Berrien Springs, MI 49103
The latest work on steam power in the last 75 years.
Modern steam power is a little known or understood subject. In contrast to almost all other steam information on the internet, this information is scientifically correct.
Therefore it will not offer Tesla turbines, free energy from burning water, or any of the many types of goofy rotary engines that the fertile human mind has invented.
I have collected homemade steam engines and monotube boilers. These will be illustrated and described. I have collected the best steam library in the country and that will, likewise, be described. Find more information at
http://www.kimmelsteam.com/index.html
~Tom Kimmel
Tom Kimmel
Owner / Editor
I am a University of Michigan history graduate with an interest in thermodynamics and mechanical things. I thought it would be easy and fun to make steam engines. After thinking about it for a while I decided that it would be easier and more fun to find something that worked and then to improve upon it, under the theory that people working on steam prior to myself were neither as smart nor as creative as I am. I thought, and still think, that steam is magic--to light a fire and make power. Now I think that it is going to be the salvation of the world. Therefore I have accumulated information. There are about one hundred homemade steam engines and steam boilers and steam vehicles in my collection, giving good examples of about everything the creative mind can come up with. A person does not know everything just because they have made a successful steam engine. They may think after that pleasant experience that they can design an improvement. In reality one does not know anything until one has made every possible mistake. Few of us have started down this road early enough in life to accomplish this goal and so it is easier to see what mistakes other people have made and to learn from them. My goal is to preserve these things that were made in people’s back yards and basements before they are thrown out and lost forever.
The Real Steam Power, Book Series will eventually consist of fifty volumes. It reflects half a lifetime of collecting many steam vehicles, engines, boilers, and burners, from antique to modern and homemade, of accumulating a large library of books, technical papers, government reports, and publications from several steam clubs. Modern steam power is both complex and little known, with good information being difficult to find. These books are written for the newly interested steam person. They include both history, technology, and the story of people who were fascinated by the subject. The books will be published as they are compiled.
***Please Read For International Orders:
International shipping is possible for a FEE. Make your order and an invoice will be sent that includes the shipping fee appropriate for your area.
The history of the Doble brothers and how and why they built their steam cars in a two volume set of hardcover books in a protective slip case.
A century ago the Doble family were leading citizens of San Francisco. Doble was a pioneering name in hydroelectric power, having patented water turbine wheels and nozzle designs that were uncommonly efficient. Abner Doble and his brother, Warren, were scions of the family born with the age of the automobile. Their first automotive experiences involved Stanley or White “steamers.” They were captivated by the stunning performance, compared to sluggish gas-engined cars. Abner Doble believed steam was superior, and he was the man to tap its potential. He focused his genius on boilers and engines, and built several cars, now regarded as perhaps the best steam cars ever. He sustained the effort well after steam cars had been abandoned by the industry. Tragically, in the end the laws of thermodynamics, complexity of the technology and some dubious stock deals spelled doom.
Author:
Jim Crank (1933-2017)
Jim Crank, author of the Doble book, was born in 1933 in Oakland California. He became a mechanical engineer by academic training, and a steam car fan by sheer fascination. In the 50s he was an avid sports car racer, at a time when steam power was being reconsidered by a few innovators. He soon came to know Warren Doble and Bill Besler.
His work experience ranged from atom bomb tests at the Bikini Atoll, an experience that convinced him such weapons should be eradicated, to defense and space-related programs with Lockheed. He was also expert in advanced optics, and worked for Atari on video game tech.
In the 1990s Jim took on the ground-up restoration of E-23. Original crankcases were prone to breaking due to the fierce torque, so Jim redesigned the casting and had several produced for other E car restorations. When completed E-23 was virtually new, and it won awards at Concours showings in the San Francisco Bay Area. It now resides in the Lucas Collection in Los Angeles. Jim also assisted on Jay Leno’s restoration of E-18, originally owned by the Hills Brothers family of San Francisco.
In the late 90s he began writing the book. Jim collected virtually all surviving Doble files and drawings, and having known Warren Doble and Bill Besler, he was the only person who could tell the story of this remarkable company and its amazing cars. The book is the only in depth record of the company’s existence.
5.0 out of 5 stars Not merely the only Doble book, but an adventure itself.
October 18, 2019
Not just a car history or a memoir, this is a sweeping presentation. An entire era and its unique individuals come clearly through. The author lived his entire adult life around these people, their associates, with the cars and their owners. Fortunately he was a great story teller and insisted on bringing it broadly into the present for us, if a bit repetitive. I have known a great many of the cars and the people, researched the same archives, and it rings true. Crank has also found astonishingly rare materials to present to us, and will cause many to review their own notes.
The style of the book is really inclusive. All makes of steam cars, predecessors, associates and car owners are presented to contrast and build the era. We are even given the individual history of each Doble. The only prior book on this subject was merely a compilation of technical tidbits. Even if you are never lucky enough to drive a Doble or even ride in one, you will gain an appreciation of the Dobles, their vision and their impossible task of developing these magnificent steam cars.
Berrien Springs, MI 49103