The Alyn Foundry A&T engine.

[Alyn Foundry]

Dear All.

So as not to upset Chipmaster's thread I have posted a picture of the only A&T engine built by yours truly, to be in keeping with the original design.

My very good friend Vincent Salter of ( Retlas  )  fame made the patterns from a drawing he found in American gasoline engines, many moons ago.

I have no idea where it resides now, I believe it changed hands quite a few times.

Cheers Graham.

[Jo]

Hi Graham,

That engine is slightly different to Ron's one as the drawing shows it having a 10" diameter flywheel with curved spokes.

To give a bit more of an idea of size the base casting is 12 1/4" high to the centre of the bearing.

Jo

[Jasonb]

Nice to see it in the flesh, looks quite similar to this 3/4HP one.

[Alyn Foundry]

Hi Graham,

That engine is slightly different to Ron's one as the drawing shows it having a 10" diameter flywheel with curved spokes.

To give a bit more of an idea of size the base casting is 12 1/4" high to the centre of the bearing.

Jo

Hi Jo.

This one ?   

Cheers Graham.

PS. I have this George Baily Brayton engine at 1/3 rd scale 2/3 rds patterned up. The foundry closed just at the wrong moment !!

PPS. Yes Jason, that's the very print that Vincent used for his replication !!

[Jo]

These are looking very interesting are there any other engines that you have hidden away up your sleeves   .

I am guessing that the original A&T engine would have had a counter weight built into the flywheel rather than the web shown on the drawings 

Jo

[Alyn Foundry]

Hi Jo.

I thought that was a picture of Ron's engine ?

I have just checked my A&T book there might have been up to 10 sets cast. I still have my half built one.

By the way, did Ron tell you how hard he had to twist my arm for those castings ??   

As for other hidden gems, yes, a few. Vis a Vis RLE. ALF. The Wyvern............. 

Cheers Graham.

[Jo]

I believe it is but I have not seen it yet.

I do not know what an ALF is.

Jo

[Alyn Foundry]

I believe it is but I have not seen it yet.

I do not know what an ALF is.

Jo

 

[Jo]

  I haven't seen that one before.

Do you have any others 

Jo

[Jo]

  Did you mean Westbury's Wyvern?

Jo

[Alyn Foundry]

I haven't seen that one before.

Do you have any others 

Jo

Dear Jo.

Well there's my Avatar !! The Penultimate gas engine. I also have full rights to a " side by side " Heinrici hot air engine too.

No, our Wyvern was a scratch design 2 stroke open crank engine using 2 cylinders one for charging and the other for running. Still an unfinished engine.

I have attached a photo of our most complicated scale model that after 9months of hard work turned out to be nothing more than a " Mantelpiece Engine " !! I could never get it to run well.

Cheers Graham.

[RayW]

Hi Graham,

Are the patterns still around for the Hornsby, or would it be possible to purchase a set of plans from you? I helped to preserve and operate a full size 12 1/2 horsepower Hornsby for a local windmill and spent many happy hours in the engine house on open days. The attached photo shows the engine, still in its original paintwork, exactly where it was installed in 1923.

Regards

RayW

[Myrickman]

Graham, your mention of the Brayton engine peaked my interest. Are you planning on making it with constant pressure combustion. What is the bore and stroke you will use? I have been messing with a replica of his patent model which gives me a few teasing spits and pops, but nothing continuous. There is a fellow in California who has converted a steam engine to a Brayton cycle. I believe his is a 4x8 bore and stroke . Shame about the foundry, would have liked to see the finished goods. Paul

[Alyn Foundry]

Hi Graham,

Are the patterns still around for the Hornsby, or would it be possible to purchase a set of plans from you? I helped to preserve and operate a full size 12 1/2 horsepower Hornsby for a local windmill and spent many happy hours in the engine house on open days. The attached photo shows the engine, still in its original paintwork, exactly where it was installed in 1923.

Regards

RayW

Dear Ray.

My apologies for the late reply.

Our patterns are all safe with a selection of primary and secondary masters.

My policy has always been to build the engine and then draw the outcome, so, as a result our Hornsby Akroyd never got to that stage. There are just two models,mine which still lacks the air blower drive and another that did get fully completed by a very good friend of mine.

I have decided to pass on these patterns to Geof at the Anson Engine Museum, in the hope that a kit may become available in the future.

Kind regards, Graham.

[Alyn Foundry]

Graham, your mention of the Brayton engine peaked my interest. Are you planning on making it with constant pressure combustion. What is the bore and stroke you will use? I have been messing with a replica of his patent model which gives me a few teasing spits and pops, but nothing continuous. There is a fellow in California who has converted a steam engine to a Brayton cycle. I believe his is a 4x8 bore and stroke . Shame about the foundry, would have liked to see the finished goods. Paul

Dear Paul.

My apologies also.

The Brayton cycle, almost forgotten these days, but was a pioneering stage in the evolution of the IC Engine!! Now almost everyone has been propelled by it, in the form of the Jet engine.

My model was to have a 4" bore and 8 " stroke but have the gas mixed with the compressed air on entry to the cylinder. The thought of a large vessel containing an explosive mixture was, to say the least, a little daunting!! However the " Lakes Patent " does make reference to the use of " Ordinance " grade material!!
Apparently there were many blow backs occurred during running hence the large safety valve that was fitted.

These patterns will also be passed on to the Anson but may never be reproduced.  Time, unfortunately, keeps on moving and there is always something else to attend to!!

Kind Regards, Graham.

[RayW]

Hi Graham. I am intrigued. Without any drawings,how did you build in the first place? Did you scale down the measurements from a full size engine?

[Alyn Foundry]

Hi Graham. I am intrigued. Without any drawings,how did you build in the first place? Did you scale down the measurements from a full size engine?

Dear Ray.

No intrigue as such, engine number 193, an 1892 Hornsby Akroyd 2. 1/2 HP was owned by a friend of mine. He let me keep it ( under serious security ) for a year. I was able to " pattern up " without any disassembly ( another stipulation ) for the subsequent model.

The original engine had quite it's own story, first being shipped out to an agency in South America where it sat for several years un sold. Then shipped back to the UK where it finally got to do some work. But being such a large engine with such a low HP the engine ended up being donated back to the now Ruston Hornsby diesel engine works where it was restored by the training school apprentices in the 1960's. 

During the demise of Ruston Hornsby 193 who had sat dormant in the works foyer for many years was acquired by Dr T . Who then sold it on to my friend. Many a happy hour was spent on the northern Stationary engine rally scene, mainly tinkering with " B " thing !!  YES even the full size one could not be left unattended. I felt sure it was cursed,  it would rev up, miss fire, all at the wink of an eye. Imagine what one is like.......... four times smaller !!

In the end, upon a whim, or maybe the money, he sold 193 for a sum in the 10's of hundreds..  Twas tidy, I can tell you !!

Kind regards, Graham.

[Alyn Foundry]

Hello Jason.

Rather than clutter Chipmaster's Retlas thread. I found this in the workshop! 

Half an A&T engine with many novel features.

It uses Petrol as fuel with an air pump to both pressurise the fuel tank and provide a gaseous fuel for hot tube ignition. It also has direct fuel injection into the cylinder.

This was a one off built and run at one of the 1000 engine rallies at Tatton Park Knutsford Cheshire, post 1990 as I have used a couple of Gardner eccentric straps.

The crankshaft, piston/conrod and flywheel ended up on the last photo.   

Personally I think Vincent made a nicer looking pedestal base than De Bolt?

Kind regards, Graham.

[Jasonb]

Sounds a bit like a flame thrower to me

Yes Vincents lighter base looks a lot better and also has the cast in areas around the hold down bolt holes, I think the Debolt did have something cast in but Irish Dave got to the casting before me and gave it a good pasting with body filler below that grey primer.  I may still add some raised bosses to teh holes and could even turn down the bottom of the base to make it thinner which would reduce the weight a bit as a bonus. The Debolt also goes for spark ignition which is a bit of a cheat.

One other thing that I don't think will be very effective on the Debolt is the cooling, it only has one vertical drilled waterway between the two pipe connections so very little water in the cylinder unlike yours with the jacketed cylinder. That radiator casting they supply is also not cored so a few drilled holes won't hold much water. Though I doubt mine will get much prolonged running.

[Alyn Foundry]

Resurfaced.

It's always nice to see old customers, but today saw a visit from a partner....

Mike started out as a customer many years ago, usually buying an engine casting kit at one of the rallies we used to attend in the North West of England. We soon became firm friends as Mike didn't live too far away. He quietly amassed and built our whole range, including some engines that were never marketed. Some 15 or so years back Mike dropped off his Robinson " X " type that he couldn't get running. He had modified the burner for the hot tube and wasn't getting enough heat on the tube. I told him what was wrong and the next I heard was that he'd suffered a fatal heart attack.

Today, Mikes former partner picked up the Robinson....

Later this afternoon I got an email, the picture is attached. One of only three of the Isaac F Allman engines that were built.... It's been under a bench!!

http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US453071

Kind regards, Graham.

[Jasonb]

Thanks for the update Graham, it's a nice looking engine. Are there any others lurking under that same bench?

J