2008 Week 40 in Review
September 28 to October 4, 2008
A reader question about Enterprises
Reader Saśl emailed me for some Enterprise information:
Would you know where I can find an image of the logo placed by Enterprise Engines & Foundry on the armor parts they created during WWII? I am trying to update this list.
I won't be taking an Enterprise apart until January, so if any of you know the answer, jump right in! Comment here, email Saśl, or contact me. It's a great project, so I hope that a fellow reader can help Saśl out.
A Big Thank-you to Brian for helping the Arthur Foss program
This week, a reader responded to the wish list I posted for the class I'll be leading on the Arthur Foss. Brian brought us an 18-to-1 torque multiplier on a long-term loan, and will bring by some lubricating oil soon. This is a huge help to me and to Northwest Seaport - plus, Brian signed up to take the Diesel Engine Theory class.
We still need participants and funding for the class, so please be like Brian and get involved and help where you can!
An update on the Duwamish
I've mostly finished re-assembling the air compressor, and now I just have some valve work left. I hope to wrap up this project soon -- and maybe post some pictures next week.
An update from the David B
I met with Jeffrey and Christine of the David B (the last boat with a Washington-Estep diesel). I gave them a framed color copy of the "engine card" that Washington Iron Works kept records on for their engine:
Every Washington engine produced has a card, so we can send you a copy of one that interests you for $25 each. We need the engine number or other identifying information and a few months to make the copy. Comment here or contact us to order your engine card today.
Back to Jeffrey and Christine and the David B. They, like many others, have lugging problems due to the wrong-sized propeller and parasitic load. They're planning to flatten out their wheel this year, and also have me work on perfecting the power train to get the rated engine RPM and 600 degrees on the pyrometers. That is as fast as you can go (remember my discussion of optimizing running speed from a couple months ago?). I'll also be helping them with some bearing issues this January.
Gaskets for Big Swan
We sent two annealed copper head gaskets and a complete set of rubber grommets to the Big Swan Drainage in Winchester, Illinois. Engineer Kenny manages the drainage company, which uses two giant engines to pump the water out of corn fields and up in to a river that is higher than the fields. The Atlas-Imperial drives a big pump that moves up to 60,000 gallons of water per minute. The other engine, a Cat, can move about 70,000 gallons.
The Atlas, one of my favorite engines in the world, runs great, but there are some water leaks coming from the heads. A water leak is not a terrible thing, but, if left to leak, more problems develop. Changing the grommets is not too tough a job, so it's a good idea to take things apart to clean and reseal often. This helps prevent small problems from becoming big problems, and removes some of the mystery that can build up if the engine is just left alone. So, as all the old-timers often remind me, "take it apart and fix it!" It sounds like Kenny is planning to do just that.
Boat for sale: Cape Scott
We found another neat boat for sale on the Internet: the Cape Scott, a WWII Navy transport built by Fulton Shipyard in California, which is now a fish packer in Vancouver BC. It's powered by an Enterprise DMG-6 (like the Briana Marin) and all the gear for fish packing:
I hope a business-minded person buys the boat, since a boat earning a living keeps an engine in good condition. While the operating budget may get cut down in response to economic pressures, engine maintenance rarely gets cut on a working boat, since the engine is the most important thing on it. If the Cape Scott becomes a pleasure boat, I worry that the engine won't get as much attention as it would if it kept fishing (unless a heavy-duty enthusiast buys it).
The broker is asking $95,000 and has put some basic information on their website, but I have some questions that brokers usually don't answer: how does it run? How is the hull? How much fish can it haul? What condition are the tanks in? How well does the RSW system operate? When was its last contract for fish packing? If anyone reading knows anything about the Cape Scott, comment here and let us know!
Heavy-duty "for sale" listings
Speaking of which, we've launched a new feature of the Old Tacoma Marine Inc website: a Boats for Sale listing. I have a lot of people interested in buying a boat powered by a heavy-duty diesel who call to ask which ones are for sale, so this will be a comprehensive list that will help us get the information out to help the boats change hands quicker. This will be a free service for now, because unwanted boats are bad for my business.
Up now are the Briana Marin (Enterprise DMG-6), the Cape Scott (Enterprise DMG-6), the Oswell Foss (Enterprise DMG-6), the Portola (Winton), the Quail (Atlas 6HM763), and the Ready (Atlas 6HM2124). If you know of other heavy-duty boats for sale, let me know and I'll get it up.
Off-topic reminder
To all of Old Tacoma Marine Inc's American readers, remember to vote this November 4th. This is a crucial time for America, and we need to choose the best team to lead our nation.
OTM Inc Weekly eBay Auction
This week's prize from the OTM Inc shop is a set of two air-powered engine controls manufactured by Westinghouse:
