Ofeldt Blueflame Kerosene burner

[Lopez Mike]

Oh I know the steam plant is pretty much inherently safe. I was thinking of tipping the whole show over on a quick turn or some entertaining scenario like that.

I've got it! You have lots of steam. Use it to inflate airbags in an accident. That nice warm pillow effect.

[cyberbadger]

Oh I know the steam plant is pretty much inherently safe. I was thinking of tipping the whole show over on a quick turn or some entertaining scenario like that.

I've got it! You have lots of steam. Use it to inflate airbags in an accident. That nice warm pillow effect.

I wouldn't worry too much about airbags, how about the lack of safety belts!

Most early steam cars circa 1900 didn't tip - the problem was the roads weren't good enough to go anywhere and the tires were so thin that they got stuck in the mud very quickly!

-CB

[DetroiTug]

Oh I know the steam plant is pretty much inherently safe. I was thinking of tipping the whole show over on a quick turn or some entertaining scenario like that.

Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing, there is zero safety equipment. This is essentially a horse drawn buggy with steam engine fitted. I never intended for it to go very fast, during the build I was told by those who know that if it would do 30mph I would be lucky. So I made sure to reduce resistance wherever I could, everything that rotates, does so on a sealed ball roller bearing. I jammed as many coils as I could around the centerdrum of the boiler. Kept it light etc. It will do 30 no problem, I have a feeling it will do 50 mph, but not with me on it (again). I opened it up last summer with a full head of steam down a long straight road and the engine sound disappeared and the exhaust sounded like a big steam leak. I have a four wheeler that will run 55 mph and the car seemed to be going about that fast. It's deceiving too because the operator is up high. They run time trials at the SACA meet every year and the first place for Locomobile replica is $600. There is a guy that shows up and wins it every year, many have told me, this car would outrun his no problem, but he can have it, I'm not wrecking the car, getting killed or screwed up for $600.

Fred Marriott was clocked at Ormond Beach in 1907 at 197 mph before the Stanley "wogglebug" went air born and destroyed the car and badly injured him. It was not an official speed record because it was not maintained for the mile. It wasn't until on in to the later 1920's that an I/C driven car went that fast.

-Ron