Can anyone identify this engine unit?

This is the first time I've posted to this forum. I'm a retired telecoms engineer, mainly interested in railway modelling and hoping that someone here can shed any light on some engineering models that have been in my possession for many years.

Below (hopefully!) are three pictures of a pair of steam engines, built in the 1950s by Hugh Paxton. Hugh was a was a Ship's Engineer by profession and a talented model engineer as well. He worked on compound steam ships and as far as I know, these two cylinders and valves were for a model boat project, but sadly Hugh died in his '30s before he had completed this project. He had many talents, and carved the originals for the Merit 4mm farm sheep - now they are small!

Back to the steam engine. The cylinder units each measure about 95 x 40 x 40mm.I am puzzled by the design as I can't see how the connecting rods transmit any motion to the crank shaft (see second picture).

I would welcome any suggestions about the origin of the models (are they from any form of kit?), their purpose, and how they are supposed to work.

Thanks, Keith.

I would say that the crank shafts are in the wrong way round. If you pull them out and slip them in from the cylinder side there should be enough space between the bearing housing and conrod for the existing crank web. There would have been a crank pin that screws into the web probably with a locknut behind to keep it in place.

I'm not sure if it is any specific design but that is a fairly common layout for engines build in a range of sizes but possibly to a Ray Hansbrook design

J

Edited By JasonB on 04/10/2020 18:43:05

Ah! Perhaps I should have thought of that. Thanks Jason, I'll have a look at it again tomorrow. Keith.

"Ray Hansbrook" I think has a typo, you may have better Google results searching for Ray Hasbrouck engines. He was from the USA and I agree with Jason the pictured engine looks like one of his designs.

Thanks, Jeff, I had a look at Ray Hasbrouck engines this evening. I didn't find any pics of an identical engine but I agree, it has a lot of similarities. I found one picture of an incomplete engine on eBay which is very similar to the engine Hugh started to build. I suspect Hugh hadn't finished making the parts for the crank axle, as (a) there's only one crank web on each unit (b) the crankshaft is too short to connect anything to it.

I''m very grateful for the information you've both given me, as I now know a bit more about it, but I don't think it's worth prolonging the discussion as I don't plan to do any work on the engine, there are more pressing jobs as I am moving a Super 7, milling machine and drill press from my late father's workshop to my newly built workshop. I think I'll put these bits back in their box to slumber for a few more years.... and I've got a complete ST Victoria engine (a real beauty) that another departed friend built, which I would dearly like to run, so I might be back with questions about that in due course. Keith.

As I said it's a very common layout and I'm sure there should be only one crankshaft web as there is no bearing to support the other end of a two web crank. There looks to be sufficient length to the shaft to mount a flywheel which could have been driven a belt of if intended to go into a hull then a couple of drive pegs in the flywheel would be a common way of driving a prop shaft via a universal joint.

A couple of examples of the style

Thanks, Jason, for the observation about the single crank web and also the drawings, which are both a close match for the engine. Maybe it will be worth doing some more work on it in due course. The drawing answered one question in my mind, which was the diameter of the big end bearing in the crankshaft, versus the diameter of the hole in the crank web. Obvious, really, now that I've seen the drawing. Keith.

OOps, for crankshaft, read connecting rod!