I have a newfound obsession with steam powered cars now. I don't feel it's entirely off topic bit of so the moderators can delete the post. My interest came when reading about the 1906 the Land Speed Record that was set by a Stanley steam car, piloted by Fred Marriott, which achieved 127 mph at Ormond Beach, Florida. From there my mind went wild and I started watching videos on You Tube ok engines for cars, factories, tools and other stuff. Anybody here have one, built one or driven one?? Post up your experience or pics of your steam powered car, hot rod or steam powered tools.
I too have been facinated with steam engines since I was a kid watching steam locomotives pass by. I sincerely believe a propane heated steam engine with a condenser to recirulate the water has a future once again. You know the saying. "Everything that goes around comes around".
http://www.legendarymotorcar.com/site/11033_1922_Steamer --- seems kinda expensive, but I'm sure they're not that plentiful
ya ought read about the doble steam car then, hell, it'll still outdo a lot a modern cars. http://www.damninteresting.com/the-last-great-steam-car
I'm with you Frank. It's a good system and worked very well in it's day. With gas prices soaring and the advancements in materials and know how I don't see why people aren't building them now. Heck some of those things would run over 100mph from the factory in 1910. Plus the acceleration is great and without the need for a transmission or a clutch it really seems possible. I've been going over it on my head for a while and one day this might be the way to go in a hot rod or custom when the gas gets to expensive.
They are a bit of a pain in Ontario Can. getting the boilers certified. Also the warm up time takes while and cooling them down. We had an 1899 Locomobile and even though I have a steam ticket it did not interest me much, tiller stearing and all. Later Stanley's circa 1910 are very nice cars but with a range of 25-30 miles and needing water can be a pain. Back in the day though that was a big trip and the power was impressive. They do not get that great gas mileage [keeping the fire on and boiler warm]. But if you ever get the chance to ride in one definately take it.
Somewhere on the HAMB, I read an article on Howard Hughs' attempt to build the ultimate steam car... Cant remember the exact numbers, but it was something like 100 mpg on both water and fuel. He spent a fortune building it, and his engineers actually met the goal, but in order to achieve the phenominal efficency, the entire car was basically a big radiator, including the doors Realizing how dangerous this would have been, Hughes immedeatly ordered the car destroyed, which it was, and the entire project was dropped. Believe it or not, there is still an active, and rather technologically advanced steam community in existance today. I've stumbled across them on the net a time or two. One guy claims to have a design that could be built for the cost of a new KIA, and would out perform a Ferrari, and he's seeking financial backing. Another point worth noting. A steam uses external combustion, which is several times more efficent than internal combustion, and produces extremely low emissions when done properly.
I have to say that I saw the Lear Steam busses that San Francisco tried. Couldn't climb hills. Saw the Steamin' Demon Lear turbine Bonneville car. Took them years to get it to go 145.607. Bill Lear must have been a pretty smart guy. The Lear Jets are quite successful. Yes, I liked the big steam locomotives. But all that stuff faded away for some reason
Steam powered things are one of my other hobbies. One of the projects in my head is a steam poewered car to cruise around the neighbrhood and take on beer runs. This topic is borderline O/T but there is an Alternative Power social group here on the HAMB if this thread does get closed. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=471
Lear had a steam powered Indy car built back in the late 60s. Never did run, but still exists in a museum back east somewheres.
The simplest answer is economics of maintenance. A crew of 3-4 guys can replace a diesel engine in a locomomotive in an afternoon. Not so easy on a steam unit, as the locomotive itself is all engine.
i have owned two steam cars....a 1899 Locomobile and a 1930 ford roadster with a Stanley Steamer motor installed. the Ford roadster was in Street Rodder magazine i believe December 1987 steam is a lot of fun , but also a lot of work
When I was a teen one of the neighbors saw me working on a VW trike I had built out of coat hangars & spare parts. He stopped to tell me just how hazardous my build was. I learned that he was a machine shop guru. He was also a Steam Advocate. One of his favorite lectures was about the incredible torque steam engines could deliver.
You mean, like this one? Built my friend Buck Boudeman, he's done several of them. Replicas of Stanley Vanderbilt Cup Racers, they're stunning and very impressive in person. He and his wife have several Stanley's, but these are my favorites. I understand they're FAST too! The warm up procedure, shown by Jay Leno, may be a little more than most of us are comfortable with...
I've got to believe that, with modern technology, a steam car could be made to be livable. Hell, nearly every car sold now is available with remote start---sit in your house, push a button, and wait for the boiler to warm up to operating temperature.
while i'm sure there could be some improvements...leaving a boiler full of water overnight in freezing temperatures would be a hard problem to overcome. you would almost have to keep the burner going...that would burn a lot of fuel another problem with a steam powered vehicle is that they not only burn fuel , they go through a lot of water...the `30 roadster carried 30 gallons of it besides the boiler and could use it fast. that adds weight , or you could install a fancy condenser to reuse some of it and that adds cost another consideration is not only do you need a license to drive the car , you need a license to operate the boiler. trust me when i say they just don't hand them out then tell your insurance company you have a steam powered car and see what reaction they have
Feast your eyes on this: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007...&Qif=steam_plane_0.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig Steam powered airplane!
Boilers kind of have a tendency to blow up when something wrong happens. It's not an o crap my car just broke down moment it's a run for your lives my car just turned into a bomb.
Uuuuummm... Steam locomotives from 1899, yes... Coil heat exchangers, no. There's been a lot of technological advancememts over the past century or so, but mis-conceived notions about last-century technologies [such as exploding boilers and hydrogen causing the Hindenburgh disaster] have really caused us [as a society] to turn a cold shoulder to what could be a perfectly good solution to some modern problems.
I was thinking more or less about Stanley Steamers and other early steam cars. It was kind of a nod at why they didnt become mainstream. Now steam cars with modern tech would be cool. But as you said earlier there is that paranoia with steam power along with nuclear power that have slowed down advancements and mainstream acceptance.
My thinking exactly. At this very moment I'm working on a design for a stationary steam engine that is controlled by common industrial electronics to be used by everyday folks to generate backup power (or live off the grid or out in BFE). Steam power is as useful as it ever was, some folks just don't pay enough attention.
Ryan, you have my attention. Checked your site, but it's not listed. I'm a big fan of this kinda stuff and would really be interested in seeing some of it... I might even be able to make a few suggestions
the doble steam car could cruise at 80 with ease and fucking EAT a lot of modern cars on top end and seat a crap load more, that and it was POWERFUL, 1000hp, and that's not like a engien that has a powerband.. no.. it's 1000hp when you press the forward peddle down and it could go the long haul with her to. think with modern technology could do with just what they had there.. shit, the same running gear in a lighter car. 10 second production car for the poor man.
It's not listed because: 1) I don't have anything in steel yet and the design is still in flux. For years it's been kicking around in my head, but in the last few months I started putting all the random bits down in CAD into a coherent and usable system. 2) I've been keeping it under my hat, lest I get beat to market. (As though there's actually a market out there to be fighting over. ) 3) I don't like doing web development work very much, so I put it off until I have a huge update to do, and then I spend a week on it. The last update was in January of this year (about a week before I decided I ought to start the design work in earnest). Since an update just happened, the next one might not occur until the middle of summer (or Jan of NEXT year ). At any rate, I'd be interested to hear any ideas you've got in mind. Hit me with a PM at your leisure. IF I get this stationary engine to perform up to expectations, a steam powered hotrod will almost certainly be in the offing eventually as well. Don't think that's an afterthought either. I actually started at steam hotrod and then worked my way backwards until I found something (anything!) salable to justify the R&D to get there. It's not much of a business plan, but a lot of my product ideas sprout from the "shit I want to learn how to do" or the "shit I need an excuse to build" files.
Precisely. The idea of maximum torque at zero RPM was what started me down the steam powered path as well. Just like electric motors, steam engines seem almost tailor made for racing from a standing start. Indeed. The engine I'm working on right now will generate 530 ft*lbs from a dead stop, direct drive. That's just the first iteration, single stage, single acting, prototype. If this version works like it's supposed to, a follow on model will be double acting, and then another iteration after that will be double expansion, double acting. But, since the complexity ramps up very quickly, I thought I'd start small and progress over time. I think the major advancement that has made steam power more viable in the modern age, is the creation of the constantly variable transmission. Old steam cars were direct drive, with just one speed, which limited their top speed and increased their steam usage greatly. There is no reason that a modern steam car should suffer the same limitation.
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