| Author |
Message |
    
iron_wolf
New member
Username: iron_wolf
Post Number: 1
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 06:39 pm: | 
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Hi all;
I am new to this board and I am not strictly speaking a marine engine collector. My collection is primarily made up of Wisconsin built engines of all kinds. The reason for this post is that a couple of months ago I purchased a Racine Boat Mfg. Co. engine.but this one has Racine Wis. cast into the flywheel and the name plate. Their is no S N on the name plate although their is a space for one. It is a two port engine with a removable head. It has a sparkplug in the head but a plugged hole in the top of the cylinder was obviously for an ignitor and it apears to have been plugged when the engine was built. It also has an ear on the base which looks like it was made for a horizontal water pump. The B & S are about 4X5 in. I would love to post some pix but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. (old fart you know) If anyone has any more info. on this one I would love to hear from you. B T W I am also the proud owner of a two cylinder inverted Pierce. I will have both of these engines on exhibit at the Baraboo show in Aug. They are featuring built in Wisconsin this year.
Iron Wolf |
billschaller
Senior Member
Username: billschaller
Post Number: 72
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 09:34 pm: |
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If you can email me the pictures, I will post them. |
scott_peters
New member
Username: scott_peters
Post Number: 2
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 07:37 am: |
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Greetings Iron Wolf and Bill,
Racine Boat Manufacturing Co. moved to Muskegon, Michigan in 1904 after a disatrous fire in Racine that wrecked their plant. I would assume that the engine, based on the markings, pre-dates 1904-05 for that reason. |
billschaller
Senior Member
Username: billschaller
Post Number: 73
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 08:34 am: |
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Here are the photos iron wolf sent me. He says this engine has a lot of similarities to the Piggins Bros from Racine on page 234 BYB2. he thought that Piggins only built trucks. it has a monarch carb
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keith
Senior Member
Username: keith
Post Number: 135
Registered: 02-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 08:47 am: |
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Bill, Scott
I think the Monarch Carb is incorrect. I believe a mixer should be on the other side of the engine with piping to the preheater port shown in the third picture. |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 1192
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 11:59 am: |
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From my many notes on Racine I still have many unanswered questions. It seems that the company did move partially to Michigan in 1904 but not all, a group stayed on at the Racine plant!
in 1906 a key man Peter Godske took a group from the Muskegon plant back to Racine and reorganised once again, I do not know whether this was just the boat building activity or the engine mfging as well or if the engine mfging ever moved to Muskegon ??
The engine above is a Piggins, this rare 1902 ad is that engine, the Racine engines always had the same elongated holes in the flywheel and the curious long shaft extension out the front,and other liknesses,there is a tie here- research to find out what Piggins actually was - Engine mfg, Foundry etc and to look into Whether or not Racine actually mfgd engines or just boats would be in order ??
 |
scott_peters
New member
Username: scott_peters
Post Number: 3
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 09:29 pm: |
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Hi guys,
The return of Peter Godske and others to Racine to form another company was the start of the Racine Boat Company [not Racine Boat Manufacturing Co.] Racine Boat Company lasted from 1906 to 1927 according to a book entitled "The Racine Boat Manufacturing Company: The Muskegon Years, 1903-1915" by Fred R. Gunther, published or assembled in November 1988 (he did a scrapbook on each of the Racine boat builders.) The original Racine Boat Manufacturing Company stated in December of 1893 by Fred Martin. By 1895 the plant had new owners and expanded extensively. Theodore Poekel replaced Martin as the designer and superintendent. Between 1896 and 1903 they were building steel steam yachts and large fin-keel sailing yachts, as well as some of the Lake Geneva sailing fleet. The Racine, Wisconsin plant was totally destroyed by fire on May 31, 1903, and being unable to expand at the destroyed site, elected to move to Muskegon, Michigan. The engines were built at Muskegon, as they had a major foundry there. They had so much capacity that they leased out part of the plant in 1908 to a company that later became Campbell Wyant Cannon, the large grey iron manufacturers. The company also had an iron and brass foundry, machine shop, pattern shop, blacksmith shop and woodworking facilities. The fireproof buildings covered 68,000 square feet. (this from Muskegon Magazine, June/July 1991.) As such, I think the engine probably dates to that 1895-1903 period while the firm was still actually in Racine.
Scott |
jb_castagnos
Senior Member
Username: jb_castagnos
Post Number: 160
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 09:39 pm: |
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It looks to me like the carb belongs on the other side, the cast duct on the cylinder picked up hot air around the exhaust. It would have then been connected to the carb intake. |
iron_wolf
New member
Username: iron_wolf
Post Number: 3
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 11:08 pm: |
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Hi Rich;
The "Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942" by Krause Publications will tell you just about all you want to know about the Piggins Brothers. They built cars,trucks and marine engines. A number of years ago I remember seeing a Piggins truck in a museum, I think it was the Van Horn museum in Mason City,IA. but I am not sure. The truck was called the Practical Piggins. The long extension on the flywheel end of the crank on my engine is actually a grease cup to lubricate the rod bearing.
Iron Wolf |
iron_wolf
Member
Username: iron_wolf
Post Number: 4
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 11:31 pm: |
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Hi, Its me again;
For anyone interested in the Racine boat builders their was a series of seven articles in the"Nautical Reserch Journal" between 2000 and 2003 which will tell you just about all you ever wanted to know about them.
Iron Wolf |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 1193
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 11:48 am: |
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Scott
Your input of information here is always appreciated,THanks ! Helps clear up some of this early Racine history.
My lack of seeing these old engines or good photos of them makes comparisons difficult. The engine photos ads etc that I do have of the Racine addressed engines- Racine Boat Mfgr., Piggins, and Racine Boat Company say so far that they all drew from the same gene pool?
Any photos out there of the Racine Boat Mfgr Muskegon engine ??
Iron_Wolf
Thanks for getting photos to Bill to post here and the info sources. very cool rare old engine and a real piece of this early Racine history ! |
ernie
Senior Member
Username: ernie
Post Number: 440
Registered: 01-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 02:26 pm: |
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Richard,
Ahem...
http://www.oldmarineengine.com/discus/messages/1/8175.html |
scott_peters
Member
Username: scott_peters
Post Number: 5
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 08:41 pm: |
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Hi guys,
It might be a long shot, but perhaps contacting the Racine Heritage Museum, 701 S. Main, Racine, WI, 53403 phone (262) 636-3926 might be worth a shot, unless all the Racine Boat Manufacturing Co. records burnt in the fire. They might have an old catalogue or production data. I see they have a research center and archivist, so it must be big enough to help. |
JB Piggin
Visitor
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 05:41 am: |
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Hi,
My topic of interest in this discussion is the Piggins Brothers engineworks and whether any Piggins engines or other products are still in existence. It would appear from the above discussion that Iron Wolf does not have a Piggins, although the machine, as a Racine type, resembles one. The Van Horn museum mentioned by Iron Wolf no longer exists, so I am wondering where that truck is. See this news story about the closure in 2002:
http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2002/06/18/local/export22855.txt
I am compiling information about Piggins Bros on this web page:
http://www.piggin.org/PigginsCar.htm
The E-mail and postal address is on the page and I welcome all contributions of old advertisements, technical advice and so on.
Jean-Baptiste Piggin |
racinehistory
New member
Username: racinehistory
Post Number: 1
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2007 - 08:52 pm: |
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Great engine!!!! |
