A High Speed Twin

A special section just for steam engines and boilers, as without these you may as well fit a sail.
Post Reply
User avatar
Elver1
Warming the Engine
Warming the Engine
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:45 am
Boat Name: No Boat Yet

A High Speed Twin

Post by Elver1 » Wed Nov 09, 2022 5:57 pm

This is an older high speed or Westinghouse style twin. I'm not sure of the manufacturer since there's no surviving builder's plate. It has a rocking valve.

I coincidentally bought, several years before, a brochure for "Acme Marine Engines and Boilers" built by the Rochester Machine and Tool Works in Rochester, N.Y. There's a fairly close similarity to the engine illustrated on the cover, but it differs somewhat from the one I have. The catalog lists one, two, four, and eight horsepower engines (not illustrated)

I'd like to work on the engine this winter.
AcmeCatalog1.jpg
AcmeCatalog1.jpg (88.26 KiB) Viewed 2851 times
Attachments
Acme1-400.jpg
Acme1-400.jpg (99.6 KiB) Viewed 2852 times
User avatar
PeteThePen1
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 553
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:53 pm
Location: Aberystwyth, Wales, Europe
Contact:

Re: A High Speed Twin

Post by PeteThePen1 » Sat Nov 12, 2022 9:58 pm

What an excellent find. As you say it looks pretty close to the catalogue illustration so I would think you might be safe in assuming it is what you have. However, when you strip it down you may get more clues as to whether your real machine is the same as the paper one. Hope you will post up the progress shots.

Pete
User avatar
Elver1
Warming the Engine
Warming the Engine
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:45 am
Boat Name: No Boat Yet

Re: A High Speed Twin

Post by Elver1 » Sun Nov 13, 2022 2:47 am

Thanks Pete.

I think I've found it -- I believe it's a Murphy twin engine. The New England Wireless and Steam Museum has one and it looks REALLY close in the photos. I've got two casting numbers from my engine's steam chest and the lower block, and I've written to them to ask whether it's a match with theirs. (They also have an Acme twin, btw.)

Their Murphy engine:
https://newsm.org/steam/murphy-two-cyli ... am-engine/
User avatar
PeteThePen1
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 553
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:53 pm
Location: Aberystwyth, Wales, Europe
Contact:

Re: A High Speed Twin

Post by PeteThePen1 » Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:53 pm

Well done! That is exceellent news. Will you have the opportunity to nip over to the New England Wireless and Steam Museum or is that several days journey (I didn't look to see if your post included your location)?

Best wishes

Pete
Post Reply