New member Alllis Chalmers question

[lexon]

Hello All

I found this forum in a Google search for Alllis-Chalmers.
I do HO scale model railroading and I am building a model of this flat car. The car and load are outside a Allis-Chalmers factory in 1901.



I was told by someone, the crank shaft is for a Hamilton-Corliss steam engine.
I have done a lot of searching for hamilton coreless, allis chalmers steam engines and found a lot of data concerning huge stationary steam engines.

Anyone have any idea of the use for a crank shaft this size? Steam engine, pump, hot air blower for a steel mill of the era?

Thanks.

Rich

[todengine]

Hey! I've got one of those crankshafts!

[lexon]

Thanks, that crankshaft looks much like the one on the flat car.

lexon

[survivingworldsteam]

As Rick pointed out; definitely a steam engine, and a large cross compound one. Allis Chamlers was most famous for building steam pumping engines; so if I had to harzard a guess; I would say a cross compound steam pumping engine or air compressor; this is a pair of pumping engines still in a pump station in Waco; Texas.







-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

[todengine]

Because there are no return cranks or generator rotor on the crankshaft, my guess is that it was for a cross compound blast furnace blowing engine, most likely a horizontal as they were most common.