Holt Steam Wheeled Tank (1/43)

[AVR]

Thank you for good words!

Excuse me, I can't write everything what I would like to: I little forgot English for two last years. ( But I hope to recover my knowledges in a short time.

[whulsey]

Going through the info I've found so far (not much) it looks like Holt wasn't really involved with this project except for a couple of Holt combine wheels being used as front wheels and some inspiration with the gas/electric vehicle that they had build for the military as a prototype. It would almost seem as accurate to call it a Doble since the steam engines were built by Doble who build steam cars up into the thirties that were competitors of Duesenberg. By 1910, Holt was rapidly moving away from steam traction and wheeled vehicles.

Anyway an interesting model that I will enjoy watching come together and digging for more information that may relate to it. Will look through the few Doble references I have and see if they have anything on the engines. A problem with finding info is for years the cars guys didn't talk to the farm guys didn't talk to the military guys, etc., etc., etc. Finally people are realizing that there was/is lots of cross-pollination between the engineers-designers.

[whulsey]

Here's a link showing a sectional view of the Doble-Detroit steam engine from a brochure. Looks like 2 of these were used for power. http://cdn.calisphere.org/data/13030...2157-FID59.jpg

[elliott]

Engine operation seems simple enough.

[CharlieC]

I've just put Andrey's Steam Wheel Tank model on Landships II. The website seems slow at the moment - don't know why (Landships II is never fast from Australia - it's hosted in Europe).

URL: Landships II

The Steam Wheel Tank was built by Holt from late 1916 until early 1918. The wheels were based on a Holt combine design. There were two Doble steam engines supplied by a pair of kerosene fueled boilers. Apparently the torque characteristics of the steam engines were such that no transmission was required.

Regards,

Charlie

[CharlieC]

Doble - as well as supplying engines for the Holt steam tank - also made cars.
There are a couple of video clips of Doble cars hosted by Jay Leno. In one of them he explains how the Doble steam engine worked - worth a look, I think.
The conditions inside Holt's steam tank would have been very bad - probably worse than the British rhomboid tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUg_ukBwsyo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACO-HXvrRz8

Regards,

Charlie

[AVR]

Conditions inside the cabin - it is interesting question. I think, crews inside MARK I ... V tanks had much worse conditions: gasoline engines produce both hotness and exhaust gases, but steam engine - as primary, hotness only. So, air inside Steam Wheel Tank must be cleaner. But this vehicle, probably, was like a small movable bathhouse.
And I wonder about other thing: the cockpit is very small. I can not imagine, how the six man crew were placed there? Also, there must be placed steam cylinders, tail parts of cannon and machine guns. The crew compartment must be crowded like... may be like a bus in a rush hour.

At the attached picture I placed tank and two persons in the same scale.

[CharlieC]

Finished my quick build of the Steam Wheel Tank model in 1/50. It's fairly straightforward to build - the wheels are guaranteed to bring madness a little closer. I'm thinking about this model in 1/25 - it would probably need a frame.

Regards,

Charlie

[CharlieC]

And now for the 1/25 version. Needed to scratch build a 1mm frame for this one. Found a reference to the Holt steam tank in a 1930 book which said the gun was mounted low on the front plate - did that. Added lots of rivets - probably hundreds of the things.

Anyone who wants the 1/25 model drop me a PM - easier than fiddling around with printers and odd sized card.

Regards,

Charlie

[at6]

Interesting model. Well executed.