Ford Blue

-AKJ

Chipewa Lake Trip #1 - Transmission belt breaks!

Had to take a tow today from a very nice gentleman....

Note: When you your transmission on your steamboat breaks - stay calm and close that throttle valve and carry on! :)

-AKJ

Wingfoot Test #2

Had another successful second Trip to Wingfoot with Nyitra.
My nephew was our third crew member and passenger, which was very welcome!

We had the Wingfoot Lake Ohio DNR Watercraft Officer come and pay us a visit. He was very reasonable, "I've been working here for 20 years and this is a new one to me! "
I just explained that we had all the safety equipment and that it was a steamboat with an old engine and a new boiler.

Wingfoot lake is in Summit County, which is adjacent to Medina County. So we heard the story of the Medina explosion several times today from spectators. Basically when I just explained a few of the many things that went wrong on the day of the Case traction engine explosion and the differences with Nyitra's rig they seemed fine - got smiles and lots of sort of blank stares and several "What is that?".

One man asked me if I was a boilermaker because he was of the understanding that you need to be a boilermaker to run a boiler.

Very positive crowd from our perspective - and we had people bring out lawn chairs around the lake and watch us.

I think mainly most of the public has no clue, and it helps to be able to (hopefully) give them a more positive view of steam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doiI2t47ONo

-AKJ

Nyitra Maiden Voyage Video

Original Nyitra Records

Found a Hungarian Boat Registry that confirms some details about the original
Nyitra and gives me some new information!

This is an important confirmation that Nyitra was registered by my great Grandfather Emil Fricke: "1913-NYITRA, Fricke Emil, Győrsövényháza, HU" with the correct home listed for Emil as Győrsövényháza.

Built: 190? [AJ Note: I think Nyitra was built then or perhaps in the 1890's]
Length between perpendiculars: 8.50 m
Beam: 2.00 m
Depth: 1.10 m
Draft: 0.78 m

It is listed a screw (propeller) propelled steam tug. It's not clear if Nyitra was also a classification/style of screw steam tug because it's listed like this "Classification: NYITRA/ class screw propelled steam tugs" which links to another section that has no more information.

From HajoRegiszter: http://www.hajoregiszter.hu/hajoadatlap/nyitra/3184

-AKJ

Following the Rábca and Rába Rivers to the original Nyitra & Emil

I went to Europe for a two week trip and went to Györ Hungary where I was able to find exactly where the picture of the original Nyitra was taken. The Spartacus boathouse on the Rába River near the center of the city still exists. Part of why the building remains is that it an unusual architecture for Hungary, it is a German style of timber frame building.

I made a cross-fade video from the 100+ year old picture to the present day, 2016.

Please wait till the end of the video!

I also visited my Great Grandfather Emil Fricke's grave (who we believe owned Nyitra) and paid my respects to him in Györsövényhaz.

Both the Rábca and Rába rivers, which flow together and then into the Danube, were quite beautiful.

Would be fun to take my Nyitra there, but it's way too far away to practically achieve in any forseeable way.

Rábca river in Györsövényhaz:

Rába river in Györ:

-AKJ

For the gear heads...

Successful launch of my steamboat Nyitra! Or Steam Launch (SL) Nyitra to be proper:

 

Update 8/28/2016:

The Engine used in SL Nyitra, a "Toledo" sir of course. 114 years old! A 1902 Toledo Steam Carriage Engine. Twin 3" bore  by 4" stroke, rated at 6HP with 10 times the torque of an equivalent diesel engine of the same horsepower.
I'm definitely a Toledo fan boy - can you tell by my shirt? :

For the gear heads, Nyitra's Drive Train: