Steam Show and Threshing Bee

[altivo]

More photos to follow. This panorama shows some of the antique steam powered tractors that were present. All are restored to working order, and were under power at the show. Typical age is about 100 years old, and they demonstrated their ability to perform various tasks, such as powering threshing equipment, corn shucking machines, and a stationary sawmill. A highlight of the event is a daily parade of equipment around the grounds. On the whole, I find the steam engines less noisy than "modern" gasoline or diesel power. They also have higher torque at low speed, and use a variety of inexpensive fuels. Disadvantages include greater skill required to operate and maintain them, and heavy air pollution from the exhaust of most of them. (Though the latter can be fixed more easily than the pollution from internal combustion, and steam engines that burn clean fuels such as hydrogen or corn ethanol could be built easily enough.)

[Click photo to enlarge.]

Comments

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

you should design and build one :-p

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I think not. That requires tools and skills that I don't have. They are amazing machines though.

[hrrunka]

I once had an ambition to build a model steam traction engine, but then I looked into the finer points of boiler construction and testing.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I believe such things are available in kit form to ease the more difficult precision elements.

Years ago I gave my dad a model stationary engine as a gift. It was made of heavy paper, and had to be cut out with a knife or razor blade to get the close tolerances needed for assembly. It did operate when he assembled it, but it ran on air pressure from a balloon. ;p

[hrrunka]

Indeed (for a price, of course). Somewhere in the chaos that used to be my workshop there's a part-machined Stuart 10V.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Ahh they're the machines from my kitten story books.
I love the sounds they make...

Oh by the by there was a wonderful train on a top gear episode. It was a modern made Peppercorn steam engine made by hand from the original plans :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The really cool thing over at Sycamore is a big stationary steam engine and compressor. It was originally part of a cold storage set up.

The boiler is on the outside of the building, and was burning wood yesterday, but can probably burn coal if you change the grates. The steam is piped inside to the engine and compressor. They run so smoothly that there is almost no noise at all other than an occasional click or hiss. As rustitobuck put it, the smooth and graceful movement of the cams and pistons is almost sensual or biological in appearance, rather than mechanical. In contrast, internal combustion engines are noisy, jerky in their movements, and altogether obnoxious.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, speaking of story books: look closely at the center of that photo. You'll see a genuine steam shovel. They had it fired up and working, too. A single boiler powers multiple small engines to operate various portions of the machine. One for the tractor treads, another for the winch that raises and lowers the boom, another for the jaws, etc. It's exactly the design that features in the illustrations of Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel.

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

Steam engines have a lot going for them, but they've got one major problem: if you don't run them properly, they tend to explode. This is not a good thing.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We are capable of much better control and safety systems now than we were 100 years ago. We also do not need such large boilers.

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

That's a good thing...perhaps, with those improvements, steam can be a source of power for some uses.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Steam was being used successfully to power city buses in San Francisco in the 1970s, I think. The high torque at low RPM was a distinct advantage for climbing those hills. I think I was told that they burned propane. Certainly there was no exhaust other than steam and hot air (presumably CO2 so still not ideal.)

The project was experimental, and ended when the first petroleum price "crisis" died down, I think. It did prove, though, that steam could be used cost effectively for modern needs.

Stationary engines are still used in many places to generate electricity, of course, so the base technology has not been lost and must have been improved to some degree.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Pretties! Pretty things! (says a piece of my Thomas the Tank Engine obsessed, Maerklin train loving childhood...)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Pretty sooty in many cases, though most were in their Sunday best.

They are certainly functional and efficient, despite claims to the contrary (mostly by the makers of internal combustion engines.) With today's technology and building skills, they could be improved a lot, though.

[thedeere.livejournal.com]

I went to a steam show just about like that a month ago, here. Thorougly enjoyed it. What I love about steamers? So long as they're mechanically sound, they don't need anything you don't already have. Wood and water!

They're the machine equivalent of a horse, really, in that they eat locally produced "food". :) That makes 'em A-OK in my book!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually, most of them need a good supply of lubricants, traditionally those were petroleum based. Even so, the amount of crude oil consumed to lubricate steam engines would be tiny when compared to the amount burned by the internal combustion engines they might replace.

The oil requirements are partly due to simple bushings used in places where today we would use precision ball or roller bearings, and it seems to me that the bearings and lubrication system could easily be upgraded for a modern version of steam traction or even steam powered railroad, streetcars, or buses.

[bladehorse.livejournal.com]

heh, actually most steam engines used anything but petrollium lubricants in the begining ages of he steam era. Most journals on a locomotive were lubricated with tallow, and the finer runnings, highly refined tallow. As oil became cheap, and prevelant, the petrollium took over. Most Grease Still has tallow (Lard) as a base, and soap (Lye) in it to make it thicker.

I think that with modern technology, one could make Very efficiant engines. Roller bearings, turbines, condensers, and modern efficiant boiler design (Ie marine design) could get about 90% of the energy turned into energy used. Oh and turbines running electric motors. No transmission losses.
On other notes, I wonder how easilly the loco I run would be with roller bearings, and tefelon piston rings, and rod packings. Id say it takes about 10 hp just to move the engine itself(Without the loco) at 100 rpm. this is a 1200 hp (Indicated) engine. I have no idea of actual HP.
I still would be much happier being born like 150 years ago.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If by "most" you mean overall, from the invention of the steam engine onward, I'm sure you're right. These traction engines, though, are almost all from the early 20th century, something like 1905 to 1925 or so. They use little drip pots above the bearings or other moving parts to constantly drip oil onto them. Pretty much the same era as the Stanley Steamer automobiles, in fact.

And a coutionary note

[bladehorse.livejournal.com]

THese threshing engines ARE NOT REGULATED!
there is no regulating athority over these engines. (Unless they are running under a company, in which case OSHA would be involved (Because of employees)
I say this because one failed a number of years ago back east somewhere when they were running it down the street. Operaters were waching the sheriff chasing them instead of their water. BOooM! I think there were like 19 injured. and at least 2 dead. PUC, and OSHA inspectors looked at remains and found that the stay bolts(That hold the inside from collapsing while being held by the outside shell thru bolts) were less than a pencil thick, when they were supposed to be 1 1/4" by design. Pressure litterally pulled the stays apart, and rip... boom.
All water tube boilers have this issue, and Many are not ispected, or are inspected poorly.
As in where I work too. Our pressure guage has not been dead weight tested since 1991. PUC says it is a federal mandate that it is tested every 6 months if its used or not.BUUUTTT we're not regulated by the puc. Cal OSHA is worthless with their inspectors. as every one we have had come up, dont ask about guages, hydro testing,or even realise that the Safety valves are NOT sealed.(Which means we can add wahsers under the spring and crank up the safetys to whatever we want.Tho we dont. (Us operators Unlike the owner are the ones that will pay the price of a fault.) Tho we Are setting the safetys with an uncertified guage... (And this is a biusness like many out there.) We at least do have cal Osha here.

Re: And a coutionary note

[altivo.livejournal.com]

In Illinois they do have to pass regular state boiler inspections in order to be used legally. Since this club is very high profile, I imagine they hold their members to the letter of the law on that: "Show us your current certificate or you can't exhibit."

We were with quickcasey who is an experienced steam locomotive engineer and knows his stuff. He didn't seem worried. ;D

The grounds were covered with safety warning signs and reminders, and in the middle they have an exploded boiler on display, with the sides cut away to show what happens.

Re: And a coutionary note

[bladehorse.livejournal.com]

Id say he wasnt worried because all youll hear is the KA....
.... There is no boom :P
Huggs ya:)

Re: And a coutionary note

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually, any time we got near one, I know he was watching for signs of stress. He even has described some of the things to look out for. I usually stay well clear of the moving stuff because I don't like the noise or the heat.