A Short History of the Fitchburg Steam Engine Company.
Due to clever ideas and forethought the Fitchburg Engine Co came up with a machine which could be adjusted
when required after wear had been noticed within the piston valves - and without dismantling the machine.
Fig.1 - Below Text.
In other words no overhaul charges for a long time if the normal maintenance was kept up as with any machine.
This was all due to tapered cones being inbuilt within the valves, which could be tightened and thus expanding
the radius of the outside diameter of the piston valves - maximium expansion of 1/16 of 1 inch could be gained.
This very ingenious idea was to SET a profound difference between The Fitchburg Engine Company, and all others
of that day - with low down-times in maintenance the Company gained better sales than its rivals - who had all
been in business - for many more years and with a lot more experience at engine building.
Sound idea's win !!
Within a few short years ( 1895 ) the company had opened another office this time in Manhattan, NEW YORK
in the
Taylor Building, at 39 Cortlandt Street while keeping their Main office in Fitchburg - they eventually
became well
acknowledged throughout the United States with sales on many Continents, such was the Fame of this Company.
~ A little about Cortlandt Street ~
Cortlandt Street ( Late 20's through to Late 40's )
* Cortlandt Street , North Manhattan was later to be nicknamed ( Radio Row ) due to the great number of Radio
retailers and radio spare parts shops numbering as many as 30 by 1936- The Age of Radio was well under way.
At No.39 Cortlandt during the 1930's two Boiler Makers traded from this same address as had the Fitchburg Co,
They were - The Roberts Safety Water Tube Boiler Co' and The Wilkens, Chas.B. Company, the latter of these
two becoming a familiar household name with many agencies around the world selling domestic hot water services.
In 1880, No.30 Cortlandt St was also home to a very well known " Boiler Manufacturing Company " by the name
of
" Babcock & Wilcox " - known for water tube boilers - and still trading today (same name) - in Barberton, Ohio.
Although keeping the same name the company is now an operating unit of McDermott International Inc.
The Method of operation in expanding the piston valves.
The Valves, as shown in Fig.1, are of a piston type, four in number,
and are expansible by slacking the bolts bearing on the valve and
tapped into the central taper plug, then tightening those tapped
through head and bearing against the taper plug, the latter is
forced in and the valve expanded in diameter taking up any wear
which may have occurred over time.
See - Fig. 2 below
In Fig. 2
The wrist pin, or cam roller actuating the steam valves,
travels in the concentric slot of the cam without moving
it during more than half of the cams travel, -- then gradually
starting the valve until its lap edge reaches
the edge of the
port when by the special form given the cam slot the valve
is thrown open suddenly, remaining
open till point of cut-off
and then suddenly closed, -- thus opening and closing the
port swiftly, -- the valve traveling only as far as is necessary
to fully open the ports and return to their rest, the valves at
either end acting alternately, one remaining still while the other
is moving.
This type of engine can be seen at the top of the - Engine Page.
