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

Thank you, Arnold.

One is tempted to assume that 2-cylinder engines always self-start, provided the cranks are not exactly at 180°, but in reality there will be piston positions where this is not always guaranteed.
Even my Sachsenmeister 4-cyl. ship's engine does not always self-start, but this is due to the very small cylinders (plus the inertia of four different reversing eccentrics...).