'Low speed marine diesels', like this one, tried to supplant the earlier low speed steam and semi-diesel power plants ideal for propellers, without today's reliable reduction gear ratios. High speed diesels exploit the steam turbine approach, many trawlers even diesel-electric, engines running at constant speed with battery powered propellers like submarines!. The popular long production run Bergius Kelvin K4 is superbly fuel efficient and quiet compared to lighter motor vehicle power plants.
nice to see the old engines are still appreciated I woked there from 1969 t0 1986 and worked on the dept that built the L3's then worked as a skilled fitter assembling the cambox and fuel pump assemblys for about eight years so I taught many apprentices and visiting engineers/mechanics how to build and maintian the cambox assembly any way good work and keep them running jim stansfield
I'm helping out at my local historic railway rebuillding one of these that is in a small shunter. we had the head off No.1 cylinder as the carbon has built up to half an inch coating (I'm not exagerating!) and has jamed both valves, breaking one pushrod and bending another. we are therefore rebulding the top end and I have spend today chiseling carbon!
@douro20 they used to make a bigger one for marine use I saw the cylinder liners for a J type{ about 18 in in dia} once as an apprentice when a J type was in for rebuild in the early 70's it had supposedly been on the bottom of hong kong harbour for over 20 years and when they washed it down and connected it up at the factory it started first time that was before they stripped and rebuilt it I think it went back to HK to go into one of the ferries that are still running to this day
Amazing how slow, they can run, a friend had an 8L3 in an ex Brunner coaster (the Davenham) (UK Boat built for Brunner Mond ltd. in the 60's) and we could decompress 6 of the cylinders and start and run it on 2 cylinders. amazing engines! I used to love standing in the engine room and just watching and listening! :-)
Thanks for the compliments on the engine. We are currently working a new boat design for it to fit into and perhapos it will once again go back to doing what it does so well.
Yes, 6 seperate heads. The L3 line is older than your friend's engine and is bigger in displacement. It also turns slower, I believe. They made 8L3's and 8L3B's and there may have been a larger one as well. One 8L3 powered a BC ferry from new in 1956 until 2003, racking up 450,000 hours. It has since been rebuilt and is taken on display by its current owner.
Had one in our 56ft trawler 35 years of fishing no problems great engine
Ratty970 3 months ago
Music!
SthealthRaider 5 months ago
Just throw that in a truck :D
MegaZsolti 8 months ago
A race horse is good for a mile a cart horse is good for all day!
bigjagjim 1 year ago
'Low speed marine diesels', like this one, tried to supplant the earlier low speed steam and semi-diesel power plants ideal for propellers, without today's reliable reduction gear ratios. High speed diesels exploit the steam turbine approach, many trawlers even diesel-electric, engines running at constant speed with battery powered propellers like submarines!. The popular long production run Bergius Kelvin K4 is superbly fuel efficient and quiet compared to lighter motor vehicle power plants.
keplermission 1 year ago
nice to see the old engines are still appreciated I woked there from 1969 t0 1986 and worked on the dept that built the L3's then worked as a skilled fitter assembling the cambox and fuel pump assemblys for about eight years so I taught many apprentices and visiting engineers/mechanics how to build and maintian the cambox assembly any way good work and keep them running jim stansfield
jimstansfield 1 year ago
I used to engine driver on a ferry we had here in Bermuda with this engine. Great sound and sipped fuel.
bdaseaman 2 years ago
Fantastic!
I'm helping out at my local historic railway rebuillding one of these that is in a small shunter. we had the head off No.1 cylinder as the carbon has built up to half an inch coating (I'm not exagerating!) and has jamed both valves, breaking one pushrod and bending another. we are therefore rebulding the top end and I have spend today chiseling carbon!
I will try and video the first start.
Many thanks,
Phill.
steamwally 2 years ago
3 litres per cylinder hence 6L3 =18 litres
burghill1979 2 years ago
Sorry, just found one on youtube.
volker185 2 years ago
Would love to see an 8xlct photo. Better still one running.
volker185 2 years ago
Victorian Railways used theese engines on the 102hp Walker Railmotor and the 153hp Railmotor in the 1930s.
azervich 2 years ago
does anyone have a video of an 8L3 running?
MrBFD123 2 years ago
Did Gardner ever make 'V' types engines?
43177VP185 2 years ago
They made engines even bigger than the L3s. There were a few HF13 horizontal twins which made 90hp at 240rpm.
douro20 2 years ago
@douro20 they used to make a bigger one for marine use I saw the cylinder liners for a J type{ about 18 in in dia} once as an apprentice when a J type was in for rebuild in the early 70's it had supposedly been on the bottom of hong kong harbour for over 20 years and when they washed it down and connected it up at the factory it started first time that was before they stripped and rebuilt it I think it went back to HK to go into one of the ferries that are still running to this day
jimstansfield 1 year ago
Lawrence Gardner knew what he was doing!
Facinating how different it is to a 6LXB
smiffy1071 2 years ago
Amazing how slow, they can run, a friend had an 8L3 in an ex Brunner coaster (the Davenham) (UK Boat built for Brunner Mond ltd. in the 60's) and we could decompress 6 of the cylinders and start and run it on 2 cylinders. amazing engines! I used to love standing in the engine room and just watching and listening! :-)
navmanl200 2 years ago
that is the most sweetest of tickovers i have ever heard on a gardner nice one!
burghill1979 2 years ago 2
Thanks for the compliments on the engine. We are currently working a new boat design for it to fit into and perhapos it will once again go back to doing what it does so well.
Magicsdesigner 2 years ago
Yes, 6 seperate heads. The L3 line is older than your friend's engine and is bigger in displacement. It also turns slower, I believe. They made 8L3's and 8L3B's and there may have been a larger one as well. One 8L3 powered a BC ferry from new in 1956 until 2003, racking up 450,000 hours. It has since been rebuilt and is taken on display by its current owner.
Magicsdesigner 2 years ago
@Magicsdesigner ??? Are you sure about 450,000 hours? 47 years is 411,720 hours long. Did you mean 45,000 hours? Love the sound.
trackhoe23 1 year ago
Does that have seperate cylinder heads?
Friend had gardner in boat, inline 6, about 11 litres, 2 cylinder heads.
Is the 6L3 a bigger engine/ the biggest gardner make?
I didnt think they made that many different sizes apart from number of cylinders.
tpvalley 2 years ago