The Steamboating Forum

Need another picture showing the cylinder bore on the side towards the valve so we can see the ports at the upper end of the cylinder.

So what do you think, troops?

Outside admission, piston valve, open eccentric rods, built from a solid block of iron or steel maybe?

Cute condensate pump. I wonder if the half was scavenged from an automotive alternator?

I've not seen an engine like it.

The cylinder & valve blocks are carved from (cast) iron lumps à la Hasbrouck. Very much alike Ray Hasbrouck engines! But of a far more sturdy build.

Very interesting engine & boiler.

Here is a picture of the opening in the steam cylinder. Does that confirm anyone's suspicions ?

[img][img]http://i.imgur.com/IEHoHql.jpg[/img][/img]

This pic here seems to indicate it is double acting. Two exhaust lines, probably a spool piston valve setup.

-Ron

Yup. That's the port from the valve chamber. As Ron and I have noted, it is a piston valve, inside admission engine. The inside admission has three effects. A: The loads on the valve gear are much less, and B: The valve gear looks weird when looked at alongside a regular outside admission engine. It looks like it is running backwards. You'll figure it out. And C: the valve rid packing is lonely exposed to the cylinder pressure rather than the pressure after the throttle as In most engines. Easier on the packing.

Many of the parts look to be commercially made. Small column engines like that were made by a bazillion different concerns around the beginning of the last century. The cylinder and valve body do look homemade.

-Ron

So...............what do you mean by "its running backwards"............ ?

jon

On most engines with Stevenson valve gear with outside admission (all slide valve engines, I believe) when running in forward motion the valve moves in a certain direction, say upwards, and then the piston follows. This is so common that it is taken for granted until the first time you see an inside admission engine turning over. It looks so strange to see the piston move upwards first and then the valve follow.

This is so counterintuitive that some entertaining mistakes have been made when modeling. At least one locomotive I know of with inside admission (common on piston valve engines) ended up with his cab control working backwards. That is, you moved the reversing lever to the rear to go forwards.

Sort of on that note, to my knowledge every steam locomotive since pretty much the beginning has the right side connecting rod 90 degrees ahead of the left side. All over the world this holds. EXCEPT the Pennsylvania RR in the U.S. Left ahead of right. I have no idea why.

Does anyone know if any such standards existed with stern wheeler steam boats?