The Biggest Operating Triple Steam Engine at Kempton

[sfenodonte]

Fantastic, it works still today to vapor, is not to compressed air.

[harryolynx]

@sfenodonte La Gran Bretagna tiene la sua tradizione di vapore! É bene! Grazie per vedere!

[DaBoogie049]

boah das muss ich in echt sehen!! O.O sehr schön gemachtes Video

[harryolynx]

@DaBoogie049 Danke für das Lob - und - Kempton ist wirklich sehenswert! Hardcore-Steam-Freaks können bei der teilweise zerlegten zweiten Maschine in die Zylinder schauen und die Details von Ventilsteuerung und Schmierung mittels sachkundiger(!) Führung verstehen. Herzliche Grüße aus Österreich!

[kirkconway]

yes these would have been similar in size and design to the side engine's on Titanic, or any one of the non turbine ship's or liner's in that era.steam engine's have a romance that turbine's dont have, everything is out in the open on steam engine's where turbine's are encased, and closed, and you cant see them running.

all you can hear is the low tone hum.

[harryolynx]

@kirkconway That's exactly the reason, why I like steam engines - they have an absolute romantic touch and I can understand without greater dificulties, how they work. Thanks for watching and greetings from Austria!

[ThaMasterSniper]

@harryolynx Hello again! Do you mind telling me how this kind of engine works? I have a basic understanding, but I wan't to know more. Thanks!

[harryolynx]

@ThaMasterSniper Thanks for your interest. Would you please read at first my description to this video and then ask for details. The big difference to combustion engines is, that this kind of steam engine is double working, that means, that they do 2 (down and up) working strokes at 1 revolution. A four stroke diesel motor does only 1 down working stroke at 2 revolutions. Compare the small cylinders of a steam loco with the size of a diesel motor! Hello from Austria!

[ThaMasterSniper]

@harryolynx Oh, ok! I think I get it. The steam travels through all three cylinders, and each time it is compressed at a lower pressure, right? I will have to investigate more. Thanks, and hello from New Mexico!

[harryolynx]

@ThaMasterSniper Yes, you've got it! Congratulations! The steam is expanded in 3 stages, always at lower pression. The exhausts are directly connected to the steam inputs of the next stage with always bigger diameters of the cylinders to get the same force. This way you can save a lot of fresh steam (and costs)! Hello to New Mexico!

[ThaMasterSniper]

@harryolynx That's what I thought, but is the steam recycled? What I mean is that after it finally exits the last cylinder, is there a tube, or something of the sort that allows the steam to travel right back to where the boiler is? Then you can have almost unlimited running time, without having to add more water! Steam engines are fascinating, aren't they?

[harryolynx]

@ThaMasterSniper I like the way, you try to solve problems. You're absolutely right, the last expanded steam steam is led into a condenser, where it condenses to hot water, which is pumped back into the boiler and saves heating energy this way. Condensers are used for stationary engines and ships, locomotives on the other side use open steam circuits, therefore they need a water supply. And you're right again, that steam engines are fascinating. Cheers from Austria!

[ThaMasterSniper]

@harryolynx Ah, yes. Just what I had thought. Thank you for you wisdom of these machines! Greetings from NM!

[harryolynx]

@ThaMasterSniper Well, it was my pleasure. Carry on and greetings from Austria!

[BHuang92]

Imagine, the 4 cylinder triple steam engines that powered the Titanic....... 

[aussiebug1970]

@BHuang92 I believe that the Titanic had two 30,000hp triple expansion steam engines and one 6,000hp Parsons steam turbine in the middle. Give the inadequate size of the Titanic's single rudder, it probably needed the steam turbine running at high power to get enopugh water flowing over the rudder to turn the ship.

[pfleeger2010]

Back in the day when people took pride in what they built.

[pelican232]

Awesome! reminds me engines on Titanic...

[boleamj]

@pelican232 O.o Are you a survivor? =D

[StarkeStudio]

What gorgeous machinery! If you made this today it would not look nearly as good.

[daniel343ful]

sorry I meant complicated but surprisingly simple to use.

[harryolynx]

@daniel343ful You are right. At smaller similar steam engines e.g. the triple at Kew Bridge Museum, London, which also cannot start by opening the steam admission valve only, a simple long bar - stuck into the flywheel's teeth - is used, to turn the crankshaft and so to get the pistons in the right starting position. Thanks for watching and your comment!

[daniel343ful]

this machine is straight out of a Dr. Seuss book with all of the funny looking vales pistons and cogs. The starter is surprisingly complicated but simple to use.

[206Wheels]

Today's technology should be embarassed.

[Lark2207]

Yes, they did. Even the twin of the Texas, USS New York, had a steam turbine.

[harryolynx]

@Lark2207 Another good info, thanks!

[ThaMasterSniper]

Wow. She's a big one, isn't she?

[harryolynx]

@ThaMasterSniper Yes, she is absolutely impressive! I hope, the video can show that.

Thanks for watching and greetings from Europe!

[ThaMasterSniper]

@harryolynx Well greetings from the U.S.A! And the video is excellent. Good work!

[harryolynx]

@ThaMasterSniper Thanks again!! :-))

[ThaMasterSniper]

@harryolynx You are very welcome!

[ThaMasterSniper]

Horsies!

[Lark2207]

Good Video. FYI, The last surviving triple expansion steam engine (reciprocating) for ship is the USS Texas BB-35 which is in historical preservation on the Houston Ship Channel, La Porte, Texas.

[harryolynx]

@Lark2207 Thanks for watching and the info about BB Texas, since (nearly?) all of the later built battleships had steam turbines! (The first BB, I have data about, is BB-43 'Tennessee') Greetings from Europe!

[jimhowlett1000]

@Lark2207 Nope! The SS Jeremiah O'Brien a restored Liberty Ship in San Francisco is alive and doing well. Goes to "sea" every year and sails around the SF Bay after doing a memorial service for the Merchant Seaman lost during WWII. The service occurs just outside the Golden Gate.

[lopingnoahsteam]

SOOO COOL really big used for pumping sewage i think

[harryolynx]

@lopingnoahsteam No, these Kempton engines were used for London's drinking water supply. Thanks for watching and greetings from Europe

[Squarerig]

What pressure is the steam?

[harryolynx]

@Squarerig Sorry, they've got a new small single boiler - you see it at the beginning of the video - and I didn't find any data about it. Originally they had 6 Babcock & Wilcox boilers providing steam at 200 lb/square inch with 150°F superheat. Thanks for watching and greetings from Austria

[theo1307tog]

@harryolynx why dont you hav the original boiler?!?! it is like a old car whit a new engine in it.. massed up :-(

[harryolynx]

@theo1307tog The original boilers were scrapped in 1981 and and the Triple house “went cold and dead”. Nobody today could pay the reinstallation and running costs of similar boilers for demonstration use only. So let's thank the trust for the actual solution!

[theo1307tog]

@harryolynx was it coal fired once ?

[harryolynx]

@theo1307tog Yes, they had their own narrow gauge (600 mm) railway - scrapped in 1945 - for delivering the coal.

[theo1307tog]

@harryolynx so much good history lorst...im sorry...we are lucky to hav the engine

[ponkkaa]

What a glorious piece of engineering genius. Thanx for posting this.

[harryolynx]

@ponkkaa Thanks for the kind comment - and the double thumbs up :-) Greetings from Austria

[trucker765]

Its hard to beleive how many of these are at the bottom of the ocean :(

[gunny426plymouth]

@trucker765 so these we're used on the tanics? Titanic, Britannic,and Olympic? there very powerful! I heard on titanic it made the side walls of the keel bow in and out!

[er10b]

@gunny426plymouth the engines were a little smaller but still needed as much steam and could crank over by themselves (selfstarting) without a steam starter motor. As long as you had enough pressure and enough steam they would run quite happily. One problem though with them is that the bigger the engine, the longer it took to slow right down and stop completely.

[mrcrtking]

I love the little minature steem engune used as the "starter motor" of the massive engine, there is something hypnotic about massive lumps of moving metal going up and down, would love to see it in real life to get the sheer scale of its size, is it used for anything like electicity generation or just run up as a water pump demo ? would be cool if its actually used to power something

[harryolynx]

@mrcrtking The Kempton engine works for demonstration use only , pumping perhaps a few tons of water when it is in steam. Today it would be much too expensive, to do full pumping work with steam engines, because electric pumps do the same job also well and reliable. And dont forget, that all the staff people are volonteers - you could not pay them, if you liked to make a kind of power device with the Kempton engine. Greetings from Austria!

[67tr876]

That big for only 1000hp ? WHAT !!!!!

[harryolynx]

@67tr876 It's the torque, causing the brute power for pumping tons of water at each stroke, the low revs and therefore the absolute reliability. These engines worked continuously for nine months each year, 24 hours, every day. An example for a better understanding of the problem: The 2004 Turbo Porsche 911 with 420 hp does a (powerful!) torque of 560 Nm at 3000 rpm, the Kempton engine with approximately 1000 hp does 235.000 Nm at 30 rpm. Cheers from Austria!

[oisiaa]

How many horsepower?

[harryolynx]

@oisiaa The engines were rated at 1008 hp. The number of rpm's I didn't find anywhere, but i have counted 20rpm approximately. So I think it would have been in the range of 30 rpm to 40 rpm, when the engines were still in service. Greetings from Austria

[oisiaa]

@harryolynx Wow, just think how much torque it has to produces 1000hp at 30-40rpm!

[harryolynx]

@oisiaa That's exactly the fascination of these giant engines!

[Snoep76239]

Nevermind, I found the info at the link above.. THANKS for the great video!

[harryolynx]

@Snoep76239 Thanks for the fine feedback - and you can see the new (smaller) boiler in its new house at the beginning of the video. Greetings from Europe

[Snoep76239]

Where can I find the specs? i.e. Torque, HP, RPM, steam pressure. I'd also love to see the boiler!

[Snoep76239]

You gotta love all the open machinery and exposed gears. Workers must have had to be very careful back when engines like this were common!

[MangoHombre]

The starter is bigger than my house!

[Firrboxfryup]

That's a beast of an engine!

[WWII4444]

So this is what it was like to be in Titanics engine room(sorta)

[harryolynx]

@WWII4444 Titanic had two four-cylinder-triple-expansion engines and additionally a steam turbine for the third screw propeller. The engine scenes of the 'Titanic' movie were taken in the engine room of an old Liberty ship at San Francisco, CA. Well, and thanks for watching! Greetings from Austria

[WWII4444]

@harryolynx intresting

[kennjohnsen]

@harryolynx

Four-cylinder-triple-expansion­, how does a four cylinder triple expansion work.

[harryolynx]

@kennjohnsen Hallo Ken, you have got a three-stage expansion with one high pressure cylinder, one intermediate pressure cylinder, but two big low pressure cylinders with the same steam pressure. That works fine! Greetings from Austria,H.

[DJMarioV8]

@harryolynx

Die maschiene sieht so aus als wär sie 3-4 stockwerke hoch, von der höhe kommt sie ja dann fast an die von der Titanic hin, das schiff das du meinst is die SS JEREMIAH O'BRIEN, deren maschiene musste aber 10x vergrösert werden um so zu wirken wie die der titanic

[harryolynx]

@DJMarioV8 Die Kempton-Maschine sind 62 ft hoch (allerdings inkludiert das die Pumpen im Kellergeschoß), das sind 18.6m. Die reine Maschinenhöhe ist daher die - wie von Dir gesagt - eines mindestens 3 stöckigen Hauses. Danke für die Info betreffs der 'Jeremiah O'Brien' - es geht nichts über Titanic-Spezialisten. Grüße aus Österreich

[DJMarioV8]

@harryolynx

die maschiene der Titanic war ca. 3meter breit 11,8 meter hoch und 18 meter lang

[harryolynx]

@DJMarioV8 Danke auch für diese Info!

[diogenesbaltikum]

@harryolynx The enine scenes of the "TITANIC" movie were also taken in the engine room of the icebreaker- steamer "STETTIN". Especially the scene of turning crankshaft. Greetings from Hamburg

Wird geladen...

255.953

[harryolynx]

@diogenesbaltikum Danke, ich werde unaufhaltsam zum Titanic-Experten via Kempton-engine. Grüße aus Österreich

[4864427]

I want to visit this museum !

old steam engines are very cool especially for vessels .

In japan , all of these engines were lost in ww2.

[harryolynx]

@4864427 It's absolutely worth the journey, to visit the Kempton engines. But they have only a few steam per year. Thanks for your interest and greetings to Japan

[Tinsby]

Very impressive! I never saw such a large stationary stem engine the size of this beast! The length of the connecting rods is amazing everything is super sized. I wonder what the maximum RPM for this engine is? I doubt it's even 100 given the stress of all the reciprocating mass. In the US you'd have to have a wire cage around ALL the moving parts some dolt would no doubt fall in!

Great post thank you!

[harryolynx]

@Tinsby Thanks for your posting. Sorry, I did not find anything about the maximum rpm of this engine. In my raw video I have counted between 13 and 18 rpm. I dont think that the maximum rpm was much higher than 20 rpm, if you look at the water pumps. The British Crofton pumping station with its Boulton and Watt engine was working with only 12 strokes per minute (a non rotative beam engine), the British Crossness rotative beam engine did 10.2 strokes/min. Greetings from Austria

[Watsupwiya]

love the little donkey engines

[Whammytap]

Nothing says raw power like a big steam engine! I would love to see this in person someday. I believe the Holly engines at the Colonel Ward Pumping Station in Buffalo, NY are larger, but far from operational (such a pity). My curiosity about steam power was piqued by those machines; I am delighted to see one similar in operation! Bravo!

[harryolynx]

@Whammytap Thanks for watching, comment, favourite and the thumbs up! I think you are right, the Colonel Wards engines are larger and absolutely impressive, but nevertheless they can't be compared with the big pumping Kempton engine. Greetings from Austria!

[Whammytap]

@harryolynx Ein Oesterreicher! Ganz toll! Ich habe ein bisschen Deutsch studiert. Ich will Wien besuchen, eines Tages.

[harryolynx]

@Whammytap Das ist nett, ein Deutsch sprechender Amerikaner! Bravo! Willkommen in Österreich!

[MAL6000]

@Whammytap I had the good fortune to be allowed to explore and photograph Colonel Ward when I worked on a project there in 1994. One major difference is that the Holly engines didn't need barring engines, althought I don't know enough details to explain why. From the specifications posted on the wall:

Weight - 1100 tons

Horsepower - 1200

Speed - 22 RPM

Capacity - 30 Million gallons per day

Flywheels - 2 each, 20 feet diameter, weight 30 tons

[ying2ong]

Thanks for this video. I didn't realise there was still one of these large engines still in working condition. As a boy I went to the Metropolitan Water Board pumping station at Lea Bridge with my father (who worked there) . The engine was called the Musgrave if I remember and it was in a large building just like this one. He walked me round the walkways and it was just an amazing experience being so close to all those large moving parts.

[harryolynx]

@ying2ong Thanks for watching and your interest. As you wrote about Lea Bridge pumping station - I've tried to find anything about it, but except that they had any triple engine, it was a failure. Sorry, it had been interesting! About Musgrave I only read, that it was a two cylinder steam engine type with a certain geometry, to avoid the dead-centre at engine's start, also an other failure. By all means, you wont be disappointed after a visit at Kempton. Greetings from Austria

[Azwarrior94]

So if the steam is used three times in the system. Then where does it enter and exit? At the high pressure end or low pressure end

[harryolynx]

@Azwarrior94

When steam expands, it loses pressure.So the fresh steam enters at the high pressure cylinder, the expanded steam from here enters the intermediate cylinder and so on. The expanded steam after the last working cycle in the low pressure cylinder is drawn into the condenser, where it condenses to hot water, which is used in the boiler again. Triple expansion and condensing save a lot of heating energy. Thanks for watching.

[moomoomooism]

@Azwarrior94

low pressure then mid then high !

[harryolynx]

@moomoomooism

Congratulations. you have just solved all energy problems of the world. You admit steam with low pressure into the engine, it does work and gets a higher energy (pression and temperature)????? Sounds like a new invention of the perpetuum moblle.

But I think, it's not a very good joke! If someone, especially a young person, asks me anything, I'll try to give the correct answer and not to confuse or mock him.

[moomoomooism]

@harryolynx

sorry me been bad...hahahaha could not resist a bit of fun......hope you get to see this engine for real....all the best.......moo lol....

[harryolynx]

@moomoomooism

Ok moo, accepted! 

[Alisterwolf66]

Great vid! Fantastic bit of restoration and preservation they've done - truly splendid to see it working!

[harryolynx]

@Alisterwolf66 Thanks for watching and cheers to MS

[droid873]

Greetings from Iowa U.S.A perfect music in the background.

[harryolynx]

@droid873 Thanks for compliment and greetings. But sorry, there is a mistake in may last answer: Titanic had two four-cylinder-triple-expansion engines and additionally a steam turbine for the third screw propeller (sounds a little bit like Mr. Monk?). Cheers to Iowa. I like Iowa, - as a schoolboy I didn't know, how to pronounce 'Des Moines'  (French or English) until I asked my teacher - the battleship BB-61 'Iowa' and now Clint Eastwood's 'Bridges Of Madison County'.

[droid873]

Didn't the titanic have a similar type of engine

[harryolynx]

@droid873

It's right, Titanic had two expansion triple engines, one for each screw shaft, similar to the Kempton ones. But the engine scenes of the 'Titanic' movie were taken in the engine room of an old Liberty ship at San Francisco, CA. Well, and thanks for watchingand the fav! Greetings from Austria

[BenAliGtor]

Hand it to the Brits: they not only invented the steam engine, they taught the world how to utilize them.

[harryolynx]

@BenAliGtor

Thanks for watching and you are definitely right. But also it was an American - Mr. Corliss - who optimized stationary steam engines to their absolute best with his ingenious valve gears. Greetings from Europe!

[Palifiox]

At around 3:46 I see some of the inspiration for one of the sets in Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" 

[harryolynx]

@Palifiox

Thanks for watching and you've got an interesting idea with Fritz Lang, but Metropolis(1926) is a little bit elder than these triple engines (1928). But sure he was inspired by engines like these. Greetings to Down Under from Europe!

[vanwahlgren]

Wow thanks for the vid  that is one nice engine. They are not made that way anymore!

[harryolynx]

@vanwahlgren

But it's fine, that these giant are kept in working order. Thanks for watching and greetings from Austria, Europe

[3popcan]

At 6:30 thats pretty funny

[harryolynx]

@3popcan

Well, that's one of the many reasons, I liked this site. Greetings from Austria, Europe

[3popcan]

that's a lot of lubing up lol imagine if it was gas powered that would be some serious power 

[RAJSTA81]

Awesome!!!

Music was great for it..

[harryolynx]

@RAJSTA81 Thanks for watching and the kind comment: Greetings from Austria, Europe

[RAJSTA81]

@harryolynx

your more than welcome buddy and greetings from Australia

[Haubitze85]

...i love this music :-)

[harryolynx]

@Haubitze85 .. me too, es ist good old American Swing aus den Vierzigern ...

[SkateYourOwnStyle]

Tolles Video, man kennt sehr gut die Details und v.a. die Größe der Maschine.

Gibt es in österreich eine möglichkeit, eine Dampfmaschine unter Dampf zu sehen, wenn möglich auch in einer Fabrik o. ä.? Ich finde solche großen maschinen faszinierend, da sieht man erst, was man alles mit Waser und Feuer antreiben kann.

lg Kasti

[harryolynx]

@SkateYourOwnStyle Hallo Kasti, meines Wissens gibt es in Österreich keine stationären Großdampfmaschinen, Österreich hatte von jeher genug Wasserkraft und später dann die Elektrizität. So große Pumpwerke, wie in der Umgebung Londons waren auch offensichtlich nicht nötig. Es bleibt nur die Dampfmaschinengalerie des technischen Museums Wien, jeden ersten Sonntag im Monat unter Dampf. Das sind kleinere Maschinen, siehe Website des TMW. Also mit Ryanair nach London! Lohnt sich! LG Harald

[SkateYourOwnStyle]

@harryolynx

Danke für die schnelle Antwort, die Maschinen im TM kenne ich bereits. Wollte mich nur informieren, obs da sonst noch was gibt. Naja, kann man nix machen ;-)

Mal schaun ob ich mal nach London komme!

lg

Kasti

[harryolynx]

@SkateYourOwnStyle Hallo Kasti, zu London noch: Außer Kempton (am Stadtrand, aber gut mit South West Trains erreichbar) gibt es noch das Kew Bridge Steam Museum mit großen Maschinen, jeden Sonntag in steam (sehr sehenswert) oder als Highlight die Crossness Pumping Station an der Themse - zur Zeit in Restauration - mit der größten rotative beam engine der Welt. Als Geheimtipp vielleicht noch die Leawood Pumping Station in Tottenham. Alle mit Website und auch auf youtube! LG Harald

[harryolynx]

@SkateYourOwnStyle Ui jeh,statt Leawood Pumping Station (die ist in Cromford, Derbyshire) muss es heißen: Markfield Road Pumpung Station (in Tottenham). Sorry, Harald

[MrJOHNdx]

Outstanding! Thanks!

[harryolynx]

@MrJOHNdx

Thanks for viewing and your kind comment!

[ian29d]

Excellent video. I saw these engines in operation back in the 1970's when they had a public opening on the last day of operation, before they were mothballed. They were I remember powered by coal fired boilers from an adjacent room, unfortunately I seem to have destroyed photographs I took of the boilers, thinking they were of no interest :(

[harryolynx]

@ian29d Thanks for your kind comments (and for subscribing) - I think, we share a lot of interests in old technics. It must have been fascinating, to see these engines with its boilers and the coal train in full action.

[JimTLonW6]

I visited a while back, it's fascinating to see these huge engines in a very distinctive building.

[harryolynx]

@JimTLonW6 Hello Jim, thanks for your posting. As I see, you were the 'Kempton pioneer' with your series 'Kempton Great Engine (x)' 3 years ago. I think, we share the interests for steam engines, although in my country it's rather difficult, to see anything in steam. Greetings from Austria, Harald

[JimTLonW6]

@harryolynx

Thanks for your kind comments; I thought your film was so much better than mine that I'd best keep quiet about my modest efforts.

One of my favourite Austrians is the composer Anton Bruckner; he seems to have liked steam too.

[jkmek99]

Awesome video! That machine is a tribute to human ingenuity! Three cheers for keeping it alive!

[harryolynx]

@jkmek99 Thanks and it's exactly my opinion!

[reecesmith96]

my dad works ther

[harryolynx]

@reecesmith96 Congratulations - as I just said, these voluntarily working gentlemen know perfectly how to maintain ancient technics and how to explain it!

[Larsky1010]

At 5:08 is the brass works by the engineer's head a manifold for lubricating oil distribution? Fascinating! All of that power with no whines, drones, or any other ugly noises!

[harryolynx]

@Larsky1010 Thank you very much for your interest - you are right, the brass works is the central gauge for the engine's lubrication and the whole engine is fascinating indeed. Greetings to NC!

[drewb1994]

6:04 there a squirrel lol

[harryolynx]

@drewb1994 I think it's a kind of lubricating device, but the squirrel is ok :)

[krehall]

The small 2 cylinder steam engine is called a "Barring Engine". This engine is used to turn the main engine to it's start possition.

[harryolynx]

@krehall

Thanks Keith!

I'll never more write anything about 'starter motors' of steam engines. My friend Harry (harry4468) wrote to me similar just 3 months ago.

[krehall]

@harryolynx i see :)

[francovance1]

Brilliant video!...very well made.

[harryolynx]

@francovance1

Thank you very much!

[harry4468]

the starter motor is called a barring engine and is used to get the crankshaft in the right posistion for the main engine to start

[harryolynx]

@harry4468

Thanks Harry, I like to improve my knowledge about steam engines.

Harald

[jacklav1]

Excellent video, thanks for posting it.

[harryolynx]

Thanks for the compliment!

[LoisJAbel]

Very impressing - great video!

[harryolynx]

Danke für das Lob! Auch ich schätze sehr Ihre wirklich gut gemachten Eisenbahnvideos, wie z.B. den 638er Film (einer meiner Favoriten) !

Harald