Thanks Graham, I will contact you tomorrow night.

I know hey Dave, that wouldn't have been a bad option the sigma box. I wonder who ended up with it?

I've thought about direct drive for steam and with the right engine design it's possible. Problem is you usually have a steam engine with 20hp that might produce 200ft/lbs. I have been trying to come up with a design that can match closer to the horsepower of an ice engine for quicker acceleration. That's the goal at the moment. I'm trying to achieve that by either gearing a large torquey engine which will transfer to ice rpms with a gear and that way maintain a gearbox. If I maintain a gearbox, it will give me the chance to idle in neutral and run a small alternator and even aircon depending on how powerful it is. Rather than relying on being in motion to be able to recharge the battery or use aircon whil stationery.

Other option is a faster spinning engine that operates above typical steam engine speeds of 500-900 rpms. Still though with that design a gearbox will be handy in order to reduce steam usage at higher speeds.

I've only just worked on the idea that a gearbox would be beneficial cause it also allows revving of the engine and dumping of the clutch to get you off the line that bit quicker. Providing I match revs similar to an ICE. If it works well then next step would be finding the perfect gearbox match for the steam engine.

I am working on a design that meets half way between the piston engine and a turbine. Turbine is no good for cars as it needs to reach very high speeds before making any power. And if you dump load onto a turbine too early, steam will just pass through without being used.

Also, i'm counting on the idea that many early steam guys come up with that is using a condenser to cool the steam down which will cause a vaccuum effect and assist in the power department.

Anyway it's all dreams and theories at the moment! I seriously reckon it's possible.
I know some of my horsepower/torque terms might not be on point. I'm still researching and understanding the correlation between them. 5252rpm thing is interesting and will probably play a role in what i'm trying to do.

Matt