Why the preference for Bolinder Engines

[Paul H]

Yes. Fitted in narrowboats since 1915, although FMC were still fitting them in new boats well into the 30s when the GUCCC was fitting 'high speed' (1000 rpm) diesel engines. Hot bulb engines were still being built in the 1950s and, I think, possibly into the 60s for use in fishing boats.

Gorse, the last ever Josher motor was completed in iirc 1951 by BW in 1951 and fitted with a Bolinder. There is a suggestion thay Pollocks, UK agents for Bolinders, were closely involbed in the design of FMC motor boats.

Paul

Edited August 13, 2015 by Paul H

[Derek R.]

Now, available fuel had not occurred to me!

[larkshall]

I find it hard to accept that the Hot bulb Bolinder was a simple engine. It certainly was in respect of its moving parts, and that no gearbox was fitted, but the process of first lighting a blowlamp, which itself needs a few minutes of preheating with meths before it lights with the main fuel - paraffin, it then needs to be left for so many more minutes to heat the bulb, then priming the engine proper before pulling out the peg from the flywheel, bracing ones' self and giving a firm kick over or up to top dead centre in hope she would fire - then if it was firing the wrong way - getting it going the right way, and heading into a lock wanting reverse took just the right amount of timing to obtain same using the correct levers. It needed skill! Doubtless many boatmen, and women, gained that skill, and were rightly proud of it once acquired, but how much easier would a full diesel and gearbox have been? Perhaps the skill acquired was equal to that of handling their animals and the challenge was taken on. Though of course it would not be the boatman who had any say over what engine he might get.

 

However, how many manufacturers were offering the latter in 1920?

 

Horses need more knowledge, and time. They can be cussed when they want. But taking care of the tack, ensuring shies are ok, grooming, ensuring they get the right feed. That's at both end of the day, plus watering . They are not machines, and require pampering, and care to get the best out of them.

 

I also wonder what the unit cost of horse v bolinder was, in fact total cost of ownership over the expected working life was.

 

Engine porn, Sorry, can't help myself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=263&v=w9XxfpuUvs0

[LEO]

Perhaps cost per unit made Bolinders the main choice? - Gardners probably ruled out as being too expensive.

 

Then, as now labour cost may have entered the equation.

 

Perhaps it was just down to reputation - Kelvins were the popular choice fro fishing boats in Scotland, good simple design, easy to repair.

 

L.

[Pluto]

In the 1930s and 1940s, Widdops were widely used by fishing and commercial coastal craft, as well as on wide inland waterways in the UK. They were considered ideal for boatmen with little experience of engines.

 

[kris88]

 

a recent posting on the vintage engines on ebay thread linked to a 50hp hundested hot bulb (danish) -

complaints arose that 1972 wasn't vintage !

 

springy

Yes that was my mistake, I didn't realise semi diesel where made so recently. I think you'll find it was 200hp though. A very interesting engine.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Widdops were widely used by fishing and commercial coastal craft, as well as on wide inland waterways in the UK. They were considered ideal for boatmen with little experience of engines.

 

Shame the one widdop left in a shortboat isn't a runner.

Regards kris

[Heartland]

Whilst the Bolinder crude oil engine found initial favour in craft such as fishing vessels, I believe one of the earliest uses in a canal boat was by Cadbury Brothers in 1911.

 

Ray Shill

[TimYoung]

Another advantage to the Bolinder is that it easily comes to pieces. Two bodies can pass the pieces either in or out through the engine 'ole doors.

 

The flywheel needs a plank across the gunnels.

 

Tim

[BuckbyLocks]

Petrol and paraffin engines generally failed to find favour on canals because of their high revs/small propeller ratios leading to very low torque. The first Bolinder seen in England was in the fishing boat built by/for the Bolinder company as a sales pitch for their engines. Bolinder VII had an 80 HP E Type direct reversing engine. Previous to that point most vessels had reversing propellers rather than gear boxes or reversing engines. The first Thames vessel known to have used a Bolinder for carrying was in the 'Travers' which had a 50HP engine. 'Travers' was a 70 foot cargo carrying barge, (not Narrow Boat) working from 1910. Pollock supplied this engine and in 1911 they supplied two 15HP Engines to Cadbury. Bourneville I was twin ruddered, decked and wheel steered and was not very successful. Bourneville II seems to have been more conventional and based on the steamer designs. The Irish waterways then bought a number of the 15HP engines for use in their barges, one of which was seen in the Griff Rhys-Jones series, 3 Men in a Boat. FMC started fitting Bolinder engines in 1912, with 'Linda' being the first one in service. One independent carrier to use Bolinder engines early on was Emanuel Smith in his 'Speedwell' which had a 20HP engine - large for canals but I believe this boat was used on the Thames as well as the Regents Canal

 

The large increase in BHP mentioned by Springy was down to the influence of the First World War on shipping generally. Large numbers of vessels were built for the Military and Rustons built 79 Bolinder engines, many of them 300HP multi cylinder engines for the Admiralty pre 1918.

 

Walter Pollock in his oil engine book quotes figures of 0.10d per ton mile on the engine powered Irish Boats. The corresponding figure for horse boating there is 0.262d, but he does not give details of his calculations.

 

It should be remembered that most of the boatmen using Bolinders had been brought up with horses and as horses have no brakes, the boatmen continued to boat in the same way with their new fangled engines. Reverse was still a black art to most of them and they used ropes to strap gates and stop. The clutches still worked on the early introductions and it was only when the clutches wore that this became more difficult. Remember also the demands the First World War made on horses. The Bolinder was no doubt marketed as an alternative.

[Pluto]

There used to be the remains of several Bolinders rusting away at Tullamore (see below) when I was there in 1980. The L&LC tried diesel engines circa 1905, possilyone from Germany as there is a postcard of Wigan sent back to Germany by one of the installers. It may have come about as a result of the gas engine trials going on around the same time, with L&LC officials invited to view a gas-engined narrow boat on the Bridgewater after it had travelled up from the south. Gardners were involved with the trials, and as a result one of their engines was tried in a short boat, but seems to have been found to be too top heavy for a canal boat, so was taken out and used to drive one of the L&LC sawmills.