Chris's Holly Pumping Engine Build

[Kim]

Those are looking great, Chris!

They are some pretty complex frame pieces, and all times 6!  You don't pick simple projects, do you, Chris!

Kim

[crueby]

Thanks guys!

This engine didn't look quite so complex when I first saw it, just enormous! This afternoon I got the screw holes all drilled to attach the guide frames, but before I attach them for good I want to lay out and drill/tap the holes in the top horizontal rails that will be used to bolt down the cylinder blocks. Each pair of frames has a different hole pattern since each cylinder is a different size with a different base/valve/piping layout. While going through the LP one, I noticed that the pattern didn't look quite right, and it wasn't! The spacing of the bottom rail on the cylinder was transcribed from the paper blueprints wrong - fixed that right away.

A simpler project day is coming up, a cousin of mine has restored a bunch of old ChrisCraft wood powerboats over the years, and has some levers and such that have broken, no luck finding replacement ones (some are replacements from 30 years ago, that themselves broke). So, I am going to machine out some replacements from solid stainless, with silver soldered joints as needed, and probably will nickel plate them unless he finds a local chome shop that will do them. Pics as those come up, we are working out a day for him to come up and bring the parts and take the shop/museum tour.
 

[RReid]

This engine didn't look quite so complex when I first saw it,

Well it sure looked complex to me, when I saw your early introductory pictures!

[Don1966]

 


 
Don

[Roger B]

So much fine fabrication    As ever I struggle to keep up 

[crueby]

Thanks guys!  I've been plugging away on the frame parts, got the cylinder mount holes all drilled and tapped, working on the last of the corner inserts.

[crueby]

All the corner inserts went in yesterday, now have started the facing passes on the frames to get them to final thickness. This also cleans up the little gaps at the edges where the bar stock had rounded corners.

[steam guy willy]

Hi Chris , good progress with the 'castings' and I love the no compromise way you go about making the parts with all the jigs and forethought you do 

Willy

[crueby]

Thanks Willy! This one has had me quite busy thinking how to hold/shape things as I go!

Back on the crankshaft joints on the Allis and Holly engines, I did come across this picture showing the connection on the HP cylinder crank on the Allis engine, you can see the square hole and the gaps at the inner/outer ends quite clearly. Also neat to see the way they put the lubricator resevoir on the side of the con-rod, just visible at the top/center of the picture with the lines running down to the bearings.

[kvom]

How often did they shut down each of the engines?  Filling those oilers under motion would be tricky.

[crueby]

How often did they shut down each of the engines?  Filling those oilers under motion would be tricky.

Yeah, a good trick to play on the new apprentice!  Since they were pumping to a reservoir or water tower, they could shut down periodically.  I took a bunch of pictures when I was there, but now I realize how much I missed, lot more angles to photograph next visit.

[Dan Rowe]

Back on the crankshaft joints on the Allis and Holly engines, I did come across this picture showing the connection on the HP cylinder crank on the Allis engine, you can see the square hole and the gaps at the inner/outer ends quite clearly.

Chris, Nice photo I have to remind myself that the square brass part is 15" square while looking at it. I have been thinking about this and there is a big difference between this type of large engine and large ships engines either steam or diesel that I did not think of.

Large ship engines are built on a bedplate that is a casting or a series of castings bolted together. This gives a very strong and rigid way to attach the main crankshaft bearings. The modern Sulzer engines have a welded bedplate but it is just as strong and rigid.

There are three separate bedplates for the Holly engine and then another three bedplates supported by the lower A-frames that have the main crankshaft bearings. Now, this might be strong but the crankshaft forces have a much longer moment arm or lever to the fixed bedplates.

I think the crankshaft would have to be much stiffer to resist deflection without the drag box which makes the crankshaft two pieces so the bending force is not transmitted through the box joint.

Cheers Dan

[steamer]

Chris,   Are you near this engine?     Great photo's ....The build is just epic....that's a big engine on those tools.

Dave

[cnr6400]

Great progress Chris, and an interesting pic of the drag box on the Allis. 

[derekwarner]

...."square hole and the gaps at the inner/outer ends quite clearly"..... ......

Could these be square covers over round pin/bush holes?

Loose square pegs in square holes would be non-rotational or flog  sh*t out of the rotating clearance elements in pretty short time

Derek