Great photos Fred. They don't make many engines like that anymore. Well, maybe just a few. The engine in my current sailboat is a Volvo MB10. It's a 14 hp engine with 2000 top rpm, direct drive and a simple reverse gear. I usually cruise at less than 1000 rpm. Going back just a few years, the RCA two cycle engines made in the UK were direct reversing just like the one on the Urger. The engine had no gearbox at all and was directly coupled to the propeller shaft. A Dynastart combination dynamo and starter (hence the name) was affixed to the front of the engine. It was a marvel of simplicity. To back the boat you simply stopped the engine, flipped a switch and the Dynastart started it in the reverse direction. After a couple of nail biting moments the boat would slow and start moving backwards. It made docking a real challenge. These days you only find slow turning, direct drive engines in the biggest ships where a suitable gearbox might cost more than the engine. Larry Z - - - There  are a number of old slow running engines in active duty on the NY   Canals.  Tug Urger, the prettiest of them all, runs at around 300  rpm.   Though her 20 ton engine produces only about 300  HP. http://www.tug44.org/canal.corp.boats/tug-urger/ Come to the  tugboat Roundup in Waterford next September and you'll see several like  that. Fred Tug  44