Jensen #51 Power Station

mc_mc · Jensen #51 Power Station

Someone on the Yahoo Steam Toy Group has just made a new purchase:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfeF5bL9_Qo

Thought I'd share it with you guys.

tmuir

Nice, bet they paid a pretty penny for that.

IndianaRog

Gent named Gil is the proud owner of that #51 and it is a unique one at that. It was the personal engine of Randy Calhoon who actually did the final assembly of the 51s for Jensen using a model 50 as the starting point...Randy added the electronics control panel, water tower and exhaust stack. Gil drove 1400 miles round trip over Thanksgiving holiday to procure that engine...an engine with an ID tag on it personally assigning it to Randy from Mr. Jensen.

While Randy had over 8000 hours of runtime on the prototype for the 51, he opted to keep the one Gil acquired in virtually new configuration for the 23 years since it was built in 1984. Gil got it with 2/10's of an hour on the hour meter...just what was done at time Randy assembled it to make sure all was well.

Gil has run it more than 5 hours in the past week, so he fully intends to enjoy it in every way.

Rog

tmuir

Wow, I'm guessing price wasn't really a concern in buying it as the cost of petrol alone on a 1400 mile trip would of been a bit.

MooseMan

An interesting thing to do is play that video side by side with Rog's "replica" 51.......demonstrates once again what a truly masterful job Rog has done on his!

johnreid

Griffin

Thanks for posting that one one up MC, it really is a lovely example of both a unique and rare engine.

Got to admit, I also would drive 1400 miles to pick one of those up

johnreid

Mister Occlusion

What's the dial/gauge at the base of the water tower that he's fiddling with?

I didn't know they had a water flow meter...?

I am, of course, insanely envious.... Goes without saying, pretty much

I still think Rog has the better package, though. Whacking great model 50 engine driving 1 dinky little generator? s'like putting a 454 in a Sonoma.

Andy

that real nice must have set them back a fair bit

IndianaRog

Mr. O...that large guage under the water tower is in fact a water pressure guage that was incorporated in some of the earlier 51's to give an indication that the engine operated water feed pump was indeed passing water to the boiler. It is simply measuring inches of water in the tower hence shows water level indirectly...but the fluctuating needle shows the effect of the water pump. As long as the meter is fluctuating, water is pumping...if it goes still, there is a bubble in the pump or other problem.

I chose to not add that guage to mine given price and fact it is easy enough to feel the water feed line near the boiler...if it is cool she's pumping, if hot, shes not! As for water level, my former cookie jar water tank has a glass top...easy to see water level.

Suffice it to say, Gil (reddryder on eBay)...is a happy steamer !!

Rog

Cranko

Graham-Jilly

great looking engine thats for sure

flywheel61

Cranko wrote,

johnreid

I find it interesting that there isnt a tube type sightglass for the Towers tank

IndianaRog

John, the thinking regards tube type sight glass for the water tower was that use of an "inches of water" type pressure guage would serve TWO functions:

1) a rough reading of water level in the tower given position of the needle going down as water level drops

2) rapid quivering of the needle is indicative that the water feedpump pushing water into the boiler is working...needle will go steady if pump gets airbound

Personally, I considered and rejected adding such a guage to my replica as I find it easy enough to put a finger on the water feed line nearest the boiler...cold means it's pumping properly, hot means the boiler water is backing up in the feedline indicative that water pump isn't moving cooler tower water thru the line. Also, my water tower tank was a glass topped stainless steel cookie jar in a former life, easy to just peer over the top and know exactly where water stands. I also mother the whole system well enough I can pretty much know when water is needed in the tower...I've only run it dry once about 50 hours ago on the hour meter.

cheers,
Rog

Mister Occlusion

The whole concept of that beast having an hour meter just puts the cherry on top of the whole sundae for me

...should also have a watt/hour meter for the generator, like a house has (but smaller, of course )

IndianaRog

Mr. O...both the original and my replica DO come with a milliamp meter showing AC generator output and DC generator output, same goes for AC and DC volt meters to show the respective generator outputs.

Biggest difference between the original 51 and mine is in the generator...the first three 51's made WERE like mine...a pair of #15 Jensen AC generators tied in tandem. After the first three production models, Jensen introduced a unique combination AC and DC generator that produces AC for the bulb and DC for the motor...both switchable from the console (as are the milliamp guages). I was NOT able to find a combination AC/DC generator and even tried (unsuccessfully) to build one from a regular Jensen 15.

Soooooo, I paired up two Jensen #15 AC generators like the first three production types AND added a stepper motor DC generator I sourced from member "psantama". I put the DC generator UNDER the AC pair and thus can generate both AC and DC switchable from the console. I added extra lights because I have more generator output (both AC and DC) vs. an original...at present...2 AC lights, 2 DC lights and a DC motor are setup on mine vs. 1 AC light and 1 DC motor. As a side effort, I plan shortly to add another DC light that will illuminate the motor better...I have the generator capacity AND I like to run the whole setup in the dark and it will be a bit cooler to have the motor spotlighted when turned on. I'm not overly hamstrung by originality in this case...true to original in spirit, but happy to take advantage of newer developments like the stepper motor.

cheers,
Rog

johnreid

In the past I have operated and maintained various machines that involved liquids so I guess that the idea of Flow Meters etc is ingrained into my head as I have sure replaced and monitored a few, I seriously doubt that you or probably anyone else so blessed to have such a beast would run it to the point of the tank becoming emptied. and the boiler going dry.
For most of us that is a fantasy machine of sorts so we will add all kinds of features that it ought to have just to help fuel our imaginations.
Now, when I get mine, will it go in the Living Room or shall I add a room onto the house to enshrine it?

Cranko

johnreid

THey probably will produce as many as I can buy, Zero

redryder · cost of petrol on a 1400 mile trip

tmuir · Re: cost of petrol on a 1400 mile trip

Jensen #51 Power Station

cost of petrol on a 1400 mile trip

Re: cost of petrol on a 1400 mile trip