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 Post subject: Merryweather steam water pump?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2002 7:52 am 

After seeing the post about the Worthington pumps, it reminded me of a Merryweather pump (not sure of spelling) that friends of mine are installing on one of their locomotives for fire protection. It's a British-built single cylinder, vertical unit with a flywheel complete with good 'ol BSP threads (converting to NPT). It also has a smaller pumping chamber that is believed to be a higer pressure cylinder for boiler feedwater.

Does anybody have any experience, info., or pictures of such an animal? I haven't been able to find anything about them on the web such as museums in England, or other places.

Thanks,
Ray


  
 
 Post subject: Re: Merryweather steam water pump?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2002 9:10 am 

Merryweather was (is?) a big name in fire engines in Great Britain. They built a huge number of boilers and pumps were to use as emergency firefighting equipment for London during the blitz in WWII. They were built by the hundreds (thousands?) on little hand pulled carts to be able to negotiate debris filled streets. The water tube boilers for these units were compact, fast steaming, and light weight, and found popularity after the war as steam launch boilers. I found a lot of sites by searching for “merryweather boiler” and “merryweather fire”.

http://www.pnc.com.au/~kima/matc_spec1.htm


  
 
 Post subject: Re: Merryweather steam water pump?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2002 11:18 am 

Your assumptions about the pump design are correct, from what I have read while researching steam pumps.

There is a website of preserved British Steam Fire Engines at:

http://www.hfrs.org.uk/

Information on all of these, plus information on American-built steam fire engines, will be in the May update to "Surviving World Steam Vehicles". I also have some photographs in it as well.

While it is American built, there is some great scans and pages on Ahrens and Ahrens-Fox "Continental" Steamers at:

http://www.geocities.com/ahrens_contine ... ental.html

In particular, check out the pages from the "1907 Ahrens Continental Steamer Catalog". It has some great close-up scans of the steam pump. (It is a two-cylinder pump with smaller feedpumps built in as well. The flywheel on this engine is for evening out the flow.)

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

> After seeing the post about the Worthington
> pumps, it reminded me of a Merryweather pump
> (not sure of spelling) that friends of mine
> are installing on one of their locomotives
> for fire protection. It's a British-built
> single cylinder, vertical unit with a
> flywheel complete with good 'ol BSP threads
> (converting to NPT). It also has a smaller
> pumping chamber that is believed to be a
> higer pressure cylinder for boiler
> feedwater.

> Does anybody have any experience, info., or
> pictures of such an animal? I haven't been
> able to find anything about them on the web
> such as museums in England, or other places.

> Thanks,
> Ray


Surviving World Steam Vehicles
james1@pernet.net


  
 
 Post subject: Thanks for the info
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2002 5:42 pm 

> Your assumptions about the pump design are
> correct, from what I have read while
> researching steam pumps.

> There is a website of preserved British
> Steam Fire Engines at:

> http://www.hfrs.org.uk/

> Information on all of these, plus
> information on American-built steam fire
> engines, will be in the May update to
> "Surviving World Steam Vehicles".
> I also have some photographs in it as well.

> While it is American built, there is some
> great scans and pages on Ahrens and
> Ahrens-Fox "Continental" Steamers
> at:

>
> http://www.geocities.com/ahrens_contine ... ental.html

> In particular, check out the pages from the
> "1907 Ahrens Continental Steamer
> Catalog". It has some great close-up
> scans of the steam pump. (It is a
> two-cylinder pump with smaller feedpumps
> built in as well. The flywheel on this
> engine is for evening out the flow.)

> -James Hefner
> Hebrews 10:20a


  
 
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