Maybach engines

regards,

Kim Siddorn

"Kim Siddorn" wrote (snip):-

Like the man said!

Nick H

I am a bit confused (not difficult) as I have pictures here:--

Of the same engine but it was listed as an Isotta Fraschini model SS 46.3 litre V12 diesel owned by Steve Green from Norfolk.

Thanks gentlemen - Peter especially - I knew you'd know ;o))

regards,

Kim Siddorn

I'm also confused, It was definitely listed as a Maybach when I saw it!

Nick H

I've always associated these engines (probably incorrectly) with Zeppelin engines. I wonder how much difference there was between them?

Julian.

Don't know what that is, but it's not a HL230 or HL210 (the tank engines)

I don't know if it's another Maybach, but it doesn't even look like a tank engine - far too tall. Tank engines (since the Crusader's Liberty) have a particular "look" to them - squished into cubes, very compact and impossible to work on. It's a general principle that because their position makes it impractical to work on them, there's little point in bothering at all. You have to pull the whole power unit before you start doing anything. Even then they're evil pigs. I worked on the AS90 engine at Cummins and instrumenting that for the dyno test cell was a nighmare for access.

I think HL230 rotating parts and rods are currently worth their weight in unobtainium, owing to rarity and a fondness for breaking them. Certainly Bovington had problems with their freshly-restored Tiger when it snapped something scarce on practically its first outing.

20 years or so, which was a long time in Diesel engines around that period.

That's sort of what I was thinking. It looks more aero engine shaped, the Luftwaffe did have some Diesel planes, but the exhaust coming from the valley side of the heads has taken me by surprise. I'm now guessing that it's too modern looking for a power car on a Zeppelin. Also it's Diesel and that Tiger tank engine link is a petrol engine. Maybe it's from an E-boat or railway locomotive from more recent times?

PS, pure uninformed speculation BTW - idle guesswork at best!

Julian.

All opposed piston uniflows, AFAIR, generally for reasons of increased range in seaplanes. Napier licence-built the same design.

Talking of Junkers, I may have stumbled across an early 2-cylinder engine, possibly with some connection to the Tirpitz warship. More later.

Beardmore also prototyped a flat 12-cylinder diesel aero engine:

3rd picture down.

Peter

-- Peter A Forbes Prepair Ltd, Rushden, UK snipped-for-privacy@prepair.co.uk

I'm sure I've seen photos of this, and it is a genuine ex-Tiger HL230. It also produces an impressive cloud of black smoke on startup. I wonder just what that is, given that it's a petrol engine? Coffman starter? 8-)

Talking of black smoke, I found this recently

That rarest of beasts, free-use images of Bluebirds. If you follow the link to the Florida archive, or the wiki category link at the bottom of the page, there are all sorts of rare beasties photographed here. The White Triplex (before and after), the Sunbeam Silver Bullet.

There's also muich wandering pleasure to be had on this site:

My dad fought in Shermans. (in Italy) One engine option was a Diesel. The Diesel was not much liked because when you started it in the morning from cold the cloud of smoke gave your position away so you could possibly expect to be fired at!

Julian

Not just a diesel, a radial diesel ex-aero-engine (Guiberson). I'd say that was weird, but then some Shermans had the 30-cylinder 5-block engine...

I'm told these things would start cleanly if they were warm. So one trick (if time permitted) was to drain the oil, heat it (in a bucket over a fire) and then pour it back in hot. You then had an easier and smoke-free start. Alternatively (on the mine-sweeping flail tanks) the oil would be warmed up in the flail engine (smaller, easy starting), then swapped over once warm. As they were frequently used to spearhead a surprise assault, this wasn't an uncommon technique.

Maybach VL2 petrol in the first Graf Zeppelin, Daimler-Benz LOF6 diesels in Hindenburg and the second Graf Zeppelin

The petrol Maybach was a 33 litre, 550hp V12. The diesels were 88 litre V16s of around 1000hp. Both relied on having grease-monkeys in continual attendance in the power car. A transatlantic crossing did require in-flight maintenance and often suffered a total engine failure.

"The Story of a Zeppelin Mechanic", ISBN 3-926162-59-7 is a good little read. Full of tales of hacksawing con-rods from inside the sump, so as to get an engine back running and avoid drifting into a mountain.

That was something my dad never mentioned. AFAIR he said the radial engine option was a petrol (Continental) engine. I'm familiar with the Chrysler 5 bank though. He never mentioned anything specifically odd about the Diesel other that it was a Diesel.

Some US subs had Diesel radial (pancake) engines, so I suppose the concept is not too far fetched.

Julian.

I'm going to look out for that one, sounds like an interesting read. I've read tales of airships getting into cumulo-nimbus (thunder clouds) and being totally out of control on the edge of disaster.

Julian.

Rather easier to find is Len Deighton's "Airshipwreck", which is full of I believe every notable airship crash. Flaming hydrogen was the least of your worries!

Now you mention it, I think the Guiberson diesel was only used in the earlier M3 Grant (and the light Stuart), and had gone by the time of the M4 Sherman. The flails in Italy were on Grant chassis.

The diesel Sherman would have been the twin GM 6-71 truck engine. AFAIR the US didn't like these for some reason so the Brits got most of them.

There was another radial diesel by Caterpillar right at the end, but only a handful were made.

US subs had some weird procurement for engines. They seemed to specialise in chasing the latest crazy idea, then regretting it in service afterwards.