Any Ideas please?

[John McCallum 1Participant @johnmccallum1]

I have just found this lovely old engine. Do any of you good folks have any information on it?

John

[John McCallum 1Participant @johnmccallum1]

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Synchronised twin cylinder steam engine for driving twin screws. Looks like a take off drive for water pump. Where do you "Find" gems like this?

Regards Ian.

[John McCallum 1Participant @johnmccallum1]

Hi Ian,

Many thanks for your reply. Do you have any idea of the manufacturer?

I bought it purely to sell on, the funds to go towards my impending new lathe purchase.

Regards John

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Can I suggest, home made

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Now if that was less than 120mm in height that might just fit in my late 40's brass destroyer hull

This was built to plans in the ME circa 1944 but was never completed so I've taken on the task of pushing it towards the finish line.

Regards

Roger

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

The engine came out of someones shed.

They deserve each other.

'Make it so' Roger If those cutting squares are 1cm it must be close.

[John McCallum 1Participant @johnmccallum1]

Posted by Rockingdodge on 28/07/2020 16:53:00:

Now if that was less than 120mm in height that might just fit in my late 40's brass destroyer hull

Roger, it’s 100mm 🤫

This was built to plans in the ME circa 1944 but was never completed so I've taken on the task of pushing it towards the finish line.

Regards

Roger

[John McCallum 1Participant @johnmccallum1]

Posted by roy entwistle on 28/07/2020 15:40:02:

Can I suggest, home made

Possibly, but the brass work and cylinders appear to be manufactured

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi John, sent you a pm.

Regards

Roger

[Malcolm BEAKParticipant @malcolmbeak51569]

Certainly looks homemade. I see it uses castings for the uprights/crosshead guides. Probably castings for the cylinders. A shame it uses round head screws rather than decent hexagon bolts.

If no one else wants it I would be interested in buying it from you.

Malcolm

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Good afternoon John,

Last year I saw something like this at "Quarry Bank Mill" in Cheshire. QBM is an excellent spinning and weaving Museum owned by the National Trust.

From what I recall, it was an auxiliary drive unit for a small piece of machinery. Might be worth dropping them an e-mail and photo. You never know, it might yield some info'.

[John McCallum 1Participant @johnmccallum1]

Posted by Bo'sun on 31/07/2020 12:43:26:

Good afternoon John,

Last year I saw something like this at "Quarry Bank Mill" in Cheshire. QBM is an excellent spinning and weaving Museum owned by the National Trust.

From what I recall, it was an auxiliary drive unit for a small piece of machinery. Might be worth dropping them an e-mail and photo. You never know, it might yield some info'.

I've been to QBM a couple of times so, you raise an interesting point., when all this hoo hah ends it will be worth another visit as it's only about 40 miles from me.

On another point, I was a Bo'sun in the Merchant Navy in the 60's. My last ship was the tanker Esso Canterbury which sank off the coast of South America some years after I left her

John

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

That design could easily have been compound.

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Somewhere in "Steamboats and modern steam launches" by Bill Durham there is an article about a triple expansion three shaft engine built for a river boat for somewhere in the east. It was for shallow rivers, where the use of three smaller propellers enabled a shallower draft. I think that one was rod coupled, which would mean all the props would turn the same way.

John

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