Caught On Dead Center

As I recall from reading about it, some poor schmuck(s) had to manually move the crosshead rather than the wheel and it was not easy.

My, the things you can learn here.

This might sound dumb, but seems to me they could power up the other engine, and wheel, and let the forward or reverse motion of the boat turn the on center wheel off center. ???

I thought the same thing, Frank, and that would be possible in some situations (navigation-wise) but not others.

Assuming the engine was of the common configuration of four poppet valves connected to and actuated by four levers, wouldn't the engineer lift up (usually with a chain) a lever to admit steam to one end of the cylinder, allowing the piston to complete its stroke? After that the engine should be able to continue on its own.

I have no idea if this is the answer but to me this seems the easiest solution. I can't imagine the amount of force/leverage you would need to move a crosshead. My back hurts thinking about it.

Jason,
It was the unfortunate positioning of the crank arm (stopping either at the very bottom or very top of the stroke) that caused the problem, and the crank needed to be rotated a bit before steam could get it going again. This was a problem on sidewheelers where you had a single horizontal engine per paddlewheel. Sternwheelers got around the problem by having the crank arms positioned 90 degrees apart. So if the engine on one side happened to stop on dead-center, the other engine would still be ready to go.

I've read that they had to use long pry bars to lever the wheel around until the engine came off dead center. The same problem existed on the East Coast side-wheelers which had vertical walking beam engines and non-independent wheels. There was a single shaft with a large crank in the center. On one of the engine room bulkheads there was a round dial with a rotating arrow that showed the position of the crank. The engineer had to make sure that the wheels never stopped with the arrow in the 12 or 6 o'clock position, which indicated that the piston was at either end of it's stroke. Another thing that I've learned about those engines was that the crank pin was only tightly attached to the crank on one side of the wheel shaft. The other side was "loose", allowing for some slight side to side movement of the shaft which might have resulted from the flexing of the outer shaft bearing due to the movement of the wood hull. As Mr.Spock would say:"fascinating".

At the Howard Steamboat Museum I am truly blessed to have two chief engineers (Kenny Howe and Dan Lewis) readily available for consultation on steamboat engine room matters --- of which I am technically ignorant.

Chief Kenny said a wheel arm or something similar was often used to bring the engine off dead center. Capt. Doc Hawley said this used to happen frequently to the Streckfus steamer PRESIDENT. I remember a trip in the New Orleans harbor once when the boat (still a steam sidewheeler at the time) shuddered and shook for a time before smoothing out!

As a response to John's post, here are pictures from the Str. TICONDEROGA showing the dial that he mentioned as well as an onboard model of the configuration of a walking-beam engine (for those who don't already know what it looks like). The "TI" is an exhibit in the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT. She has been restored in the past couple decades, and the staff take very good care of her as well as provide lots of wonderful information to visitors. I highly suggest a trip to the Shelburne for those who may be interested in walking-beam sidewheel steamboats.

Jason Planck;31359 wrote: Assuming the engine was of the common configuration of four poppet valves connected to and actuated by four levers, wouldn't the engineer lift up (usually with a chain) a lever to admit steam to one end of the cylinder, allowing the piston to complete its stroke? After that the engine should be able to continue on its own.

Jason,
I run steam traction engines in the summer and we have the same problem of "Dead Center" on single cylinder engines. The reason that opening a valve and putting steam into one end doesn't work is because it would simply push on the crank, and not turn it. On steam engines, it does not matter if you admit steam into either side of the piston, because it simply will not move because it cannot turn the crankshaft. I have to manually turn the flywheel into another position so when I open the throttle, the force of the piston actually turns the crank. Hope this helps! I have attached a picture of a traction engine in "Dead Center" for a visual aid, and helps you picture the physics of it.

The engine is ontop of the boiler and hopefully recognizeable.

I thought there was a description of the process of getting off dead center in Old Times on the Upper Mississippi, but all he talked about was how you never, never, never wanted that to happen to you. Now where did I read that? Oh, well...

I made a cursory cruise through Alan's Steamboat Engine Room Cyclopedium, but if there's anything about engines being on dead center, I missed it.

Many a cold mornings my patience has been tested in getting the first full revolution out of the wheel with only one engine not on dead center. Same can be said for our Troy-Skinner, trying to roll the flywheel. Loosening up on the packings a hair can make a world of a difference and save you from insanity a lot of the time!

Thanks for your input Mat -- and for your generous support of the Howard Steamboat Museum. Your membership check just landed in the mailbox! Much appreciated!!!

Fryant and Dancey are 'right on'. I now have a steamer with a single, double-acting steam engine and when reversing this is often the problem. I can rotate the flywheel with my hand (small engine) whereas the engineer had to "bar it over" however he may...a long bar lever being used, I've read. And, like Lexie, donno where! They'd better do it with the throttle closed or when the valve opens, it coult pitch the engineer through the roof.Cap'n Walnut.

Lexie: I'm caught on dead center in that I have developed an interest in a steam launch hull (stripped) called Mountain Girl by Thayer in Colorado (donno where). You can email me at [email protected] if you know of it. My thanks. Tom Schiffer

*Caught on center/Dropping the hooks*
Steamboating colleagues:
You bet Fryant and Dancey are 'right on' about engines 'caught on center.' I'm dumb as mud about steam engineering having never graduated beyond 'power lawn mower 101, but have been learning much from all of you. Frank Prudent also knows quite a bit from his late father.

As John Fryant knows, those incredible walking beam engines on steamboats with the big rocker arm going up and down also were very delicate, prone to 'hanging up.' Accounts mention engineers keeping a good, solid hunk of wood nearby. Starting those 'walkers' up was not easy with the engineer grasping two steel handles on the upper cylinder to start up slowly by hand in order to 'drop the hooks.' This was done on the now retired TICONDEROGA up in Burlington. Many of those engines back east were made by the famed 'Fletcher Co.' They had to be so careful to work out the condensed water in the cylinders first. In winter care given if laid up to remove all water. As little as one teaspoon freezing could crack the cylinder. Well, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

To add to Dale's comments, those beam engineers had a long iron bar in the engine room which they hooked up to the valve mechanism. When the engine was started and stopped for maneuvering, the valves were opened and closed BY HAND, as the engineer worked that bar up and down several feet to change the direction of the piston in the cylinder. After the boat was underway the engine could be "hooked up" by dropping the hooks on the end of the eccentric rods onto the valve levers so that the engine could run by itself. Those old time engineers must have stayed in good physical shape.

SS Potomac

There is a great color film of the SS POTOMAC (a. SS ALBANY) ca. 1946 showing how the walking beam engine was started with the starting bar. A copy of the film is in the archives at the Steamship Historical Society.

Wesley

*Walking beams in action*
Hi, Wesley and John,
Thanks, John, for your more detailed, englightening account RE: 'dropping the hooks' on walking beam engines. May not be inland river steamers, but part of the history and their engineering. Capt. Fred Way long ago did a piece in his REFLECTOR with a mention--posibly photo--of walking beam steamers in New Orleans and up the river. If one such ever came to Cincinnati, I'm vague now and too lazy to dig out my Index or back issues.

Wesley, I have a video SSHSA produced, sold some years back featuring various boats with their 'walkers.' Fascinating to see nearly hypnotized by the up and down, down and up like an oil well pump. Inland river boats nixed the up and down central 'steeple' engines placing then horizontal. East Coast boats stuck to the 'walkers' down nearly to the bitter end. The giant sidewheelers of the Fall River Line housed their walking beams with a covered housing with domed roof, windows out of the weather. I can only imagine the rain, snow etc. that had to drop down the uncovered 'walkers.' What to you know about that John? There's also the huge 'walker' engine on display on the grounds of Mariners Museum in Virginia. I would have love to see one in action--if just once.

Must have been something to see the engine builders casting those huge beams in molds. I'd surmise of wood; then in sand molds. They were solid, naturally. One big Hudson River steamer [Can't recall the name now] came to grief on a trip when her walking beam developed a crack. It wasn't detected with the crew lathering more black gloss paint over all. The beam cracked, failed shooting up with tons of steel crashing down on the deck. Fortunatley no passengers/crew involved. A number of photos often show a barrier rail on the upper deck to keep observers back--somewhat. A number of the last sidewheel day boats with 'walkers' were amply filmed. Those in the night boat trade like the Fall River Line giants are scant in active film coverage as...well...they ran at night. My late father, who would now be 99, experienced the Hudson River steamers and those on the 'Fall River Line' as a kid and young man. He waxed over them for years. May not be 'pure river steamoats'...but? Well, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

Delicate operation

I had to bar it over on my steamboat Willie. It could kick pretty bad when you pulled it just a hair off center, so it was a tricky maneuver. And always in a situation where you really wanted some action right away. Shipping up so it wouldn't stop on center was also a tricky maneuver.

Dale -

The walking beam on display at Newport news is from SS POTOMAC, subject of the 16 mm film.

Wesley

R. Dale Flick;31439 wrote: *Walking beams in action*
Hi, Wesley and John,
Thanks, John, for your more detailed, englightening account RE: 'dropping the hooks' on walking beam engines. May not be inland river steamers, but part of the history and their engineering. Capt. Fred Way long ago did a piece in his REFLECTOR with a mention--posibly photo--of walking beam steamers in New Orleans and up the river. If one such ever came to Cincinnati, I'm vague now and too lazy to dig out my Index or back issues.

Wesley, I have a video SSHSA produced, sold some years back featuring various boats with their 'walkers.' Fascinating to see nearly hypnotized by the up and down, down and up like an oil well pump. Inland river boats nixed the up and down central 'steeple' engines placing then horizontal. East Coast boats stuck to the 'walkers' down nearly to the bitter end. The giant sidewheelers of the Fall River Line housed their walking beams with a covered housing with domed roof, windows out of the weather. I can only imagine the rain, snow etc. that had to drop down the uncovered 'walkers.' What to you know about that John? There's also the huge 'walker' engine on display on the grounds of Mariners Museum in Virginia. I would have love to see one in action--if just once.

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

Capt. Way ran a photo in the June 1976 "Reflector" which I took the prior year at DisneyWorld of one of the two walking beam sidewheelers operating there. The SOUTHERN SEAS and PORTS O CALL ran trips carrying passengers to Treasure Island and excursions around the two lakes next to the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, they have long ceased operating. Each hull was fibreglass and the superstructure wood. The boiler and engineroom were in full view of the passengers onboard. One unique feature was that the boiler carried a high steam pressure which was reduced to use in the engine.

Not all of the sidewheelers operating on the East Coast or Great Lakes, for that matter, had walking beam machinery. Many had compound engines like might be seen today on the fast sidewheelers still operating on European waters. Off the top of my head, I'd say that the ROBERT FULTON was the last walking beam steamboat to run up east. The last Hudson River paddlewheeler ALEXANDER HAMILTON had an inclined triple expansion engine. The last bell rung in her engineroom was Labor Day 1971.

R. Dale Flick;31439 wrote: *Walking beams in action*
Hi, Wesley and John,
Thanks, John, for your more detailed, englightening account RE: 'dropping the hooks' on walking beam engines. May not be inland river steamers, but part of the history and their engineering. Capt. Fred Way long ago did a piece in his REFLECTOR with a mention--posibly photo--of walking beam steamers in New Orleans and up the river. If one such ever came to Cincinnati, I'm vague now and too lazy to dig out my Index or back issues.

Wesley, I have a video SSHSA produced, sold some years back featuring various boats with their 'walkers.' Fascinating to see nearly hypnotized by the up and down, down and up like an oil well pump. Inland river boats nixed the up and down central 'steeple' engines placing then horizontal. East Coast boats stuck to the 'walkers' down nearly to the bitter end. The giant sidewheelers of the Fall River Line housed their walking beams with a covered housing with domed roof, windows out of the weather. I can only imagine the rain, snow etc. that had to drop down the uncovered 'walkers.' What to you know about that John? There's also the huge 'walker' engine on display on the grounds of Mariners Museum in Virginia. I would have love to see one in action--if just once.

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

Capt. Way ran a photo in the June 1976 "Reflector" which I took the prior year at DisneyWorld of one of the two walking beam sidewheelers operating there. The SOUTHERN SEAS and PORTS O CALL ran trips carrying passengers to Treasure Island and excursions around the two lakes next to the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, they have long ceased operating. Each hull was fibreglass and the superstructure wood. The boiler and engineroom were in full view of the passengers onboard. One unique feature was that the boiler carried a high steam pressure which was reduced to use in the engine.

Not all of the sidewheelers operating on the East Coast or Great Lakes, for that matter, had walking beam machinery. Many had compound engines like might be seen today on the fast sidewheelers still operating on European waters. Off the top of my head, I'd say that the ROBERT FULTON was the last walking beam steamboat to run up east. The last Hudson River paddlewheeler ALEXANDER HAMILTON had an inclined triple expansion engine. The final bell answered in her engineroom was on Labor Day 1971.