Steam Powered Land Vehicles??

http://www.crabfu.com/steamtoys/rc_steam_hauler/

What do you think? The old Stanley Steamer may never return, nor the Traction Engine, but could modern tinkerers/ engineers design a compact, safe, and easy to maintain coal fired boiler and engine to drive trucks and cars?

Thoughts?

Wasn't Lear working on one when he died (yeah, the Lear Jet guy)?

The Doble was a great steam car, you could drive it within a minute of startup with it's flash boiler.

I wonder if the technology we use in stoker stoves would be adaptable to firing a compact and high pressure boiler?
For that matter, the steam engine could drive an electric generator supplying direct drive motors... The engine itself need not be massively built to withstand the strains of physically moving a 5 ton load of whatever, it just has to spin a generator.

An electric auger feeding rice or buckwheat into a firebox with forced draft, electric feed water pump. The coal hopper(s)could mount on each side of the frame under the cab the same as fuel saddle tanks do on a truck, or behind the cab like a mini "sleeper". same with water tanks. Yeah, put the water tanks under the cab and have the coal hopper behind the cab, that way a single auger could run...like a transmission tunnel...through the cab to the boiler in front.

Puts a new slant on the term "firewall"... Imagine gliding up noiselessly beside a pedestrian and scaring the crap out of them ...

So any inventors on here? How big a generator would you need to power two electric motors strong enough to power say a 1 ton truck? How much steam would it take to maintain operation continuously? I would think this is do-able. I've got an old truck cab and chassis...maybe I should try this? when I retire....in 30 years...

Coal Jockey wrote:Imagine gliding up noiselessly beside a pedestrian and scaring the crap out of them ...

That's one problem the "blind association" is trying to deal with, regarding hybrids .... they are asking that they incorporate some kind of a noise generating device for blind pedestrians to hear.

I'd take a steam generator anyday. The closest so far is on the greensteamengine.com site. I can make these work in greenhouses in the winter but nowhere else so far. Scott

Electric cars and nuclear power plants are the best way to go long term. The only problem is: the oil companies, car companies, and U.S. Gov't won't allow this technology to move forward. Please check out the DVD: "Who Killed The Electric Car." Using current battery, electric motor, and control technology, the electric car solves our fuel problem, pollution problem, greenhouse gas problem, etc.

The biggest problem I have with President Bush is his insistance on supporting his "oil buddies." The oil companies have a strangle hold on our wallets; and, will keep it that way---AT ALL COSTS. Our Gov't is currently supporting the hydrogen car. Why? Because the hydrogen car will need the resources of the oil companies to build the required hydrogen distribution and dispensing infrastructure. This will allow the same oil companies to continue siphoning off your weekly paychecks even after switching from oil to hydrogen... Exxon-Mobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, etc. all want to be "your" hydrogen supplier.

Electric cars and nuclear power plants solve the problem; but, the good 'ole boys who control all the money and power won't allow this to happen... Ever.

stokerscot wrote:I'd take a steam generator anyday. The closest so far is on the greensteamengine.com site. I can make these work in greenhouses in the winter but nowhere else so far. Scott

Now that is a neat little engine. I do think it would tend to the flimsy side in continuous hard use subjected to vibration, road dust, and extreme cold... They built those old locomotives heavy for a good reason...

Still, if one were simply running a generator that fed current to direct drive motors at each wheel, a lighter smaller steam engine would do. I think a small high pressure boiler would be better than a big low pressure one. for reasons of size and weight. Somewhere I have an old Popular Science from the early 50's detailing a coal electric locomotive that Norfolk Western was developing - a massive boiler driving turbines that drove generators that fed juice to dozens of electric motors. A last gasp to compete with diesels...it never flew I guess. Now, with diesel hovering around $1.15 a litre here, If I were a railroad boss, running 4 diesel locos on one freight, all slurping back the diesel, I'd seriously be looking at alternatives. With today's engineering advances, there is no need for a railroad fireman to shovel a whole tender load of coal, the technology is there to feed a firebox mechanically. It would make a whole lot more sense to me that dumbly forking over more and more to terrorists for oil... Passenger train travel would pick up for sure - just visit any historical railroad and observe the trainload of tourists hanging out the windows taking pictures...

Now if someone could come up with a prototype coal fired steam highway tractor, boy oh boy, I can hear the petroleum retailers selling diesel howling already in agony! Simply replace the sleeper bunks with a coal hopper and the fuel tanks with water reservoirs...put the throttle lever on the roof of the cab...a whistle instead of a horn...

I liked this little baby

Take a look at the Maryland Steam Historical Society web site:

http://www.marylandsteam.org/

I attend this show every October. Many steam tractors and stationary steam engines there each year. 2005 was the 50th anniversary of the society and they had a goal of getting at least 50 steam tractors in attendance. If I remember right they got 53. Look at the picture link. It's a sight to see at night. The tractors burn smoky bituminous coal for effect and add saw dust for spectacular night time visual effects.

There is a stationary high pressure steam boiler for supplying steam to stationary steam engine, some of which drive generators. Very nice show. I'm sure there are similar shows in other parts of the country. Lots of old gas engines also. Single spark fire type.

Dallas wrote:I liked this little baby
outube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3E2tv8UgfU[/youtube]

I know you like that little baby but the model kit is $1500 just for the parts. The green machine is $250 dollars for the plans and pertinate parts to build a 10 hp engine. With a 10hp engine I could generate 6500 watts of 220v using somewhere in the neighborhood of 25,000 btus. Four of these engines running in parallel would nicely flex the efficient capacity of an efm 520. The guy I talked to on the phone from the efm factory said he saw no resaon that their boilers wouldn't run at 100 lbs pressure. The mainproblem being how to capture the heat to get a co-gen effect. using 100k per hour is tough for a typical residence. A greenhouse would be a real option to condense the steam to retain higher efficiency. This guy says his engine looks slight because there is no stress on most of the parts. Still trying to power my house with coal! Scott