Steam-powered Land Rover

Hobbes · February 06, 2018, 11:03:13 AM

Someone converted an old LR to steam power:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukTjY9qj0Wo

Nick · February 06, 2018, 11:28:11 AM

Now that looks like fun! The ideal conversion for a post-apocalyptic world where oil is no more...

JayBee · February 06, 2018, 11:32:39 AM

Absolutely wonderfull.

I thought from the title that it was going to be a Steampunk build from Radish.

rickshaw · February 06, 2018, 08:42:21 PM

Needs a taller chimney. The smoke keeps obscuring the road for the driver. Personally, I'd have piped it back, behind the driver to avoid that. However, an interesting conversion.

jcf · February 06, 2018, 09:17:05 PM

Quote from: rickshaw on February 06, 2018, 08:42:21 PM
Needs a taller chimney. The smoke keeps obscuring the road for the driver. Personally, I'd have piped it back, behind the driver to avoid that. However, an interesting conversion.

Most of what you see coming out of the chimney is steam, he's built it along locomotive lines,
the used steam from the engine exhausts up the stack. The steam blowing up pulls the smoke
along with it as it gives the necessary draft to pull the fire through the boiler.
Piping it back behind the driver doesn't work, it's completely different from an IC engine and its
pressurized combustion product exhaust.

PR19_Kit · February 06, 2018, 10:35:43 PM

Depends how far he wanted go practically, he could have put the entire firebox, boiler, smokebox and chimney in the back and reversed it, just like a Southern Pacific Cab forward.

On the other hand he could have kept the same orientation and made it more complicated by fitting a Crosti pre-heater, and then he'd have had a side exhaust.

jcf · February 06, 2018, 11:01:27 PM

Definitely Crosti.

The reverse firebox etc., would make it difficult to stoke from
the driver's seat while driving.

Plus it would be most appropriate for a forward control vehicle,
perhaps a Jeep FC:

Or a Landie Series IIA for those who desire a larger steed.

PR19_Kit · February 07, 2018, 12:35:24 AM

Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on February 06, 2018, 11:01:27 PM
Definitely Crosti.

The reverse firebox etc., would make it difficult to stoke from
the driver's seat while driving.

That's what firemen are for.

Or he could adopt SP's solution, go oil fired?

My mention of the Crosti 'side exhaust' has me thinking of a chromed chimney now.

Nick · February 07, 2018, 11:29:31 AM

When I first saw it I thought he'd taken a ride-on garden locomotive, dismantled it and rebuilt the boiler part in the Land Rover. I won't be surprised to learn that is exactly what he did!

PR19_Kit · February 07, 2018, 01:24:50 PM

The piston(s) and gearbox are on top of the firebox, which is a bit of strange place except for a traction engine. They drive onto a big flywheel on one side of the boiler etc. and thence to the main wheels.

For that reason I think he may have used a traction engine rather than a ride-on loco.

jcf · February 07, 2018, 03:54:20 PM

He states about 200 hours for the vehicle conversion, and about 200 to 300 hours to build the engine.

rickshaw · February 07, 2018, 05:37:17 PM

Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on February 06, 2018, 09:17:05 PM
Quote from: rickshaw on February 06, 2018, 08:42:21 PM
Needs a taller chimney. The smoke keeps obscuring the road for the driver. Personally, I'd have piped it back, behind the driver to avoid that. However, an interesting conversion.

Most of what you see coming out of the chimney is steam, he's built it along locomotive lines,
the used steam from the engine exhausts up the stack. The steam blowing up pulls the smoke
along with it as it gives the necessary draft to pull the fire through the boiler.
Piping it back behind the driver doesn't work, it's completely different from an IC engine and its
pressurized combustion product exhaust.

I still fail to see why extending the chimney either upwards (ie taller) or rearwards prevents the smoke from rising up it. If a small fan is added you could drive the smoke even further. After re-watching the video, I'd also add a hand guard 'round the chimney as he seems to feel it and finds it rather warmer than he expected it to be.

PR19_Kit · February 07, 2018, 09:05:53 PM

The blast pipe in JCR's drawing, which is the steam 'exhaust' from the cylinders, generates a sympathetic air flow up the chimney which in turn increases the air and heat flow from the firebox.

It's a fine balance between the various dimensions of blast pipe and chimney to get the best fire draw. Back in the 30s and 40s they spent ages going to and fro between one end of the spectrum to the other, but eventually ended up with much shorter chimneys than had been thought previously.

During WWII Bullied went even further with relatively huge diameter and short chimneys on his Merchant Navy and West Country designs.

Doug K · February 08, 2018, 12:39:46 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 07, 2018, 01:24:50 PM
The piston(s) and gearbox are on top of the firebox, which is a bit of strange place except for a traction engine. They drive onto a big flywheel on one side of the boiler etc. and thence to the main wheels.

For that reason I think he may have used a traction engine rather than a ride-on loco.

If I remember correctly from the original BBC piece, the builder also builds sit-on scale Traction Engines, so that makes sense.

zenrat · February 08, 2018, 12:59:31 AM

Kit, I think you need to spank your autocorrect as it keeps making Bulleid into Bullied.