[SEL] O.T. Quality over the years

[Listerdiesel]

On 14/06/2008, Patrick M Livingstone <pml1 at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
> Ronaldson-Tippett made very nice engines with very good castings and
> excellent machining. All of the 'big' Aussie manufacturers seem to have been
> able to make excellent castings. I can only speak for engines I have seen
> but Rosebery Engine Works generally had very good casting although some of
> the later verticals sometimes exhibit casting flaws. Kelly & Lewis seem to
> have also made good castings (especially on some of the early engines like
> Bartrams). Star engines are a little rough and ready but solidly built. The
> Clutterbuck copy of Blackstones are nearly a match for the original.
> I have seen an Australian made copy of a YA Stover and the castings were
> quite poor.
>
> Patrick M Livingstone
>

The casting situation in most engine companies was that they all did
it in-house, and it was a matter of personal pride that the casting
quality was as good as technology allowed in those days.

Having said that, there are many reports of bad castings in
Blackstones that had been filled before painting, and I am sure that
other engine makers had the occasional bad one that slipped through.

Gardners had a huge foundry, one of the largest in the industry, and
Listers also had a very big foundry site, all now gone.

In addition, there were many specialist founders, right up to the
1950's who could cast a few hundred tons in one mould for you, that
has also nearly all disappeared now.

When we stopped making railway steam locos, shipbuilding & machine
tools declined, we lost that facility to make big castings. A lot of
what used to be cast is now fabricated.

Peter
-- 
Peter A Forbes
Email: listerdiesel at gmail.com
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
http://stationary-engine.co.uk
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