Barr and Stroud

No Idea when 'KVA' started to be used rather than Watts for AC power, but I presume the need to account for power factor would have arisen quite early on. But it as that frequency together with the assumed date (based on production of B&S engines) which lead me to think of a spark TX for which

800 Hz applied through a step up transformer (jigger in early Marconi parlance) would be just right.

Just to dig myself even deeper, I have been trawling the web for info. See:-

the sort of thing I am thinking about, though in this case it is stated that the motor-alternator would have been battery driven.

general info on spark TX's and a chance to hear what they sounded like.

And

circuit diagram.

(Now was that last one a naughty hot link?)

Mike, when you get the engine and are sure of all the details of ID plates etc, I could put a request for information in the British Vintage Wireless Society bulletin if you like.

reader.com!news2.telebyte.nl!news-fra1.dfn.de!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!2

12.18.240.47!not-for-mail

hi nice links ttfn David

1926 production had completly finished"

Can't argue with the facts! :-))

Peter

Kind regards,

Peter

Peter Forbes Prepair Ltd Luton, UK email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk home: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

In the late sixties, I'd recovered a couple of Pegasus XVIII barrels from a Welsh hillside and had phoned to ask for advice on mounting them on a common crankcase to build a 90o 4.25 litre vee twin. The person to whom I eventually spoke was sufficiently interested to ask me to come out to his office and talk it over. He was an old boy by anyone's reckoning and I now suspect that it was Sir Roy Fedden for several reasons that I will not bore you with now.

In the corner of his office was a B&S single cylinder engine just like this one, sans dynamo and cut away to show the sleeve operation. Bristol's bought the patent and incorporated various features into their aero engines.

I understand it is now in the collection of the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust in Bristol. .

Regards,

Kim Siddorn

=================================================== Thanks Kim,as you may know I spent 35 years of my life at RR Bristol on main engine test and infact ran Proteus engines on 213/214 where the Heritage trust is based. Altho I am not a member I know many who are and will make suitable noises in their direction. Mike.H.

engine test and infact ran Proteus engines

their direction.

===================================================== I have contacted R.R.H.T. and the good news is they do indeed have a B&S in the collection.I will poss.go next Thurs to take a look and snap away with the camera. Thanks again Kim and btw the HT has moved to the Pentab/Mechanical research building in the main carpark making it much easier for visitors to access. Mike.H.

Well, that was worth saying then, wasn't it! And I very nearly didn't bother knowing you'd spent years out there.

Just goes to show that the smallest kernel of information can prove to be catalytic ;o))

Regards,

Kim Siddorn

in the collection.I will poss.go next Thurs to

research building in the main carpark making it much

How did we get from sleeve valve engines to small syphilitic colonels?

replying to Nick Highfield, JFerg wrote: Nick, I've just uncovered this forum in one of my periodic Googlings of "Barr and Stroud engine". I have two 500cc engines, one in a going bike, the other as an evolving project; but I've also trawled the B&S archive and have fairly full record of their engine manufacture. The first engine appeared in public in Ayr in August 1921, they appeared at Olympia the following December, and the last engine was sold in Oct 1926. About 1700 motorcycle engines were built, mostly

350s, These are my interest. However, they also built (311cc from memory) power units for Austinlite generator sets, and a number of WB 1 engines to Marconi. These were supplied fitted to a generator supplied by Marconi, and were intended for use in lifeboats, to drive wireless sets. They were of 44cc capacity, and first ordered on 31 January, 1924. About a hundred were built in total.