Thursday, March 19, 2026

"Six hunnert haws-pow-ah."

 

600 HP Snow Natural Gas Pumping engine at Coolspring June 2013.  Shown here is the start-up operation and shutdown of this most impressive engine. After several years of hard work, the job had progressed where the crew was able to perform a few test runs.  On this particular test ( the fourth start-up) a few mechanical adjustments had been made and on-line fuel valve settings performed.  My hats off to a truly incredible volunteer effort by the Coolspring Museum staff 

 This engine was manufactured by the Snow-Holly Works of Buffalo, New York, and is serial number G329.  It has two tandem 24 inch bore x 48 inch stroke cylinders that are double-acting.  Total displacement is 86,800 cubic inches or 1,423 liters.  The rated output of the engine is 600 hp at 100 RPM which yields a torque value of 31,500 ft-lbf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 comments:

  1. Impressive! What was it used for? Mine pump?

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    Replies
    1. Pumping Natural Gas.

      Irish ☘️

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  2. Well, it may be impressive, but it certainly wasn't "inclusive". s/

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  3. Replies
    1. Fuel for the engine is natural gas with make and break igniters providing ignition. Total displacement is 86,800 cubic inches or 1,423 liters. The rated output of the engine is 600 hp at 100 RPM, which yields a torque value of 31,500 ft-lbf.

      Link to more info

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  4. I think those men. hear Whoosh kunk kunk kunk in their sleep.
    1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

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  5. If that thing ever got torqued off people would get hurt.

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  6. ps LNG transmission is an interesting as hell industry from what little I’ve been around in the industry

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  7. Now use 26" pistons in 2 banks. 4 pistons 8 compustion chambers at 1600 HP. Ours spun a 40,000 pound flywheel. Top speed is 125 rpm. Cooper Bessemers.

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  8. Back in the 80s, the Crazy Horse Landfill outside Salinas, California, had an inline submarine (I think) engine having a centerline crankshaft and opposing pistons. It was used for low rpm, large displacement to extract landfill methane gas for fuel. When it was running, the landfill wiggled a bit as if an earthquake was happening. On-site workers were used to it, but periodic workers or visitors were confused by the sensation.
    But thanks for this video!

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  9. NAPA don't carry parts anymore for those. Valve covers are on back order for 200 years unless you make them

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  10. "" 600 hp at 100 RPM which yields a torque value of 31,500 ft-lbf.""
    ....so, about what nearly every 16yr old thinks he can get out of his Dodge Neon and spend every last cent trying.

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  11. Now that's some grade A engineering porn!
    -lg

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  12. My thoughts exactly. Specifically....wow, that's ALMOST as much HP as we got out of a bored and stroked Chevy...in 1963. OK, we didn't get it for long, it was sure as hell louder, it wasn't running gasoline, and it was on a mount to a dyno not spinning rubber, but still - credit where credit's due. Shop class in the Midwest in an auto town, long defunct. We were living the 409 dream those days. (The 409 was about 1 hp/ci as released; a bunch of 16 year old gearheads could 'encourage' it to do better, if you didn't care about life, had access to the local manufacturing base and some damn fine engineers, and a school shop good enough build an engine from castings)

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  13. Back in the 90s, I served as 1st mate on a tug that had a 600hp Busch Sulzer direct reversing engine. It was a 6 cylinder and red lined at 450 rpm. It was built for the Navy in 1945. We carried a spare piston / cylinder kit, I could stand inside the cylinder.
    Old engines bring back good memories. Thanks, Irish.
    Karl

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  14. Replies
    1. You're welcome Kenny!!

      HA Irish

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  15. I work for the company that originally owned it. A lot different than the more modern compressors I work on. Cool to see it run.

    back story of it.

    http://www.coolspringpowermuseum.org/Exhibits/Exley/Snow_600_00.htm

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  16. Snow should be the third word.
    Flummoxed that I have to state such.

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