I fear I have been most remiss in my blogging duties.
On August 25, 2009, Charles Burnett III successfully broke the land speed record for a steam powered car with an average speed of 139.843 mph on his two runs over the measured mile. The previous record had stood since 1906.
The following day Don Wales set another land speed record for a steam powered car, the record for a measured kilometre with an average speed of 148.308 mph on two runs.
My congratulations to the British Steam Car Challenge Team. A job well done!
I am saddened to report that my own challenge to the record has met with some severe setbacks. In addition to a lack of appropriate venues in world for such an attempt it seems that the FIA has no methodology for verifying virtual speed records, assuming virtual speed could even be translated accurately into real miles or kilometres per hour.
On the other hand the building of the Spirit of Caledon did stretch my building skills a bit so the effort was not for naught. And with a bit of luck the burns from scalding will heal soon.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
I feel a Need for Speed!
Some time ago my typist made me aware of the British Steam Car Challenge, an attempt to break the 127 mph Land Speed Record for steam driven cars. The current FIA certified record was set by a modified Stanley Steamer in 1906. Another record was set by in 1985 by Bob Barber at 145.607. However the Barber record was not FIA certified.
The lads of the British Steam Car team are currently at Edwards Air Force base attempting to break both records with their steam turbine powered car.
The car uses several flash steam generators fired with LP gas to provide steam for a turbine that drives the rear wheels directly. The theoretical top speed is around 170 mph.
For a FIA record the car must make two timed passes through a one mile segment of the trial venue. The second run must be in the opposite direction of the first. The average speed of both runs is the official speed for the trial.
The first attempt was this past Wednesday. The first run the car performed quite well, but mechanical difficulties prevented the second run. I believe they intend to make the attempt again today. I wish them luck.
When I first heard about this attempt I began to wonder. Why is it that there is no challenge from Caledon? After all are we not Steampunks? So I sat down at my desk in my study and began work on a Victorian steam land speed record car.
After several months of work in my shop I now have a completed vehicle with which to attempt to take the record. I call it "The Spirit of Caledon".
I attempted to limit myself strictly to the use of Victorian/Edwardian technology, and I feel I did fairly well on that goal. Still the two cars are very similar in several regards.
The chassis is made of tubular carbon steel rods fastened together in machined steel sockets by rivets (since arc welding wasn't available to me) and reinforced by use of the best adhesives I could find. The body shell is a thin but rigid laminate of wood and thin brass plies with spruce framing. The wheels are the new wire spoke types commonly used on bicycles, but much sturdier in build. The spokes are covered in sheet metal to aid in airflow.
Like the British team I decided to use one of those new fangled turbines. However since our metallurgical arts are not as advanced in some ways my turbine is somewhat larger and heavier than theirs. I opted to drive the wheels through a two speed planetary transmission system so as to give better torque for acceleration. This is to compensate for shorter venues for timed runs (more on that later) and hopefully will counter the increased weight.
The steam is provided through a flash steam generator, as on the British car. I couldn't find any "LP Gas" in Caledon so I fuel my car with highly compressed town (coal) gas. The exhaust is total loss since the goal here is weight savings and speed, not range.
I had originally planned to make an attempt at the record before now, but remaining technical issues and other personal matters have delayed me.
One such technical problem to be resolved is where to actually make such a record attempt. Dry lake beds are exceedingly rare in Second Life and non-existent in Caledon.
The North road to Penzance is long and level enough but far too narrow and is also lined with homes. I have done some initial testing there but there is little margin for error. I gave poor Mr. Drinkwater quite a fright one evening during a test run.
(I also damaged some flowers in the gardens of a few homes when I swerved to miss Mr. Drinkwater. My apologies to my neighbours and please forward the bills for damages to me at my home in Eyre.)
The lads of the British Steam Car team are currently at Edwards Air Force base attempting to break both records with their steam turbine powered car.
The car uses several flash steam generators fired with LP gas to provide steam for a turbine that drives the rear wheels directly. The theoretical top speed is around 170 mph.
For a FIA record the car must make two timed passes through a one mile segment of the trial venue. The second run must be in the opposite direction of the first. The average speed of both runs is the official speed for the trial.
The first attempt was this past Wednesday. The first run the car performed quite well, but mechanical difficulties prevented the second run. I believe they intend to make the attempt again today. I wish them luck.
When I first heard about this attempt I began to wonder. Why is it that there is no challenge from Caledon? After all are we not Steampunks? So I sat down at my desk in my study and began work on a Victorian steam land speed record car.
After several months of work in my shop I now have a completed vehicle with which to attempt to take the record. I call it "The Spirit of Caledon".
I attempted to limit myself strictly to the use of Victorian/Edwardian technology, and I feel I did fairly well on that goal. Still the two cars are very similar in several regards.
The chassis is made of tubular carbon steel rods fastened together in machined steel sockets by rivets (since arc welding wasn't available to me) and reinforced by use of the best adhesives I could find. The body shell is a thin but rigid laminate of wood and thin brass plies with spruce framing. The wheels are the new wire spoke types commonly used on bicycles, but much sturdier in build. The spokes are covered in sheet metal to aid in airflow.
Like the British team I decided to use one of those new fangled turbines. However since our metallurgical arts are not as advanced in some ways my turbine is somewhat larger and heavier than theirs. I opted to drive the wheels through a two speed planetary transmission system so as to give better torque for acceleration. This is to compensate for shorter venues for timed runs (more on that later) and hopefully will counter the increased weight.
The steam is provided through a flash steam generator, as on the British car. I couldn't find any "LP Gas" in Caledon so I fuel my car with highly compressed town (coal) gas. The exhaust is total loss since the goal here is weight savings and speed, not range.
I had originally planned to make an attempt at the record before now, but remaining technical issues and other personal matters have delayed me.
One such technical problem to be resolved is where to actually make such a record attempt. Dry lake beds are exceedingly rare in Second Life and non-existent in Caledon.
The North road to Penzance is long and level enough but far too narrow and is also lined with homes. I have done some initial testing there but there is little margin for error. I gave poor Mr. Drinkwater quite a fright one evening during a test run.
(I also damaged some flowers in the gardens of a few homes when I swerved to miss Mr. Drinkwater. My apologies to my neighbours and please forward the bills for damages to me at my home in Eyre.)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
O'Toole Plays Your Favorites!
Knuckles O'Toole that is.
Although there is a faint resemblance to a certain chap over Steelhead way.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
More on the Doble
Many readers have noticed my infatuation with the Doble Brothers and their automobiles and other derivatives of their steam technologies, such as the Besler Brothers Steamplane of 1932 and the McCulloch attempt at resurrecting the production steam car in the early 1950's.
But I never seemed to have gotten around to providing a photo of an actual Doble automobile. In part this is because only 40 to 45 such cars were ever built and few survive.
However one of the best surviving examples of the marque is in the collection of renowned entertainer, car nut, and steam enthusiast Jay Leno, who has seen fit to make a video about his Doble and generously allow others to link to it.
Thank you Mr. Leno, and if you should ever find yourself in Caledon Eyre please do drop by for some Bellambi Reserve Whisky and test drives of virtual steam trucks and tanks.
But I never seemed to have gotten around to providing a photo of an actual Doble automobile. In part this is because only 40 to 45 such cars were ever built and few survive.
However one of the best surviving examples of the marque is in the collection of renowned entertainer, car nut, and steam enthusiast Jay Leno, who has seen fit to make a video about his Doble and generously allow others to link to it.
Thank you Mr. Leno, and if you should ever find yourself in Caledon Eyre please do drop by for some Bellambi Reserve Whisky and test drives of virtual steam trucks and tanks.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Quest for the Northern Gnomes, Part One
It all began a while back in the not so distant past when I was paying a visit to my typist. We had been enjoying a rather nice whisky made in the realm to the north of my typist's home, a place called Tin-a-see. Apparently a chap named George makes it in away in some hollow.
My typist made mention that he and his good lady had plans to travel to that far land in the near future, though somewhat further to the east. To a settlement called Chatty-new-gah, or something of that sort. I confess I wasn't paying attention as I should have been being somewhat distracted by a building issue back home in Caledon that vexed me. In fact I had been trying to sneak a peek at my pocket watch and trying to think of a way to excuse myself without seeming rude for some time.
Then he casually mentioned that he had heard rumour of a tribe of gnomes that dwelt in the mountains therebouts and asked me if I would consider traveling with him and his lady in the search for the gnomes of Chatty-new-gah.
Well if my pointed little ears had perked up anymore at that then they would have punctured the brim of my hat! Of course I agreed to accompany them and we proceeded to lay the plans for our grand adventure.
The day of our departure broke with rain on the horizon and falling temperatures. We rapidly packed some extra warm and dry clothing in expectation of a cold wet day and set forth from my host's estate in Ali-bah-ma. Our predictions of less than ideal traveling weather came true but our spirits remained un-dampened.
Our destination for the first days travel was a way house my typist was familiar with in the north of the realm of Ali-bah-ma. By the time the cold drizzle was just starting to weigh on our spirits our lodgings for the evening came into view and a homey little place it was.
Though obviously built to human scale it showed the definite hand of gnomish influence in its rustic simplicity and solidity and I breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief that my night's rest would be spent in warmth and comfort.
We unpacked and started a nice fire in hearth and a settled in for a restful night after a wee dram of Mr. George's whisky.
My typist made mention that he and his good lady had plans to travel to that far land in the near future, though somewhat further to the east. To a settlement called Chatty-new-gah, or something of that sort. I confess I wasn't paying attention as I should have been being somewhat distracted by a building issue back home in Caledon that vexed me. In fact I had been trying to sneak a peek at my pocket watch and trying to think of a way to excuse myself without seeming rude for some time.
Then he casually mentioned that he had heard rumour of a tribe of gnomes that dwelt in the mountains therebouts and asked me if I would consider traveling with him and his lady in the search for the gnomes of Chatty-new-gah.
Well if my pointed little ears had perked up anymore at that then they would have punctured the brim of my hat! Of course I agreed to accompany them and we proceeded to lay the plans for our grand adventure.
The day of our departure broke with rain on the horizon and falling temperatures. We rapidly packed some extra warm and dry clothing in expectation of a cold wet day and set forth from my host's estate in Ali-bah-ma. Our predictions of less than ideal traveling weather came true but our spirits remained un-dampened.
Our destination for the first days travel was a way house my typist was familiar with in the north of the realm of Ali-bah-ma. By the time the cold drizzle was just starting to weigh on our spirits our lodgings for the evening came into view and a homey little place it was.
Though obviously built to human scale it showed the definite hand of gnomish influence in its rustic simplicity and solidity and I breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief that my night's rest would be spent in warmth and comfort.We unpacked and started a nice fire in hearth and a settled in for a restful night after a wee dram of Mr. George's whisky.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
ROLL TIDE!
Gnomey and Gnorma, our Crimson Tide house gnomes eagerly await the
kickoff of this year's Iron Bowl classic.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
New from the gnome's workshop
I apologize to my readers (if I still have any) for my extended absence.
Real Life matters in my professional and personal life have overtaken me
and kept me from online activities. But I have not been entirely
non-productive in my exile.
Real Life matters in my professional and personal life have overtaken me
and kept me from online activities. But I have not been entirely
non-productive in my exile.
I started my First Life career in electronics over 30 years ago in my
pre-teens. In those days vacuum tubes still dominated consumer
electronics such as audio equipment. This was especially true of the old
garage sale finds that I could afford to get my hands on. While the
change to solid state technology for consumer electronics was nearly
complete by 1980 the vacuum tube soldiers on to this very day
particularly in high power applications (The Magnetrons in Microwave
ovens and "picture" tubes in TV's being two common examples).
So it will probably come as a shock to many folks that vacuum tube audio
equipment is still produced and is enjoying a renaissance in popularity
amongst music lovers. The reason is fairly simple, tube equipment tends
to soften the sometimes dry and harsh sound many perceive with digital
recordings. I get tinnitus listening to many digital recordings on
modern equipment, but I noticed some years ago that when listening to
digital sources through the aux input of my 1939 vintage GE Radio (all
tube) I could listen for hours on end with no ringing in my ears. Even
at fairly high volumes.
So when I decided it was time to buy myself a decent sound system I
decided I wanted one of these wonderful new tube amplifiers as the
foundation. So hoping for ringless ears and audio nirvana I set forth on
my quest.
My boundless optimism was soon squashed flat by sticker shock. These new
age tube devices are quite expensive relative to good quality solid
state gear. So much so that the budget I had set would barely cover the
purchase of such an amplifier, let alone the rest of the system.
Kits provide a much more budget friendly alternative, but still as
expensive as good off the shelf solid state gear. More to the point was
time. If I'm hard pressed for time to scribble diatribes into this blog
when could I realistically expect to find time to assemble electronics?
In the end I bought a solid state amplifier, a A340 by Cambridge Audio.
This is a nice little English designed and Chinese built unit that many
reviewers feel has a very tube-like sound and is easy on the ear. After
a year of listening to it I agree. The sound is quite smooth and not the
least bit fatiguing to listen to even at high volumes. But the nostalgia
bug has bit and I still yearn for glowing bottles atop my sound
equipment. What to do? What to do?
Then one fine night when I got a chance to visit fair Caledon I was
sitting in gnomular form atop my keep in the garden watching the sun set
over Caledon Eyre I had a flash of inspiration. I could build myself a
tube amp in Second Life, along with a pair of speakers, without spending
one red pence! Or Linden Dollar. Whatever. All it would cost me is a bit
of time.
It only took ten minutes or so to rough out the general form of the
amplifier. I then spent an hour roughing out a prototype tube. The tubes
I came up with were very realistic models of real audio tubes in current
use, but they were prohibitively high in prims. Since I am not a master
of the sculpted prim I sent out a hue and cry for assistance over the
Caledon channel.
My request for aid was answered by Mr. Vivito Volare who in very short
order had produced very authentic sculpted glass envelopes for antique
bulb type and modern 2A3/300B type triodes. I assembled some tubes then
placed them on the amplifier chassis and hey presto! An authentic stereo
tube amp of my own, albeit in virtual form. Last but not least I gave it
a bit of functionality by adding a media changer script.
I call it Amp's Amp. I am also considering naming it the Tinlegs-Volare
SET-1 or TVS-1S. The tubes even glow!
Of course an amplifier alone is no good, so I built a pair of speakers
to match. For reasons of visual interest I used a speaker cabinet type
known as Voight Pipes, or TQWT's. This is a high efficiency design
commonly used with a single full range driver per cabinet. They are very
poplar among audiophiles for their acoustic "transparency" and among
audio hobbyists because they are relatively easy to build in a garage
workshop. I chose this style for its unique appearance and retro tech
flavor. To add to the retro look I gave them a nice walnut burl texture.
Once I finalize which Shoutcast streams it will be provisioned with I
will offer the amp with speakers for a modest price.
Ahhhh. Nothing says relaxation like Miles Davis played through some glowing bottles.
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