Cat D3400 Diesel

Anyone have any info on the Cat D3400 line of engines? I am doing a story on the auxiliary diesel generator on the SS Red Oak Victory (a WWII Victory ship) for a column in Diesel World Magazine. I am working with the Chief Engineer on it but figure I might as well reach out here as well. I contacted Cat and the only info they would give me was the years of production, which they listed as 1939-47. Built as a generator set, a marine power plant, it also powered the D2 dozer and a couple of small graders. I have some basic specs and the Chief is digging thru the manuals, but maybe the brain trust here can verify the dates of production and generate some other interesting tidbits of information. Attached is a pic of the engine.

[attachment=41970]D3400-LR.jpg[/attachment]

yes thats the right years, get the serial number off it.

It seems to be coupled through a gear box. Never seen that on any of the standard models that CAT produced, so I wonder if some other company was contracted to build the set. During wartime I am sure there were many contracts that had unrelated companies building every kind of equipment for the war effort. Sort of like Ford's Willow Run factory built to produce B24 bombers, but on a smaller scale.

When was the ship built and launched?

What rating does the generator carry?

Oh, just to let you know.....we like pictures!

Serial Number is: 1T8889SP
BOM is: 2G8350

[quote="ccjersey"]It seems to be coupled through a gear box. Never seen that on any of the standard models that CAT produced, so I wonder if some other company was contracted to build the set. During wartime I am sure there were many contracts that had unrelated companies building every kind of equipment for the war effort. Sort of like Ford's Willow Run factory built to produce B24 bombers, but on a smaller scale.

When was the ship built and launched?

What rating does the generator carry?

Oh, just to let you know.....we like pictures![/quote]

It has an Ideal Electric 240 volt DC generator, 15KW. Ship was launched November of 1944 and is steam powered (turbine). The Cat is the auxiliary generator located topside. It's in running condition. The ship is tied up in Richmond, CA and is a museum ship. They are working hard to get her operational. The generator recently underwent Coast Guard tests as part of the buildup to get certification to get her going. I can't put up too many pics until after the article is published.

1T7001 to 1T9928 were built 1942, 43, 44, 45. I can't tell exactly what year for 1T8889SP. I'd guess SP (special parts) would be for the water cooled exhaust manifold and dual oil filters?

cc, that is a weird looking flywheel housing? you think its reduction gearing in there?

RE the "gearing up, I suspect the low 1440 rpm full load rating necessitated that. I hope to get full specs from the Chief Engineer.. I shot the data plate but it's nearly illegible in some places. About all I could get was the manufacturer, the volts and the KW. I think it also says 62.5 amps.

Looking at the Cat diesel family tree and wondering what engines are direct "relatives" to the D3400. I'm not sure if what I am getting from disparate sources is giving me a full picture. So, may as well ask the experts...

I see some other sources say the D3400 started in 1937. I'm inclined to go with what Cat sent me, 1939, for lack of proof otherwise, but if someone can document the earlier date????

Does the D3400 have any direct ancestors or siblings? I see there was apparently a gasoline version with the same "3400" nomenclature. Was there a six cylinder that used the same general architecture. It looks like the D3400 might have been Cat's first "small" four cylinder diesel. All those I see that are older are much larger engines, so I wonder if the D3400 wasn't a "new direction" for Cat in that regard.

Eight years seems like a short run. I gather the D311 replaced the D3400 and it looks to be a similar engine in many ways. Was the D3400 a problem child in some way, was the D311 just building on a good foundation?

Finally, anyone that has dealt with Cat's archives will remember the very helpful and knowledgeable Nicole Thaxton. It appears she is now gone. Her email is non-op and I can't get the people I have contacted there to offer much in the way of an explanation, though I did not persist in asking questions. Does anyone know about that? She was a good Cat advocate I thought and had been a good info source to me in the past.

Hi Jim,
the 3400 was one of a series built with same-era components and/or design. As well as the gasoline and natural gas variants of the 3400, there was the 4400 (4-cyl - larger capacity, used in D4 of that era) and 4600 (6-cyl used in D6) which shared a lot of components.
There's still a lot of them around although your particular marine build will be rarer.

From a former discussion. Unfortunately the imageshack links don't appear to be working.

Cat Gen Set Info

1. Cat appear to have produced factory gensets from 1937. The 1938 catalog lists them all .. but under the heading of "engines". Seven gensets are listed, and known under the engine model that drove them .. D17000 (80KW), D13000 (60KW), D11000 (50KW), D8800 (40KW), D7700 (35KW), D6600 (30KW), D4400 (20KW).
These units were not self-contained or self-regulating. They were designed to be hooked into a separate switchboard with controls on it. These units were available in AC or DC power.

1938 Genset Catalog .. http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9...ensets1938.jpg

2. By late 1939, the range had changed and expanded substantially. There were now, NINE gensets in the range.
The range was now split - into "Caterpillar Diesel Electric Sets (DES) - these were "self-contained and self-regulating" sets. They were self exciting, integrated units, with Caterpillar generators, that required no external control apparatus.
The second group were known as " Caterpillar Diesel powered Electric Sets" (DPES), and these were Caterpillar Industrial engines driving any of several makes of AC or DC generator, and all required external control apparatus (confusing, huh??) ..

The three smallest Cat gensets were the self-contained, "Caterpillar Diesel Electric Sets", and were now known as the 46-30 DES, the 44-20 DES and the 34-15 DES. They were powered by the D4600, the D4400 and the D3400, respectively.

The six largest gensets were the "DPES" style, and were - D17000 (85KW), D13000 (66KW), D11000 (52 KW), D8800 (41KW), D7700 (34KW), and D6600 (30KW).
The D11000, D7700 and D6600 ceased production between late 1940 and early 1942.

1940 Genset Catalog (page 1) .. http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/657...nsets19401.jpg

1940 Genset Catalog (page 2) .. http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/522...nsets19402.jpg

3. During WW2, the DES nomenclature was extended, as the range of gensets produced by Cat comprised more and more DES "integrated" gensets. Thus we have the larger DES models as described by Kelly in his first post, filling out the range.
There would have been increased demand for DES sets during WW2, as the military would have wanted integrated gensets to reduce the amount of work required to set them up, when they moved into a recently-conquered area.

4. By 1946, the previous DES nomenclature had been dropped for all gensets. They were once again, merely known by their engine model number. The two types - integrated, self-regulating .. and externally regulated .. were still listed. The model range was back to SIX models.
The catalogs show engines lumped together under "Industrial - Marine - Electric set". However, the early 1947 catalog lists the "Industrial", "Marine", and "Diesel Electric sets" as separate groups on the "General Specifications" page.
In 1946/47, the D17000, D13000 and D8800 diesels all ran at 900 RPM .. and the D4600, the D4400 and the D34000 all ran at 1200RPM.

Early 1947 Cat genset specs .. http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/280...ensets1947.jpg

(Within a few weeks of this above catalog date, the last three engines were obsolete, being replaced by the "new", D318, D315, and D311).

5. Remember that Cat did not use a S/N prefix exclusively for one model. They often picked out a "block" of numbers under one S/N prefix .. then went on to a separate, higher block of numbers under the same prefix, for a different model.
Thus we typically have .. 2V1-2V5000 S/No's for the D17000 genset .. and 2V5001-2V9999 S/No's for the D13000 genset.

Also .. there was nothing stopping anyone from obtaining a new industrial engine and hooking it to a generator, of any make, and thus acquiring a "Caterpillar genset". It's likely that a number of factories producing generators did this, if a customer wanted a Cat powering his genset. It could also be done by an individual or a company.

The D13000 was produced in industrial form from 1934 to 1955 .. and appears to have been produced in Cat factory genset form, from late 1937 to early 1955. I have a "UCERC" S/N book that is not always accurate, and not surprisingly, it only lists the D13000 from 1947 .. yet with a S/N of 2V3754 as the starting S/N in 1947.
As we know from standard Cat practice, they didn't start S/No's with an oddball number .. it was always from a round number .. usually from 001, sometimes from 501 .. but never a random number.
Accordingly, cross checking tells me the 2V S/N prefix includes one of only two D13000 "electric sets" listed in the Serial/ ID Product number index .. and that D13000 genset starts at S/N 2V5001, with no start date given. Thus, the UCERC book is wrong on this one.
The only other "electric set" S/N prefix given is 29B prefix. This appears to be a later S/N .. possibly raised as a replacement S/N for the D13000 genset, after the 2V S/No's ran out at 2V9999.
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OM - I have a 1936 Sales catalog that I regard as comprehensive, being entitled, "The Caterpillar Line". Nowhere in that catalog are any gensets mentioned. There are numerous pages dedicated to "industrial engines and power units" - but not a genset in sight.

On the rear inside cover is a "montage" picture of the range of Caterpillar brochures. Nowhere in the pic can I see an "electric sets" or "generating sets" brochure listed. There is a sales brochure on "Power Units" shown (which must be also 1936, and which I also have) .. and there are no gensets shown in that brochure either.

However ...... a search finally turns up a key picture in a sales brochure dated around 1938. This brochure is called "Caterpillar Diesel Engines - Places for Power".
This 32 page booklet lists all the potential and current uses for Cat engines. The list says .. Pumps, Mines, Hoists, Saw Mills, Flour Mills, Generator Sets, Ice Plants, Oil Wells, Cotton Gins, Rock Crushers, Dredges, and Construction .. and shows engines in use in every one of these applications.

There are four pages of Cat gensets shown. One caption below what appears to be a D8800, says .. "A 40KW generator set was installed Dec 1, 1935, for Rigdon Laundering & Cleaning Service, Cape Girardeau, MO."
This appears to back up your belief that gensets were possibly available from as early as 1934.
It appears, however, that these early gensets are put together, as I previously mentioned, from "Industrial engines", coupled to any suitable generator.
A sizeable number of the genset pics show a belt drive arrangement, although a large number are direct coupled. All appear to be based on "Industrial engines" .. and nowhere can I see any of the "DES" integrated-style sets, as listed in the 1938 "Caterpillar line" catalog, in use.

Accordingly, I'd hazard an educated guess, that if a customer wanted a genset in 1934, with a Cat engine .. a Caterpillar dealer, or the purchaser (be it a private individual, a municipality, or a company) .. would assemble a genset, using an "Industrial engine".
I am still of the opinion, that it was around 1937, before the factory "Diesel electric set" became available.

Generating sets in use - 1938 ..

Page 1 .. http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/727...nsets19381.jpg

Page 2 .. http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/864...nsets19382.jpg

Page 3 .. http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/624...nsets19383.jpg

Page 4 .. http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/901...nsets19384.jpg