Just been reading the Saviem thread & there was some talk of steam powered lorries, This got me wondering how big the water tanks would have needed to be & how many pints/gallons of water were needed per mile.
Dave…
dave docwra:
Just been reading the Saviem thread & there was some talk of steam powered lorries, This got me wondering how big the water tanks would have needed to be & how many pints/gallons of water were needed per mile.Dave…
Tanks were not that large as there were plenty of horse troughs and ponds around back then, still a few of the stone troughs in place where I live. Standpipes were used in water board manholes as well of course, payment due of course, same way tarmac gangs filled rollers up. I remember the steam lorries when I was growing up in the fifties and sixties, usually relagated to tar spraying duties by then as they were too heavily taxed for general use, which is what killed them off of course.
Pete.
Windrush used to drive a steam lorry . 
Bit of a blunt question to ask, but how do steam powered engines work…? Never got round to figure that one out…and mind you, once upon a time a was a trained mechanic…
Cheers, Patrick
Punchy Dan:
Windrush used to drive a steam lorry .
It had a cracking night heater as well Dan!
Basically Patrick a steam engine works by harnessing the steam raised from a ‘big kettle’ (the boiler) and discharging it into the cylinder(s) which in turn transmitted drive through the transmission. Various valves and injectors controlled it. With steam you had instant power once pressure was raised, no need for a gearbox etc.
Pete.
windrush:
Punchy Dan:
Windrush used to drive a steam lorry .It had a cracking night heater as well Dan!
Basically Patrick a steam engine works by harnessing the steam raised from a ‘big kettle’ (the boiler) and discharging it into the cylinder(s) which in turn transmitted drive through the transmission. Various valves and injectors controlled it. With steam you had instant power once pressure was raised, no need for a gearbox etc.
Pete.
Ah, cheers for explaining Pete. How much pressure was needed in order to get max. power output then?
pv83:
Ah, cheers for explaining Pete. How much pressure was needed in order to get max. power output then?
About 230 psi generally Patrick. Have a gander at this road test and thank the Lord you were not around in the 1920’s! 
archive.commercialmotor.com/arti … team-wagon
Pete.
windrush:
pv83:
Ah, cheers for explaining Pete. How much pressure was needed in order to get max. power output then?About 230 psi generally Patrick. Have a gander at this road test and thank the Lord you were not around in the 1920’s!
archive.commercialmotor.com/arti … team-wagon
Pete.
Thanks, Thats a very interesting read.
Dave…
You can’t have a thread about Steam Lorries without showing this classic old photo. 
We were over in the U.K. on holiday about eight years ago when I came across this steam lorry somewhere in Kent.
The Mushroom Lady still can’t understand why I took three photos of an old lorry and only two photos of Canterbury Cathedral. 
mushroomman:
We were over in the U.K. on holiday about eight years ago when I came across this steam lorry somewhere in Kent.
The Mushroom Lady still can’t understand why I took three photos of an old lorry and only two photos of Canterbury Cathedral.
Nice to see this has a Stoke on Trent reg!
Anyone know how much coal it would use per Mile , and average payload ?
Punchy Dan:
Anyone know how much coal it would use per Mile , and average payload ?
Have a look at the link Pete posted , it is all on a chart Dan .
ISTR that Fred Dibnah had said in one of his programmes that t’ watter board and the fire brigade were only too pleased for someone to be drawing water from standpipes because it makes sure that the hydrants are in working order.Those programmes were made however before the family jewels were sold off by the witch of Grantham.
Punchy Dan:
Anyone know how much coal it would use per Mile , and average payload ?
50 YPL, perhaps? (50 yards per lump)… Robert
Have a ride lads! youtube.com/watch?v=JKwiz0x4fLg I see some of these regularly at various shows that we exhibit at during the year, many of the later ones have a decent turn of speed but government taxing virtually killed them off for general usage. Sentinel built some eight wheeled tippers for Argentina in the fifties and some are reportedly still around.
Pete.
Love that commercial motor link,tho i nearly choked on my brew reading they covered 124 miles in the first hour!! Knew they were rapid but thats going some!!
I thought they meant 12.4
Punchy Dan:
I thought they meant 12.4
More probable Dan! Nowadays, being on solid tyres, it would be restricted to 12 mph anyway. We had a solid tyred towing dolly in the sixties and the tyres used to expand and come off of the rims at 30mph! 
Anyway I have found you the ideal machine, I could be the co-driver ■■■ stoker!
Pete.
windrush:
pv83:
Ah, cheers for explaining Pete. How much pressure was needed in order to get max. power output then?About 230 psi generally Patrick. Have a gander at this road test and thank the Lord you were not around in the 1920’s!
archive.commercialmotor.com/arti … team-wagon
Pete.
Very interesting article indeed, cheers! Looks like very hard labour, could have worn me out easily within 5 miles…
bestbooties:
mushroomman:
We were over in the U.K. on holiday about eight years ago when I came across this steam lorry somewhere in Kent.
The Mushroom Lady still can’t understand why I took three photos of an old lorry and only two photos of Canterbury Cathedral.
Nice to see this has a Stoke on Trent reg!
I have just found this on YouTube, it’s still going.