Steam winch

[Charlyipad]

On post #12 the first two photos show a close up of the gear wheels (or whatever you call them) There are actually three wheels there, in a kind of sandwich. The outside wheel, first pic is like regular cogs that engage another smaller cog that is attached to the (flywheel?) driving wheel, whatever you call it. The inside, shown in second pic, at post 12, is the "dog gears" (please correct my bad terminology). The dog is hard to see down at the bottom, and it is engaged by one of the levers. but in the middle, between this two gear wheels, there is either the remnant of a belt or of some kind of brake pad. You can see it if you blow it up. I didn't notice it at first, but today when I took the close ups I noticed it. It is between that flat cover thing that looks kind of like a leaf spring, and the wheel. What do you reckon it was for?

 

[SamSam]

Yes Sam Sam

It looks like a generic engine with multiple uses.

I didn't know there was another cylinder on the other side which of course means a large flywheel is not required and it can be used for heavier work.

Charlyipad, the wheels on the ends that the piston rods are attached to would only provide a small flywheel effect, but they would be harmonic balance wheels to balance the crankshaft.

It's a pity to see them rusting away, in the days of the steam engine the engine drivers would take pride in their engines and they would be continually polishing the brass fittings, applying paint and walking around with an oil can lubricating the bearings and stuffing boxes.

There are groups here that restore old machinery.
Guess I'll stop before I start crying.

Poida

You would have loved this stuff. I worked at this RJ Reynolds mansion for a few months in 2005. This power station was there all abandoned, just as in the "before" photos.

http://www.eldensengines.com/F-M Power Station/F-M Power Station.html

It was decided that the building was needed for another purpose and the present owners needed to remove the generators and auxillary equipment. The junk man was considered until my friend Frank and I discovered it.

The "present owners" were either the Georgia DNR or the University Of Georgia, both organizations were and probably still are full of worthless people putting in time sucking the government tit, unable to come up with any reasonable plan for just about anything. I've never seen such a bunch of slackers.

Luckily, some one found out about the power plant and rescued the generators. Here's one of them running again...

They don't have them on the restored generators, but there were 4-5 steps and then a catwalk around the things so you could work on them, you can see them in the photos from the power station.

 

[philSweet]

The type of steam valve (slide valve) shown can control speed. I don't think the timing rod is connected directly to the slide valve. Instead, the throttling (and possibly reversing) linkage is in the valve. The handle on the slide valve could be replaced by a flyball governor for automatic operation. These were (are) used to run ships up and down slipways. They were portable, and a big sheave would be fixed to the end of the slipway underwater to haul the boats down. Drums were normally engaged by sliding the pinion gears with the hand levers. The foot levers operate band brakes.

 

[SamSam]

The type of steam valve (slide valve) shown can control speed. I don't think the timing rod is connected directly to the slide valve. Instead, the throttling (and possibly reversing) linkage is in the valve. The handle on the slide valve could be replaced by a flyball governor for automatic operation. These were (are) used to run ships up and down slipways. They were portable, and a big sheave would be fixed to the end of the slipway underwater to haul the boats down. Drums were normally engaged by sliding the pinion gears with the hand levers. The foot levers operate band brakes.

So could the 4 drums (2 steel cable and 2 rope drums) be used independently of each other?

 

[philSweet]

Okay, I did a little digging. The engine is circa 1915. These drums were clutched and the ring gears constant meshed. But I have no idea how they operated (dogs, jam plate, cone clutch). I would have thought the gypsy heads would run faster than the wire drums, but I can't see any way to do that on the pictured machine. I did figure out that several of the pieces are not in the right places. The two-handled shaft going to the steam valve is supposed to run horizontally above the drums. This lets the machine be stopped/started/jogged from either drum control position. The shaft connecting it to the slide valve is missing.

You can look up AHD model 518 derrick. The engine was also used on pile drivers. I'm coming down to Beaufort SC in Oct. So maybe I can take a look then. I haven't been able to find anything about the ring-gear to drum clutch system.

 

[rayman]

Hi guys, that winch is a simple little thing. The two cylinders allow it to self start from any position,the center crankshaft runs continuously thus driving both drum shafts and gypsys thru the big gears. The two large levers laying at 45 degrees left and right engage large "quick" threads which engage the internal expanding drum clutches which can be seen inside the big gear wheels.The brake pedals operate the external contracting brake bands which will be under the metal guards beside the gear wheels.There are also two vertical levers to move the locking pawls (those ratchet looking teeth)One drum will pull while the other free wheels or runs out. The engines are non reversing. Engine speed is controlled by the small lever with two handles standing just off vertical back by the boiler.
It looks complete to me and would be a good restoration project. It would run very well on compressed air. regards rayman in australia.

 

[philSweet]

Do you know what do the internal clutches look like? I suspect they are on/off jam plates of some sort, able to be engaged/disengaged only when the engine is stopped with the brake.

 

[rayman]

Phil Sweet, here is a pic of the clutch. no go, my pic is too big.however, the four plates with springs slide outwards when the toggle collar is moved in towards the drum, the inner clutch band is expanded by this action so gripping the drum. it is internal expanding while the outside brake is external contracting.
These machines generally carried the heavier hauling rope on the front or lower drum while the back or upper drum carried the tail or return rope. If the haul rope was say,100 ft long then the tail rope would be twice that or 200 ft. (it had to go out and back again.)
regards rayman

 

[rayman]

well, that had me fooled, I thought it was not going to post!