HENSCHEL

The German mechanical engineering company Henschel in Kassel has been manufacturing machines, armor and vehicles since it was founded in 1810. The vehicles included mainly railway locomotives and airplanes, but also trucks, buses and construction site vehicles. From 1957 Henschel produced the 6-cylinder in-line engine with the designation 6R 1215 as a diesel direct injection engine with 120 hp from a displacement of 11 liters. Depending on the area of application, different versions of the engine block were equipped with the corresponding additional units and properties. The slowly rotating and river water-cooled type 6R 1215 GSF was used as a ship propulsion system.

The black heart laughs.

When I was looking for a stationary engine for demonstration purposes, I came across this one, which comes from a former passenger ship from the 1960s. For years the engine and its “twin brother” stood under a tarpaulin in the Dortmund harbor, where a young locksmith slaughters or restores old ships. I was immediately impressed by the imposing appearance of the man-high engine and all its details, but also overwhelmed by the weight of approximately 1 ton. With the help of a borrowed forklift, I was able to load and unload the engine. But a long-term solution for maneuvering had to be found. That is why I constructed a carriage from a tubular steel frame and components from a former horse truck, which is suitable for transporting the stationary engine.

The engine could only be turned around 120 degrees due to the long downtime, the oil pan had a hole the size of a finger and the diesel injection pump was completely resinified. After a thorough cleaning of the fuel system, new fuel and oil filters and a treatment of the cylinder liners with petroleum, the engine turns again 360 degrees. Now he is waiting for the cooling water circuit to be completed and for a fuel tank and a starter battery to be installed. And then it should start after a few revolutions with the powerful starter on the flywheel.

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