Well I have just double checked it wasn't me making the title mistake on youtube, but it does seem that the original movie on the movietone news website states that it was diesel.

[url=http://www.movietone.com/N_search.cfm?ActionFlag=back2ResultsView&start=1&pageStart=1&totalRecords=1&V_DateType=1&V_DECADE=1929&V_FromYear=1928&V_QualifySubject=&V_storyNumber=57944&V_TermsToOmit=&V_ToYear=1980&V_searchType=1&V_MainSubject=&V_Year=1928&V_resultsPerPage=10]Here's a hyperlink to the original page[/url]

I would agree with Lyle though that this is probably a mistake as the video clip itself doesn't mention anything about it being diesel powered.

Fireboat. 😎

Regarding the Movietone site listing the vessel as 'Diesel' is perhaps just one of those things that journalists are apt to do by error ? I saw a Centurian tank displayed at the Australian War Memorial with Rover motor(s) of the similar type ( a universal motor for many uses including industrial) to what was installed in the crash boats, but I have no recollection if Diesel fuel or the early blended "standard" petrol or "super" petrol of the 1950/60 fuels era was given in the Centurian Tank data sheet on display at the m,emorial. Somewhere I have seen data that the Rover motors were Petrol powered in the Crash boats. Lyle.

Sorry I should have been clearer. My 46 inch Crash Boat has a 40/46 sc ( South China?) Glow engine the third replacement engine as the other 35 sized runners (OS Brand) just wore out till running on 33 percent castor was still not giving enough compression ( boy I really run motors to the last piston liner clang/ stroke as they wear away and always rich with a big set of tubes to Impart heat transfer from the motor rather much cooling and never running at full bore).And the exhaust is cooled and diverted into a tube and then into a resonator (a 200ml tin can painted inside with bitumen) and then along a tube to exit at the transom. it is so quiet on all my I/C scale boats I am accused of having a noisy electric motor as guys cannot believe I/C motors can be muffled without performance losses and be so quiet. I have been allowed to run with the electric boat sessions at times in the Sydney club due to the lack of noise. Hope this is a better understanding and description of the matter . Any details on the pennant colours? Regards Lyle.

Thanks for that , but Diesel ? I allways thought they where petrol


Peter