First start in 72 years WWII 1942 Cleveland Diesel 8-268A 

Beautiful old engine, I worked for GM in Australia on the modern EMD's and smaller 2 strokes, the Cleveland is just beautiful

You hear that sound? It sounds like...Victory!

This thing sounds great! I was amazed at how smooth it was running.. you could tell every cylinder was firing.

Thank you for waking the old girl up. She still sings like a song bird, and I bet a million hours more of reliable service left in her pistons.

Back when diesels were simple and well built.

Grandpa served as a Machinist Mate during WWII on DE-244 (Otterstetter). Hearing that engine run brings to my mind so many of his stories. Like while shooting at a sea mine, it exploded too close to the ship. Shrapnel went right thru the hull into the engine room. Apparently, above the waterline. Grandpa never really seemed to have much confidence in the gunners abilities to hit much. I'm thinking that the hole might have been close to his station or bunk. Thank you guys so much for sharing this.

When I worked at Titan Tire Bryan Ohio they had an old diesel engine from a WWII destroyer. They would run it during thunderstorms for backup electrical power for control power for the boilers. That beauty was about twice that size and I loved running it. Prime this handle for fuel on this side. Prime this handle on the other side for fuel. Set the throttle to 3 clicks and then hit the air start. 90% of they time she would fire first time. The other 10% you had to start all over again. Man never more than twice. Wish I had bothered to pay more attention to the build tag

Sat idle for 70 years, yet fired up as though it had been run yesterday. They definitely don't make 'em like this anymore

Ran an old ferry boat that had two of those from a DE, along with the DC generators and motors with reduction gear. Cheap cylinder heads from Texas were always cracking until we figured out previous crew had firing pressures too high. When we scrapped them they were worn out, 1988. The fish boat that got one said it was the best engine they ever had, cracked block and all. Hey, it would run all the time. I met the guy who designed it. Old timer came through for a ride, what a treat. He did it in something like 6 months for the war. Parts always available from various sources.

Asher, you all should be so proud. I am so happy you went for the service generator over the emergency. I can imagine it was a lot more work. But, it was worth it.

A delight for the ears and for the eyes! Well done to you and the team for the work you have done to keep a piece of history alive! Greetings form the UK!

Best diesel builder ever that not many ever heard of the Cleveland was a huge part of winning ww2.

Beautiful, ...it's the well worn saying. ''They don't make them like they used to''.

After spending 21 years in navy ship engine rooms as an Electricians Mate and engineering watch officer, the look and sounds of that old Cleveland generator are like music to my ears. Sounds like old home week to me. Thank all of you at the naval museum for keeping our history alive.

That's one awesome genset power plant!!! Wow I've never seen inside one of those and its amazing the technology it has just from the brief overview of the cylinder head! Never knew they had the roller camshaft in the head which is pretty brilliant and it lessens the pushrods and I was blown away to see that it was a roller cam no less because they didn't start to be used in the racing industry until the mid 80s and production vehicles in the late 80s early 90s! The fact they were using this kind of technology in military equipment makes me wonder WTF they'd have today if that's 80+ yrs old now lmao! Sounds like it'd brand new after having sat for that long, incredible stuff!

That is truly a delight to see and hear. Thank you for sharing this moment.

that thing is so old yet it sounds 10x better than any new diesel engine you can get today, incredible!

Navy taught me about these engines ! 61-65 @ used that knowledge till i retired 2010 👍👍🤛🤛 Thanks Navy ⚓️

Feeling those engines start up never gets old! Firefighter’s engines can still be ran up anytime we have the personnel, and even our chief engineer agrees that there’s just nothing like it!

there are a few of the old 268's still around, that engine and the old 567's were legendary engines for their reliability they carried us through ww2 and beyond. the parts were of beautiful quality.

General Motors. Back when the General had 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 5 stars and proud of it , and earned it.

So great watching history come back to life! Great video 👍

finish of the forged conn rods of Cleveland Diesel was museum quality-art

Looks and sounds beautiful! Bravo! The sound of a healthy, large displacement 2-stroke diesel when cold is just music! I love that mix of sounds and that injection knock!

roller rockers all them years ago gotta love it

Wow, nice to see all that effort resulting in a running engine. Keep up the good work :)

Thanks for sharing this! Great job, incredible engine!

I'm from Seattle, where Hatch & Kirk, current owners of the CLEVELAND nameplate have their headquarters. In the late 1970s, I worked as a relief oiler for Washington State Ferries. At that time, they had three boats w/ CLEVELAND power plants, EVERGREEN STATE, KLAHOWYA & TILLICUM. These were built in Seattle in the late 1950s, very good ships. The mains were a pair of 16-278As, DC diesel-electric. The auxiliaries were a pair of 8-268As turning 900, on 150 KW AC generators. I'm told by old-timers that 268As were notorious for drinking lube oil. I got through an 8-hour shift w/ this 1 unit, never had to add a drop of lube oil. When I related this story to a diesel mech., he identified me as a pathological liar, until I told him it only turned 900, and was freshly rebuilt. The perfomance of main propulsion plant was very impressive - the responsiveness of the 16-278As was near-instant, no matter how quickly the load was applied. Long before DEADLIEST CATCH, ( 1960s & "70s,) surplus ARMY and NAVY FS ships (Freighter Small) were a popular platform for conversion to mobile floating crab processors. These had a pair of 6-278As for main engines, + a pair of 3-268As (100 KW @) 1200 for ship's service power. In the orig. configuration, these were DC, probably 220V.

I Love it, old guy using a screwdriver to detect knocks.

Ah yes I love these old engine start ups! Now that’s a land mark for reliability and quality

I worked as the engineer on both the Cutter Morris and the Cutter Alert and they both had 8-268A's. Great engines.

I think we had the same engines on the USS Kittiwake ASR-13. She was launched in 1945 and commissioned in 1946, but I was part of the decommissioning crew in 1994. Thanks for the video. It brings back memories of my snipe days.

Even without reading about this engine I immediately recognized it as the granddaddy of my bus's Detroit 6V92. It's amazing how such a strong family lineage extended from before WW2 to the 1990s. Wonderful! I grew up with Napier Deltics and Commer TS3s, so a 2-stroke diesel is always music to my ears.

No Hearing protection? Beautiful machine. When America built great stuff.

Wow thank you so much it is so cool to hear that engine run and to hear that history come alive again. It is a wonderful tribute the men who ran and maintained these ships during the war even though they are no longer hear we can remember what they did My grandpa would have so loved to hear that engine running he served aboard the USS HUSE D.E.145 in WW2

Very cool. I saw the Stewart when I was in Galveston last year although didn't go on board. Glad to see that this old 2-stroke is still a runner. I'm a fan of the big EMD 2-stroke diesels that followed afterward. Especially the 16-645

Now that is a relic worthy of a very well looked after retirement! Its massive, and puts to shame todays high powered but fragile alternatives!

I will always love the sound, simplicity and durability of a two stroke diesel engine. The first truck I ever drove was a '69 GMC Brigadier with a Detroit two stroke diesel.

I know nothing about Diesel engines, nor the use of this specific one. But I found it fascinating!

That engine sounds damn good. The technology required to build those diesels back in the 1940s boggles the mind still today. It's nice to see the art of restoring these engines to working order is alive and well. These masterpieces of engineering are our nation's history and have to be preserved.

Wow! Just that sound! beautiful. I'm in Fort Worth, I'll have to somehow come and check that beauty out!

Very impressive two-stroke straight-8 diesel sound! I built a replica of this engine with Legos and it has the realistic sound!

Awesome sounds !

Gorgeous piece of engineering!

Back in 2011 I bought an old m35a2 which had the Hercules all fuel in it. Thing had sat for 10 years. Changed fuel filters and put fresh fuel in it and 2 12 volt batteries and she fired up the second try. I really miss that old beast. Dead reliable. She really sang at 1800 rpm/ 48 mph.

That is so cooooool, just watching the valves opening and closing.

Very nice! I always wondered at the designation for these engines, all the other Detroit/EMD 2 strokes were named for their cylinder displacement in cubic inches with the exception of the Clevelands. I had a chance years ago to buy a 3-268 gen set, I always regret passing it up. No idea what I would have done with it, but it was really cool. Same guy also had a Packard PT boat engine, I REALLY regret not buying that one.

Smoothly running, slight knock.

brings back memories from the Navy days.... air start ALCOS'

Super !! It runs like a dream now.

So cool!

Very informative!

Sounds great!

Let me get this straight, 4 valves per cylinder, unit injectors in cylinders, back in 1942? Remarkable technology considering we still design modern diesels in much the same way!

I am hoping in the near future to be working on the restoration of a ship with two of these. Installed in 1942, and still there today. Thanks for this... I and my crewmates have this to look forward to if we get the ship.

They really made engines out of quality materials back in the day.

And it runs about as good as she did fresh off the line no doubt 👍

In the US Army I trained on EMD 6V268A engines. They ran like tops. I also know a gentleman in The Bahamas who owns a tug powered by a 6-268. It must be the smallest series that Cleveland or EMD made.

Great video

Awesome sound from it , puts newer diesel engines to shame !!

I don't know what the engine is mounted in but I am very impressed that it still runs after all this time. These are time-tested true art.

We had two V16_278A main engines and one 8-268A ships service generator engine in both the forward and after enginerooms on LST 1161. The 8-268A was rated at 450 HP at 1200 RPM. Or 300 KW. This was in the early 1960s.

Ahhh, that wonderful sound of diesel power!

Wow 72 years and still keeps on ticking 😊🇺🇸

I love old iron like that! They just don’t make’em like that anymore.

I spent 30 yrs working on the detroit two strokes from the 2-53 to the 16v149tib and you can tell this old bird is a two stroke

A thing of beauty.

Great work guys, not the easiest task, trying to start a large marine engine on a limited supply of compressed air

Sounds great.

Iwas on the YF885 at keyport wash. had two 8268aw/ twin disc reduction/reverse they were the best running engine

I worked on a Cleveland diesel just like that, was an 8- 268A And there was a 3- 268 A was a Generator engine. Takes a series of steps to make that thing run. I remember valves for oil bleed air to start And for blowing it down each individual cylinder. Also there was a hand held pyro with a probe that could give you a reading so you could tell if that cylinder was firing each valve cover was polished kinda neat big 2 cycle. It was in a mine sweeper turned into pleasure craft Was owned by the famous man they called "The Duke" . I do believe these engines were used in Locomotives in that Era.

I thought this engine looked like an EMD. After reading the description, I see why that would be. Great work. Just subscribed!

holy moly 72 years!!!!!

Our 8-268A sat between two 16-268a's in USS Rasher after engine room. A little nervous in the bilge between them looking at all those crankcase relief valves.........

Absolutely awesome.

I like how he said "yeah, in case she runs away". Plate for the intake please...hahaha. Holy cow that engine sounds MINT! ! ! !

30 year Waukesha VHP mechanic here. ( Factory Trained ) I approve

Really Cool!

Now this is quality!

Great! Thanks!

thats impressive

Brings back good memories of when I was an engineer on an old 1945 tug boat with a Hamilton Diesel.

This Engine @ the 278s helped win WW2 . 👍👍🤛🤛⚓️

3:06 very cool cam setup

amazing that this engine is older than any living human being and it fires right up like it ran yesterday

Don’t know if it’s the same company but my father had a Cleveland 4 cylinder he used for a log splitter and multiple other farm projects and that thing went for years. I remember us kids wanted to rip it apart in his shop and he says keep your hands off that one.

I made a visit to the U.S.S. Cod a world war two submarine, and I believe they had two or three of these Cleveland made Engines in her. The Sub is docked in down town Cleveland ,Ohio!

Why would someone thumbs down this video ?

Moran Towing, New York, had these in a few boats. I was told that they came from submarines. They sounded like a sewing machine in the engine room.

for the high speed the valves move,this engine is an 2 stroke . the sound is same same as an EMD. (same as the locomotives). 4 valves + injector

The hair on my arms just stud up and gave me chills I can only imagine what it would be like be there and be the One that got it running 🎵

wow thats a real beauty!

I've,worked on 268,,@278,s for 40+years ____heck ov experience __ww2.engines.

I'm a railfan so I've heard all sorts of EMD locomotive prime movers before. Thank you for sharing this piece of pre-EMD history. Mind if I ask, why does it make a clanging/knocking sound on startup? Most EMD locomotives don't do that, while most 1960s-1990s GE locomotives do.

I cut my teeth in the Navy on these two stroke work horses. EMD 12-278A,Cleveland 8-567 and more. They required very little maintenance needed and always reliable.

Rebuilt 4, 12-567A's diesel electric ocean going tug. 1939 vintage.

Any further updates from DE-238? 😀 Hopefully give the Engine Room a good scrub, degrease, and polish!

It’s like a symphony and you are the conductor

Freaking so awesome

Bravo.I love Detroit Diesel two strokes engines.