Steam roller

[Gordon]

I am looking for a new project and thinking about a steam roller. I have found plans by Julius De Wall but have not found any information about it or found anyone who has built one. I am not sure about the burner. It appears that there is a single tube to heat the water and that is fired by some cups directly beneath the tube with some kind of fuel in the open cups. Not sure what fuel would be used. Has anyone had any experience with this design or know of another design?

Gordon

 

[TonyM]

Items 103 to 109 are burner parts including wick which suggest liquid fuel. https://modelengineeringwebsite.com/Simple_steam_roller_1_files/SR-002.PDF

 

[Gordon]

Items 103 to 109 are burner parts including wick which suggest liquid fuel. https://modelengineeringwebsite.com/Simple_steam_roller_1_files/SR-002.PDF

Yes I saw that also. I would assume that it would burn alcohol but I would question whether that just under a single tube could generate enough heat to actually run the engine. I wonder if anyone has actually built one successfully. If I were to build it I would have to redraw it in inch size. I do not need any more shelf displays. It looks simple enough to make for my grandkids.

 

[jkimberln]

I have a roller like that which I am currently trying to finish. It first appeared in the March issue, 1990, Live Steam magazine, vol 24 and runs for 8 months. It is dimensioned in inches. 1 1/2" scale. It was designed by William M. Harris. Julius copied it and redrew it in metric. Cheers

 

[Gordon]

Thank you for the information. I will pursue that. Do you know if the drawings are available or if they are only in the magazine? A first look shows $7.50 per issue x 8.

 

[Gordon]

I have a roller like that which I am currently trying to finish. It first appeared in the March issue, 1990, Live Steam magazine, vol 24 and runs for 8 months. It is dimensioned in inches. 1 1/2" scale. It was designed by William M. Harris. Julius copied it and redrew it in metric. Cheers

It looks like that is a different engine than the one I am looking at. The one I originally looked at is an oscillating cylinder built like a steam traction engine. I believe that yours has a vertical boiler. Interesting but a lot more complex. I will take a look at that. I am not sure that I want to get into another long term project at this time.
Gordon

 

[saaq22]

I see it before but take more time

 

[comstock-friend]

We were building about a dozen Bill Harris rollers at the local SoCal junior college machine shop class as a CNC project. We got most of the parts made, then the instructor retired to Northern California and the other project driver then moved to Oregon. The Stuart D10 engine block was machined from the solid, as were the connecting and valve rods. I was in the middle of riveting all the plate work for the tanks and coal bunker, while the welding shop assembled the boiler parts. Project is cold but not dead if I can get the boilers hydro tested at the Los Angeles Live Steamers (have to make a bunch of test plugs and stuff).

John

 

[Apprentice707]

What a great project, the Model Engineering World needs more schools with these skills if it is to survive.