We finally got the hoist running today! Here is a link to a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtQGFt1rqiA
and the most recent photos:
http://news.webshots.com/album/55776602 ... ?start=308
The hoist is currently running on compressed air, so the background noise in the film is the air compressor. Also, despite months of hand scraping, the valve seats still had long narrow pits that allowed air to leak past, so these were filled with epoxy, sanded, and are now working well.

Very nice Mike. Is that as fast as you were able to get it spinning with the air compressor you were using? How much PSI were you able to sustain?

Miner Greg

Thank you for the reply. Yes, that is as fast as it would go at the time. We were running with the compressor wide open. It only creates 150 CFM. It should be good for about 100 psi or more, but I don’t think we got anywhere near that. The big issue with the hoist is not pressure, but volume. We solved this by running a second air line parallel to the first, thus doubling the airflow. The engine did pick up a little more speed later in the day as it was broken in and better oiled. It will go much faster and be more powerful on steam. According to the catalogue, engines of its cylinder size have a top speed of 140 RPM. We were doing about 13.

Well PSI goes down if the air compressor cannot put out the CFM the engine requires. And thus the line going to the steam engine will never make it up to 100 PSI.

My air compressor (it is a 7 hp 240V electric) while it is a big one for a home, will put out 16.8 CFM at 90 PSI. At lets say 40 PSI, it will put out more CFM (I'd guess 20 +), but it probably wouldn't do too well powering your steam engine.

Miner Greg

I put a pressure gauge on the hoist today and was astonished at the reading!

There was a second air line downstream feeding the hoist, so maybe the gauge didn’t measure the full pressure powering the hoist. In addition to the gauge, I put a horn/whistle valve on as well as a throttle valve. When the throttle is closed, the air pressure will build up in the hoses and make the engine run fast for a short burst immediately after the throttle is opened.

The pressure gauge, whistle valve, and piping were salvaged last year from the now demolished PB&NE RR locomotive repair shop in Bethlehem.