Crossley Otto Langen at 1/6th scale

[Craig DeShong]

This is a 1/6th scale model of the 1871 Crossley built Otto Langen Atmospheric Internal Combustion Engine currently owned by the Henry Ford Museum, on loan to the Rough and Tumble Engineers Association.

The model was built from many pictures and detail measurements of the original and is a fairly accurate reproduction of the full size, sacrificing authenticity mostly where necessary to make a well running model.  I have around 1,000 hours invested in the design and building of this model.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-j0AbM86XY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-j0AbM86XY</a>

[awake]

Absolutely gorgeous, and fascinating to watch!

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[MJM460]

Hi Craig, wonderful to see it running so well.  A very unusual engine indeed masterfully executed.  It has been a instructive journey to follow each step along the way, and I always look forward to another day’s progress.  And real craftsmanship at every step.  Congratulations on completing such an usual engine.

I guess the somewhat complex mechanism is to get a long stroke on an atmospheric engine without an absolutely huge crank throw.  Or are there other reasons?

Do you have much feeling for the power when it is loaded enough to fire every stroke?

Thank you for posting the drawings.  I am a long way from being able to build my own, it would be my first IC engine, and I suspect too much of a challenge for that. 

But if you don’t mind I am going to download them anyway and spend a good few informative hours pouring over them.  And who knows?  One day ......

MJM460

[Craig DeShong]

Thanks for your reply.

Regarding the long stroke... apparently it has a lot to do with the fuels of the time, which were mostly hydrogen which is very explosive.  The thought was to ignite the fuel and allow unrestricted movement of the piston (no connecting rod or crankshaft).  Then reclaim the energy from ignition by atmospheric pressure doing the real work.

At this scale there is very little power, barely enough to sustain opertion.