This rather unusual air compressor
is owned and was restored by my friend Tom Millett. It was built
in 1948 by Ingersoll-Rand and was designed primarily for use by the railroads
for track maintenance and repair. U.S. Patent 2614497 was applied
for on Feb. 15, 1947 and issued on Oct. 21, 1952 for this unit.
The design goal was for a light weight portable unit capable of high volume output. The result was this six cylinder radial unit with three cylinders serving as the gasoline power source and the other three cylinders being the air compressor. The power cylinders operate with a four stroke cycle and are arranged in an alternating pattern with the compressor cylinders. In operation, the cylinders are parallel with the ground and the crankshaft is vertical. There is a relatively large flywheel on the under side with the spokes shaped as fan blades to provide the cooling air. It is claimed that it would operate four pneumatic tampers simultaneously. |