Posted by Scott Andrews on October 26, 1999 at 19:31:28 in 192.11.221.98:
In Reply to: Here's something else for Mike and the others posted by Bruce Beveridge on October 26, 1999 at 18:29:22:
: I was looking at my new THS Commutator in the Nicoli article showing pictures of the movie model. They built two steam control wheels just fore of the mast, on top of the center intersect point, or the Y of the steam pipe shrouds. I suppose their purpose for this was because they figured there must have been a need for a shut off for the winches. I disagree and would like to see their references. I have checked all of my pictures and my real movie footage video of the Olympic's forecastle, and I see no steam valves when the forward ones ARE in place in this video. Maybe I missed something. I am sure the control for those winches were on the apparatuses themselves. Can anyone else find evidence of these things?
Bruce,
I agree with you. I couldn't find any evidence of such control wheels either. The control wheels for the capstans were necessary because the engines driving them were on the deck below. In the case of the winches, the whole mechanism was right there on the deck, cylinders, pistons, slide valves and all. It would have been unlikely that the throttle, reversing and brake controls would have been other than part of the machine itself. A valve to completely shut off the supply to the winches would more likely have been located completely below deck on the supply line from the boiler rooms.
Scott