Steam engine for a sternwheeler

[SilverSanJuan]

Outstanding, Pete! She looks absolutely amazing! Congrats on your maiden voyage.
Todd

 

[apointofview]

Thanks guys, its a big relief to have it done. This project ran so long it felt like it would never get done for awhile there.

What really got it finished was committing to taking it up to Cabin Fever this January. I don't recommend setting a deadline on a hobby, it can take some of the fun out of it, but this time it was worth it.

On the subject of Cabin Fever does anyone know what type/size/thread pitch of fittings they provide for guys that want to run their displays with compressed air ? I am driving up from Georgia and I want to show up properly prepared. I do plan on running it in the pond with the boiler a few times, but the rest of the time I would like it to chug along on the bench with air.

Pete

 

[apointofview]

We headed out to the pond this evening and set up just as the sun went down. I was hoping for a little cooler air to show more steam, but it was a lot more comfortable at 50 degrees !

I move the fuel tank to the aft part of the boat, it was forming ice on the tank and supply lines when it was up in the bow. Back near the engines its much warmer and there is more air flow, and that made the gas pressure much more stable.

Pretty strange not being able to see the shore, or any thing around the boat.

Everything worked great, next run will be at Cabin Fever in Pennsylvania.
I dont want to push my luck and sink it before the show

Pete

Videos -

https://youtu.be/dJWOA6ZYheI

https://youtu.be/emIwj3BG1a0

 

[ozzie46]

I believe the night shots are more impressive than the daytime ones. Great job.

Ron

 

[barnesrickw]

Just beautiful. I've been showing my Facebook friends who are not part of this forum, and they are blown away.

 

[Herbiev]

Just magnificent

 

[apointofview]

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to let me know you like my project, especially when I see the fantastic builds I have that are on this forum. This group has been a real big help in pulling this off. By seeing how others make these great machines I have learn a lot.

Pete

 

[tms6401]

You need to be very proud of this project. I can think of only one word to describe these last night pics ... Stunning!

Tom

 

[apointofview]

Hey guys I got to go to Cabin Fever in PA this past weekend. What a great event, it is impossible to take in all the workmanship that was on display everywhere I looked !! What a great group of folks to talk to !!!!!!

My boat did great ! It didnt sink, and the machine didnt experience any failures the whole day. I wasnt able to stay for Sunday because I had to get back down to Georgia to work, but that one day sure was fun !!

Here is a quick video from that day -

https://youtu.be/mSfmBgwVGjc

Pete

 

[RonGinger]

I saw the boat, but never got to meet Pete. It is such a great weekend, it really ought to last all week! The boat up close is as great as it looks in all the photos, very happy I got to see it.

 

[doubletop]

Pete

From the I've been lurking in the background from time to time watching the progress of this build. I must admit I've missed a bit recently but just took a look today to find this fantastic result.

Every steam engine needs a boiler and when it then does something real even better!

Congratulations on an outstanding job

Pete

 

[apointofview]

RonGinger - Sorry I missed you, it would have been nice to talk to you in person. I was next to the boat most of the day, but I went out one time trying to see all the other items on display ( impossible to see them all by the way ), that must have been when you came by the table.

Pete - Thanks, making the engines run well on steam was a bit harder than I expected, at this point my engines run much better and smoother on steam than on air. The steam expands so much better, the water makes things a little slicker and the hot engine is a little looser than when cold.

Pete

 

[doubletop]

.

Pete - Thanks, making the engines run well on steam was a bit harder than I expected, at this point my engines run much better and smoother on steam than on air. The steam expands so much better, the water makes things a little slicker and the hot engine is a little looser than when cold.

Pete

Exactly - all my steam engines have their own boilers, otherwise they are just air engines and completely miss the point.

In the early days, (apart from its availability to you) I did wonder why you were using aluminium for the construction, . In the end it turned out to be an inspired choice as the final result could have been very different if you'd used steel.

Pete

 

[apointofview]

Thats got me curious, what would steel changed other than weight ?

 

[doubletop]

Thats got me curious, what would steel changed other than weight ?

Exactly, the weight. As you were modelling to a prototypical design it would have been 'normal' to use similar materials to the original, e.g steel. But you used aluminium and saved a lot of weight that would have been at the back of the boat, having more displacement, possibly needing a bigger boat so it floated at the correct depth and more bow ballast to get it to sit flat.

Pete

 

[apointofview]

yep weight began to really get tight, there is 8lbs of brass in the bow to get her level and once its fully loaded I have very little freeboard, but it looks scale to me.

Steel is a good bit harder for my skills and equipment to handle too !

 

[doubletop]

.....

Steel is a good bit harder for my skills and equipment to handle too !

Pete

It looks to me like you've got the skills now.

I kept a away from steel in the early days but then came the point that I had bite the bullet and work with it more and more. It wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated. Sharp tools and leaded steel machines easily, if you don't plan on welding it.

Pete