Smokestack height

[Leighton]

Hi PD's
How does one ascertain the height of the smokestack? Taken from the
top of the boiler. Can someone advise please
I need the maximum and also the minimum height. The model that I am
building will be the first stage of a full size fully steamed stern
wheeler 150' x 35'
The reason I'm asking is that we have to contend with low level
bridges here on the river and the stacks I think will have to be
hydrolically lowered
Thanks
Leighton

[Paulrjordan]

Wow, Leighton..you're actually doing what so many can only
imagine ...building a REAL paddler!

Smokestack height? Well all I know is its function is twofold...to
provide a good draft for the firebox and to prevent those on deck
from getting gassed by acrid black smoke!

To get a more technical answer, you might consider contacting the (re)
formed North American Steamboat Association in case you havn't
already done so. The contact is:

Gail Anderson
61 Lancaster Ave.
Strasburg, PA 17579-1105
Email: smokestackmag@aol.com

Their website is at
http://www.pcez.com/~artemis/NASAhome.htm

I can also put you in contact with a Steamboat group in the
Seattle/Pacific Northwest if you need to.

Another way of calculating smokestack length might simply be
to "scale" photos of various sternwheelers to calculate their stack
length and diameter using their known OAL as the benchmark. Computer
graphic programs (and MS Publisher) are great for doing this kind of
thing and you can get some pretty accurate results.

Please keep us informed of your progress...it's a fascinating venture
and one that most of us can only dream of doing!!

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

[george britnell]

Hi Leighton,
When I was building my model of the Suter I visited
the River Museum in Marrietta, Ohio. Docked there they
have the sternwheeler the Snyder. The Snyder had a
unique arrangement on the smokestacks in that down at
the pilothouse roof level they split and hinged the
upper part of the smokestack and had an arm with a
weight on the end to counterbalance the stack. There
was a guy wire that went to the top of the stack and
whoever's duty it was would just pull the stack down
till the obstruction (bridge) was passed.
As for your other question about the stack height,
years ago I purchased a set of engineers books
published under the name of Audel's. This set covered
everything from steam to electricity in the 20's and
30's. In there was a section on chimney height as
applied to stationery powerplants. They gave all kinds
of formulas and calculations based on size of boiler
(btu's) for the chimney (smokestack) diameter and
height. I can't say that there was some simple
algebraic equation for figuring it out. Most all of
the recently built paddlewheelers that I have seen are
all diesel powered because of cost and I'm sure
safety. I know in my snooping around the internet I
have come across sites for full size paddlewheeler
construction but havn't seen much on steam power. If
you can't find anything please let me know and I will
try to get you some copies of the information in my
book.
Sincerely,
George D. Britnell (SUTER)

[Alistair Deayton]

On European side-wheelers on rivers a variety of methods have been used.
At Dresden the funnels are now hydraulically lowered, but min the communist
era, pre-rebuilding, there was a guy turned a winch on the foredeck that was
connected by a rope to the funnel and lowered it.
On the screw steamer KAISER FRIEDRICH in Berlin, last summer, there was a
crew member almost permanently employed in lowering and raising the funnel.
He had a rope attached to the top of the funnel and, I imagine the funnel
had a counterweight about a third of the way up

Alistair Deayton

[Leighton]

Hi PJ,
Thanks for your kind words regarding my full size stern wheeler. I
have been working on the project since '99 but have only started the
model in July of 2002. I have a mate who designs and builds full
size steam engines here in NZ. The ones required for the Spirit of
Waikato (hence my ID)have a 15" bore with a 60" stroke. (With tongue
in cheek) do you think a Stuart model boiler would be large enough
to run these two engines?
Regards
Leighton

[wsnowdon]

How long is a piece of string?. Funnel height is general dictated by
the type of boiler used. The older type haystack and locomotive
boilers required the funnel to draw the fire into or under the
boiler, therefor the larger the funnel the better. (Look at
illustrations of early 18th century paddlers- now they really WERE
funnels- this was because the boilers were of very low efficiency).
With later forced draught and pressurised boiler rooms a tall funnel
was mainly for aesthetics. (Look at all the 4 funneled liners which
really only required two- the others were dummies!). On larger
English upriver paddlers, particularly on the Thames, the funnels
were telescopic to cope with the bridges. Smaler paddlers(Tugs) had a
hinge at the base of the funnel with large counter weights which were
so finely balanced, they could be swung down by one man. Hope this is
of a little help, best of luck with your project, Walter.

[wsnowdon]

If you go into the following site ( the best full size paddler site
there is) , go into ships lists, then click onto Thames and Medway
steamers and look for PS Royal sovereign 11 and Koh-I-Noor, you will
see clearly telescopic funnels.
http://freespace.virgin.net/tom.lee/inde.htm. Walter.

[Leighton]

Hi Walter
I have been looking at my piece of string for some 2 months now and
I still can't get it right. I am using pieces of 10mm (3/8") dowel,
cutting them to height,inserting them, standing back looking at them
in place, and they still don't seem right. The diameter of the
stacks will be 16mm (this equates to 900mm dia in real size).
I can't get into the website you gave me re: the ships.
We have decided to hinge the stacks above head height and
hydrolicaly raise and lower them as a pair. The Spirit of Waikato
name will be suspended between the two stacks.
I'll go back to my piece of string and stretch it some more.
Regards
Leighton

[dragoncity]

Leighton,
get some dowel, (some plastic condut pipe will work) of the correct scale ( 16mm you say)
and you will find 'getting it right" much simpler and it will look right when you cut the correct length.

When building the P.S Industry I was using a piece of solid metal rod ( about 20mm) across as a
temp chimney ( Murray River Paddlers dont have funnels or stacks :-), and to keep the
roof on temporary, and it never looked right, when I was ready, I fitted a tube of 15mm and voila !
Spot On !!

( no doubt you found looking at a piece of string for two months quite enlightening :-)

Cheers,
brett