The thickest book ever printed.
- Thread starter artie
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Sporky McGuffin
Light entertainer
I want to know if the book on the left works as a Slinky.
Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
only in the softback edition
clogs
just can't decide
supose u could burn the rubbish at the side of the road, everywhere, to burn n make steam....
would that be green and OK......?.....hahaha....
would that be green and OK......?.....hahaha....
Sporky McGuffin
Light entertainer
It'd be interesting to see the economy comparison - if I remember correctly petrol engines are only about 30% efficient, so this might well be the more efficient approach.
The maximum possible efficiency is if I remember about 60%, surprisingly high, better than a propeller for example, however steam locomotives rarely achieved more than about 8%. Our physics teacher at school who believed in teaching things we might actually benefit from as well as the syllabus had us do a heat audit on a Mamod stationary engine, it's a long time ago but I think we got just over 1%.
Awac
Established Member
I have always wanted one of these, and when I go on about it to others they look at me blankly. l am not the only geek here lol! Hurrah!
600,000 mile between major service overhaul if I remember right…no clutch, no gearbox, silent…
The 1924 model Doble Series E steam car could run for 1,500 miles (2,400 km) before its 24-gallon water tank needed to be refilled; even in freezing weather, it could be started from cold and move off within 30 seconds, and once fully warmed could be relied upon to reach speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour (140 km/h). In recent years Doble cars have been run at speeds approaching 120 mph (190 km/h), this without the benefits of streamlining, and a stripped-down version of the Series E accelerated from 0 – 75 mph (121 km/h) in 10 seconds. Its fuel consumption, burning a variety of fuels (often kerosene), was competitive with automobiles of the day, and its ability to run in eerie silence apart from wind noise gave it a distinct edge. At 70 mph (110 km/h), there was little noticeable vibration, with the engine turning at around 900 rpm. (Wikipedia)
Last edited:
artie
Sawdust manufacturer.
Thanks,
That's what I was wondering about.
There's so many possibilities and we know so little.
If someone today was to put some money into developing an efficient steam car I bet it could be done.
But whose going to do it?
Is the money to be made from the car?
Or the fuel it uses for x years?
Or the servicing every x miles?
Or the repairs every x miles?
The way things are going they'll be fitting sails to cars next
Terry - Somerset
Established Member
Apparently Stanley Steamers used kerosene as the fuel to heat the water and would do around 12-15 mpg. As they weighed in at over 2000kg (I believe) this was probably quite a good performance at the time - early 20th Century.
At local steam fairs there are occasionally one or two amongst the classic cars. They seem relatively quiet and fast. They only lost out to internal combustion due to the start up time - 30+ minutes to make steam vs a starting handle!
At local steam fairs there are occasionally one or two amongst the classic cars. They seem relatively quiet and fast. They only lost out to internal combustion due to the start up time - 30+ minutes to make steam vs a starting handle!
No No NO! The boiler will explode and kill people, much better to pump Lead into the air for about a century.
More seriously those figures are impressive, just read the Wikipedia entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doble_steam_car
A seriously innovative family of engineers, I can't help wondering what would have happened if Henry Ford had run their production lines. The 1500 miles is a little misleading in that you still had to stop for paraffin but impressive and a huge step forward from their predecessors as was the flash boiler with key ignition and 90 second warm up. About the time it takes my sons to get their cars going after plugging in the obligatory phones etc. Or the time my pre-electronic ignition old bangers needed if I wasn't going to flood them. I don't know the warm up time for other steam cars the only thing I can bring to mind is that the Admiralty once stated that the Royal Navy would never use steam ships due to the four hour warm up necessary to avoid cracking pipes.
It is further proof that there is always more then one way to solve a problem and also that it's not always the front runner that gets developed.
Thanks for posting.
Worth a look at at Jay Leno's car blog. He has a Doble steam car similar to the one owned by Hermann Goering.
Years ago I subscribed to 'Light Steam Power' mag. I still have some which are for sale if anyone is interested.
Years ago I subscribed to 'Light Steam Power' mag. I still have some which are for sale if anyone is interested.
