Grenville steam car
| Grenville | |
|---|---|
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Grenville steam car |
|
| Steam Carriage | |
| Presentation year: | 1875 |
| Vehicle fair: | |
| Class : | |
| Body shape : | Touring car |
| Engine: | Steam engine |
| Length: | 3500 mm |
| Width: | 1700 mm |
| Height: | 2510 or 3200 mm |
| Empty weight: | 2330 kg |
| Production model: | none |
The Grenville steam car is an early automobile .
description
The Briton Robert Neville Grenville from Butleigh Court near Glastonbury in Somerset made a steam car in 1875 with the help of George Jackson Churchward, who later was head of the locomotive division at the Great Western Railway .
The vehicle has three wheels, one small in the front and two large in the rear. The three wheels each consist of 16 segments made of solid teak with an iron band. The vehicle has a frame that supports the boiler , engine and wheel suspensions. The suspension is provided by leaf springs on the wheels. The steam boiler, which has more than 50 water pipes, probably comes from Shand Mason & Co. The steam boiler works with 8 bar pressure and has a heating surface of 2.7 m². A water pump supplies the steam boiler with water from a water tank located under the vehicle. The water capacity is 158 liters in the boiler and 227 liters in the tank. Originally a single-cylinder engine was installed, which was later replaced by a two-cylinder engine. The cylinder bore is 127 mm, the piston stroke 152.4 mm. The engine drives the rear axle via a two-speed gearbox and a differential . The driver controls the tiller steering and the engine power. According to the law of the time, a second person, the brakeman, had to operate the brakes. When the brake pedal is pressed, a wooden block brake provides deceleration. The vehicle can accommodate four passengers. The maximum speed is given as about 32 km / h. The consumption of the vehicle is around 14.2 liters of water and 1.7 kg of coal per kilometer. The vehicle is 350 cm long and 170 cm wide. The source gives the vehicle height as 8 feet and 3 inches and in the metric system 320 cm, but these values do not match because 8 feet 3 inches is only 251 cm. The vehicle weighs 2330 kg when ready to drive.
The vehicle was used until 1902. Before the Second World War , as a result of a complete overhaul, it received a new steam boiler and a new rear axle. In 1947 the builder's nephew donated it to the Bristol Industrial Museum . After another overhaul in 1976, the vehicle was occasionally put into service at some events such as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in November 2000. After the Bristol Industrial Museum was closed, the vehicle moved to the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu .
literature
- A. King, P. Elkin: Technology: Sheet 11: Grenville Steam Carriage. City of Bristol Museums & Art Gallery.
