Incredible Vintage Machinery and Steam Engine Photos

[JAndrew]

HMEM,

A coworker of mine happened upon a stash of incredible glass plate slide photos from the early 1900's at Bath Ironworks in Maine. Another coworker of mine was able to scan them to incredible resolution.

I doubt you'll see these photos anywhere else in the world.
-J.Andrew

 

[JAndrew]

That last photo is pretty incredible. Anybody know what the name or model is for that engine? I know for certain it was for shipboard use as there's many other photos relating the ships to the engines.

 

[Swifty]

Excellent quality pictures.

Paul.

 

[aonemarine]

I love pictures of vintage industry. All I can say is they sure dont build them like that any more. Now I have to go and google what year they started running turbines for marine propulsion use.

 

[vederstein]

The first steam turbine powered ship was called the Turbinia. It was a technology demonstrator.

 

[AussieJimG]

A great find and good preservation. Now we have them for all time.

Jim

 

[cheepo45]

Great pictures! The craftsmanship of those times was incredible.
The pride these people took in their work is enviable.
It's a shame that "as close to perfect as you can make it" turned into
"just barely good enough is fine"

cheepo45

 

[tornitore45]

Where is all our know how and industrial productivity gone now?

 

[nevadablue]

Wonderful pics, thanks for saving them!

In the late '60s I discovered a large stash of lantern slides (those glass plates) of the Panama Canal being built. At the time we were unable to copy them and I don't know what happened to them afterwards. Sad to lose those pictures.

 

[Shopguy]

Pictures like these are always of interest and sometimes can be an incubator for model ideas.

 

[Hrcoleman66]

The engineering and machining skill back then was amazing. Just remember that that turbine would hack been drafted up using pencil on paper and then some boffin would have had to out how to build it! It boggles the noodle!
In fact I find it quite incredible.

Cheers,

Hugh

 

[lathe nut]

WOW, that is impressive, love the photo's and we think we are smarter today, those people had big ideas and big projects, no eye protection, ear, hard had and probably no safety boots, probably no brake ever fifteen minutes and like where I work they have to have there bottled water and gator aid, don't for the JSA (job safety analyst) I did some volunteer work on the USS Orleck, they had steam turbines on it they were monster for a small ship that size, run a steam engine when I was a young fellow it was a Corliss, installed in 1895 we shut it down in 1973 and it was still running fine, that was a work of Art, going to see if I can find the old photo's of it.

 

[philthorn]

I know it is big stuff but did anyone see the parallel clamp in the 7th photo, the end view of the low pressure rotor. That clamp has to be a two man job to use
Fantastic pics

Phil

 

[gus]

I love these overhead flat belt pulley system. By late 1960, the very last machine with this overhead pulley drive was scrapped.

Keppel Shipyard had a WW ll 100 hp Hitachi Air Compressor with 18'' wiide flat belt drive 100 feet away from electric motor. Motor starter was a ''liquid resistor'' type. I was told ''liquid resistor'' is just plain old brine. I can't what will happen if the belt breaks and some poor guy get hit.

 

[JAndrew]

All,

I like that last picture best. On the end of that engine you can clearly see the Stephenson's Link for changing direction (kinda shaped like a banana). Very cool!

-J.Andrew

 

[ChooChooMike]

WOW !!

These pictures are absolutely incredible !!

They all show amazing work going on to build marine steam engines. I wonder if all these photos are from the same factory ? Kind of doubt it now that I think about it.

Interesting to see both both late model steam triple-expansion piston engines and steam turbine engines in being made. That triple screw/turbine layout is amazing. Hard to tell, but there must be some gearing down between the turbine and the prop as turbine turn way too fast to be direct drive.

I love pictures of vintage industry. All I can say is they sure dont build them like that any more. Now I have to go and google what year they started running turbines for marine propulsion use.

Started in mid-1890's with Parsons and de Laval. Can read history here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_turbine

Marine specific application here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_turbine#Marine_propulsion

The cool thing for me is having seen the triple-expansion steam engine on Liberty ships :

Jeremiah O'Brien - http://www.ssjeremiahobrien.org/

in operation on:

John Brown - http://www.ssjohnwbrown.org/

and I volunteer on the Lane Victory ship here in Los Angeles where I give engine room tours (in dock and while we're underway - yes it's fully operational):

http://lanevictory.org

I've been in the a few other engine rooms - USS Midway carrier museum :

http://www.midway.org/

4-screw steam turbine, 4-engine rooms, 12-boiler rooms

USS Iowa battleship:

http://www.pacificbattleship.com/

also 4-prop, steam turbine with HUGE reduction gears. 4-engine rooms, 8 boiler rooms.

USS Alabama battleship:

http://www.ussalabama.com/

and a few others I can't recall (small destroyer moored in Boston somewhere ?). Totally amazing !!

The photos (#3 & #9) of the reduction gear being hogged are very interesting to me. IF only we could go back in time when these photos were shot <drool drool>

Mike

 

[philthorn]

All,

I like that last picture best. On the end of that engine you can clearly see the Stephenson's Link for changing direction (kinda shaped like a banana). Very cool!

-J.Andrew

Hi J.Andrew,
it's the pedantic in me but Mr Stephenson didn't invent that link motion but put his name to it anyway. His foreman, Mr Howe actually invented it. ;D Thm: