|
CAMA's collection of large internal
combustion engines spans a wide range of size, use and complexity.
From the imposing Wolverine Diesel engine down to single cylinder "half-breed" natural gas engines |
Wolverine Diesel Engine |
Our largest internal combustion engine
is the grand Wolverine Diesel which stands ~10 feet tall. This engine
was built in Bridgeport, CT in 1935 and generates 150 hp at 300 rpm. It's
a marine-style engine adapted for industrial purposes. This
engine was used for many years at the Thurston Ice, Oil & Coal Co. in
Naugatuck, CT. Used in the ice manufacturing plant, it was both direct-coupled
to a refrigeration compressor, and an alternator used to provide power
to run other refrigeration units. The engine is five cylinder and has
exposed valves trains. To fire this engine, it must first be turned over
using compressed air. Manually lit cotton wicks in each cylinder provided
the initial spark to fire the engine. |
"Half breed" engine in Oil Power building |
In addition to the Wolverine, CAMA displays
a number of other large engines. Of particular interest is the pre-1900
A.C. Thomas engine in the oilfield power building. This building is
set up just as it was in the oilfields of Pennsylvania. The engine
is a one cylinder "half-breed" that was designed to burn the by-product natural
gas found along with the oil. A "half-breed" engine started life as
a steam engine. Enterprising engineers found a way of converting steam engines
into internal combustion engines by modifying the cylinder valve arrangement
and added an ignition source. This particular engine is connected to a large
eccentric cam mechanism. Multiple lengths of rod connected this eccentric
to as many as eight well pumps strung out from the oilfield power house.
This way, one engine could serve many wells. |
A variety of large natural gas engines |
CAMA displays a number of large engines,
many of which came from the oilfields of Pennsylvania. Many of these engines
were designed to run on surplus natural gas collected during the pumping
process to retrieve oil. Some of these engines were originally designed
as internal combustion and others are "half-breeds". Engine names like
McEwen Bros., M. Lytle & Son, Pattin Bros., Simplex, Oil City Boiler
Works, Olin (Titusville Iron Works Co), Buffalo, Bovaid & Seyfang, Clark,
Joseph Reid, Domestic and Ruston & Hornsby are all represented in this
collection. |
Closeup detail of large engine governor |
At each Fall Festival, most of our large
internal combustion engines are fired up. Since many of these
engines are single cylinder, hit and miss engines, they don't fire on every
revolution of the crankshaft. The ignition system is connected to
a governor. When the rpm of the engine drops below a preselected limit,
the governor mechanism triggers the ignition to fire. This speeds
up the engine, eventually opens the ignition circuit, and the engine
free-wheels or coasts. Under a work load, the ignition
may fire on every revolution. Some of the larger hit and miss engines
cannot be mistaken from a noise standpoint. Each time the engine fires,
the explosive report from the exhaust can be heard throughout the CAMA grounds.
|