Thread: Trivia and other useless but interesting items

McKenzie was a surname, people are naming their daughters that.

I am reading a book from the 1930s on "oil engines for road rail and air transport" (diesels to you). Mostly about road transport.

The trivia bit is the detailed list of British manufacturers of these engines at the time - twenty-three of them.

A few (not many) are familiar - ......Lister, Perkins,

A few more would be familiar to the older people here -..... AEC, Dennis, Leyland, Thornycroft

A few would be familiar to those with boating or marine or stationary engine backgrounds - Ailsa Craig, Blackstone, Dorman-Ricardo, Gardner, Meadows, Paxman-Ricardo, - but who new they made car or truck diesels?

And who has heard of -... Armstrong-Saurer, Barton, Crossley, EMB, Ferry, Fowler-Sanders, McLaren, RN, Stellar, Victor, as manufacturers of diesel engines at all?

The other fascinating section is the one on aircraft engines. The only one that appears to have actually been made in significant numbers was the Junkers Jumo series which continued in production to the end of WW2 and was also licence built by Napier in the UK. But who has heard of the Bristol Phoenix (nine cylinder radial, 400hp), or the Clerget 14F (500hp 14 cylinder radial), or the Packard DR980 (9 cylinder radial, 225hp) - in 1931 this flew for 84hr 33 min non-stop, although only one ever appears to have been made?

in 1931 this flew for 84hr 33 min non-stop, although only one ever appears to have been made?

Obviously it was because it was unreliable, John.



The Oil Engine made by Hornsby of Grantham should be on your list as well. In WW1 it powered Tanks, Trucks, Locomotives, Road Rollers & all types of Agricultural machinery. A pure oil engine & (although I used Kero) & it was a Hot Bulb type,&it would run for hours unattended so long as it it had fuel. The original engine was invented (?) by Akeroyd as I understand.

Later in time they made Diesels under the name of Ruston Hornsby also a well known name.

Originally Posted by 4bee

Obviously it was because it was unreliable, John.



The Oil Engine made by Hornsby of Grantham should be on your list as well. In WW1 it powered Tanks, Trucks, Locomotives, Road Rollers & all types of Agricultural machinery. A pure oil engine & (although I used Kero) & it was a Hot Bulb type,&it would run for hours unattended so long as it it had fuel. The original engine was invented (?) by Akeroyd as I understand.

Later in time they made Diesels under the name of Ruston Hornsby also a well known name.

At the time the book was published they did not make engines suitable for road transport. They appear in the rail section, but their smallest motor listed is a 35hp (at 1,000rpm) two cylinder one - theat weighed two and a half tons.

According to Wikipedia, the Packard diesel aeroplane engine was reliable and economical, but was unpopular because of the vibration and the smell of the exhaust. But I suspect the real reason was that competing petrol engines of the period were rapidly improving the power/weight ratio, and they were just too heavy to compete. There seem to have been about a hundred built.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

I am reading a book from the 1930s on "oil engines for road rail and air transport" (diesels to you). Mostly about road transport.

The trivia bit is the detailed list of British manufacturers of these engines at the time - twenty-three of them.

A few (not many) are familiar - ......Lister, Perkins,

A few more would be familiar to the older people here -..... AEC, Dennis, Leyland, Thornycroft

A few would be familiar to those with boating or marine or stationary engine backgrounds - Ailsa Craig, Blackstone, Dorman-Ricardo, Gardner, Meadows, Paxman-Ricardo, - but who new they made car or truck diesels?

And who has heard of -... Armstrong-Saurer, Barton, Crossley, EMB, Ferry, Fowler-Sanders, McLaren, RN, Stellar, Victor, as manufacturers of diesel engines at all?

The other fascinating section is the one on aircraft engines. The only one that appears to have actually been made in significant numbers was the Junkers Jumo series which continued in production to the end of WW2 and was also licence built by Napier in the UK. But who has heard of the Bristol Phoenix (nine cylinder radial, 400hp), or the Clerget 14F (500hp 14 cylinder radial), or the Packard DR980 (9 cylinder radial, 225hp) - in 1931 this flew for 84hr 33 min non-stop, although only one ever appears to have been made?

There was a US made diesel radial of WW2 vintage, the Guiberson. I don't know what is was used in. Nev Morris of Dalby has a running one that he has taken to and run at shows in the past.

Apparently they were an option in the Stinson Reliant, although Wikipedia's list of models makes no mention of it suggesting that it was only done experimentally). But (according to Wikipedia)1283 M3 Stuart light tanks had the Guiberson engine, and there were undoubtedly spare engines for these. I suspect this may be the source of any survivors!

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Apparently they were an option in the Stinson Reliant, although Wikipedia's list of models makes no mention of it suggesting that it was only done experimentally). But (according to Wikipedia)1283 M3 Stuart light tanks had the Guiberson engine, and there were undoubtedly spare engines for these. I suspect this may be the source of any survivors!

JD, here is a learned treatise on the Guiberson diesel. The scribe seemed suitably impressed.

http://www.enginehistory.org/Piston/Diesels/Ch3.pdf

If you search for Guiberson on aulro you will locate photos that I posted of Nev. Morris' engine.

Here is a link to Nordberg radial diesel engines. They made a real good size range of radial diesels.

Nordberg Radial Stationary Engine | Old Machine Press