I recently had the good fortune to travel to the UK, and being from the US, everything there seems older than dirt (in a good way). Two of the technological highlights of the trip were a visit to the Bluebell Steam railway in Sussex, and the SS Great Britain in Bristol. We went with our daughter, and our son-in-law, who is from Sussex, and he took care of a lot of the planning of attractions to see. He knew what I liked and hit a home run when selecting these two destinations. I can't thank him enough!
The SS Great Britain was way ahead of its time. Built for ocean travel in 1843 in Bristol, England, it was 322 feet long, iron-hulled, steam powered, but with 5 huge masts for sail assist. It eventually sailed over a million miles between England, New York, Australia, and other places. It's configuration and use changed over the years, and it was eventually scuttled in the Falkland Islands in 1968. But then it was re-floated, at great expense and effort, and returned to Bristol England, put back in its original drydock, and restored as a museum.
There was a model of the steam engine in the museum, but what shocked me was the fact that the original steam engine had been remade such that it moved/rotated in a demonstration type of mode. Amazing in its massiveness. It's a bit hard to tell from my pictures, but the engine is a 4 cylinder, side-by-side, inverted V-twin. Each cylinder is about 88" bore (2.23 m) x 72" stroke (1.83 m) operating at 17 rpm under only 5 psi of steam. That is what I was told by one of the older guides on board the ship. The huge crank was actually turning so you could get a feel for the power. There was a chain drive to overdrive the prop shaft at maybe a 5 to 1 ratio (my guess) for 85 rpm for the prop. Using a prop was a big deal in those days because everything else that large was side paddle wheels, which didn't work well in the ocean.
Here are some pics I took. They don't do the ship justice, and the book I got there is much better, but you can look online for better pics if so inclined.
Me at the helm, facing the stern (doh!) for a photo op. You could climb up the rigging for a small fee, but I figured the funeral expenses would make it a bad idea.
Main crank for one of the pair of V cylinders, and bearings. Just to get a sense of the scale, the crank radius is 3 feet.
The other main bearing. I wonder who fills the oil cups while under-way?
This is looking down from the level of the crankshaft. Closest to you is one of the main conn rods, next is the smaller diameter conn rod to the steam valve box, and in the rear is the other main conn rod to complete the V layout. Down in the bottom rear you can see one of the huge 5 psi steam cylinders.
Crankshaft above, main conn rod directly ahead and slightly above, cross head directly in front, and the piston rod heading downward to the cylinder.
Here is a good view of the cross head, and the top of one of the cylinders (2.23 m bore) that appears to be wrapped in wood like a barrel, I guess to give its iron lining additional strength. That is a 250 HP cylinder. In 1843. WOW!
This is the prop that was cobbled up for the restoration. The prop made it work it rough seas and made a lightning speed passage from England to Australia in only 60 days!
And finally, here is a random, more modern, steam cylinder and flywheel laying in the museum yard. This old junk is all over the place, LOL.
What a visit!
P.S. Believe it or not, I have been working on my diesel model a few minutes at a time, and will have something worthwhile to post soon.
Lloyd
The SS Great Britain was way ahead of its time. Built for ocean travel in 1843 in Bristol, England, it was 322 feet long, iron-hulled, steam powered, but with 5 huge masts for sail assist. It eventually sailed over a million miles between England, New York, Australia, and other places. It's configuration and use changed over the years, and it was eventually scuttled in the Falkland Islands in 1968. But then it was re-floated, at great expense and effort, and returned to Bristol England, put back in its original drydock, and restored as a museum.
There was a model of the steam engine in the museum, but what shocked me was the fact that the original steam engine had been remade such that it moved/rotated in a demonstration type of mode. Amazing in its massiveness. It's a bit hard to tell from my pictures, but the engine is a 4 cylinder, side-by-side, inverted V-twin. Each cylinder is about 88" bore (2.23 m) x 72" stroke (1.83 m) operating at 17 rpm under only 5 psi of steam. That is what I was told by one of the older guides on board the ship. The huge crank was actually turning so you could get a feel for the power. There was a chain drive to overdrive the prop shaft at maybe a 5 to 1 ratio (my guess) for 85 rpm for the prop. Using a prop was a big deal in those days because everything else that large was side paddle wheels, which didn't work well in the ocean.
Here are some pics I took. They don't do the ship justice, and the book I got there is much better, but you can look online for better pics if so inclined.
Me at the helm, facing the stern (doh!) for a photo op. You could climb up the rigging for a small fee, but I figured the funeral expenses would make it a bad idea.
Main crank for one of the pair of V cylinders, and bearings. Just to get a sense of the scale, the crank radius is 3 feet.
The other main bearing. I wonder who fills the oil cups while under-way?
This is looking down from the level of the crankshaft. Closest to you is one of the main conn rods, next is the smaller diameter conn rod to the steam valve box, and in the rear is the other main conn rod to complete the V layout. Down in the bottom rear you can see one of the huge 5 psi steam cylinders.
Crankshaft above, main conn rod directly ahead and slightly above, cross head directly in front, and the piston rod heading downward to the cylinder.
Here is a good view of the cross head, and the top of one of the cylinders (2.23 m bore) that appears to be wrapped in wood like a barrel, I guess to give its iron lining additional strength. That is a 250 HP cylinder. In 1843. WOW!
This is the prop that was cobbled up for the restoration. The prop made it work it rough seas and made a lightning speed passage from England to Australia in only 60 days!
And finally, here is a random, more modern, steam cylinder and flywheel laying in the museum yard. This old junk is all over the place, LOL.
What a visit!
P.S. Believe it or not, I have been working on my diesel model a few minutes at a time, and will have something worthwhile to post soon.
Lloyd
