Sandchime Dredger - Triple Expansion Steam Engine - SMM

Running on air at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine - SMM 2011 & 2013.
Grab Dredger "Sandchime" and her engine, was built by William Simon & Co's, Renfrew, for the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries (Scotland).
Yard No. 794. She was launched 14/03/1952Fleet No. 303091
190 ton, 105ft long, 24ft 6in beam, draught 8ft 9in.
Propulsion by a triple expansion steam engine of some 12 tons weight, producing 234 HP.
Max speed 6.5 knot.
She operated around Scottish coasts, ports & harbours until 1972.( Department of Agriculture & Fisheries Scotland)
Also see:
www.trawlerphotos.co.uk/gallery/showfull.php?photo=57985
Photography by Alan Kempster for SMM
also see • Ships at Girvan, 1971
and check more info on flickr flic.kr/p/afCACV

[@moschettiflavio3635]

Probably the most beautiful steam engine i ever seen

[@gordonshort4264]

Very well done indeed and great video Alan , great stuff .The Sandchime was only very recently broken up .It performed a lot of work all around the UK coast since 1972 , albeit with a Blackstone engine .I have been on her dredging for calcified seaweed in Falmouth , prior to that she did all manner of things including wreck salvage work .My wife spent some of her early years living on the ship ...and still bears a few scars .The kids have been down to see "granddad's boat engine" more than a few times and they love the new set up of the museum .

[@calebreutener870]

ditch the music. we need the sweet sweet sound of the chugga chugga

[@matiasfernandes]

Great video. Remove that hiddious background music and let us hear the machines!

[@mikedrown2721]

Yes

[@LeoStarrenburg]

yes please, you check a steam engine as much with your ears as your nose. Sight comes in #3

[@chinabluewho]

Why have the awefull BGM ? People like hearing the steam engine run :(

[@garyevans5335]

Can't fault the effort to preserve the engine, in a working condition. Thank you to all concerned. 👍👍👍🙏🙏 However, it's not a happy bunny on compressed air is it 😔 Just as well the dodgy music masked the engine's emotional distress.

[@christophervidrine3472]

Because steam keep the engine warm right?

[@keithammleter3824]

@@christophervidrine3472 : No, keeping it warm is not the issue. The issue is that running on steam means that during a stroke the temperature drops progressively, giving a smooth piston pressure, and the proper balance of pressure in each cylinder. Running on compressed air there is no progressive temperature drop, and the distribution of pressure between cylinders is not correct.

[@kellyb0279]

Needs a flywheel

[@peterzwart2830]

beautyfull

[@jandoerlidoe3412]

Nice video with insipid music....a flywheel will make the engine turn smoother...

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

The jerky movement is irksome .

[@cedarcam]

Ships engines do not have a flywheel, the propeller acts as one, they should of fitted the engine with a flywheel to smooth out the jerky motion

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

@@cedarcam sounds logical, since a prop could be a couple of tons.

[@cedarcam]

@@MagnetOnlyMotors It was when I went to see the huge engines at Kempton which are very like those used in Titanic I was told these have flywheels but marine engines don't. When I asked why he said the same as you. There is enough weight in a propeller or paddle wheel.

[@gideonkriel839]

Love the video of this wonderful steam powered engine, forgive me if I'm wrong, but is this not the same type of steam engine that was used in the R.m.s titanic and her sister ships the Olympic and Britanic, just on a smaller scale.

[@cedarcam]

Basically yes they are vertical engines driving a crank shaft at the bottom coupled to a propellor shaft. They also use the expansion of steam to make them more economical, the first cylinder gets its steam directly from the boiler then instead of the exhaust being released to atmosphere it is sent into the next cylinder and used again. From the last cylinder the steam now at low pressure is sent into a condenser which cools it into water to be pumped back into the boiler.

[@alejandrohidalgo210]

Si ,son los mismos

[@valeriocorsetti7278]

Yes, almost, both are triple expansion but titanic had 4 cylinders not three

[@cunardwhitestar34]

@@valeriocorsetti7278 Yep, because instead of one low-pressure cylinder, the Olympic-Class had two, in addition to the high-pressure and intermediate-pressure cylinders. The two low pressure cylinders were the result of the Yarrow-Schlick-Tweedy balancing system, which divided the low-pressure expansion stages of the steam between two cylinders, one at each end of the engine. This allowed the crankshaft to be better balanced, resulting in a smoother, faster-responding engine which ran with less vibration.

[@valeriocorsetti7278]

@@cunardwhitestar34 I applaude your knowledge, can you suggest me source articles/ book to learn from? Thanks

[@JohnSmith-sh6cb]

do away with the damn music. please

[@nohandle62]

Doesn't run very smoothly.

[@keithammleter3824]

The poor thing is being run on compressed air and not steam. This means the progressive drop in pressure from cylinder to cylinder is incorrect and only one cylinder is doing work. I suspect a gland is stuffed as well, so that only one stroke is working.

[@JustinLaudano]

The music? Really? How bout the sound of the engine, not the 70's x movie music.

[@SteamCrane]

Get rid of the music! Otherwise pretty cool.

[@MUPHYSLAWTV]

Nice but don’t run that smooth

[@0931330]

I wanted too the engine NOT the music. Totally Ruined