Isbell-Porter or Orr & Sembower ?

[GreenTwin]

A few years ago, I saw Dave Richard's O-S steam engine running his line-shaft-powered machine shop and decided that I had to model this engine.
See 2:26 for Dave's O-S engine.



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[GreenTwin]

I started modeling the O-S using screen captures from Dave's engine, but I needed a few more photos from the back side of the engine, and so I did an internet search, and found a defunct add on ebay for the same engine.
The advertisement had expired, but there were a few photos which were very helpful.

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[GreenTwin]

I was able to contact the seller, and low and behold, the engine never sold on ebay, and so was still available.
After a lot of planning on how to ship this engine to me from the Pacific Northwest, I was finally able to obtain this engine.
I did a lot of sweating as this engine was in transit, expecting that the shipping company would contact me and say "We lost your engine", or "Your engine got run over by a lift truck and is destroyed".
I did receive the engine intact, and now I need to start the 3D model over again, since I can make exact measurements on this engine.

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[GreenTwin]

Yesterday, I ran across this video, and the narrator mentions that this engine is an "Isbel-Porter.
I did a double take, because the "Isbell-Porter" is identical to my Orr & Sembower.
See 0:52



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[GreenTwin]

I found a few more items concerning the Isbell-Porter engine on the net (not my photos).

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[GreenTwin]

The only difference I can see between the Isbell-Porter engine and the O-S engine is that the O-S engines had "O-S" cast into the top of the engine base, as can be seen in this photo.

I am not sure who's engine this is (no my photo).

I have only been able to find three of these type engines; 1. the photo attached, 2. the Isbell-Porter at the New England Wireless & Steam Museum, and 3. Dave Richard's O-S.

Dave Richard's engine appears to use a fabricated flywheel, so perhaps the original flywheel was lost.

You can see the 'Trade "O&S" Mark' cast into the top of the base on this engine.

Not my photo.

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[GreenTwin]

So it makes me wonder how the same engine came to be labeled as manufactured by two different companies.

I am going to make a 3D model for this engine, and also 3D printed patterns, and then gray iron castings.
Bore will be approximately 2" diameter.

I have considered scanning my engine, but I don't have a scanner, and scanners produce a type of surface-mapped model, which is not necessarily something that can easily be edited.

Anyway, this engine is high on my "next-build" engine list.
I like this engine a lot because of the utter simplicity of it, and its elegant styling.

This engine looks a lot like a Cretors No.01, or perhaps the Cretors No.01 was styled after this engine ?

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[GreenTwin]

A few photos of my O-S.
Head has been cracked and repaired, apparently because the peened rod head was allowed to protrude too high.
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[GreenTwin]

Some Orr & Sembower literature.

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[GreenTwin]

The O-S is similar to this Continental that I saw at the Tannehill museum in Alabama.

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[GreenTwin]

I cleaned up my O-S head, to make it look a bit better, but will recast it in gray iron, so it will not be cracked.

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[GreenTwin]

Here is a print from the 3D model I made of the head.

I had some bed lifting on the Prusa MK3, but salvaged the pattern.

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[GreenTwin]

I use painter's blue tape, since it releases easily from resin bound sand.
The surfaces will be machined, so no need to have the pattern surface perfect.
This pattern does not have any draft angle, but I think I can make it work.

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[kf2qd]

It would be interesting to get an Isbel-Porter and an O&S next to each other and see if one was different in size by the shrink factor of the material. Or if they were made in different countries and are a very close copy. Or if they are a near copy with some feature chnged/added to get around a patent, or if there was never a patent and one is a copy of the other...

 

[Sprocket]

I wonder if that’s the same Porter as the 0-4-0 locomotive?

 

[GreenTwin]

Since there are a number of advertisements for a range of O-S engine types and configurations, I have to guess that O-S was a major steam engine manufacturer, and they probably licensed the manufacture of the 4.5"x6" engine to Isbell-Porter.
That is my guess.
The Isbell-Porter is 4.5" bore and 6" stroke, and that matches my O-S engine.

I am pretty sure that my O-S and the Isbell-Porter shown in the pictures above are identical engines.

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[Sprocket]

I was thinking about this "Porter"

 

[ShopShoe]

Very Interesting.

I am curious as to where were these companies located. Or, more importantly, where were the engines made? Was there a manufacturer that made them and branded them for the companies that sold them with their name?

There may be a local history scholar or archivest that has information or knows what may have been published years ago and "lost."

--ShopShoe

 

[kf2qd]

From the pictures the motor castings look identical. The O&S has a different base plate with the name cat in and the I&P has a brass plate on the engine itself. Could have come from the same factory.

 

[Richard Hed]

The only difference I can see between the Isbell-Porter engine and the O-S engine is that the O-S engines had "O-S" cast into the top of the engine base, as can be seen in this photo.

I am not sure who's engine this is (no my photo).

I have only been able to find three of these type engines; 1. the photo attached, 2. the Isbell-Porter at the New England Wireless & Steam Museum, and 3. Dave Richard's O-S.

Dave Richard's engine appears to use a fabricated flywheel, so perhaps the original flywheel was lost.

You can see the 'Trade "O&S" Mark' cast into the top of the base on this engine.

Not my photo.

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View attachment 159410

Just make some castings and sell me one and quit whining. Have you got an idea how many HP this engine is? What is the weight?