Thinking about buying a boat. Thinking about what engine to put in it. I mess around with gas turbines:
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But SFC way too high for practical use.
Since there never was a truck-sized Deltic unit, thoughts have turned to some of the old (probably 2-stroke) diesel engines that I remember from my youth (mid-late 1970s) as making wonderful noises in trucks that used to pass near my grandmothers house in Scotland. Made a growl you could hear a mile away. Research and dim memories suggest I'm probably remembering Commer TS3s and Foden FD6s.
Would anyone care to add other suggestions to this list? How easy is it to find TS3 and FD6 motors in reasonable shape?
Cheers
Mike
--
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'As I walk along these shores I am the history within'
TS3's seem fairly abundant judging by the cries for help from round the world, but spares are another matter altogether, many truck engines being cannabalised for parts. Injection stuff is repairable still.
Fodens ditto but possibly more so, I know not what the support side is like from Foden, but it must be fairly tenuous.
Peter
-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:
Fodens were in production much more recently than the Commer, mainly because of demand from the MOD for marine auxiliary engines. Support was transferred to Rolls Royce, whether that then passed to (& from) Perkins along with the R-R Eagle I'm not sure. I suspect not.
Be aware that there were numerous Marks of Foden diesel, whith quite substantial differences.
HTH
Tim
Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service
Well, there was always the 9 cylinder 'Baby Deltic' if you could find one...only 1100 horsepower if I remember correctly. As Peter says, the spares for Fodens and in particular, the TS3's are both rare and expensive. How about a '71' series Detroit? Any number of cylinders from 2 to 24, bound to be the right one in there somewhere, and spares are off the shelf!
Some years ago , searching around a local scrapyard, I came upon a rather interesting diesel. It was about the size of a Perkins 6-354 and of French manufacture ( can't remember which) with a plate on it describing "Junkers " patents. At the time , I looked up info on the Junkers diesel aero engines and the illustration was rather similar to the engine I saw: 6cylinder vertical , opposed piston , 2stroke , the injectors being about halfway down the block. The Deltic engine was based on the Junkers wasn't it? That size of engine would be more baby than the Baby Deltic and perhaps more suited to your application? If you want to go a bit smaller still , I know of a 9hp Stuart Turner twin 2stroke diesel marine engine going spare. Robert
The Admiralty had some of these as propulsion engines in fast patrol boats or some such, may indeed still have as ISTR some were supplied well after they stopped building Deltic locos.
When I spent a lot of time on the european waterways, late 70's & early 80's, the GM/Detroit were very common in French & Belgian barges. They probably still are. Instantly recognisable from miles away by the blue haze that followed them if the engines were past their first flush of youth. The barge owners started using them after WWII when there were lots available as US army surplus. One of the engines they replaced was often, or so I've been told, Lister 61/6 (JP6)
If you're seriously thinking about something like this, bear in mind that the novelty can soon wear off the noise if you can't keep it under control. A former employer had a rear-engined Foden coach with an FD6, a revolutionary vehicle in it's day. I was lucky enough to drive it on a number of occasions on some lengthy journeys and there was a definite perverse pleasure to be had from listening to the rasping exhaust coming from 30' behind you. In fact, with a crash gearbox you had to drive with the window open to stand much chance of making clean gear changes. It was a 4-speed box, nowhere near enough for a 2-stroke :-( Much more recently I've worked on an ex-admiralty vessel which had THREE FD6 auxiliaries, and one of them had to be running at all times when the vessel was under way. The noise in that engine room was horrendous, even with good ear defenders clear thinking was very difficult!
Cheers Tim
Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service
Wasn't that THE rear-engined Foden?? ISTR it was used by the Foden Motor Works brass band.
I can well remember a 2-stroke front-engined powered Foden coach with a full front which went into preservation in Yorkshire - it was ex-County Motors. Riding on the nearside of the engine was definitely an experience!
It even had an electric fire on the front bulkhead of the saloon............
Brian L Dominic
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ISTR the Fodens band bus had a Gardner engine, but I've been known to be wrong. This one was new to Hollinsheads of Scholar Green. (Close to Hall Green stop lock!). I'm fairly sure they also had a front-engined half-cab, can't be sure whether it had a Foden or Gardner engine. AFAIK Fodens were the first people in this country to build bus/coach chassis with a transverse rear engine, of course that layout became the norm.
Cheers Tim
Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service
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