The Steamboating Forum

When I was around ten years old, Cliff would came and stay the night with us about once a year. He and my father would stay up half the night talking steam. Our cat spent the whole time in Cliff's lap. I think she liked his always grease stained T-shirts!

We named a subsequent cat for him. Spent all of it's time in the shop.

Blackstaffe is one of my heros. I never met the man personally for I think he died about 1980.
But other engineers and steamboat types still talk of him. How do you fasten the tubes to the drums? weld, swedge, pipe connectors. I never had much to do with water tube outfits so they are a mystery. Tube leaks and pumps seem to be lesson one with water tube boilers.