Tag Archives: steam

Moving On to New Projects

As we complete RELIANCE, several of our team are moving on to their next Museum projects.

Shown here, we’ve been stripping WEE WINN, a lovely “half rater” from 1892. It is a bulb fin keel boat built for Englishwoman Miss Winifred Sutton. She raced WEE WINN in Cowes that year, winning 20 of 21 races.

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Our RELIANCE, WEE WINN, and steam launch #199 projects have attracted a new group of volunteers, and it’s exciting to feel their fresh enthusiasm and energy. Several are machinist artisans whose skills will be important to make a rudder and tiller for WEE WINN and to complete steam launch plumbing; you may remember that last year, volunteer Don Berrett restored a triple expansion steam engine which fits #199.

Engine Work on the Side

One of our crew members has been restoring a 1900 NGH designed triple expansion steeple engine, of a design that would power a 30-foot launch at 16-18 mph. We thought you’d enjoy pictures of the before and in-process restoration. We think you’ll agree, Don is doing amazing work!

This engine has generated so much interest during tours of our shop, we thought we’d start a steam blog site which will be hosted by Mike, who is constructing the Museum’s new steam gallery with contributions from Don and hopefully you as well!

Steve, the SCOUT, and the Steam Engine

Steve continues to work to the upper section of the mast; the angle iron cheeks and, as you can see, the fourteen ladder rungs which Burr had made for us earlier in the year are involved.

We also had a visit from the Okerholms. Bob brought his beautiful model of HMCo’s SCOUT which was one of the first boats through the Cape Cod Canal when it opened.

SCOUT’s external condenser coil must have made running aground a real nightmare, even in mud!

These photos lead us to Don working to restore our triple expansion steam launch engine, another of our projects in Building 28 (Don’t you love candid photos!)