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

I swapped an old small outboard motor for two Solar #1’s by Solar Engines , Phoenix Arizona.
One engine was pretty worn, rusty, falling apart, and missing screws. The other was dusty , but looked like it had not been run much.
The dusty one cleaned up with light soap and water and I was surprised to see it was likely a late 1977 model.
I remember looking in the back pages of old Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines and seeing those Solar Stirling advertisements next to CB radio ads and little box ads for muscle-building programs that would guarantee admiration at the discotec.

Late 1977 Solar #1 ——>
.
Popular Science magazine July 1978 —>

 

Nice ... they are classics to be sure!
Is your's numbered?

Both classics and survivors ! Interesting that little red & green Stirling engine is still made today in USA 2020.

The ratty condition Solar #1 I have is not numbered , nor was the Ross book that came with it ; so it’s probably a 1980’s version. But the likely late 1977 version is numbered. The original box label, the engine, and the book for the 1977  engine were all numbered the same. Two separate letters were included in the accompanying numbered book by the CEO of Solar , and the other by the Andy Ross 1977 book editor.

[July 1977 Popular Science advertisement ——>]

The numbered engines were sold with a matching numbered book. My engine has the book; does yours?

Yes, both engines came with books. The “ratty” engine Andy Ross book is NOT numbered and is copyrighted 1977/1981 Second Edition. It had an advertising flyer jammed in it for a “This Little Saw Is Marvelous” hand saw imported by JEMCO. This Second Edition also had a hand placed sticker in the “Additional Information” book section for Ross Experimental, INC. of Columbus Ohio.

The better condition ca. 1977 engine had the Andy Ross 1977 hand numbered 1st Edition book, the original box with numbered label and postmark, original wick tied, original plastic shipping bag, and two separate letters from Solar Engines to the original owner.

Stoker; who is Ed ?

Stoker; The Solar Engineering company letters I have make no mention of “Ed and Jeanette Morgan”.  The ca. 1977 letters I have state Clyde I. Griffin as Director. And John I. Griffin as both a major company exec AND the General Editor of Andy Ross’s First Edition book
Associate Editor was Mary A. Hanshew.
Something big must have happened around ca. 1981 in the Company as the company address seems to have changed. Maybe 1980’s were Ed & Jeanette ? Maybe Ed was JEMCO ?

Stoker; I will try and get a copy of my Solar Engines company letters posted here later.
{both letters from Clyde Griffin and John Griffin state that they haven’t got an “Owners Manual” printed yet, but will send it in “a month or so”.}
My ca. late 1977 engine is #68** and it had the original box and mid Jan 1978 UPS post mark. Thus I assumed about 95% chance it was made in late 1977, arrived at owner couple weeks into Jan 78’.

The Solar Engine company address on the box label is “Indian Tribal Series , 2937 West Indian School Road, Phoenix , AZ, 85017”.

In meantime; here is screen capture I made from a completed ebay auction with FEB-March 1978 date stamps, #7614 engine number. The literature has Griffins’ name in header, West Indian School Road as address, and looks like the Owners manual was finally included.

Curiouser and curiouser .....  the Davies-Charlton link Stoker provided shows the exact same engine as the July 1977 Solar Engines Phoenix Arizona Popular Science magazine advertisement ( “It Runs On Heat” ad mentioning Dr. Finklestein)
I think that July 1977 ad was a beta-version magazine ad for the newly founded 1977 Solar Engines because maybe their final production engine info hadn't been solidified by the magazine print deadline.
Thus it appears the relationship between the Davies-Charlton and the Solar Engines of W. Indian School Road was “friendly” enough to likely be a permitted/granted copy and subsequent improvement .
The Andy Ross books and the July 1978 magazine ads show the “updated” engine we know today with lineage from Solar Engines thru PM. Research.

My ca. 1977 engine does NOT have the registered trademark seal on the underside , the latter 1980’s engine does. {R inside a circle) . I tried to look at US Government trademark database to see who “Solar Engines” or “Phoenix Arizona Solar Engines”  was registered to but that US database is complex.
Wonder now if Clyde and John Griffin had some former association, or working relationship with Davies-Charlton Ltd ?

If Ed Morgan sold the Solar Engine company to PM. Research ... was Ed the person behind 1980’s JEMCO?

Addendum - Tribute History of Davies Charlton link  (Note— I suspect the Stirling engine pic is wrong) —> http://modelenginenews.org/people/dc_ltd.html

Pic of Davies-Charlton Ltd sourced from nitrosteamengines.co.uk ——>

Just to add to the confusion, there was a time, early on, when it wasn't "Solar Engines of Phoenix Arizona", but rather "Thermal Energy Engines of Phoenix Arizona" as I have a Solar #1 with that cast into the underside of the base that is numbered in the 5xxx range. I think it more than likely that the Morgans, or possibly the Griffins, actually bought the molds and tooling along with the manufacturing rights from Davies Charlton which was at that time a bit past their prime and starting into a long decline.

I think you are right about the 1977 ad being a "trial balloon" before they had all their ducks in a row and their final product actually in hand. It would be exceedingly interesting if a SEoPA or TEEoPA marked engine were to show up, that was actually configured just like the D-C engines!

I'd still like to see a copy of the Finkelstein book as well, and see if the Ross book is just a rebranded version, or wholly different?!?!