VOLUME 19, NUMBER 6 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER, 2005 1922 Stanley 740 A PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE this event is to encourage the making of new steam powered vehicles and the attendance of old steam The September 15-17 meet here in Berrien powered vehicles; to engender enthusiasm among Springs, Michigan was a success. Success here our members, and publicity for the club to the is being defined as something that is over. About general public. We will be widening the contributor 45 people attended and everyone left happy. The base for the prize money. We will be encouraging main benefits of these meets are the opportunities steam vehicle development throughout the year. We to meet and visit with other steam people from all will be sending out photos and reports of the Time over the country. Some flew in from San Diego and Trials to other magazines. Our goal is always to Texas and some trailered steam vehicles in from have an event that is safe for the participants and California and Florida. We are sorry to report that spectators, that is inherently fair, and that is fun for Peter Barrett and his son Philip did not make it as all. For the last two years this event has been held at Pete hurt his leg while on the way out and had to the GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan turn back. His VW conversion has been worked on and it has been a success. and is reported to be running well. We all wanted to We want to thank Scott Haines for bringing see it compete in the Time Trials. The SACA Time to the SACA Archives several boxes of the late Trials were run safely. The results will be reported Al Reynolds’s accumulated steam club related in another article. materials. There are audio tapes and old movies and We want to thank Jay Carter for putting up rolls of blueprints. We plan on digitizing the movies the $1,000 first prize for 8 years in a row for first and scanning the blueprints. An inventory of the place in the time trials. The Time Trials are a one club archives will be made as time allows. We also vehicle at a time standing start timed run over a 660 want to remember the years of work that Al devoted foot, which is one-eighth of a mile, course. We do to the club in his role of club Treasurer, President, not use the word race anywhere in here because our and Editor, as well as his hosting of the Chicagoland insurance company does not like to see that word annual meet for many years in Danville. and besides that it takes more than one vehicle Recently I have been reading and proof- to have a race. For the first 6 time trials the club reading the entire Steam Automobile volumes treasury put up a thousand dollars to be distributed beginning in 1958 that we have scanned. As among the participants. The Board voted two years soon as that work is done the club will offer for ago to not use club monies for prize money. Last sale the accumulated publications of The Steam year $1,500 was raised and distributed among the Automobile, the Modeltec years, Steam Power, 6 other vehicles and this year $810 was raised and Steam Calliope in both a digitized CD format by donations from club members and $190 was and print form. There is a wealth of accumulated contributed by the club treasury to make an even knowledge, along with some other material, in one thousand dollars for prize money. We want these publications. Much spinning of wheels would to thank the SACA-Northeast group for loaning be avoided by acquainting one’s self with this us their electronic timer. This made for a much information. In the course of reading this historical simpler event with much less human error than in material it is apparent that there is a disease that previous events. We want to thank Bob Edwards afflicts people beginning to work with steam for supervising the event this year. power, and that is to design exotic and complex We have found a volunteer in new member and novel ways to turn reciprocating motion into Frankie Fruge from Pompano Beach, Florida to head rotary motion. It is my personal suggestion to the Time Trials Committee. She will be contacting stick with crankshafts and connecting rods. To do members to assist her and we urge you to respond so may appear to be mundane, but steam power is positively. A significant investment has been made complex enough as it is. Thus it is with trepidation to the Time Trials project by Jay Carter and by the that I mention a new engine design illustrated in the club itself. We want to build on this history to August, 2005 Automotive Engineering International increase the contribution that the Time Trials makes magazine on page 22. This is the official Society to the general welfare of the club. The purpose of Continued on page 14 Volume 19, Number 6 2 Oct - Nov 2005 VOLUME 19, NUMBER 6 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER, 2005 Contents STEAM AUTOMOBILE CLUB of AMERICA, Inc. http://www.steamautomobile.com 2 President’s Message Officers and Staff 4 The Derr Boiler (Scans) Tom Kimmel, President, Acting Editor P.O. Box 247, Berrien Springs, MI 49103 1-269/471-7408 (Work) 6 An Experiment with Old Boilers [email protected] [email protected] 8 The Derr Boiler David Nergaard, Vice President 367 King Street, Littleton, MA 01460-1248 16 Improving Performance in Condensing 1-978/486-9695 [email protected] Steam Cars [email protected] Ron Hardwig, Secretary 19 Balancing and the Lanchester Mechanism 2213 Windsor Court, Bloomington, IL 61704 1-309/828-8528 [email protected] 22 Fiscal Report Mark Cantor, Treasurer 23 September 2005 Steam Meet PO Box 734, Holmes, NY 12531-0734 1-845/878-4729 [email protected] 24 Lanchester Engine Scott Finegan, webmaster 150 S. Quentin Road, Palatine, IL 60067 26 The Market for a Modern Steamer 1-847/991-3911 [email protected] Cover Photograph Judi Stone, Storekeeper PO Box 234, Cusick, WA 99119 Walter Winship and his 1922 Stanley 740 A 1-509/445-3161 [email protected] SACA does not knowingly publish or disseminate in any way any information, instruction, or other matter which is untrue, dangerous, or otherwise adverse in Send items intended for publication to: David Nergaard its effect on any reader or user of its various informational outlets, and therefore 367 King Street, Littleton, MA 01460-1248 is not responsible for any untoward consequence appearing to issue from any 1-978/486-9695 SACA activity or its publications. [email protected] [email protected] Board of Directors SACA CHAPTERS and CHAIRPERSON Peter Barrett, 297 E. Aliso, Pomona, CA 91767 909/629-0869 CHICAGOLAND . .847/623-8088 Jay Carter, 4767 Willow Bend Drive, Wichita Falls, TX 76310-1024 Wm J. Ryan, 35775 N. Green Place, Waukegan, IL 60087 940/692-2572 [email protected] Bob Edwards, 530 Old Johnston Valley Road, Kingston, TN 37763 865/376-7141 [email protected] NORTHEAST . .207/748-0975 Jerry Hacket, P. O. Box 164, West Warwick, RI 02993-0164 401/822-2155 [email protected] Walter Winship, 320 Route 236, S. Berwick, ME 03908 Ron Hardwig, 2213 Windsor Court, Bloomington, IL 61704 309/828-8528 [email protected] Dick Olivier, 152 Carlson Drive, Cumberland, RI 02864 NORTHWEST . 503/777-2110 401/334-2842 [email protected] Myles Twete, 4936 SE Flavel Dr., Portland, OR 97206 Karl Petersen, 442 W. Lafayette St., Rushville, IL 62681 [email protected] 217/322-4456 [email protected] Bill Ryan, 35775 N. Green Place, Waukegan, IL 60087 WEST . .805/584-1984 847/204-8026 Kenneth M. Kowal, 1536 Sinaloa Rd, Simi Valley, CA 93065 Jim Tangeman, 6960 County Road 12, Orland, CA 95963 530/865-2523 John Wetz, 215 E. Duffy Road, Apt. 6, Waterman, IL 60556 AFFILIATE 815/264-3997 [email protected] Chuk Williams, 1047 Primrose Rd., Venice, FL 34293 941/496-9290 [email protected] MOBILE STEAM SOCIETY, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN Lawrence F. Knauff, President 3339 Oak Lane, Strawberry Plains, TN 37871 865/933-2656 [email protected] Volume 19, Number 6 3 Oct - Nov 2005 Walter Winship’s homemade Derr boiler in his 1922 Stanley 740 A as featured on the cover This article on the Derr boiler is copied from “The Modern Steam Car And Its Background” by Thomas S. Derr 1932 p. 71-73 The Derr Boiler Volume 19, Number 6 4 Oct - Nov 2005 Volume 19, Number 6 5 Oct - Nov 2005 An Experiment with Old Boilers By David Nergaard During the recent steam car tour in the excess on arrival, with his car on a trailer, in Lakeville, Connecticut, two of us were using old Lakeville. I siphoned the compound into a warm and tired boilers, beginning to leak in a serious boiler and made no attempt to drain the excess. manner. One of us, Ron Hardwig, had a copper In both cases, a modest success was tubed boiler and the other, myself, a steel tubed gained; approximately another hundred miles of one. We both tried off the shelf radiator leak trouble free steaming. However, serious leak- stop compounds in attempts to complete the tour. ing recurred soon. Thus, the procedure can be They were different brands of similar composi- recommended, but only as a “last ditch” effort tion; they appeared to be suspensions of colloidal to drive the car home or complete an important copper in a sodium silicate solution.