Stationary Engines - talk to me

[UltraWomble]

OK, not exactly automotive shite, but I keep looking at these on eBay, usually Lister types.

 

I have no idea why, but I quite fancy one. Plumbed into an old alternator it could make quite a nice way of lighting the shed.

 

Anyone got one and can give me any hints / pointers?

 

Another plus point is I can sit in my barbour jacket and hat at steam rallies and scowl at people walking by.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Best bet would be a Lister; lots of cheap ones for sale on eBay for £100+, you must attach a pump with blue coloured water to be allowed entry to the shows though.

[sierraman]

Seen them a lot at Classic car shows, usually doing something pointless like pumping water from one bucket to another or boiling a pot of hot water. Invariably some old men who wear a combo of jogging bottoms that show their sagging bollocks off and one of those waistcoat type things a bit like a gilet, are stood watching it.

 

I'd just get an A-series and fix it on a pallet, get it running a threshing machine or alternatively spend the money on getting a spark to run you a new junction box and some armoured cable from the house if it's lighting you want.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Re- the water, to be fair I think pumping water out of mines and civil engineering projects was the main use for stationary engines.

[Inspector Morose]

Think big.

 

[sierraman]

  On 06/05/2017 at 19:30, Nibblet said:

Re- the water, to be fair I think pumping water out of mines and civil engineering projects was the main use for stationary engines.

You'd want something slightly more substantial for pumping water out of a mine than a Lister. They used to use redundant shafts as pumping stations usually long after the pit closed to avoid flooding prior to the NCB stopping off the take offs from the shafts before filling and grouting them under the cap.

[cros]

I have an A series 803 which is in good nick, the very thing. Useless for powering a car, but will purr away and would stand out from all those coarse Listers.

It's free, you just have to collect it from me in south Lincs.

To complete the display you'll need an enormous wife sitting next to the engine in a too-small folding chair with her tree trunk legs slightly apart- this is for safety reasons, to deter people from getting too close and becoming caught in the flywheel.

[plasticvandan]

Both me,my dad and grandad used to be into engines and do all the local steam rallies,its a cheap entry

 

Naturally,my dad and grandad had the bigger open cranks,

My baby was this oily rag,unrestored, two stroke Petter M type:

[UltraWomble]

  On 06/05/2017 at 19:55, cros said:

I have an A series 803 which is in good nick, the very thing. Useless for powering a car, but will purr away and would stand out from all those coarse Listers.

It's free, you just have to collect it from me in south Lincs.

To complete the display you'll need an enormous wife sitting next to the engine in a too-small folding chair with her tree trunk legs slightly apart- this is for safety reasons, to deter people from getting too close and becoming caught in the flywheel.

This genuinely made me chortle ( the bit about the wife)  - and I think a stationary A series would be ace  - mounted on a varnished plinth like structure with wheels at one end and handles at the other.

[cobblers]

I had ideas on this sort of thing, our lass wants to move us to some random field somewhere where there's no electric.

 

Obviously generators make a right old racket, so I was thinking of something like a little old diesel (PSA TUD?)  running on veg with a load of alternators charging up a battery bank, you'd only have to run it for an hour a day. You could use the heat to warm a hot water tank too.

[bub2006]

Collection available wombles

[bub2006]

One day I'm gonna get in trouble with your wife too!

[holbeck]

Lister's are great, but by god they are heavy.

 

If I ever got one it would be one of these -

[UltraWomble]

  On 06/05/2017 at 20:11, bub2006 said:

Collection available wombles

Dont tempt me...

 

  On 06/05/2017 at 20:11, bub2006 said:

One day I'm gonna get in trouble with your wife too!

Only if you meet her.... But if you do, you're on your own

[brandersnatch]

Why was I just on eBay looking at these?

 

 

One's too many, ten's not enough!

[fatharris]

Because any excuse to get some more photos of the engines up, I'm a sucker for radial blur...

 

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[Asimo]

When I was a kid Dad strapped an old beetle engine to a tree stump. No cooling fan or shrouds, no exhaust at all, just left it popping away to itself, quite quiet really, just ticking over with little blue flames from the exhaust ports. Easy to start by hand, quite hypnotic.

 

Any small, free, engine will do. Perfect final use for a kettled K series.

[Dead_E23]

Are there any stationary engines with a cooler name than the Lister Startomatic?  

 

If you enjoy puzzles, here's (most of) one for £200 on Ebay

 

...and here's what they do.  I suspect if you completed the circuit with your finger, it would spring into life especially to give you a nice electric shock! :

 

[KruJoe]

Womble man, you missed a trick when you didn't come to Shitefest in Wales, possibly 2014, when we convoyed down to the Museum of Internal Fire. You need to spend a day (or a week) there.

[Matt]

I've always kind of liked these too. Something about the gentle puff puff puff puff puff. Here are some I saw at a Vintage Machinery Show in 2015, biggest to littlest

 

Anyone know what this massive thing would have been for? Reminds me a little of train engines I've seen but I've never seen one with a radiator attached like this.

LSD 180G: 1968 Albion & Foden Stationery Engine (2) by MattLikesCars, on Flickr

 

1923 Ruston & Hornsby 5hp Statoionery Engine by MattLikesCars, on Flickr

 

1947 Bamford Type EG1 Stationery Engine by MattLikesCars, on Flickr

 

Running Stationery Engine by MattLikesCars, on Flickr

 

1957 BSA Stationery Engine by MattLikesCars, on Flickr

 

Now check out this cute little fella

1952 J.A.P Model O 34cc 1.3hp Statoinery Engine by MattLikesCars, on Flickr

[PiperCub]

  On 06/05/2017 at 19:33, FPB7 said:

Think big.

 

Want it on my C150.......

[somewhatfoolish]

The Foden is just an early form of portable skid-mounted enclosed generator, presumably one of their own engines so perhaps an FD6. Aggreko are big in this market now, they've made a fortune out of backing up whirligigs and supplying power for big events like the olympics.

[martc]

You'll also have to get used to sitting behind slightly sagging orange plastic mesh fencing. Put on your best scowl.

[SiC]

Funny enough I was going to post a thread asking this very thing. However I really wasn't sure what I'd do with it after getting it running. I could stick an alternator on to power stuff in the garage, but then I don't think the neighbours would appreciate an engine chuffing away to late hours of the night.

 

A stationary engine is a very different beast to a car engine. Huge amounts of torque but extremely low rpm - think like 250-350rpm. Also very fuel efficient and pretty much would survive a nuclear holocaust - probably while still carry on running when the bombs were going off too.

[Belfast Gipsy]

Buy a copy of Stationary Engine magazine it has lots for sale at the back and some good articles too if you're into that sort of thing. I think it's produced by the same outfit that DollyWobbler writes for (Kelsey?)

I have a couple that I run at my unit occasionally just for the sake of it  (God knows why I have them ) - but never show them as I don't have the right sizes wife as described above!

[MarvinsMom]

i too like these.

 

my dad's best friend, when i was little , built up a Lister engine.

 

i dunno what sort, it was a big green vertical thing with a fly wheel on the bottom.

 

chuf, chuf, chuf, chuf..... it would run like that all day!

 

and sometimes it did, cos Bill ,if the urge took him would wheel it out on too the drive with it sat on its wooden trolley and set it running just cos he could!

 

so yes, i would own one if i could. just  because. i'm not sure about the show thing though.....

[Sir Snipes]

  On 07/05/2017 at 03:32, somewhatfoolish said:

The Foden is just an early form of portable skid-mounted enclosed generator, presumably one of their own engines so perhaps an FD6. Aggreko are big in this market now, they've made a fortune out of backing up whirligigs and supplying power for big events like the olympics.

I was going to say it looked big enough for site temps.

[anonymous user]

I grew up surrounded by these as my father and uncles used to sell, maintain and install them years ago. They also had a homemade compressor which comprised a stationary engine run by an electric motor, via a flappy drive belt, filling up two, ex-submarine air tanks. (As a child I was warned not to go near it)

I nearly bought one at a flea market in December, unfortunately I had not sold enough of my own crap to fit it in the Land Rover to bring it home. Maybe next time, I find them quite hypnotic a bit like watching flames.

[tooSavvy]

  On 07/05/2017 at 11:20, anonymous user said:

Maybe next time, I find them quite hypnotic a bit like watching flames.

Young boys + matches..... There lies a life in prison

 

TS

[Frogchod]

Here's mine:

One day I'll use it to power this elf n safety nightmare: