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| Author | Leawood Pumping Engine |
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Ty Gwyn Joined: 30/10/2009 Location: Lampeter View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 00:22:15 Reply | Quote No question about it, Welsh Dry Steam. IP: 86.141.200.222 |
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exspelio Joined: 02/05/2012 Location: peak district View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 00:28:26 Reply | Quote Ty Gwyn wrote: No question about it, Welsh Dry Steam. Tell us more 
IP: 87.127.158.157
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spitfire Joined: 22/04/2008 Location: Camborne View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 00:30:12 Reply | Quote I'll have one to if your buying. What I meant about wood was not green wood as this would clog the tubes with tar after a very short time. redundant railway sleepers split down to a suitable size would be ideal or old pallets, both of these the tar content would be minimal. Cord wood from a sawmill could be another choice but this would have to dry out and be stored for about twelve months. Back to the charcoal, I would guess by looking at the photos it would take at least four hundredweight or more of coal to reach working pressure, to replace that with charcoal would be just as expensive. -- spitfire IP: 86.175.20.35 Edited: 23/06/2012 00:45:09 by spitfire |
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exspelio Joined: 02/05/2012 Location: peak district View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 00:46:26 Reply | Quote spitfire wrote: I'll have one to if your buying. What I meant about wood was not green wood as this would clog the tubes with tar after a very short time. redundant railway sleepers split down to a suitable size would be ideal or old pallets, both of these the tar content would be minimal. Cord wood from a sawmill could be another choice but this would have to dry out and be stored for about six months. Back to the charcoal, I would guess by looking at the photos it would take at least four hundredweight or more of coal to reach working pressure, to replace that with charcoal would be just as expensive. Sorry Spitfire, not a lot of sense, I am on rum, WTF are you on? IP: 87.127.158.157 |
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spitfire Joined: 22/04/2008 Location: Camborne View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 00:50:52 Reply | Quote I can't explain it any different, I'll let those concerned decide. -- spitfire IP: 86.175.20.35 |
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exspelio Joined: 02/05/2012 Location: peak district View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 00:58:46 Reply | Quote spitfire wrote: I can't explain it any different, I'll let those concerned decide. Nuff said, And so to bed.
IP: 87.127.158.157
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Trewillan Joined: 21/02/2012 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 10:31:56 Reply | Quote Ty Gwyn wrote: No question about it, Welsh Dry Steam. Does steam burn? IP: 92.24.147.54 |
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Ty Gwyn Joined: 30/10/2009 Location: Lampeter View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 10:45:40 Reply | Quote Trewillan wrote: Ty Gwyn wrote: No question about it, Welsh Dry Steam. Does steam burn? Dont reach over a boiling kettle,or you ll find out. I thought you boiler experts would know,Welsh Dry Steam Coal. IP: 81.156.15.112 |
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spitfire Joined: 22/04/2008 Location: Camborne View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 10:56:31 Reply | Quote What you say Ty Gwyn is perfectly true, it is the best in fact. But what we are talking about is reducing or at least stabilizing running cost. As these boilers were designed by Johnson of the LMS I would think they were designed to burn Yorkshire Hard. -- spitfire IP: 86.175.20.27 |
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Ty Gwyn Joined: 30/10/2009 Location: Lampeter View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 11:25:50 Reply | Quote If this question was being asked 25yrs ago,i could have put you in touch with several Small private mines in South Wales,who were working Steam Coal/Semi Anthracite,not the best,but would do the job satisfactory,maybe need a bit more raking of the clinker,but sadly all now gone. Ffos y fran opencast in Merthyr is the only true source of Welsh Dry Steam coal,but all coal leaves by rail link,to Aberthaw power staion ,but some for domestic is taken off at Barry,other than that Unity mine in the Neath Valley mines a Steam coal. Foreign coal prices have risen drasticly since the demise of our industry,they have us by the nuts. IP: 81.156.15.112 |
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Boy Engineer Joined: 20/06/2008 Location: Derby View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 13:24:58 Reply | Quote Foreign coal prices have risen drasticly since the demise of our industry,they have us by the nuts. Not only nuts, but doubles, singles, beans etc.
IP: 2.24.127.213
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Graigfawr Joined: 04/11/2009 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 22:49:51 Reply | Quote Ty Gwyn wrote: Ffos y fran opencast in Merthyr is the only true source of Welsh Dry Steam coal,but all coal leaves by rail link,to Aberthaw power staion ,but some for domestic is taken off at Barry,other than that Unity mine in the Neath Valley mines a Steam coal. The replica of Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive of 1804 that is occasionally demonstarted in steam at the National Waterfront Museum at Swansea uses Ffos y Fran steam coal obtained via a local coal merchant who supplies it in 25kg plastic sacks. Sorry - no details of which coal merchant or what price. IP: 2.100.61.106 |
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Graigfawr Joined: 04/11/2009 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 22:56:25 Reply | Quote spitfire wrote: To Thrutch. Looking at your running cost, for the size of engine you have they seem about right. Have you considered the following: raise steam to full working pressure using only wood. When full pressure is reached and a thick fire bed established, then and only then start to add the expensive coal. Do not be tempted to mix the two as this will result in a messy fire. I know this is not feasible for loco's or road engines as the action of the blast pipe jerks the fire around, but it should be OK on a stationary boiler. Another alternative, if there is a plentiful supply is to fire entirely on wood it'll keep you busy but far cheaper. I have always considered raising steam by coal (especially these days) as a complete waste of money Try it a couple of times, I would be pleased or disappointed  to hear the results. The replica of Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive of 1804 that is occasionally demonstarted in steam at the National Waterfront Museum at Swansea has been run entirely on scrap wood on one or two days. This was only beacuse there was a great deal available free, and at that point the coal bunker was down to rubbishy broken-up and damp house coal from the bottom of the bunker. The loco has only one tube (its basically a Trevithick engine - i.e. Cornish boiler - with wheels bolted-on) and is thermally incredibly inefficient. Nevertheless, it steamed adequately though the fire needed frequent stoking and no real bed (as builds up with good coal) developed. IP: 2.100.61.106 |
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Ty Gwyn Joined: 30/10/2009 Location: Lampeter View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 23/06/2012 23:15:05 Reply | Quote Graigfawr, You mentioning Penydarren and Trevithicks engine,the first Penydarren pit had a Cornish pumping engine,nothing much to see today,bar for a few of the tips and some stonework foundations. IP: 81.158.21.81 Edited: 23/06/2012 23:16:05 by Ty Gwyn |
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spitfire Joined: 22/04/2008 Location: Camborne View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 24/06/2012 00:00:16 Reply | Quote Graigfawr wrote: spitfire wrote: To Thrutch. Looking at your running cost, for the size of engine you have they seem about right. Have you considered the following: raise steam to full working pressure using only wood. When full pressure is reached and a thick fire bed established, then and only then start to add the expensive coal. Do not be tempted to mix the two as this will result in a messy fire. I know this is not feasible for loco's or road engines as the action of the blast pipe jerks the fire around, but it should be OK on a stationary boiler. Another alternative, if there is a plentiful supply is to fire entirely on wood it'll keep you busy but far cheaper. I have always considered raising steam by coal (especially these days) as a complete waste of money Try it a couple of times, I would be pleased or disappointed to hear the results. The replica of Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive of 1804 that is occasionally demonstarted in steam at the National Waterfront Museum at Swansea has been run entirely on scrap wood on one or two days. This was only beacuse there was a great deal available free, and at that point the coal bunker was down to rubbishy broken-up and damp house coal from the bottom of the bunker. The loco has only one tube (its basically a Trevithick engine - i.e. Cornish boiler - with wheels bolted-on) and is thermally incredibly inefficient. Nevertheless, it steamed adequately though the fire needed frequent stoking and no real bed (as builds up with good coal) developed. I did point out that this was not suitable for loco or road engines -- spitfire IP: 86.175.120.121 |
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Thrutch Joined: 16/02/2009 View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 24/06/2012 10:23:52 Reply | Quote I am glad I had a day off - what an interesting and amusing debate to return to! We have considered, and are continuing to consider wood at Leawood and have access to a large amount from trees felled in the immeduate vicinity. This timber would of course need to be dried, somewhere. Different timbers burn at different rates and produce different amounts of heat - and tar. All fuel at Leawood has to be transported to the canal side and carried across by, hand propelled, boat The Midland Railway boilers would indeed have been designed to burn coal from coalfields within that system. We now use coal from wherever the dealer can get it from, worldwide, even British! Welsh Steam Coal is but a dream for us. With the rise in popularity of wood burning stoves the demand for and price of wood has risen too. There are some disturbing changes taking place which will impact on the countryside, the timber industry and our lifestyle. IP: 86.166.249.211 |
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spitfire Joined: 22/04/2008 Location: Camborne View Profile View Posts View Personal Album View Personal Files View all Photos Send Private Message |
Leawood Pumping Engine
Posted: 24/06/2012 17:07:22 Reply | Quote A tip passed onto me years ago by the men at Pakandillack was:- when they had trouble with their "cataract", due to water evaporation, was to dispense with the water and fill the cataract with brake fluid. Result, no more evaporation and the cataract can now be ignored. (click image to open full size image in new window) -- spitfire IP: 86.175.127.134 |
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