Evening star., 1938-10-02
By G. adams H0wQrd.
DVANCEMENT in the autom

w.
~ tive industry never ceases.
~ Engineers are never idle and
4 \ progress goes on. Better trans
portation means is the yearly goal.
Great progress recently has been
made in the advancement Of the Diesel
motor. Overcoming its heretofore
heavy weight has been made by the
The new two-cycle engine reduces
Use Of this Is now available for trucks
and tractors and 1t is thought that
the day Is not far of when its use
will be practical for passengers auto
mobiles, airplanes and lighter boats.
The new two cycle engine reduces
the former weight by nearly one half.
Advancement along these lines at
the present time Is credited to General
Motors engineers.
Washington citizens are familiar
with the General Motors Diesel engines
which have powered the Nations ever
increasing fleet Of high-speed, stream-
lined trains during the past four
years. A rather romantic history
lies behind the present extension of
the line OF Diesels to sizes and cylinder
combinations until they are now avail
able for practically any power problem
except that Of passenger car or
airplane.
A study Of the Diesel engines was
undertaken 10 years ago by General
Motors Research Laboratories in De-
troit under the direction of Charles
F. Kettering, vice president Of General
Motors in charge of research. Two
years later General Motors acquired
the Winton Engine Corp, at Cleveland,
which already had an international
reputation as builders Of four-cycle
Diesel engines and gasoline engines
for marine and stationary use. At
about the same time General Motors
also took over the Electro-Motive Co.
Of Cleveland. the leading builders of
gasoline and Diesel engine propelled
rail cars for American railroads, in
which Winton engines were used.
The Diesel engine study proceeded
for several years with the research
and engineering personnel and facili-
ties Of those three organizations COM
bined under Mr.. Kettering's leader
ship. Out OF the study came the first
General Motors two-cycle Diesel engine
a six-cylinder. 60O-horsepower engine,
two OF which were installed In the
General Motors Building at the Gen.
tury Of Progress Exposition at Chicago.
Almost Immediately the Burlington
and Union Pacific Railroads placed
orders for engines with which to
power the original Union Pacific
Streamliner and the original Burling-
ton Zephyr. Today all but three
Of the Nations 43 high-speed, main
line Diesel-powered passenger trains
are propelled by G. M. Diesels. More
than $50 Diesel switch engines are
at work on rs different class l railroads.
A large number of commercial vessels
and many United States submarines
are powered by the engines.
Meanwhile, General Motors under
took the problem Of producing the
engine in smaller sizes 50 its economies
could be available to a wider range
OF power users. The result was the
announcement Of q complete line of
two-cycle Dieses built around three
different cylinder sizes. The so-called
little brothers have II cubic inches
piston displacement per cylinder. An
intermediate size (Which is not yet
In production' will have 223 cubic
inches per cylinder and the large
size has SGT cubic inches per cylinder.
The smaller series is available in one,
three, four and six cylinder models,
ranging in power rating from IS to
80 horsepower for continuous load
service or from % to l65 horsepower
for trucks or buses. The intermediate
series will be made in four, six and
eight cylinder models, ranging from
200 to 400 horsepower and the large
series is in production in two. four,
six, eight. twelve and sixteen cylinder
models, rated roughly at around 100
horsepower per cylinder. depending
upon the application.
OF the many features Of the g. M.
Diesels one of the most interesting is
the fact that they have successfully
developed the two-cycle principle in
smaller engines. The two-cycle prin-
ciple has not been used in CONNER
cially available Diesels OF wide adapt
ability and small sizes in the United