Author Topic: I bought a steam engine  (Read 9278 times)

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
I bought a steam engine
« on: January 30, 2018, 08:49:47 PM »
Uhhhhhhhh, I kind of went with an impulse purchase........

Well, I've always loved Westinghouse type twins......... But models......now I'm about to own the real thing!  :loco:

I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Joe d

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 251
  • Country: ca
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2018, 11:01:12 PM »
So is the shop going to be rigged for line-shaft power?

Nice engine Steve :clap: :clap:

Joe

Offline SwarfnStuff

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 588
  • Country: au
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2018, 12:49:59 AM »
 :proj: Will keep you entertained for a day or so plus a few more methinks.

Have fun working on it,

John B
Converting good metal into swarf sometimes ending up with something useful. ;-)

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2018, 02:42:30 AM »
Nice  :thumbup:

So a nice big wood powered boiler next Steve ?
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline philf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1107
  • Country: gb
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2018, 07:32:34 AM »
Steve,

Call that a steam engine!

This is a steam engine:  :thumbup:

(You may want to turn the volume down before hitting Play if you don't like the sound of about 100 schoolchildren screaming!)



Cheers.

Phil.

Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2018, 10:29:48 AM »
Phil is that one of the rolling mill engines ?
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline seadog

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 223
  • Country: gb
  • NE London
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2018, 10:35:40 AM »
Call that a steam engine?

Now this is a steam engine  :D


Offline philf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1107
  • Country: gb
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2018, 10:42:05 AM »
Phil is that one of the rolling mill engines ?

It is Andrew - hence the need to be able to reverse very quickly. It is awesome.

Phil.
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline philf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1107
  • Country: gb
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2018, 11:04:14 AM »
Call that a steam engine?

Now this is a steam engine  :D


Hi Seadog,

Very impressive - must try to see it some time.

But that is only 1,008 hp compared with 12,000 hp and the River Don Engine can go from full speed forward to full speed reverse in 2 seconds! (& it doesn't need a starter motor!)

Cheers.

Phil.
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2018, 01:18:23 PM »
Hey, I still say I have a bigger one than the rest of you guys!  :headbang:  :lol:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline philf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1107
  • Country: gb
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2018, 01:38:51 PM »
Hey, I still say I have a bigger one than the rest of you guys!  :headbang:  :lol:

Hope you mean a bigger steam engine! In which case that's true - certainly in my case.  :beer:
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2018, 02:12:40 PM »
OK chaps - keep the Testosterone under control  :clap:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Stilldrillin

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4972
  • Country: gb
  • Staveley, Derbyshire. England.
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2018, 03:00:14 PM »
The River Don engine, was built to roll WW1 battleship armour plate. Made from 24" thick steel.......  :bugeye:

Quite an experience, to stand beside. Especially, when the children are all in school.  :thumbup:
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline vintageandclassicrepairs

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 218
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2018, 03:42:01 PM »
Hi All,
For those into steam engines and machining have a look at David Richards channel on YouTube



Steve,
What era would the Westinghouse engine be from?

John



Offline philf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1107
  • Country: gb
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2018, 04:36:54 PM »
Talking of big things - you need a big vice to hold the big parts.

Also at the Kelham Island Museum:



Phil.
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #15 on: January 31, 2018, 04:38:50 PM »
Oi - my bench vise is a Record No 3 and it ain't that big  :bugeye:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #16 on: February 01, 2018, 10:32:27 PM »
John, I'm not sure of the manufacturer. The true Westinghouse engines that I've seen online had different shaped crankcases. But I think I now have a clue to the maker-- it is coming from Michigan and I found this online about a Detroit, Michigan engine maker.

I think there's a strong resemblance in the photos on the museum webpage linked below, and I also know mine has a 4" bore. Not sure of the stroke yet. It's supposed to arrive next week.

http://newsm.org/steam/murphy-two-cylinder-steam-engine




I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #17 on: February 01, 2018, 10:52:18 PM »
I'm guessing that It might run 20-30 hp if it's a 4" x 5" twin and it can run maybe 1000 rpm on 175 psi.

I don't really know, of course, but that's a chair butt laptop engineering guess without much solid ground to go on.

I don't need that much hp -- my 6 hp Listeroid diesel will put out 3 kw steady, and in a power outage it will run most everything in the house, except the hot water heater.

So I will probably run this baby more modestly on steam, after repairs/restoration, and, if and when I ever have a boiler etc. for it.

600 rpm might be a good number, and that's the same as the Lister. My gen head is a 5 kW Chinese ST-5. Wouldn't be more than a pulley change to mate that up.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #18 on: February 01, 2018, 11:15:09 PM »
I might be off on that hp calculation. I'm not sure if it should be figured differently for this engine than the usual steam way, since it's a single acting engine. Maybe it should be more like 15 hp at 1000 rpm and 175 PSI (at the boiler).

Well anyway, probably 600 rpm will provide plenty of juice, and maybe push the ST-5 gen head to to make its max 5 kW rating, rather than the 3 kW I get now with the LIster. 10 hp out of the steam engine would do that.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vintageandclassicrepairs

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 218
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2018, 09:21:17 AM »
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the reply,
I'm chuckling away quietly here, "Murphy Iron Works Michegin " (plate on engine)
Us Irish got everywhere :wave:
It would be a cool setup to have the steam engine/ genny backup,
I wonder if you could also get domestic hot water as a by product?
Exhaust steam to a heat exchanger maybe?
Lots to think about :scratch:

John

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #20 on: February 02, 2018, 03:24:27 PM »
Yes John, let's hope Mr. Murphy's law won't apply when it arrives, though my expectations are set to handle that anyway. Fixing stuff is second nature, and I can even cast iron here.

Yes, I had definitely thought about CLP some day. Waste heat is very useful here in Vermont 8 months of the year. I already have baseboard hot water heat set up, and a buried hot water supply and return line from the house to the shed (currently unused) from earlier wood chip furnace experiments.

In addition, our greatest electricity consumption now is for a hot water heater. If that were heated with an exchanger by way of a condenser after the steam engine -- I'd be killing a three birds with one stone.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Meldonmech

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 933
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #21 on: February 03, 2018, 12:39:16 PM »
 ,
Hi Steve

                      What amazing potential,  are you setting yourself a target for complete installation?

                                        Good Luck

                                                          Cheers David

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2018, 02:10:10 PM »
Hi David, no, sorry to say -- as always with steam, the boiler and auxiliary lubricators, feed pumps etc. are a lot more difficult to source (and pay for) than the engine itself. So that's all a "some day" dream.

On the other hand, taking the engine apart and cleaning it up, fixing things, shining, painting, etc costs next to nothing, so that's what I look forward to doing. As well as hooking up an air line for fun, assuming my compressor has the guts to turn it over....
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline tom osselton

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1255
  • Country: ca
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #23 on: February 04, 2018, 07:01:01 PM »
Nice engine I'll be looking forward to your project!

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: I bought a steam engine
« Reply #24 on: February 16, 2018, 09:11:56 PM »
Thanks Tom!

Well it's taken nearly 2 weeks but it (they) finally arrived today. Actually it's two engines one "runner" and one "parts" engine. The second block was originally going to be retained by the seller to cut down on shipping weight, but instead he just packed it aboard the shipping pallet, a nice surprise!

I didn't get them off my truck by this evening, and I left the wrap on because it's supposed to snow, but here are a few photos of what I received.





I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg