Do you like steam engines?

[xelasnave]

A week ago I took my daughter to the Casino Heavy Horse show.

A wonderful event featuring work horses plowing and stuff...

And old motors about 50 very old tractors but this was probably the best...

I could not get good framing for many reasons, mainly walking around to get it in a good setting was beyond me and I cropped this to rid the photo of stuff but I post it for interest sake rather than pretending it is somehow worthy.
Alex

[xelasnave]

An old motor.

[leon]

Alex my friend, yes i do love them and have
spent many hours of enjoyment, with my dear Alice and the Grandkids.

Leon

[raymo]

I too love steam engines, having been a fireman on Britain's
Southern Railways in the mid fifties, mostly Waterloo to Southampton,
Bournemouth, and Weymouth, and also various freight routes.
One of the engines I used to fire to has been sectioned to show its
innards in the York railway museum. I disobeyed the rules and
climbed up into the cab nearly 50 yrs since I last fired to it; actually
a slightly emotional moment.
raymo

[xelasnave]

Did you get any photos?

Alex

[The Mekon]

I love steam engines. Often go to the kind of event that Alex was at in Casino.

I was at the NRM last September and I reckon Raymo's steam engine was this Bullied Pacific on display.

[raymo]

Alex, I have been trying to remember which time I went to York, and I think it was 1993, and I think I was still using film. I do have many prints from
the museum visit, but I would have to photograph some of them with
my DSLR, and then downsize and post them here. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks for the pic Mekon, that's the one; from memory it was No. 35009,
but I can't remember its name. I can look it up.
raymo

[xelasnave]

Hi Raymo
I don't want to put you to any trouble so please occupy your time more productively.

I just thought you may had something handy.


Alex

[Nebulous]

Thanks for posting the great picture of the little traction engine Alex. That brought back some happy memories. :) :thumbsup:

I have a young brother who lives in Devon, England and he has restored full sized versions of them for many years. He has owned (and then mostly sold on again) some amazing examples by well known names like Fowler, Aveling & Porter, Burrell, etc.

He also restored a Stanley Steamer (an American car) and numerous old tractors.

Many, many years ago there was a farmer called Arthur Napper who had a splendid steam traction engine called Tommy, and he challenged another farmer friend to a "race" around a field, with the prize being a barrel of beer. It became a regular event, with more joining in with their engines originally used for ploughing, threshing, haulage etc,. Traction engine rallies are still going strong in the UK. My brother knew Arthur well (our Uncle farmed next door to Arthur) and ended up owning Tommy for a while after he died.

https://tvtec.info/2015/12/22/arthur-nappers-fowler-tommy-returns-home/

Cheers,

Chris

[jenchris]

Was at the York steam museum a couple of years ago. Ill dig out some shots.
Also a colliery where I took some great shot ats of the winding engine.
A double crank double action engine with four foot wide pistons.
The rings were bigger than hoola goops.
I was a tiffy in the uk navy.
Love steam.

[Nebulous]

Good story. :thumbsup: I still think that the steam locomotive is one of man's finest designs. There's just isn't the same beauty with the diesels (although they were probably much more comfortable for the crew??)

Presumably the lines had not long been nationalised when you were with them?

[Nebulous]

OK, what's a tiffy Jennifer? And are you still tiffing in your spare time? Google tells me it's short for "artificer" - which of course didn't enlighten me at all...:)

[croweater]

Hi, was on foot waiting to cross some train tracks on a visit to Adelaide with my wife in 1989 when along puffs the Flying Scotsman blowing steam and soot all over us. We were stunned as we had no idea about it. It was magnificent. Never forget that sound. Cheers Richard

[jenchris]

Engine room artificer. chief petty officer.
In charge of the engine room at sea and maintenance in harbour.

[raymo]

I have dozens of albums and boxes of prints, but the museum ones don't
seem to be where they are supposed to be, but I did find one of the steam engine that raises and lowers Tower Bridge. Sorry, overexposed and out
of focus at left, as it was hand held, and had to tilt the camera to avoid
the reflection of the flash showing on the pic.
raymo

[jenchris]

some from York

[jenchris]

Crofton pumping station(lifted water for canal.)
Colliery steam winding engine. Big SOB

[astronobob]

Very cool Alex, I remember using some little toy ones when a kid, heated by a metho-burner !

But a few yrs ago visiting the father-in law, at a small lake not far away, and we heard this 'chugging' sound on the water !
Some fella & most likely his wife taking their/his steam powered boat for a sunday spin :)

I would assume he had built most of it, all nice & shiny & he let the whistle off a couple of times.
He definitely look the part with his cap etc - probably use to work with Steam trains when he was young chap ?

It was awesome to see & hear,,, tho never had the chance to chat with him as he kept going upstream and never returned, went back home id say :thumbsup:

[jenchris]

It looks like a refurbished canal boat engine.
Very efficient and frugal with the wood
Remember Bogard and Hepburn in African Queen?

[xelasnave]

Hi Jennifer
Thanks so much for posting those photos.
I can't wait to show my father next week ...he will enjoy them and it will give us lots to talk about.
And Raymond thanks for your photo fantastic.
Alex

[xelasnave]

Hi Bob,
That's a ripper.
One of my goals was to fit my old boat with a steam engine.

At the boat shed I moored my boat there was a.steam boat there similar to the one you posted.
I got to talk to the owner.
He built the motor himself...
His problem was getting good coal.
By the time I finished talking to him I felt I had learn all there was to selecting good coal.

He would go out in in and always blew his whistle...so cool.

After talking to him I realised steam and drift wood was never going to happen.

Alex

[xelasnave]

Stuff the future of the planet bring back steam power and wonderful dirty coal.
Alex

[xelasnave]

I can't get over those rings.
Alex

[Nebulous]

Impressive. Sounds like an interesting job. :) Splendid pics of the York museum. :thumbsup:

[xelasnave]

Who knows how a steam engine works?
Alex

[raymo]

An easy way to describe a steam reciprocating engine [as opposed to a steam turbine] is that it is basically the same sequence of events that takes place
within a petrol or diesel engine, except that it is the power contained
within the steam that pushes the piston along the cylinder[s], and not
the expansion of an ignited fuel. The more pressure in the boiler, the more
power in the steam.
raymo

[xelasnave]

I asked because I was not sure.
I thought the first ones worked by cooling the steam such that the steam condensed the volume and the piston moved by being "sucked" rather than pushed.
Alex

[raymo]

From about 1760 onward there were numerous attempts to utilise
steam power, some quite practical, and others just fanciful. The
method you describe was soon abandoned as impractical. The true
beauty of steam power, is that like electric motors, it can exert full
power whilst stationary, unlike internal combustion engines which
exert more power and torque as their revs rise.
raymo

[jenchris]

Beam engines to pump out mines were powered by condensing steam.
The steam filled the space above the piston then cold water was sprayed into the space which produced a vacuum pulling the piston up.
The action was not translated into a circular motion. It just went up and down.
The dual action piston used live steam injected into a cylinder by a shuttle valve operated by the cam rod. A much better use of the steam.
By the time it got to ships it evolved into the triple expansion engine where the steam when exhausted from the small piston powered the next larger cylinder and so on.
The sizes of the piston meant the steam did equal work in each cylinder.

[xelasnave]

Thank you Jennifer and Raymo
I was thinking of the importance of steam.
When one mentions steam power most folk think its the power of years gone by, however when you think about it it is still at the heart of many power generating system today.
Coal powered plants or NP plants still fundamentally are steam power.

Alex

[jenchris]

They uuse turbines, but yes usually steam. Gas turbines are very inefficient.