There are IC engines that use high pressure air or gas to open poppet valves using cylinders that are controlled with an engine management system. Trying to do this with steam could be done but it would make for a very elaborate system. Firstly the operating gas or steam needs to be up to pressure b...

If you can draw and dimension it, I can make a new set for you if you like.

Alternately, send the cap and flange to me and I will make new parts as per the samples.

Cheers

Lionel

Hi Dietrich,

Don's book is well worth buying, it contains more in depth information than the web site.

Cheers

Lionel

I realise that some cushioning is a good idea but what is the recommended amount? The idea is to compress the remaining steam in the cylinder up to near the pressure of the inlet steam. To calculate this one needs to compare the swept cylinder volume with the unswept volume. The unswept volume is t...

His latest Monotubes, start with small tubing and progressively larger tubing as it proceeds up the coil stack, he has better success with that configuration. What is the advantage of starting with a small tube and progressively increasing the tube diameter through the monotube boiler? I know that ...

The difference that you notice there may be caused by the propeller having considerably more slip in reverse than in forward due to the cupping of the propeller blades. This difference is very noticeable on 2 stoke outboard engines when changing from neutral to forward and reverse at idle, the prope...

Mike, What a great story, now you just need to build some passenger barges to pull behind your steam boat. Speaking of which, when are we going to see some pictures of your new hull?

Lionel

Ron, Yes, I miss took Jacks meaning when he said " Lost to Work" after driving home I realized that my use of that term is 180deg from what Jack meant. In Australia if we say for example that a man is lost to drink or lost to love we mean that he has been consumed by that thing. So when Jack wrote t...

As for Mr Connell, most engineers would tell him that vast amounts of steam entering a cylinder is "lost" to work by being condensed into water, the reasons are many.

How is the steam being "lost" to "work" by being condensed into water?

:Lionel

... They were happy to overcome it by other methods; it can also be achieved by machining the piston with more surface area on the bottom to match the small amount of area taken up by the piston rod (in cross section), though I've not come across many asymmetrical pistons on locos or traction engin...