Once and a while here at Diesel Army, we like to take it back, way back and give pause and appreciation for how the fine diesel engine has evolved in our lives. Today, is one of those days. The video above was produced in 1952 by the Shell Oil Company. It is certainly an”oldie”, but we feel it is a “goodie” worth watching.
The video starts out by giving a brief overview of what types of power was available in the 1800’s. It explains the goals and objectives that Rudolf Diesel was trying to achieve and some of the basic challenges that he faced. The video, also, mentions one of the devices that diesel gained inspiration from, a pneumatic match or fire piston.
Not to put too much icing on diesel’s story, this video even mentions the fact that the first engine he built, never actually ran. From there, it goes over the rapid expansion and adoption of the engine to many different applications including the ships.
Then it covers the next major obstacles the diesel engine faced in its evolution, including some of the testing conducted and some challenges they had to overcome. While this video isn’t something to take the Mrs. to and bring a bag of popcorn, it is one of these interesting videos that is always fun to watch. See where the “latest” technology was and how things were perceived.
It is interesting to note, we still are refining many of the same systems that engineers were refining many decades ago. This really illustrates that the development of today’s diesel engine, will simply be reflected upon by future generations as yesterday’s old ways. Check out the video and provide your comments below. We would love to hear your thoughts on the video, the future of the diesel marketplace and more. As always, here at Diesel Army, we are all about you!