SENECA

James McWilliams Blue Line NY

The Blue Line Seneca was a 1940's tugboat designed primarily for canal and low bridge work.
She had an ALCO 6-cylinder 2-cycle diesel direct drive engine with an amazingly large propeller.
The engine turned 240 RPM (maximum) and had a very dynamic critical shake at about 120 RPM.
Low speed was approximately 60 RPM and one could almost count the revolutions of the shaft coupling.
The 6 pistons were almost as large as 5 gallon buckets and there were lots of top head brass to be polished.
Reverse was achieved by changing the injector and compressed air timing, causing the engine to run in reverse.
The pilot house signaled the engine room for engine speed and direction with a combination of bells and jingles.
The most disturbing signal was 4-bells and a jungle (immediate full astern from full ahead)
When underway the engine room was always manned by an engineer and an oiler.
I was an oiler on the Seneca the summers of 1956 and 1958.
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I have been unable to find any specific data on this ALCO engine.
A generalized description is at link:
  http://www.dieselduck.ca/machine/01%20prime%20movers/diesel_engine/diesel_engine.01.htm
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