AN ANCIENT STEAMER.
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THE ANCIENT steamer, illustrations of which are published on this page, has ority -recently come to rest after a long and interesting career. It originally belonged to a colliery owner, and, after many years' service, was sold at the outbreak of war to Mr. G . Underhill, of Summer Road, Erclington, I3irminghani. _During the war it contained
• to run, and covered a great distance during itsiast 54 years' work. It was built seine 18 years ago from component parts. The engine is not the original one, but is believed to have been made by Percy, of Yorkshire. Two highpressure cylinders, even-throw crankshaft, reverse speed and link motion are its outstanding features. Braking is affected by engaging the sevens,
The unit is underslung from the chassis and is quite a separate inatallation. A 5 in. driving sprocket is keyed to the near side of the crankshaft, and a chain transmits power4 to the second motion
shaft, the chain wheel being some 2 ft. in diameter. The driveis then taken to the off-side of the vehicle, where a final chain transmits the power -to the off-side road wheel.
'The live axle runs on plain bearings, and there is a bevel pinion and wheel, which incorporates a crude form of differential, interposed between the separate and different lengths of axle, the
idea being to bring the differential as near to the off-side wheel as possible. Incidentally, the whole of the mechanism is exposed.
The boiler rises vertically to a...height of about 6 ft. above the floorboards, vertical -tubes serving as the flue run, and terminating in a shallow smoke-box, on which a chimney is mounted. A crude form t of spring-loaded ?adjustable safety valve is fitted, and can be nd.just.ed according to load and road conditions. The door of the .firebox is situated almost beneath the floorboards, and is very small. There is no mechanical water pump, but there are agreat .number of coils of pipingand joints. The front axle is abnormally strong, as are the half-elliptic springs which are anchored centrally above it. The back axle is not so sturdy. The road wheels are made of wood bound with iron, and there is -a large water tank at the rear of the chassis, There is some talk of tuning up the steamer with a view to its performing its last run in style before being brOlten up.