Marine diesel

[Tones]

Nige, have you ever heard of a Crossley engine? Though not a marine engine a mate sent me a video of it and has been restored to operating order. Its a flat (not horizontally opposed) 2 cylinder engine and weighs about 30 tons. The flywheel weighs 12 tons. Its original use was generating electricity and sat outside uncovered and unused in a coastal environment for 45 years.
I can't seem to be able to post photos or video of it running.

 

[mekanik]

There are some good pictures here. Amazingly clean for a machine shop no
swarf to be seen.

https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/threads/william-doxford-and-sons.302549/#post-3068309

 

[Nige]

Nige, have you ever heard of a Crossley engine?

Crossley's were from Manchester. Never had much to do with their engines but is this the one you were thinking about located in Bourke NSW.?

 

[John C.]

That is one big hit and miss engine.

 

[Nige]

Here's the longer version including the engine being started. The Crossley brothers apparently had some good teachers. One was apprenticed at Robert Stephenson & Co, and the other to W G Armstrong (later to be Armstrong Whitworth) on Tyneside, a hub of English engineering in the 19th Century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossley

 

[Nige]

Nige, have you ever heard of a Crossley engine? Though not a marine engine a mate sent me a video of it and has been restored to operating order. Its a flat (not horizontally opposed) 2 cylinder engine and weighs about 30 tons. The flywheel weighs 12 tons. Its original use was generating electricity and sat outside uncovered and unused in a coastal environment for 45 years.
I can't seem to be able to post photos or video of it running.

I had to do some research but I think you are speaking about a Crossley-Premier engine. There is a paragraph in the Wikipedia entry on this part of the Crossley Company. Funnily enough they manufactured engines in Nottingham which is only about 20 miles from where I grew up. This is the only video I can find, and it appears to be of a flat-8 installed in a pumping station somewhere in Fens in the East of England. Not a very good quality video but interesting nevertheless.

 

[Truck Shop]

Hall Scott 12V marine. 2,182 cu.in. gas.

 

[DMiller]

Amazing as many of the Hall Scott engines are still viable after all these years.

 

[mekanik]

During my career I worked on a few old fishing boats. Some were old and had
some antique engines in them. One had an Easthope engine with external
rocker arms and pushrods that ran a hydraulic pump. Another one had a
Cummins V1710 525 HP V12 in it.

 

[cw4Bray]

This is an unreal engine that's probably 120 years old ! It would be fun to walk on a catwalk suspended over a crankshaft.

Titanic's Reciprocating Engines

Excellent work Cian, I've been admiring it for some time. Your handling of the texture is impressive, the painted castings look photographically real. Two items for thought: -the reverser appears to be based on a page of Sothern's circa 1936 "Verbal Notes" book that appeared on the old TRMA...

www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

The second link talks about how he built the engine. Just watching the YT movie, it looks like a compound motor with each crank moving at different speeds for HP and LP.

HMCS SACKVILLE MACHINERY

The Third link is Canadian.

 

[skyking1]

Here are a couple more pictures of that east German engine from the 2019 cruise.
I have not heard of the engine but there it is for research.

 

[cw4Bray]

Tractor Talk: 1932 Fairbanks-Morse Model 32E-14

Tractor Talk: 1932 Fairbanks-Morse Model 32E-14 ..

www.dieselworldmag.com

This looks like the same engine that's at Roach harbor for making Lime.

Tacoma and Roche Harbor Lime Company (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

 

[Tugger2]

We pulled this one out of a 120 year old wood tug we were dismantling last year.The tug was originally steam.This was an 8 cyl Enterprise removed from another vessel and installed in the tug in the 1950 s.

 

[Tugger2]

And a 24 cylinder natural gas engine we unloaded and set in place up north this was one of 3 backup generators.The make was Jenbocker i believe,It was interested to actually see spark plugs on an engine that size.Generator shown on the hook

 

[DMiller]

Jenbacher, Austrian, had to look that one up.

 

[Tugger2]

Yes the install crew was Austrian.At first they were very skeptical of the old P&H. But by the time i lowered the generator end in for conection with the engine with no big chain falls for fine tuning they were very happy.

 

[chidog]

Large engines !

As far as I know all large low speed 2 strokes, like those huge Sulzers, Wartzillas, Man B&W like in some of the photos in this thread are all weldmet crankcases/ blocks, aka in that world as the frame.
Even some of the large medium speed engines like the OP fairbanks morse, and EMD's are fabbed.

I know cast iron works and makes a very stable foundation, absorbs vibrations well etc.
I just have a difficult time figuring out why on some very large engines that weight up into the 300,000 pound plus area would be manufactured using cast iron.
I remember years ago seeing a totally destroyed 3500 V16 block from a tossed rod and piston, it was scrapped. Its just so difficult to fix as in welding cast iron, other than the costly metal stitching and pinning technique. Too me it is gamble of very costly proportions to use it for such an expensive engine.
Curious what the price tag is on them?
The big plus for cast or nodular iron is for the cost to the builder, weldmets are much more expensive.

 

[Coaldust]

Surprising number of low block, 6-71, Gray Marine conversions, still in service in SE Alaska seine boats.

 

[Truck Shop]

 

[Coaldust]

The F/V Coastal Pride has a Gray Marine 6-71 and She’s still plying the waters since 1948. Keeps a good Metlakatla family fed. Hard to believe a wooden boat like that is still in service. I had the opportunity to sail on her. Not my picture.