George Eli Whitney 1900 Ida F. engine and boiler restoration

Ida F. was George Whitney's personal boat for 48 years. George sold her and she was in a fire in 1948. George Whitney rebuilt the engine and boiler for Bill Willock. In 1955 Bill put them in a rebuilt 1902 30 foot Fay and Bowen hull. Before the canopy was finished the boat burned again. the engine and boiler was painted in red primer and has been sitting in museums ever since. Until now.
Restoration has begun.

There is also a photo of the boiler and engine in the book Steamboats and Modern steam Launches page 9 November-December 1961.
It’s wood lagged with all the pluming and fire door on the boiler.

Rolly

That picture is from 1954 when George Whitney rebuilt her after the 1948 fire. My goal is to get her back to that condition.
This is what she looked like in 1940 before the first fire.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2021 07:30PM by tom1356.

Tom your right, but in either case it’s still George’s work. He was a legend of his time.
Evan with steam cars.

Rolly

One of the last times Ida F. was running on steam.

Tom you have a nice collection of photos. This last photo looks like the first steaming after George rebuilt her in 1954, it also has an added pressure gauge from the photo I posted.
Was the boiler and engine ever installed in another boat after the rebuilding from the fire?

Rolly

Rolly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tom you have a nice collection of photos. This
> last photo looks like the first steaming after
> George rebuilt her in 1954, it also has an added
> pressure gauge from the photo I posted.
> Was the boiler and engine ever installed in
> another boat after the rebuilding from the fire?
>
> Rolly


Hi Rolly,

After George rebuilt her in 1954 she was installed in a restored 1902 30 foot Fay and Bowen hull. While she was at the boat yard having the canopy installed the boat yard burned down and the boat was destroyed again.
After that, Bill Willock, who owned her, painted her primer red and put her in his private museum until he died in 1987. Then she was sent to a museum in Pennsylvania which is where I found her.
This picture is when Steamboat Bill magazine showed up.

Tom

Maybe the man made dead aren’t to be resurrected.

Rolly

Rolly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe the man made dead aren’t to be
> resurrected.
>
> Rolly


Maybe. Maybe the third time is the charm.

Only two fires in 120 years.

We will see after this restoration.

Tom

tom1356 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rolly Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Tom you have a nice collection of photos. This
> > last photo looks like the first steaming after
> > George rebuilt her in 1954, it also has an
> added https://atelierrebul.si/hr/shop/category/mirisi-za-dom-22
> > pressure gauge from the photo I posted.
> > Was the boiler and engine ever installed in
> > another boat after the rebuilding from the
> fire? https://cbdshop.club/hr/trgovina/cbd-cvjetovi/
> >
> > Rolly
>
>
> Hi Rolly,
>
> After George rebuilt her in 1954 she was installed
> in a restored 1902 30 foot Fay and Bowen hull.
> While she was at the boat yard having the canopy
> installed the boat yard burned down and the boat
> was destroyed [www.shopio.rs] .
> After that, Bill Willock, who owned her, painted
> her primer red and put her in his private museum
> until he died in 1987. Then she was sent to a
> museum in Pennsylvania which is where I found
> her.
> This picture is when Steamboat Bill magazine
> showed up.
>
> Tom

dead aren’t to be resurrected.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2023 06:21AM by TimTom42.

It is a shame that you feel that way.

[www.youtube.com]

Rolly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tom you have a nice collection of photos. This
> last photo looks like the first steaming after
> George rebuilt her in 1954, it also has an added
> pressure gauge from the photo I posted.
> Was the boiler and engine ever installed in
> another boat after the rebuilding from the fire?
>
> Rolly


Hi Rolly,

It's great to see your collection of photos! The last photo really captures the moment of the rebuild in 1954. It looks like the boiler and engine were never installed in another boat after the rebuild. It's amazing to think that George was able to bring her back to life after the fire. It's a testament to his skill and dedication!

Pouring the new babbit bearings.

Tom, that’s an old stile thrust bearing. Is there another thrust bearing on the shaft?
Rolly

No the other bearing has the bits that move to change gear.

tom1356 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That picture is from 1954 when George Whitney
> rebuilt her after the 1948 fire. My goal is to get
> her back to that condition.
> This is what she looked like in 1940 before the
> first fire.


It's impressive that you're aiming to restore the boat to its condition from 1954, especially considering its historical significance and the effort required for such a project.

All files from this thread

File Name	File Size		Posted by	Date
George E Whitney Ida F boiler and engine.jpg	188.6 KB	open | download	Rolly	07/09/2021	Read message
214018967_531548967986853_4467435717897919288_n.jpg	553.7 KB	open | download	tom1356	07/18/2021	Read message
babbit21.jpg	377 KB	open | download	tom1356	05/15/2023	Read message
babbit2.jpg	299.3 KB	open | download	tom1356	05/15/2023	Read message
babbit.jpg	378.3 KB	open | download	tom1356	05/15/2023	Read message
received_835041403837161.jpeg	468.6 KB	open | download	tom1356	05/15/2023	Read message