Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

This week I got a Empire #43 Long Boiler off a Goodwill Auction.  It is one of the engine's I didn't have, though I do have the #43 short boiler version.  This little guy looked fabulous from the photos and it arrived in the best box/packaging I have ever seen!!  I was very impressed with Goodwill's packing.

First I gave it a very light cleaning with my cleaning paste and she shinned up like new.  I did have to disassemble the cylinder/rods/wheel as they were really stiff and a bit gummy.  Though as nice as she looked her heater as dead, boo!  Once I got her fully apart I noticed the power leads were fried and a big glob of solder at the bottom of the boiler face.  My guess she was ran out of water very early in her life and then put away.  How the whistle never got lost is beyond me, it is so lose it rotates while the engine is running (must of been stored in a box)!

I made a new heater but I needed to new power leads too.  I did order some 0.6mm copper sheets from Amazon (coming tomorrow) but I thought hey I can likely go to Hobby Lobby (it just opened last week here in Kyle, Texas).  I decided to buy some tin sheets instead (cheaper).  The tin is pretty thin stuff but still stiff.  My new power leads seem to be working well (meaning it hasn't blown up).  The heater resistance came at 29.5 ohms once everything was back together.  Using Ohm Law for 400w @110v the original should have been 30.25 ohms.  So I am darn close but that means I am running ~488 watts.

Here's a video!

That's one way to put it LOL!  She is right next to her #62 short boiler brother on the shelf.  Thought what made a engine a #43 vs #62 I don't know, the only difference between my short #62 & long #43 is the length & throttle.  Perhaps the manufactured time frame... I was a little bummed it wasn't stamped #62.

I have had so much fun working on these Empire engine's.  With all the time, effort, and money buying bits its really nice to have everything ready to get a new one running.  Though this time I did have to come up with a way to make the power leads to the AC plug.  I've been really lucky up until now not needing to make those.  I wouldn't say the were pretty but they are work and you can't see them.  The Hobby Lobby tin I used is only slight stiffer than then originals but still pliable to bend as needed to make their connections to the AC studs.

I wished I had a way to display them all in one place but this engine is with others like on bookcase in my bedroom.  A few months back my Ex was over and noticed them.  She said, Jesus Christ Richard, you have more of these engines?!?!  I told here, actually there is one more in my office.  I though her eyes are going to get stuck in her head when she rolled them LOL

Hopefully I'll come across a B-43 strapped tank at some point.  My holy grail / unicorn is the rarely seen, other than the Empire book, smaller battery engine B-44.  Granted there are about one or two other variations that I'd like to have... so I am always looking for what is one sale :-)

Hi Rich,

Congrats on another lucky find! An indication of how far you've come is how casually you tossed off the line, "I made a new heater..."  No biggie. Gotta love those double-acting engines. All my (3) Empires are of the single-acting variety, tho' I love them none the less.

Thanks for the video, and good luck filling in the remaining gaps in your collection!

Paula

PS: sooner or later the weather will turn rotten, so I can forsake all my outdoor projects and get back to steam engine tinkering. 

Thanks guys, it was a good find for sure and it is funny not long ago I was totally lost on things like a missing/burnt up heater!

That is the strap engine I am looking for but that one is in WAY to bad of shape - beyond my skills of repair!  I didn't they were only marked as EMPCO - I only have one of those and wished it was a Empire.  But its a great example in very good condition - so it is a keeper ;-)

I thought it was toooooo far gone and missing tooooo many parts.
Thats what I thought when it surprisingly came my way.

That said, they are out there!

Wayne

Hey Wayne,

I know have some parts from a Empco engine someone cut up / converted to a "fire" powered engine (darn shame).  I am 90% sure the parts I have would be proper for that Strap one you have... perhaps you'll would want to sell (give?) to me :-)

Here's some photos of my parts!  The sight glass snapped on me and then the lower fitting into the tank disintegrated - luckily I can replace them both.

I hit a snag with the lower sight fitting's pipe, the easy out didn't go as planned but I hope I can sort that out.  The only thing I do hope is yours has is the iron cover for the heater - the one I have as you likely can tell was cut.

PM on the way!

That's very nice to hear and I do realize "as-is" when it arrives!

Here is my conundrum.  I have taken these little pipes out before from the fitting and tank (its for sure dangerous).  When they come apart from the tank, which is normally the bottom, it takes a easy out to get the other side out of the glass fitting about 1/2 the time.  This time, I can't get it out.  I am hoping @Paula will come to my rescue - once again.  It needs a proper machinist to get that crap out and I hope it can be re-threaded (tapped?). 

These are like the iron base Empire Engines (say B-30), meaning they are round and the sight glass slides INTO the fittings.  These are a bit rarer as once Empire went to the pressed steel bases, the glass fittings are more square-ish and the sight glass floats between the fittings.