Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
Builds, Repairs, Show Your Machines! => Videos The Office of Steam Cinema => Topic started by: Jim on March 12, 2025, 06:13:56 pm
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Jim...nice video.
Thanks Wayne, happy the way it ran that Jensen Workshop :)
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Having had an Phoenix Arizona Original Solar Engine 1 myself, and knowing mine didn't have enough power to get out of its own way...yours is a fantastic runner mate. Every time you pull something off of the shelf to give it a run, it makes me want to do the same thing. Nice video 😊
Thanks Bruce :) I'm the same, I see a vid of an engine I have and want to run it as well.
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Jim...nice video. Everything is shipshape!
So, after reading this thread I had to get mine
out for a run. It does have a number, 10522, embossed
on the red base under the heat transfer pipe. One
other note. Mine has only slotted-head screws while
the one in the video has phillips-head screws. Is it
possible to date these engines?
Happy runner,
Wayne
A precise date, no not really, but within a range of dates yes. The most important things to look for are the logo as cast into the underside of the base, spacers between the base and frame, certain "features" with the way the railings terminate, which may or may not be date related, but could be. Other features that might enter into the mix include threaded hole in the inner chimney boss and vent slot in the rear end of the fuel well, along with some variations in the wick holder spud.
It will take a greater sampling to be at all definitive of some of these features, as to whether or not they are truly pattern change thru time or simply variations in individual production batches or workers style?
I did a semi-serious study of this stuff several years back, and forget now most of the details and determinations, but somewhere I have most of it written down, so with any luck it is not truly lost ... yet.
BTW, I believe your stamped number is the second highest that I have record of, with 14,045 being the highest in my collection and 274 being the lowest. I'll have to reference my previous research to see if there are records of higher or lower numbers seen elsewhere, such as on evilbay. I seem to recall having seen one somewhere in the 20k range, but my recall isn't what it used to be.
The serially numbered Solar #1 engines originally came with a same numbered book by Andy Ross, titled "Stirling Cycle Engines", but thru the years it seems that most of the books have gotten separated from their engines, so finding the matching pair is sort of a bonus! You can still buy the book from PM Research, and it is worth having in my opinion, but it was only the early years from Solar Engines of Phoenix Az that the matching numbered engines and books came from.
I would suggest that your engine in the 10k number range most likely came from the very late 1970's, almost certainly before 1980 or 1981.
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Jim...nice video. Everything is shipshape!
So, after reading this thread I had to get mine
out for a run. It does have a number, 10522, embossed
on the red base under the heat transfer pipe. One
other note. Mine has only slotted-head screws while
the one in the video has phillips-head screws. Is it
possible to date these engines?
Happy runner,
Wayne
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Having had an Phoenix Arizona Original Solar Engine 1 myself, and knowing mine didn't have enough power to get out of its own way...yours is a fantastic runner mate. Every time you pull something off of the shelf to give it a run, it makes me want to do the same thing. Nice video 😊
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Jim, not at all trying to "catch others up" but merely looking for clues and clarifications to a subject that I've worked on extensively in the past.
I did state up front that it is likely just as you called it, "Phoenix Arizona Original Solar Engine 1".
If I can ask another question without causing friction, is there any number stamped on the back side of the frame, which is the red box like section between the base and the cylinders? The numbers, if there, would be sort of under the heat transfer tube between the cylinders.
As to posting stuff up myself, yes I'd love to, but without photos and/or videos, at both of which you most certainly excel, it's a bit tough to get much of what I'm doing across, if you get my drift. Meanwhile, most of what I've been doing lately, is rather far afield from the core of this Forum, so there's really not that much of interest I can say here.
I am however, trying to keep my toe in, as it were, to help keep things active and moving along here. If I'm doing a poor job of it, then all I can say is you have my sincere apology!
If you'd care for further clarification from me, tomorrow looks to be a bit stormy, so I'll likely have time to email you with any info you may wish.
Pedantic ... probably, but then aren't we all to one degree or another!?!?
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You're getting good service out of that old SEPA #1 Jim.
Is that one a true original Solar Engines, a Thermal Energy engine or a PM Research engine? My guess is, just as you stated!
It is in reality a somewhat American-ized Davies Charlton Ltd. from the Isle of Man.
Made in Phoenix.
The Thermal Energy versions are marked Phoenix Az also.
You seem to relish lately being pedantic mate?
Maybe concentrate on posting up some stuff you do instead of relishing in catching others up?
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You're getting good service out of that old SEPA #1 Jim.
Is that one a true original Solar Engines, a Thermal Energy engine or a PM Research engine? My guess is, just as you stated!
It is in reality a somewhat American-ized Davies Charlton Ltd. from the Isle of Man.
Made in Phoenix.
The Thermal Energy versions are marked Phoenix Az also.
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You're getting good service out of that old SEPA #1 Jim.
Is that one a true original Solar Engines, a Thermal Energy engine or a PM Research engine? My guess is, just as you stated!
It is in reality a somewhat American-ized Davies Charlton Ltd. from the Isle of Man.
Made in Phoenix.
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You're getting good service out of that old SEPA #1 Jim.
Is that one a true original Solar Engines, a Thermal Energy engine or a PM Research engine? My guess is, just as you stated!
It is in reality a somewhat American-ized Davies Charlton Ltd. from the Isle of Man.
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Phoenix Arizona Original Solar Engine 1 operating a Jensen 100 Workshop and doing it pretty well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIrY2uZw5b4