A model marine triple expansion engine
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- This is a model I built about 28 years ago from a series published in the 'Model Engineer' in 1985. It is intended to represent the type of 3 cylinder steam engines used to power the larger ships in the early 1900's
Lovely engine. Love to have seen it in steam.
Many thanks. Sadly I have never steamed the engine, just ran it on compressed air for test purposes which is what I mostly do with the engines that I build. Ed
The valve is what is known as a simpling valve, they used them on compound railway engines.
Thanks for the info. I have heard of the term Simpling valve, but never troubled to discover what it did.
very nice build !!!, if I may say so there's some really nice bronze underneath that paint and cladding, maybe with some paint strip and no cladding it would look even better... (IMHO)
Many thanks Peter. As you say the bronze castings were excellent. As to paint - well not my strong point, having got some red primer on I simply stopped. I was in my early career responsible for a project to demolish some full size triple expansion engines - see my Elkesley pumping station video for that act of industrial vandalism. It was a long time ago, but as I recall the engines had very little paint or adornment so in the case of the model I simply decided to hide the bronze. The prototypes I was involved with were predominantly cast iron and steel as far as I recall.
Ed
Well done sir! With the cylinder drain tubes and simpling valve you have taken your build further than I did with mine. Mine runs better on steam than compressed air and I would imagine that yours would too. John. Bolton 9 Triple Expansion Steam Engine-First taste of steam.
Thanks John. I have never run the model on steam and doubt that I will. The model was built as a machining exercise in my bedroom back in the day. I am most definitely not a professional! Ha ha.
Ed
I'm just about to start building this engine. I've had the plans for 25 years +, seen a few built at model shows. Your's is a fine example.
Robert this triple expansion engine is a great subject to model. So long ago that I don't remember much about how I went about it, but I do recall machining up the base and the big end bearings accurately and then using the base as a 'jig' to loctite the crankshaft together so that it ran true. Worked perfectly. The only other thing I recall is that one must machine the centres of the cylinders and valve chests accurately to one another so that alignment issues with the connecting rods don't arise. Obvious really, but I have a tendency to be a bit sloppy with that sort of thing. Happy to say however that in this case I got it right.
@@edwinwhite933 Thank you for the advice. I'm hoping to build from a mixture of cast iron for the cylinder blocks ,covers and pistons . Reeves castings for the base, standings , condenser and pumps.
Robert it has been so long I cannot remember where I bought my castings. That said my engine is all gunmetal except the base which is cast aluminium. If you ever run your engine on steam be sure to dry all the condensate out after the run and oil up (light oil). Rust can be a real problem with cast iron cylinders if use is intermittent (as I discovered with my Stuart 7v). I confess these days I rarely run my CI stationary engines but if I do it it is always on dry compressed air.
Damn, would love one of these.
I would use it as a backup generator for lights, laptop/phone charging ect:
I bet it puts out about what ? 200 watts ?
I have no way of measuring the power, but would guess it may be more powerful than you suggest. I just like looking at it (occassionally). many thanks
Brilliant stuff. I also built my first live steam model in my bedroom... of course, mine was a kit of a locomotive by accucraft!
Long live steam!
Thanks Bryson. Workshop in bedroom not a good idea once baby began to crawl - hence move back to cold workshop away from cosy central heating. Such is life.
@@edwinwhite933 That's one reason I can't see myself having children... I can't handle dividing my attention between a child, my wife, my cat AND my trains.
I'm not superman!
@@PowerTrain611 Well it's not impossible, but it does take a bit of management and a good degree of understanding from the wife L0L!
Brilliant video Edwin. I am staggered at this master piece. It must have taken an age to build, even more impressive is the fact you were raising your young family at the same time! A few years ago my wife was on holiday with her sister, so having a day free I visited the Great Engines at Kempton. Such a wonderful place with its ornate brickwork and superb engines. It was a steam day so they had one of the engines start up and run, it was like waking a sleeping giant. Sad that these wonders of engineering have all but disappeared. It must have tugged at your heartstrings to have been involved in the demolition job. ( Please do not be discouraged by trolls...he describes himself well in his second comment!!)
Thanks Gary, so long ago I don't really remember, but I guess it was over a year in the build. Currently machining up a single cylinder Stuart Victoria mill type engine. I guess I'll do a vid eventually, but not to hold breath waiting. LOL
Ed
One thing that I aim to do in life is to build my own model steam engine
Michael sorry for slow reply to your prev 2 comments. I don't log on every day. Ref the demolition of the steam engines at the time I did not think much about it. I had a job to do and did it. It was years later before I came to see that I may have taken part in (if not an act of vandalism) at least the destruction of a piece of history. We did send one of the engines to a steam museum in Wales for preservation (at quite some cost). Years later I learned that the museum decided it could not house the engine because of the huge size and consequent funding issues and the museum actually scrapped the final engine. Such is life.
Ref making a model steam engine I very much hope you are able to accomplish this - it is unbelievably satisfying the first time your creation 'comes to life'.
Yes I suppose such is life
Beautiful mate. If you ever consider selling it please contact me. BTW, we may be related somehow.....we share the same last name and my grandparents are from England.
Many thanks. At this time I am not considering a sale, but will bear you in mind if the situation changes. Are u into geniology? Have u done any work on ancestry? My wife is in to this, if u give me your grandparents name she will look them up. ps Where do u hail from?
thanks
Ed
@@edwinwhite933 ....Thank you. I appreciate that. My grandmother is originally from Tyrone county in Ireland and my Grandfathers people were from Kent (The White side). I live in NY, USA. My Grandparents came from England in 1913. White is obviously a pretty common name but I once worked with a guy with the same last name and it turned out we were distant relatives so I often ask when I see the same surname. My Grandfathers name was John Wesley White. His fathers name was John White.
Many thanks - lots of useful info. My ancestors on my mothers side (surname Callaghan or O'Callaghan) also originate in Ireland (possibly the Cork area). On the White side my ancestors were based in south side of London (Newington). I have passed your info to my wife Angela who does all the research. It will likely be some time, but I will get back to you with whatever info turns up to prove/disprove any family connection between us.
regards, Ed
@@edwinwhite933 interesting. Sounds good! Do keep me posted. Thank you Ed. My name is Stephen by the way...
Stephen, just to say that Angela has done a bit of research, but to date no link to me with the name White from an Irish source.
It must have been odd to be destroying something that you liked like that