Steam clock facts for kids
A steam clock is a special kind of clock that uses steam power to work, either fully or in part. There are only a few of these unique clocks around the world. Most of them were designed and built by a Canadian clock expert named Raymond Saunders. He made them for public places in cities.
Saunders' steam clocks can be found in places like Otaru, Japan; Indianapolis, United States; and in Canadian cities like Vancouver, Whistler, and Port Coquitlam, all in British Columbia. Other steam clocks, made by different people, are in St Helier, Jersey, and used to be at the Chelsea Farmers' Market in London, England.
Even though many steam clocks look like old machines from the 1800s, most of them are actually quite new. They were inspired by the Gastown steam clock, which Raymond Saunders built in 1977. One older steam clock was made in the 1800s by an engineer named John Inshaw in Birmingham, England. He built it to show how useful steam power could be.
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The First Steam Clock: John Inshaw's Invention
In 1859, an engineer and businessman named John Inshaw took over a pub in Ladywood, Birmingham, UK. To make his pub famous and interesting, Inshaw decided to build a special steam-powered clock. He was very interested in steam power.
This clock used a small boiler to make steam. The steam would then turn into tiny drops of water. These drops would fall onto a plate at regular times, and this movement would power the clock's gears. Inshaw placed the clock above the pub's door, and soon the place became known as the Steam Clock Tavern. It was so popular that it even became a music hall in the 1880s.
The Famous Gastown Steam Clock
Raymond Saunders built his very first steam clock in 1977. You can find it in Vancouver's Gastown neighborhood, at the corner of Cambie and Water streets. This clock was built to cover a steam grate. This grate was part of Vancouver's heating system that uses steam. The clock helped to use the steam and hide the vent on the sidewalk.
The City of Vancouver now owns the clock. Local businesses, property owners, and private people helped pay for the project, which cost about C$58,000.
How the Gastown Clock Works
The Gastown steam clock has a steam engine and electric motors. It shows the time on four faces. Every 15 minutes, it plays a whistle chime that sounds like the Westminster Quarters. On the hour, a puff of steam comes out from the top of the clock.
The steam comes from a low-pressure heating system that runs throughout downtown Vancouver. This steam powers a small steam engine inside the clock's base. This engine then drives a chain that lifts steel balls upwards. The balls then roll down to another chain. The weight of these falling balls powers a regular pendulum clock mechanism, which moves the hands on the four clock faces.
The steam also makes the clock's sounds. It uses whistles instead of bells to play the Westminster "chime" and to signal the time.
The steam engine that first ran the clock was a Stuart #4 engine. You can still see this engine through the glass sides of the clock. However, the clock was very noisy and didn't keep time very well. So, since 1986, an electric motor has powered the clock. This motor was originally just meant to be a backup system.
In October 2014, the clock was taken away for big repairs by its original builder. It was put back in January 2015.
The Gastown steam clock has even appeared in pop culture! It's on the cover of the Nickelback album Here and Now. It was also in a scene from the 1991 Chuck Norris action movie The Hitman.
Other Cool Steam Clocks Around the World
Indiana State Museum Steam Clock
The Indiana State Museum steam clock is 17 feet tall! It's located on the sidewalk outside the museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, near a canal. It has four clock faces, each 24 inches wide, that light up with neon. Every 15 minutes, the clock's eight brass whistles play a few notes from the song "Back Home Again in Indiana." It plays a longer version of the song at the top of every hour.
Jersey Waterfront Steamboat Clock
The Jersey steam clock looks like a full-size copy of the middle part of a paddle steamboat called the Ariadne. The Jersey Waterfront Board asked for this clock to be built in 1996. It was made by a company called Smith of Derby Group.
Even though it used to be powered by steam, the steam parts have been replaced with electrical parts. These new parts make it work the same way, including blowing "steam" at certain times of the day.
This clock is located on the North Quay of the harbor in St Helier, Jersey. It also has a fountain. This clock is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the World's largest steam clock!
Images for kids
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Indiana State Museum steam clock
See also
In Spanish: Reloj de vapor para niños
