Coolspring Spotlight: the rare and the beautiful from the Coolspring Power Museum

摘要

The Foos Gas Engine Co. was formed in 1887 by John Foos. Foos engine production included engines operating on either 4-stroke Otto or 4-stroke Diesel cycles. For many years, Foos claimed to be the largest company devoted solely to the production of stationary gas engines. During demolition of the Foos factory in the 1990s, Preston Foster was able to acquire the built-in office safe, which is now displayed in the Susong Building. This Foos gasoline engine has timed fuel injection rather than a carburetor. A small pump injects fuel into the air passage upstream of the intake valve as it opens. Another of several Foos innovations is the "wipe-style" igniter, in which a rotating electrode inside the combustion chamber wipes against a stationary electrode, creating a spark by discharging a low-tension coil. The early Foos displayed here was used at the home of a wealthy Pasadena, California, resident. Driving an overhead lineshaft in his personal woodworking shop, it powered several woodworking machines.