and the case may have been plain, just can't remember.
Mike
Mike
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Suffering from brain softening - also meant to say that I am almost certain that the Super Merlin was strictly a DC product - don't remember Allbon versions being other than plain Merlins - no anodising, plain nut.
Mike
Mike
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
Thanks Mike. A lot of information! From your pictures and the descriptions you gave, one is a Javelin and the other is definitely a Dart. Both have the two-sided tommy bar. Neither has a tank attached. I gather tanks were extras as the picture on the box does not show one. I'll try to borrow a digital camera and post a picture of the engines and the box. Both engines look to have been mounted but do not look to have run much, if at all, as both pistons and exhaust ports look very clean. Unfortunately, there were no instructions in the box, although there still is a little glassine envelope which I assume held the instructions.
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Allbon Javelin Diesels?
Javelins never had a tank attached, nor did early Darts. Later Darts, Spitfires, and Merlins could all be had with tanks but memory fails aas to whether all were supplied with them automatically or whether they were optional extras.
Mike
Mike