Live Steam Models - Foster 5-inch single cylinder rope hauling engine

Foster 5-inch single cylinder rope hauling engine

Full parts listing

A most unusual engine based on a portable of which a few were built by William Foster & Co. Ltd. in 1901. It is a single cylinder and although large in scale is a very easy engine to build. It is chain driven and has one road speed. There is a dog clutch fitted to the right hand side of the crankshaft to disengage the drive for threshing, wood sawing and rope hauling.

A steam pump is fitted to the left hand side of the belly tank. No differential is fitted, so there are no expensive bevels to be cut and there is only one eccentric, the engine being non-reversible, although a slip eccentric would be easy to fit, if desired.

If you are wondering why it is called a rope hauling engine, a rope is taken off the bottom of the winding drum, round the pully under the belly tank, and out of the right hand side, similar to a ploughing engine. Hence its name!

Most of the engines built were exported to Argentina for use on the prairies, where they required a simple and easy to maintain engine. It is not known whether any full size engines of this type exist in the U.K. today.

General Dimensions
Length	90"
Width	35 1/4"
Height to top of chimney	62"
Height to top of flywheel	44 1/2"
Flywheel Ø x width	22 1/2" x 2 1/2"
Rear wheel Ø x width	28" x 4 1/2"
Boiler barrel Ø x length	12" x 29 3/4"
Number of tubes x thickness	12 x 10 swg
Tube Ø x length	1 1/4" x 29 5/8"
Firebox grate area	168 square "
Working pressure	100 PSI
Cylinder bore Ø	3.75"
Stroke	5"