Topic starter
29/12/2007 10:51 pm
Hello
We are doing research on the steamer Pacific,In particular the engine.It was a vertical beam,53 inch cylinder,built in 1850 by Archimedes iron works in New York.We are trying to find drawings of something similar or at least general size and weight.
Thank you for the help
Jascha and megan
30/12/2007 4:51 am
Look under the models category on this website. Bring up Paddlewheels & Props. In the catalog listings you will find plans for the Armenia, a Hudson River steamer of 1847. That's probably the closest thing you will find to the Pacific you are looking for. Also see the Mt. Washington plans listing.
Topic starter
31/12/2007 2:29 am
I must admit that I have never looked at model plans like these,would they indicate engine weight and size.
03/01/2008 10:49 pm
Hi, Jascha & steamboating colleagues:
Joh Fryant has put you 'on' to some good sources with his model plans mentioning the ARMENIA with walking beam engine etc. I'm just catching up on all of the postings having been away for some days and just returned.
I assume the SS PACIFIC you are seeking information on was the sidewheel ocean ship and the first to reach San Francisco. One source here mentions she was a 'Webb built ship.' There were three COLLINS LINE ships: PACIFIC, ARCTIC and BALTIC. The COLLINS LINE had bad luck too detailed to mention here. The loss of the ARCTIC in 1854following a collision is one of the great epics in ship disasters.
Records mention that just a cylinder casting for a 38 inch bore by 78 inch stroke engine weighed 7,500 lbs before milling. A 24 ft. walking beam engine could weight 30 tons. The largest walking beam ever built had a cylinder diameter of 110 inches with a stroke of 14 feet. The 'bedding' of these engines in the hulls added even more weight. They were some babies and I wish I could have seen one in operation as my late father did many times...just once.
Cheers,
R. Dale Flick