Hughes Engine and Boiler

 

Three Cylinder Engine:

The late Lawrence Grunder gave a couple of talks to the Southern California steam clubs about his work with Howard Hughes, starting with the steam car and then doing regular engineering work.  Grunder said that the project ran from 1926 until December, 1931.  John O’Donnell of Long Beach, California bought the remains of the car and the two Hughes Dobles.   Howard Hughes Engine, three cylinder, in-line, double acting steam engne, uniflow steam engine, poppet valves

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Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine   Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine
Photography by Derek Peters    
 
           This is the parts of the engine left over from Howard Hughes’ steam car project of the 1920’s.  We think that maybe California collector Ozro Smith may have had something to do with preserving this engine.  When the Hughes car was made it was a French front wheel drive car converted to steam with a big barrel engine mounted crosswise directly driving two live axles to the front wheels. That engine is in the transportation museum in North Carolina.  Therefore this engine would have been an earlier development.   (For photos of the 1925 Doble Series E Roadster owned by Howard Hughes Click Here then scroll down page. The pictures were taken at the Nethercutt Collection Museum, Los Angeles, CA. Since then Jay Leno bought the car.)
     
Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine   Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine
     
             The design, a three cylinder double acting uniflow is about the perfect design.  A uniflow engine with poppet valve admission is the most efficient engine design.  Three cylinder double acting gives overlapping power strokes making for smooth power transmission.
         
Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine   Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine   Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine
         
           The dimensions are 4” bore and the cylinders are 8” end to end, meaning to the outside of the flanges.  It looks like poppet valves were mounted at right angles to the cylinders.  There is very little information on Hughes’ steam work and most of it is contradictory.  I am trying to get the manuscript from Lawrence Grunder on his work with Hughes.  I have a tape recording of his 1967 steam club talk and in that talk he mentioned that he was writing a book.  We cannot find any book.
     
Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine   Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine
     
Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine   Howard Hughes 1920 3 cylinder Steam Engine
     
 

Hughes Mono-Tube Boiler

This is a boiler labeled as being made by Howard Hughes.  It was purchased at the 1995 R. A. Gibbs’ auction in North Carolina.  Purportedly Carl Guth collected this boiler and the Hughes’ barrel engine from his steam car project and gave them to Gibbs’ for his collection.  The engine is now in a museum.  The boiler appears to be influenced by Doble’s work.  It is very well crafted.

   Howard Hughes Mono-tube boiler for a steam engine