Could someone confirm if Grout steam cars had engines supplied by Mason?.

The engines I have seen have the Grout Brothers name on the valve chest. Did they just have their name added to a Mason engine or did they produce their own?

I am currently following a tenuous lead of an early Grout steamer in the States which has been hidden away in a barn for over 80 years. The car is apparently incomplete and in bits but might just be worth a punt.

Ray

Hi Ray,
What year and model Grout is it? Any photos? George Hounslow.

Well George, at the moment I have very little information to go on and no chance of Photos but from what my contact in the States has told me it resembles a locomobile so I guess it's around 1903 so probably a model J or H. It could be earlier. Definitely not 1904 with the bonnet (hood).Unfortunately there is no body but I do have the opportunity of a suitable one made for another basket case car without any provenance(which I posted here.) If there is enough to restore and the price is right I would consider building one car from both.

Unfortunately, winter is setting in and severe weather will prevent my contact from doing anything until it improves. A bit frustrating but I have lot's of patience.

It's all if's, but's and maybe's at the moment.

I will have to sell both my vintage cars to finance a Brighton car - even if it needs restoration so I might as well go for a steamer and realise two of my ambitions in one!

Ray





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 01/11/13 11:52AM by Ray White.

Ray here - how do you cancel a post?





Edited 3 times. Last edit at 01/11/13 11:58AM by Ray White.

Hi Ray,
The photos of the engine of a 10HP bonnet car seem to show that the engine is infact one of Grouts own, or atleast not a Mason. The Mason engine had a single flat crosshead (per cylinder) and had a single water pump bracket made out of a sheet of metal, not anywhere near as strong as the pump brackets shown. The engine also seems to be fitted with an air compressor. I attach two links, one of a Grout sold on the site a few years ago, which I mentioned above, and the other of a mason engine so that you can see for yourself. George Hounslow.
[www.steamcar.net]
[www.steamcar.net]

[www.artfact.com]

This is presumably a Grout engine with the name on the valve chest. I think it takes an experienced steam person to pick out the differences but in the photos which you posted (I have seen them before but thanks anyway) there is what looks like a wheel valve on the valve chest cover. What does this do please? On the Mason engine it is blanked off?

Ray.

Hi Ray,
Yes that appears to be a grout engine. The valve wheel controls the valve chest drain or "drip valve" as it is known, this simply drains any water out of the valve chest when starting from cold in the morning, also when firing up in the morning you open this valve and crack the throttle open slightly, thus a steady flow of steam goes through the superheating coil/pipe (which drys out the steam, thus superheating it and runs inbetween the boiler and burner) and stops it from overheating or causing damage to the tube by suddenly dumping a load of wet steam into a red hot pipe. On the other hand, some early cars didn't have a superheater, so you might not have to do this! George.