# My Friend Karl



## steamer (Aug 12, 2009)

Hi All,

An Aquaintance of mine, (I say friend but I barely know him really, I have the utmost respect for his talents though), anyway, a friend of mine sent me pictures of an unbelievable model he built of the main propulsion plant ( port side only) of the steamer "Deutschland".

His name is Karl.....I'll leave his last name out for now as I have not asked him if posting his name was OK......

It all functions  :bow:....as time permits I'll post some more of the pictures....

He's obviously a master! :bow: :bow:







Dave

PS He also built a similar model of the Titanics engines......



Here's a video...it apparently is in a museum now and I fear the worst has happend to Karl...I don't know
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLndiRu_Gls[/ame]


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## arnoldb (Aug 12, 2009)

Difficult to find words to describe this work of art.... WOW!! th_confused0052 - Stunning!!
Regards, Arnold


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## zeeprogrammer (Aug 12, 2009)

That is certainly a jaw dropper. Unbelievable stuff.
What museum?
 th_confused0052 th_confused0052 th_confused0052


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## steamer (Aug 12, 2009)

Honestly Zee, I don't know.  When I spoke to Karl via email last, a couple of years ago anyway, he had the engine......

Now I am not so sure....

Dave


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## black85vette (Aug 12, 2009)

Wow. Makes you want to build in larger scales doesn't it?

I went to the You Tube page and the description on the video says:

"A model steam engine at the Hamburg International Maritime museum"


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## Paolo (Aug 12, 2009)

Oh my god   th_confused0052 th_confused0052 th_confused0052  That is a "Monster" of engine models!!
Paolo


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## ozzie46 (Aug 12, 2009)

Makes me feel totally inadequate! I'm at a loss for words .It's beautiful!!! th_wav th_wav th_wav th_wav th_wav


 Ron


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## radfordc (Aug 12, 2009)

I got to observe his engines running at the NAMES show this year. They were the most impressive models of the entire show in my opinion. I kept going back again and again to marvel at them.

Charlie


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## rake60 (Aug 12, 2009)

That is just amazing artwork.

Thanks for posting it Dave!

Rick


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## CrewCab (Aug 12, 2009)

Just stunning workmanship :bow: ........... Dave, thanks for posting this, sometimes, words just aren't enough 8)

CC


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## ChooChooMike (Aug 12, 2009)

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

 th_confused0052 Thm: Thm: Thm: 
:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow::bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

Them thar's engines (pumps, etc.) within the engine, (I can barely build a single cylinder steam engine ;D) condenser, oil tanks etc. etc. etc. and that really runs ?? OMG !! That'd be uber-cool to see that running on steam !! WOW !!! :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: You can stare at the model for HOURS and not see everything !

Now needs to add in model boilers.

I'm going back to my little corner and start wimpering ....... :-[

Mike


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## CrewCab (Aug 12, 2009)

ChooChooMike  said:
			
		

> I'm going back to my little corner and start wimpering ....... :-[



Hey Mike ............ your not alone 8)

CC


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## Maryak (Aug 12, 2009)

Thanks for sharing/showing that Dave,

It has to be up there amongst the worlds greatest model engineering projects. :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

I'd think I was Xmas if I'd managed to build the air pump.

Have you found out why it's now in a museum.  ???

Best Regards
Bob


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## steamer (Aug 12, 2009)

CC 

Horsewipped and gobsmacked is about as close a description I can give for my reaction the first time I saw the photo's...

Bob,

No I don't know why it's there....I fear the worst as Karl was not a young man when we spoke last.  I am having another check up on the situation....I'll let you know.

I don't believe he ever ran them on steam as the clean up would be nightmarish, but I do believe he ran them on air.

Dave


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## Deanofid (Aug 12, 2009)

It's magnificent! Hard to believe one person could build it. Hard to believe it could be done in one lifetime! How would you decide which part to build first?

What a masterpiece.


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## steamer (Aug 13, 2009)

Probably start at the bottom and work your way up........same way you eat an elephant I suspect....one bite at a time.


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## ariz (Aug 13, 2009)

thanks for sharing steamer, it's one of the most beautiful works I had ever seen... beautiful? there aren't words to describe it!

 :bow: :bow: :bow:

I hope that Karl was still alive, anyway he has made things for which he will be remembered forever


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## steamer (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks Ariz......on behalf of Karl


Theres an old saying..."When a man passes, the library closes"


Let's hope for the best....There is obviously a lot to be learned!


Dave


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## steamer (Aug 13, 2009)

I had forgotten about this website....his name is Karl Friedric Pohlmann.

http://titanic-model.com/db/db-03/hahn.html


The Titanics Port engine....

Dave


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## Tin Falcon (Aug 16, 2009)

Wow is an understatement. I finally took a couple minutes to look at that video that main engine of the titanic is totally amazing. But if you look around the edges there are about ten more mostly Stuart engine models representing the ancillary equipment to support the engine and other ships systems. looks like turbocharges pumps generators etc. That is an engine collection in that case not just an engine. 
Tin


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## steamer (Aug 16, 2009)

Here is some more of the port engine of the "Deutchland"...and one of the model he built of the tug "Jissel" in 1/25th scale










































This is a total of 3 different engines......4 if you count two in Jissel.....

Dave


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## steamer (Aug 17, 2009)

bump.....


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## arnoldb (Aug 17, 2009)

steamer  said:
			
		

> bump.....


Whoops - Sorry Dave - was in a trance looking at the exquisite detail in the close-up shots! - Needed that bump to bring me back to reality 

Thanks very much for posting this eye candy!

Kind Regards, Arnold


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## ChooChooMike (Aug 17, 2009)

*<WHIMPER>*

 woohoo1 th_confused0052 th_confused0052 th_confused0052

Each of the smaller 1-cylinder engines (Stuart, etc.) is a work of art in itself !!!


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## steamer (Aug 17, 2009)

I've been studying Marine Steam from the books and to some extent in real practice on a couple of steamers......to say nothing of my participation with the "Steam Team" at Mystic doing restoration work.  Every time I look at those photo's I have another question to research or I learn something new, either about the big stuff, or the small stuff.......

It's quite amazing..... :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

Dave


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## ChooChooMike (Aug 18, 2009)

I too kinda study marine steam. I'm a volunteer on the S.S. Lane Victory - a fully operational WWII Victory cargo ship here in Los Angeles.

www.lanevictory.org

When we do our cruises (e.g. this past weekend), I'm an engine room tour guide. So I get to see marine steam (turbine) up close and personal ! During our 8-hour cruises, I'm probably in the engine room 3-1/2 to 4 hours showing folks around. I'm mostly stationed near the boilers, but also go where needed. It's fun to open up the little boiler firebox viewing window and watch people's eye go wide open and the jaws drop !! :big:

All kinds of steam powered duplex pumps, turbine pumps, steam powered generators, huge condensor, more pumps, oil coolers, etc. 

I've got to get up the San Francisco and visit the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien :

http://www.ssjeremiahobrien.org/

An operational WWII Liberty ship. It's triple expansion piston powered. All the deck equipment - e.g. winches are also steam powered. You can see more steam engines on that ship in a few hours then you'll see anywhere else !! <droooooooooolllllllllllll> 

Mike


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## arnoldb (Aug 18, 2009)

Mike, th_wwp !!!
It would be great if you could post some photos to the break room. It might just inspire some great builds 
Regards, Arnold


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## steamer (Aug 18, 2009)

Been on cruise with the Obrien.  I spent the entire cruise in the engine room ;D.

The Chief, "Cookie" , looked at me and said that I would miss the airplane flyover if I didn't go top side.  I told him I can see airplanes all the time... ;D

He then gave me a personal tour stem to stern of the engine room

On a previous visit to the Obrien, I was lucky enough to have my good friend Ray Hasbrouck with me and he did a similar tour for me as he was an engineer on a Liberty ship during the war......very cool. 

Dave


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## BMyers (Aug 20, 2009)

WOW, what else can you say ?


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## ChooChooMike (Aug 20, 2009)

arnoldb  said:
			
		

> Mike, th_wwp !!!
> It would be great if you could post some photos to the break room. It might just inspire some great builds
> Regards, Arnold



I've got quite a few, been waaaaaaaaayyyy behind in the picture posting area.



			
				steamer  said:
			
		

> Been on cruise with the Obrien.  I spent the entire cruise in the engine room ;D.
> 
> The Chief, "Cookie" , looked at me and said that I would miss the airplane flyover if I didn't go top side.  I told him I can see airplanes all the time... ;D
> 
> ...



I've seriously got to get up there now ! I too would probably spend the whole trip in the engine room !! We have planes "strafe" the Lane Victory too as part of the shtick  Did a nice plane show (7 AT-6's from the Condor Squadron out of Van Nuy, CA) this past Sunday too. Kids love it, can't stop asking, "When are the planes coming ?? !!).

My 1st trip on the Lane a couple of years ago, I spent at least 1-1/2 hours in the engine room. The girlfriend was worried I had fallen overboard. Then the engine room tour guides wouldn't let me go till I signed up as a tour guide !! 

IT'S A SICKNESS :big: :big:

Mike


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## Lakc (Aug 22, 2009)

Its very hard to put your finger on just what is the most impressive feature here. 

Is it the research? Most of us can relate to spending way more time then budgeted to make a simple change to something here or there. The amount of prep work that has to go into this project is simply staggering. Even if you start with the origional blueprints,how many hundreds of pages are there? Then scale them down? How many man hours could you waste just trying to figgure out where to put the first hole and order the rest of the operations?

Is it the castings? How many hours get sunk into pattern making? Core making? Raised lettering?

Is it the detail? How many operations went into one single hand lever that you dont really even notice until the 5368th time you look at it? All the nameplates? The gauge dials?

Is it the enormity of the workholding problems presented here?

Or is it the sheer impracticality of a museum quality scale model ship engine that will never power a model ship? That almost makes it the classic unrequited love story in itself.


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