My Great-Grandfather's Magic Carpet Made of Steel
Back on St. Mary's Challenger
So I'm gainfully employed once more, always a good thing after a nice month's vacation. The highlights include a trip to Pensacola Beach to accidently see the Blue Angels fly overhead, and...um...watching lots of TV because it was miserably hot outside.
I have actually been back for about three weeks now and everything is running smooth. If any one wants to hear a positive economic indicator, the word from St. Mary's Cement's Chicago dock is record sales for July, like ever or something. Apparently they are rebuilding some freeways. Everyone in TV Land seems rather grim about the world but I do not believe the hype. All TV is marketing now and the first question you must ask is: what is this guy sellin'?
Anyway I am also reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, one of those highschool English literary classics that no one actually ready...or certainly I didn't. It is about turn of the century Chicago and was written the year this ship was launched. Not exactly bedtime reading though, what with the children starving and freezing to death and all. I was really getting to like Chicago but now I'm not so sure...
Gearhead dreaming alert...
For a diversion I am working on designing a steam engine. This is what happens when your job consists of watching steam-powered contraptions work for eight hour a day...you have plenty of time to think. The theoretical goal is a compact 50-100 horsepower system for easy installation in a cheap inboard/outboard motorboat hull. I want to use off-the-shelf components where ever possible, such as a piston pump from a pressure washer for the boiler feed pump. My current idea for the engine is to build upon an aircooled VW block. No need to reinvent the wheel and start from scratch, making crankshafts and engine cases is not my idea of fun. Besides, I've taken apart a few VW engines...more than I've put together I must say, but still...
A large part of my interest was sparked when I found Matt Janssen's website
Vapor Locomotive Co.. It seems he is serious about building a hightech steam locomotive to compete with modern diesel-electrics and has formed a small startup company to do such an unheard of thing.
So, to anyone who might read this and have an interest in steam, mechanical engineering, non-digital automation, thermodynamics, or the inner workings of strange engines: I might like to bounce an idea or two off your head.
Peace!
Evilbastard