Vintage work crew photos

[mklotz]

The two rods to activate the intake valves (top of cylinder) and the exhaust valves (bottom of cylinder) indicate that this is not a genuine Corliss design but one of Corliss' competitors. A genuine Corliss design would have a wrist plate centrally mounted on the side of the cylinder driven by a single rod. Four adjustable rods from the wrist plate to the valves would allow independent timing of the valves, the secret to the engine's efficiency. The wrist plate was a feature of Corliss' patent so his competitors had to come up with something different.

Here's a short video I made of a Corliss rescued from a sugar mill and now operating at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista, CA. It clearly shows the wrist plate in operation.