Stanley Steam Engine

Black cast iron partial Stanley engine frame             This is a cast iron frame for a 6 ½ hp. Stanley engine.  These were indestructible and thus many survive whereas the automobile itself had a wooden frame and thus much of this rotted.  The burners and boilers from that era were subject to high heat from a blue flame burner and thus often cracked the castings.  The boilers had water in them and thus corroded from the dissolved chemicals or was caked with limestone that was in the water which is why these two important steam automobile components are often not preserved.             The Stanley brothers copied one hundred year old locomotive design with double acting simple steam engines driving cranks with outboard shafts set at 90 degree angles, making them self-starting, and also difficult to balance.  Steam was controlled by slide or “D” valves, meaning that oil needed to be injected with the steam for lubrication or there would be galling or spalling of the valve seats.  That design also limited the steam pressure as more pressure caused more wear on the sliding surfaces.              Valve actuation was from an eccentric, resulting in harmonic drive which, with a Stephenson reversing link both adjusted the cutoff and provided a reversing motion obviating the need for a clutch and gear box transmission.  Quite large thermal and mechanical inefficiencies were built into this design.  It was easy to cast and machine and operate.