How Titanic's Engines Sounded

[Steffen Reichel]

Well, I do not agree!

From many Paddle Steames on lakes and rivers, and from steam tugboats as larger steames I knew thet mose reciprocating engines do not make any noise.... Only a quite hissing noise is sometimes pressent, but the mentiones 'whomp whomp whomp' shois an unbalanced, uncircular motion noise... Not good for bearings and engine at all....

And Anders, of course you can conversate in a steam locomotiove cabin, not load, but this depends an type and class. So the german express series 01 is not loud, but the war class 52 is not designed for running fast and carry less then 400 Tons, so here the engine is silent, but the wheels rattle and make everything shake, and thats the noise, what need the driver and stoker shout...
So the main noise comes at full power from the blast pipe, sonding of 'whoosh,whoosh...' but this is far engough to have conversation, if thrre is no 'auxillary noise' form wheels and tracks.....

 

[Dave Gittins]

Today I had a chat with my old mate Victor Delussey, who was a marine electrician with P & O and other lines many years ago. According to Vic, the large reciprocating engines in the old coal-fired ships made a great deal of noise. Those who worked with them for 7-8 years usually suffered hearing loss. He added that the boiler-rooms were also noisy, especially with the big fans in action.

Any old stokers or greasers out there?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Any old stokers or greasers out there?<<

Not me, but I've been down in enough mainspaces to understand the noise. Whether they were diesels or steam turbines, it was still loud enough that hearing protection was required.

 

[Steffen Reichel]

@Dave:
Hello, nice to read, but unfortunatelly I cannot agree. I was now in contact with many old steam engines, from railroad, to locomobile, from stationary (sawmill, water pumps, electicity) to marine engines. All of those make now noise and run noiseless, if all bearings were in order.
I can agree, that the fans which will deliver some fresh air or exhaust warm air from the boiler and engine room make noise, and I can agree, theat many auxillary things, like Worthington water pumps, air compressors and other things make a engine room realy a loud place, but a well maintained, well cared steam engine should make no sound!
The loadest engine a was even seen was a locomobile with a stephenson gear.. it was a clicking noise from the gear, but the engineer told me, thats because of the crosshaed junction and the junction of the gear swing, which were not anymore that good as they should be, but tolerable.
So you can speak without shouting to each other, but a load noise from the engine... I never heared any.
Even the large 600 hp water Pump engine running at full power made no noise!!! Only a slight hissing from ventiles or rushing steam is sometimes heared.
But a loader noise, like I heared on a british tugboat still came from not well maintained crosshead bearings, or bearings at the cranks....

@Michael:

WEll, Diesels do noise. Because there are little 'explosions' in the cylinder, so you have a load engine at all.. Because bruning fuel, gives allways a 'whoush' sound, not think if this 'whoush' comes 25 Times per Minute and is done in compressed air. This will lead more to a load 'bang' than a 'whoush', making the main noise of a diesel.
Steam turbines does have a load whistling noise, comming from the rotor blade ends, whcih often turn faster than supersonic, and the steam had to squezze through small nozzles, also making here noise, so the over all noise is a load whistling noise, sometimes very unatractive to our ears.
So in Diesel and Steam Turbine, I only can recommend hearing protection tools, like plugs i.e.
But in many steam engine rooms no ear protection is need, and I have stood next to many powerfull engines....

The quite movement of a steam engine makes them that dangerous, because one cannot hear the danger. Unaware moving his hand somewere is should not be, getting the forearme squezzed off by moving cranks, flywheel spokes or the main gear rods....
This was in old times accident cause number one for engineers... Because a moving diesel one hears, a moving steam turbine one hears, making him alert. But a moving steam engine is usually not heared, so unawareness can cause heavy injuries.
so first rule of the engineers is: Talk togehter, tell what you do. Second rule is: Watch twice, before you put your hands, legs or other parts of the body betwen the moving parts of the steam engine....

And: In south africa, the railroad locomitive series 25C had problems: Because running under steam it was a silent engine. There is no exhaust noise, except the whistling noise of the exhaust fan, if the firemen desired more power output. So those engines come along the track without noise, there is no 'Whoush, whoush, whoush, whoush' from exhaust steam, there is only a silent: 'Pshiiiiiii' And if running under full power, like a take-off airplane, that load, but untypically for a steam engine. And: this is a boiler noise, no noise from the engine.

so good maintained steam engines do not carry out load noise....

 

[Noel F. Jones]

I have to agree with Steffen.

A well-maintained steam reciprocating engine runs quietly and relatively vibration-free. More noise comes from the auxiliaries than from main propulsion.

Compare this with the debilitating whine or scream of the steam turbine or the 'clatter' - and vibration - of the diesel. Try living on top of a 5-cylinder opposed piston Doxford for three months and you'll soon state a preference!

That said, after the first few days you cease to notice it - until it stops or slows down.

As for gas turbines, ear protection is de rigeur and conversation, other than lip reading, impossible.

Noel

 

[Alexander John Cooley]

I do wonder if there are any kinds of cerated sounds of what she might have sounded like as she was coursing through the deep blue sea to her death.

 

[Matt Pereira]

I know this is a late post but I was messing around on youtube and found this Hathorn Davey Triple Expansion Engine video that is showing this steam engine though not the exact same as was in Titanic but same Triple Expansion type did indeed make noise as far as the thudding of the valve train as I would call it moving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIsMXqJmmNU&feature=related

Then as stated above was about the Waverley I did not check out the link supplied but youtube also has a good video of the Waverley`s Triple Expansion engine operating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIsMXqJmmNU&feature=related

 

[Steffen Reichel]

Hello Matt,
thanks for the nice video, but Titanic has a Stephenson Linkage with a different valve technology.
In the most stationary steam engines you will find conevalves, so here thumb levers lift those valves. As result, you have a typical klicking and rumbling noise, as the valve gear moves those levers.
In Titanic we will find a Stephenson linkage, a motion gear. So there is no lever which raises and drops, so klicking and rumble is not present, and this whistling noise you hear, well, look it's a untight bottom cylinder shaft bearing.... loosing steam...

 

[Matt Pereira]

Steffen, I know that they have blow by of steam past the bottom of the cylinder was little funny how people that are posting messages think thats normal. I want to say Titanic`s "slide valve" was operated off the crank shaft like a connecting rod so I know there its a quieter version than the Hathorn Davey Triple Expansion engine.

I am how ever still looking for a Stephenson Linkage model but not many triple expansion engines on youtube.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Matt, you might want to have a look at Samuel Halpern's article on this subject at https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic_prime_mover.html

There's an animated diagram of the mechenism about 3/4ths of the way down. Short of having the actual engines operating right in front of you, it just doesn't get any better then this.

 

[Matt Pereira]

Michael, Ive seen that article before never read all the way through it now I wished I did.