The engine itself is of an unusual
triple-expansion, three-crank rocker design, with pistons in diameter and stroke. Each rocker is connected both to a crankshaft with a
flywheel and to a double acting pump's plunger. The triple-expansion steam engine cylinders, located on the second story of the engine, are supported by six vertical and six diagonal columns, creating space for three vertical
pistons to move up and down. The vertical
rods with stroke from the engine drive a horizontal
crankshaft which is also connected to a flywheel. Each of the vertical rods is also connected to the back end of a rocking crank, similar to a
bellcrank. With the pivot point of the crank in the front side, the up and down motion of the vertical rod on the back end of the crank creates a motion that pulls and pushes the crank backward and forward. There are also three horizontal rods that connect between the horizontal shaft and the cranks. As the shaft turns, the rods move backward and forward nearly horizontally, adding force to the backward and forward motion of the cranks. On the front end of the cranks, there are 30-degree inclined rods that are connected to the inclined
plungers of the pump proper. The unusual diagonal plungers were created in part by the limitation of the existing engine room. The crank configuration is set in a way that the stroke is reduced to stroke for the inclined rods. Each plunger pumps water in two pump chambers with total of six chambers for the pumping engine. With the reduction of the strokes and the relation of diameters, a higher capacity for pressure can be achieved. The efficiency of the engine also comes from the design of the pump valves by Prof. Riedler. The pump valves which are connected rings that can move up and down to open and close the valves. The pump valve mechanism is controlled by a diagonal rod, powered from a stroke horizontal rod which is connected the crank. The valve rods only close the valves on the reverse stroke and leave the valves free to open automatically to increase the speed of the operation. File:Leavitt-Riedler eng.jpeg|Overview of the engine File:Leavitt engine today.jpg|Steam engine and pressure gauges on the second story File:Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine – Rods and Flywheel.jpg|Flywheel and a vertical rod. A horizontal rod is on the left. A crank is between the two rods. File:Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine – Inclined Pump Plunger.jpg|An inclined rod of the pump plunger connected to the crank next to the red stairs File:Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine – Pump Chambers.jpg|Six pump chambers. Two chambers for each of the three pump plungers. File:Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine – Pump Valve Mechanism.jpg|Pump valve mechanism ==See also==