Re: New Land Speed Record
Posted by John Harley On 2009/8/28 18:19:03
John
I'm going to try to post some pictures of the Stanley Rocket. It was clocked at 127.659 mph at Ormond Beach, Fl in 1906. It came back with modifications in 1907, but didn't finish the attempt, for reasons outlined below.
The picture you posted, I'm afraid, was taken in France about the same time. Perhaps the book or magazine you have wasn't closely proofread. The American LSR attempts were done on Ormand Beach, as American roads were basically non existant at that time. The picture is taken on one of the ancient French tree lined routes. The excellence of the French roads explains a large part of why the French lead auto technology in the beginning. The passenger car in the background is a small Renault. I think the race car is a 1905 Darracq, although I'm flying by the seat of the pants on this one.
The salient characteristic of steam cars is almost unlimited torque all the way through the speed range of the engine. They have rapid accleration and high top speed , to the point of foolhardiness. This was exploited many times by the Stanley twins, ( known as F.E and F.O.) who amassed a large gallery of speeding tickets.
These qaulities were recognized by the affluent men who imported expensive gas cars from Europe and wrote the rules for the races they held. Steam cars got written out of these rules almost immediately.
So F.E. Stanley went after the Land Speed Record. The engine is a 30 HP Stanley engine. This is nominal horsepower based on displacement. It is a two cylinder acting engine (i.e. 4 power strokes per revolution). Thus the power is really equivalent to a 8 cylinder engine. Developed torque is 985 ft lbs (!). The car had the largest boiler ever put into a Stanley, with a total area of 285 sq ft. They were running it up to 1300 psi. The gearing was .5 to 1-the engine running at half wheel speed!
If the pictures post, you will see that it looks like an upside down canoe. F.E. towed commercially available canoes behind his bike on a cart tied to a fish scale to measure drag. The one with the lowest drag was used. You will notice it also resembles an airfoil.
This brings us to 1907. The car was modified, and F.E. and Fred Marriott, the driver form 1906 and their most trusted employee returned to Florida. The weather was terrible, and they did not run until the last day.
Marriott buiit up steam, got the boiler hot, and wound up the car for 7 miles before he entered the traps. He hit a bump. He hit a second one, and was caught by a gust of wind. The car took off, flew for at least 100 feet, hit the beach, and traveled some more. The car was pretty much destroyed. Fred Marriott suffred a broken rib, eye socket and dislocated eye.
The car was going about 155 MPH at takeoff. As Fred Marriott got older and retold the story, this speed got higher and you will read that he was doing 197..
The Stanleys were aghast that they put their employee's life in danger. They never raced again. In some respects they lost interest in further perfecting the steam car. They did not however lose interest in collecting speeding tickets.
F.E was killed in 1917 at high speed trying to avoid a farm wagon, by his usual expedient of diverting into a field.
Here is a photo of Fred Marriott at speed, and the color picture is of Sarah Stanley Davison, a mild acquaintence, in replica of the Rocket at Ormond Beach in 2006. (She is a direct descendent .) She didn't go above 30MPH.
Regards
John Harley
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I'm going to try to post some pictures of the Stanley Rocket. It was clocked at 127.659 mph at Ormond Beach, Fl in 1906. It came back with modifications in 1907, but didn't finish the attempt, for reasons outlined below.
The picture you posted, I'm afraid, was taken in France about the same time. Perhaps the book or magazine you have wasn't closely proofread. The American LSR attempts were done on Ormand Beach, as American roads were basically non existant at that time. The picture is taken on one of the ancient French tree lined routes. The excellence of the French roads explains a large part of why the French lead auto technology in the beginning. The passenger car in the background is a small Renault. I think the race car is a 1905 Darracq, although I'm flying by the seat of the pants on this one.
The salient characteristic of steam cars is almost unlimited torque all the way through the speed range of the engine. They have rapid accleration and high top speed , to the point of foolhardiness. This was exploited many times by the Stanley twins, ( known as F.E and F.O.) who amassed a large gallery of speeding tickets.
These qaulities were recognized by the affluent men who imported expensive gas cars from Europe and wrote the rules for the races they held. Steam cars got written out of these rules almost immediately.
So F.E. Stanley went after the Land Speed Record. The engine is a 30 HP Stanley engine. This is nominal horsepower based on displacement. It is a two cylinder acting engine (i.e. 4 power strokes per revolution). Thus the power is really equivalent to a 8 cylinder engine. Developed torque is 985 ft lbs (!). The car had the largest boiler ever put into a Stanley, with a total area of 285 sq ft. They were running it up to 1300 psi. The gearing was .5 to 1-the engine running at half wheel speed!
If the pictures post, you will see that it looks like an upside down canoe. F.E. towed commercially available canoes behind his bike on a cart tied to a fish scale to measure drag. The one with the lowest drag was used. You will notice it also resembles an airfoil.
This brings us to 1907. The car was modified, and F.E. and Fred Marriott, the driver form 1906 and their most trusted employee returned to Florida. The weather was terrible, and they did not run until the last day.
Marriott buiit up steam, got the boiler hot, and wound up the car for 7 miles before he entered the traps. He hit a bump. He hit a second one, and was caught by a gust of wind. The car took off, flew for at least 100 feet, hit the beach, and traveled some more. The car was pretty much destroyed. Fred Marriott suffred a broken rib, eye socket and dislocated eye.
The car was going about 155 MPH at takeoff. As Fred Marriott got older and retold the story, this speed got higher and you will read that he was doing 197..
The Stanleys were aghast that they put their employee's life in danger. They never raced again. In some respects they lost interest in further perfecting the steam car. They did not however lose interest in collecting speeding tickets.
F.E was killed in 1917 at high speed trying to avoid a farm wagon, by his usual expedient of diverting into a field.
Here is a photo of Fred Marriott at speed, and the color picture is of Sarah Stanley Davison, a mild acquaintence, in replica of the Rocket at Ormond Beach in 2006. (She is a direct descendent .) She didn't go above 30MPH.
Regards
John Harley
Attach file:
(31.91 KB)
(25.50 KB)
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