Triple Expansion steam engines were the type of steam engines used in many of the Pere Marquette car ferries. The Pere Marquette 22, as built in 1924, was the last of the fleet to be powered with this type of engine. With the City of Saginaw 31 in 1929, followed by the City of Flint 32, saw the introduction of the turbo-electric propulsion system. The City of Midland 41 introduced the Skinner Simple Unaflow 5 cylinder steam engine in 1940.

The scans on this page are the courtesy of Greg Hayden, who has spent a few years in the "basement" of Great Lakes ships. The time Greg spent creating these scans is greatly appreciated!

• Cylinder.
• Steam chest of cylinder.
• Various types of stuffing box.
• The cross head and guides.
• Wrist pins.
• Wrist pins, cont.
• Cross head with compression wrist pin.
• Detail of marine cross head.
• Marine connecting rod.
• Three throw crank shaft.
• Crank shafts for marine engines.
• Detail of main bearing.
• Link motions.
• Diagram of walking beam engine.
• Walking beam engine, cont.
• Direct connected paddle engine.
• Graham high speed single acting, jacketted triple expansion engine.
• Sectional view of engine.
• Steering engines.
• Steering engines, cont.
• Steering engines, cont.
• Steam reversing gear.
• Steam reversing gear, cont.
• Fire engines.
• Continental fire engine.
• Side elevation of triple expansion steam engine.
• End view of triple expansion engine.
• Vertical air pump.
• The Howden draft.
• General arrangement of machinery.
• Compound engines.
• Longitudinal section through triple expansion engine.
• End elevation of engine.
• Various cylinder arrangement of triple expansion engine.
• Starboard side of engine.
• Port side of engine.

Photos from the S.S. City of Milwaukee

S.S. City of Milwaukee is a 350 foot triple expansion steamer built in 1931. She replaced Milwaukee, which sank October 22, 1929, with a loss of all 52 hands. City of Milwaukee hauled railroad cars between Michigan and Wisconsin for 50 years, serving the Grand Trunk Western, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor railroads. Ports of call included Grand Haven, Muskegon, and Elberta/Frankfort Michigan and Milwaukee, Manitowoc, and Kewaunee Wisconsin. Sister ships were Pere Marquette Nos. 21 & 22, Grand Rapids & Madison, and Ann Arbor No. 7.

• S.S. City of Milwaukee, starboard view (10/18/97).
• Triple expansion steam engine, port looking forward.
• Close-up, showing the connecting rod.
• Another close-up of the massive connecting rod.
• Side view, taken from the upper level.

Dedicated to all the Great Lakes engineers.

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Society for the Preservation of the S.S. City of Milwaukee