1997 Titanic Reciprocating Engines in Real Life! (SS Jeremiah O’Brien Engine Room)

James Cameron filmed some of the engine room scenes from Titanic inside the SS Jeremiah O’Brien liberty ship in San Francisco. I filmed this video from his viewpoint. This was filmed at the front end of the engine. This ship has 1 engine. It’s nearly deafening in there. It also gets hot in there. It gets ventilation from a hatch on the roof and from large pipes that extend from the upper decks of the ship. I extended my video so we can further appreciate this wonderful machinery. I have more footage but l decided not to include it because l wanted my footage to be unique. I just wanted to showcase the engine from a similar viewpoint as James Cameron. The engine room scenes are short and underrated.

[jaxithfox]

The much massive steel moving that quick is both amazing and terrifying.

[budman]

As a machinist what they did back in their day with what they had was absolutely amazing

[feydespiel.]

All that metal...and yet...perfectly balanced....and how quiet it is...excellent.!

[richardgonzalez]

The engineers who designed steam engines were truly artists in their own way.

[norbiesison]

I remember watching Titanic on the big screen. Just as she was steamimg away from port, the crankshaft was loping along like it was just a tad above idling speed
But when the captain gave the go signal for the ship to stretch her legs, when those reciprocating parts picked up speed, it was the most fascinating thing to watch. Felt the fear seeing something that massive moving that fast!

[VAHOSS]

Hold it.... Hold it.... Now engage the reversing engine!!

[JohnDoesItAll]

Designed with rulers and protractors. Such a beautiful symphony of polished steel!

[robharding]

These engines are works of art, but more so. I wouldn't pay to see some art in a gallery, But I would pay to see something as graceful as this engine ! amazing.hats off to those engineers who maintain these marvels of engineering, great footage too .

[generalsquirrel]

It shows the level of craftmanship to be able to make engines this big and fully balanced in an time when things like computers where only glimp of what people could dream of.

[TopHatTITAN]

Fun fact: About 2 minutes after the iceberg hit, Captain Smith had ordered the engines to "Half Ahead". The slower vibrations of the engines, even on the upper decks, were so noticeable to the passengers that many questioned why they slowed down, even before they were ordered up on deck. In the movies, including Cameron's, whenever passengers are seen asking why the engines stopped, it was more like "Why did the engines slow down?" This was the first sign for most passengers something had happened.

[HobbyOrganist]

Hard to imagine the forces on the bearings from that much weight moving that fast!

[Kevin-godw]

Thank you for sharing.
In comparison to Titanic, this is a small engine - three cylinder, compared to Titanics four - but both are triple expansion. I think the condenser appears on the right at about 3:42.
Of the hundreds of these ships that were built, it is good that at least one is still operational for all to appreciate how they work and what they did.
Also of interest might be USS Texas. Almost as old as Titanic and has two three cylinder triple expansion engines. (Currently in drydock).

[TheCrazzyToobinator]

It's nice to see a number of these engines being maintained for people to see, they are works of industrial art more than anything and although it requires a lot of resources to keep them maintained in working condition I think it is a worth while investment. If you ever try making a small scale version of a vertical steam engine (Stuart models has different versions including a triple expansion one) you will come to realize just how advanced of a process for the times it was to design and machine something like this. For anyone wondering what the two smaller cam rods beside the big cylinder driving ones are for they operate the steam intake/exhaust valve for each cylinder, it must be a big job to get them timed right.

[ziggy]

Seeing the engineers spot by the rail makes me feel exactly what the engineer felt watching the engines run on the titanic. Goosebumps

[jamesfrench]

"We're gonna need a bigger socket set."

[cbcdesign]

I could watch that beautiful engine for hours, its a mechanical marvel.

[boilerman]

I love steam engines and the massive amounts of torque they produce! I would love to have seen it in person

[ronashman]

Hi all, if you are ever in New Zealand 🇬🇸🇱🇷, remember the SS Earnslaw runs out of Queenstown. Twin marvelous triple expansion engines with all exposed internals like this. Coal fired. I was blessed to be a passenger last week. I would love to see your ship one fine day. Thanks for the Titanic memories.

[casualmarshmallow]

It's so great that this kind of engine has been preserved in working order and that people will actually have a chance to see it run (I assume). Truly the kind of thing that can never be made again. It makes me think of steam locomotives, where enthusiasts are so dedicated to saving them, but there simply isn't enough money and resources to keep them working. I've seen a lot of rusty historic stuff sitting out there, but come to think of it, I haven't seen any of it in motion.

[ddviper]

Perfectly balanced. As all things should be.