Forncett Steam Museum

[Sanjay F]

Great museum, and great photos! Thanks for sharing the trip with us!

For that engine with the two rods to adjust the steam valve - ones like that have two stacked slide valves, one that is like the normal d valve, second has ports that control flow into the first one. Tricky stuff, made for fine control over the cutoff positions and better savings in steam. Same goal as the trip valves in Corliss engines with fewer moving parts.

Ah I see that does sound complex, I'll have to find some pictures or diagrams ......my brain has trouble visualising! 

[Sanjay F]

Hi Sanjay, just got the new pics and the unpainted bronze engine to the left in the picture is my currant triple expansion Botan, Bertinat engine that should refinished this year ?!!!

Willy

Looks like a great event with some well engineered engines on display, good luck with gettiing the triple sorted!
BTW we very much enjoyed the rest of Norwich too, a great city with lot's to do and see 

[crueby]

Great museum, and great photos! Thanks for sharing the trip with us!

For that engine with the two rods to adjust the steam valve - ones like that have two stacked slide valves, one that is like the normal d valve, second has ports that control flow into the first one. Tricky stuff, made for fine control over the cutoff positions and better savings in steam. Same goal as the trip valves in Corliss engines with fewer moving parts.

Ah I see that does sound complex, I'll have to find some pictures or diagrams ......my brain has trouble visualising! 

Look up Expansion Valve Gear, and Meyers Valve Gear. Here is one good diagram - click on the picture in the upper right of the page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_valve_%28steam_engine%29

Also, this page at the Science Museum site has a fantastic reference for it. Its a cardboard teaching aid made long ago, if you click on the left/right arrows next to the pictures, it steps you through the sequence that the valve makes.
https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8033036/diagram-of-meyers-variable-cut-off-valves

Chris

[Michael S.]

Thanks, Sanjay, for the many informative photos. A great museum.
There are some really interesting engines to be seen there.

Michael

[Sanjay F]

Great museum, and great photos! Thanks for sharing the trip with us!

For that engine with the two rods to adjust the steam valve - ones like that have two stacked slide valves, one that is like the normal d valve, second has ports that control flow into the first one. Tricky stuff, made for fine control over the cutoff positions and better savings in steam. Same goal as the trip valves in Corliss engines with fewer moving parts.

Ah I see that does sound complex, I'll have to find some pictures or diagrams ......my brain has trouble visualising! 

Look up Expansion Valve Gear, and Meyers Valve Gear. Here is one good diagram - click on the picture in the upper right of the page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_valve_%28steam_engine%29

Also, this page at the Science Museum site has a fantastic reference for it. Its a cardboard teaching aid made long ago, if you click on the left/right arrows next to the pictures, it steps you through the sequence that the valve makes.
https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8033036/diagram-of-meyers-variable-cut-off-valves

Chris

Thanks Chris, the cardboard slider model is excellent as explains it well. The picture on the Wikipedia page of Meyer expansion valve is from the Gimson engine I saw today, except it is the 2nd engine 'Woody' which is in Leicester and I saw 'Spruce' - they were once a pair 

'The two single cylinder engines, ‘Spruce and Woody’, were in service at Hopwas Pumping Station near Tamworth from 1879 until 1962 when they were replaced by electric pumps. Naming engines was a very common practice. These two engines were named after two local dignitaries: a Mr Spruce and a Dr Woody. After several attempts to preserve the engines on site, the Water Board decided that the engines had to be removed to enable the old well to be sealed off, to prevent any accidental contamination of the adjacent production well.

One engine, ‘Woody’ was returned to the city of its origin and has been rebuilt at Snibston Discovery Park, Leicester. It was thought best that as many people as possible should enjoy and experience the engines running. As a result of this policy, Forncett received ‘Spruce’.

[Roger B]

That is fine collection  Thank you for posting 

The barring engine on the green triple expansion engine is interesting. It looks like the gearing is arranged such that if the main engine starts to turn when the barring gear is engaged the worm gear moves along the worm and disengages the drive.

[Sanjay F]

Exactly right Roger, that was how it was explained to me!