Martin Baylis Engineering Range of Marine Steam Engines

The Martin Baylis Engineering range of model marine steam engines has been designed and engineered to mimic as much as is feasible the appearance and attributes of marine steam engines of the period. Considerable effort has been expended to use or duplicate the materials that would have been used at the time.

Items such as connecting rods and eccentric rods are fully machined and profiled giving the appearance of the original items. In the case of the eccentric rods, stainless steel and brass have been used to simulate the bronze eccentric strap and steel eccentric rod of full-sized practice.

Effort has also been made to keep the engines of a tidy and compact nature, external pipework has been avoided with steamways, throttle assemblies and lubricators either within the confines of the engine block or sympathetically placed.
The trademark simulated wooden cladding and brass straps a finishing touch to the aesthetic of our marine steam engine.

Three Cylinder Slide Valve Marine Steam Engine

The Martin Baylis double acting slide valve three-cylinder steam engine has been designed to resemble as much as is practical at this scale the appearance of a Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engine. The engine is designed to be “scaleless” so that it can be equally at home in an elegant launch as it can in a Tug or larger vessel.

The brass eccentric straps and stainless-steel eccentric rods can be seen in this image along with the geared Maudsley reversing mechanism. Also visible are the reversing and throttle levers which once again have been designed to resemble the engine controls of the time.

Here can be seen the simulated wooden cladding and brass straps along with the profiled cylinder heads and bolts. Lubrication for the piston rods is provided by the brass oil cups featured on the tops of the three support columns.

These views show the two ends of the engine, the steam inlet and exhaust can be seen clearly as can the flywheel and reversing lever.

The two small holes in the end of the bed are intended for a Martin Baylis Engineering feed water pump to be fitted if desired.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Bore: 9mm
Stroke: 12mm
Capacity: 4.575cc
Working Pressure: 45psi or 3bar
Length: 110mm or 4.33″ (excluding reversing handle)
Width: 52.5mm or 2.07″ (excluding throttle handle)
Height: 90.3mm or 3.56″ (excluding lubricator cap)
Weight: 475g or 16.8oz

New Twin Cylinder Steam Engine

The Martin Baylis double acting piston valve twin engine has been designed to replicate as much as is practical at this scale the appearance of a compound engine. Great attention has been paid to represent the materials that would have been in use at the time; predominantly cast iron, brass, bronze and steel.

Items such as connecting rods and eccentric rods are fully machined and profiled giving the appearance of the original items. In the case of the eccentric rods, stainless steel and brass have been used to simulate the bronze eccentric strap and steel eccentric rod of full sized practice. Effort has also been made to keep the engine “tidy” with the displacement lubricator being tucked neatly in at the side of the throttle assembly. Other features include, many by popular demand; are a low sitting crankshaft much in keeping with the original practice of the day, a more authentic compound appearance with cylinder heads and steam chests of dissimilar sizes. For convenience of the modeller the engine is of single servo operation all throttle, forward and reverse functions on one lever.

The trademark simulated wooden cladding complete with brass straps adds to the look of authenticity, as do the cylinder head fixings which are especially made to replicate dome head bolts. Connecting rods display bolt heads at the big ends. Reversing/Throttle Lever has been designed to look in keeping with the controls of a real engine. Crank shaft webs are profiled to give the appearance of counterbalanced webs. This attention to detail in addition to the overall construction and aesthetic of the engine is designed to be pleasing to the eye.

Description and Technical Specification

This engine has been engineered to give a balance between the aesthetic appearance and sound engineering practice. Miniature roller races have been utilised extensively the crankshaft and big ends are supported on roller races. The result is that the bottom end of the engine requires very little lubrication other than minimal lubrication for the eccentric straps. This lends itself very clean and smooth operation together with low maintenance.

In an effort to simulate materials of the age, the block, steam chest and engine bed have been manufactured from aluminium which is then treated to give a textured finish. The components are subsequently hard anodised to BS5599. Hard anodising has a hardness approximating “sapphire” and is therefore very durable and wear-resistant. This combination gives a finish that closely resembles that of cast iron. Pistons and slide valves are manufactured from complementary materials which offer extremely good sealing characteristics combined with very low friction.

Stainless steel, brass and bronze are used extensively throughout the engine. As a result of this, the engine is lightweight, compact and powerful, offering the modeller an engine that looks authentic and is highly functional which should give years of untroubled enjoyment.

Bore: 9mm
Stroke: 12mm
Capacity: 3.05cc
Working Pressure: 30-45psi (2-3 bar)
Length: 75mm or 3″ (excluding throttle handle)
Width: 45mm or 1.77″ (excluding throttle handle)
Height: 84mm or 3.3″ (excluding lubricator cap)
Weight: 322g or 11.35oz