Unit Steam Engines

[Peter Webster]

Has anyone used the unit steam engines especially configured as a twin cylinder model. I bought 2 last Christmasand individually they run quite well but configured as a twin unit they seem to bind and are not self starting, the main part of the exercise. I have tried different settings of the crankshaft and the best result was achieved 1/4 out of turn but it still binds slightly. I checked it on the lathe and found a very slight out of square on one of the connecting pins.Could this be the cause? I have since ordered 2 more and will check them out prior to setting up. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Peter W from Oz where it's bloody freezing cold at present!

[Walter Snowdon]

Hello Peter. I have three of these engines set up as an inline triple which has only been run on air with copious layers of oil to run it in. Self starting is still a bit"iffy". I reckon your set up quartering will be about right, Remember these engines need a LOT of bedding in. An old mate of mine used them to build a Vee-four. and ran it in by attaching a slow speed electric motor and lots of oil, after about 2 hours it runs like a sowing machine.
  All pipes need a lot of lagging, including the short pipes running between the individual engines.
  Well run in, these engines can run well, so dont expect much until they have had at least 2 hour running in.
 One other thing, I solved the "knocking" where the crank pin of one engine enters the flywheel of the other by sleaving the hole with thin wall brass tube. This makes it much smoother.  Regards, walter.

[GreeboTheCat]

I've not heard of these engines. Any more info?

Greebo

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's.....Greebo..... try http://www.forest-classics.co.uk/Unit%20Steam.htm      but ....Derek

[bogstandard]

Goodness me, I didn't think these things were still about.

I have machined up dozens of these engines, even when bought as supposedly finished kits.

If I remember rightly the standards were some sort of monkey metal, being supplied in the kit as though they came straight out of the mould.

I used to square up the base and cylinder face to each other, and after that they seemed to run ok. If you wanted to join any together, those two datum faces had to be right.

They might be supplied ready machined now, but in my day (long time ago, in the last century), each and every one had to be fettled.

John

[steamboatmodel]

Goodness me, I didn't think these things were still about.

I have machined up dozens of these engines, even when bought as supposedly finished kits.

If I remember rightly the standards were some sort of monkey metal, being supplied in the kit as though they came straight out of the mould.

I used to square up the base and cylinder face to each other, and after that they seemed to run ok. If you wanted to join any together, those two datum faces had to be right.

They might be supplied ready machined now, but in my day (long time ago, in the last century), each and every one had to be fettled.

John

"monkey metal" Is that what that metal was, we referred to it as "potaloy" (anything that would melt in the pot). It was almost as much work truing and fixing one up as it was to make one from bar stock.
regards,
Gerald

[mjt60a]

There's a coincidence, I was just looking at old copies of Model Boats/Radio Control Boat Modeller (for something else) and saw an article on these engines. They had a 2 cylinder 'paddlesteamer' engine shown as well as those on the link...

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's ....& good to hear that the 1:24 Pevensey hull is progressing Peter..... ...did you get the issue with the UNIT engines sorted?

Just wondering  ......what are your plans for gearing down the engines to paddle shaft?......

...this will be a large model...thank goodness for that LPG AUTO ford falcon wagon ... Derek 

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's.....couldn't resist & posted the following note to BIX in the UK.......lets see the response...as they are good people........

Hi Bixhead Engineering....... from Derek Warner in Australia....you will remember me as the owner of Gas tank Number 473 which I had to return for modification in October 2006...etc and all that is OK again thanks
 
In our Paddleducks WEB site... certain interest is mentioned by another Australian...... Peter Webster who now I understand has four of the single UNIT Steam engines as below
 
My questions are......
 
1) are there any WEB pages of detail or dimension of the completed UNIT Steam engine as assemblies that we could post in our PD site?
2) another UK PD member commented that UNIT Steam previously manufactured a horizontal paddle engine....is this still available?
 
best regards ....Derek

Oh BTW... a few years back......I put forward your BIX Engineering WEB site [Forrest Classics] & it now appears under Live Steam....... Suppliers in our PD WEB site etc