Steam Engines

[bracabric]

I thought it was time to improve the condition of one of my Steam Engines, it's the big 12 HP Marshall. It had sunk into the ground when it was wet and now it's very dry it was baked in hard. I forgot to take pictures of the other wheels which were in some 18", so, with my trusty 1952 hydraulic 8 ton bottle jack I set about lifting the wheels out, the whole engine weighs in at about 10 tons.





It looks a lot better resting on some old cut railway sleepers and it won't rust so much. I have the Engine number from the round plate shown and think I shall send of to the Preservation society to get the exact date of manufacture, the records still exist apparently! I may do the same for the others later but the "big" Marshall is my true love









I have a couple of guys searching for a self propelled Engine to add to the collection one day hopefully

Dick

[mariner]

Hi Dick,

I was very interested to see the photo's of your steam engines.
Have you tried putting/keeping water in any f the boilers? It would be neat to see one of those actually running again? If the boiler holds water then there is a good chance you could get one to run again.

Somewhere I have a bunch of slides/photo's of the same sort of thing, from around the Koolgardie-Kalgoolie area in Western Australia. They used a lot of these engines in the goldfields at the turn of the century.

Would be interested to know a little more about yours.

Cheers

mariner

[bracabric]

Yes to see them running is quite something, I went to several steam fairs in the UK 5 odd years ago (one of which had an auction and I sold a couple of engines quite well) and was enthralled with the whole thing.
Restoration is very expensive and I would not consider firing one up without a boiler pressure test, which is not so easy here and in any case I just like having them around. Remember I have been a trader of some sort most all my life, so............... I don't want the work just the money! Not that I want to sell the few I have left but selling "potential" always worked for me!
We were "down south" a few years ago and found one still working for a living in a timber yard, an old Mapuche indian guy was standing by this steaming, hissing, dripping, lethal looking old engine , come nearer he kept saying, not if you paid me in Krugerrands I thought as I waited for the explosion, but it never came. Hope he's retired it now.
I have some people looking for a "Fowler" ploughing engine, I don't know if they ever got to Chile and I DON'T want to pay the big price, or maybe any self propelled engine, we'll see.
Apropos Australian gold fields, they (Engines) were exported (from the UK ) to Australia for mining and power for shearing sheds, South America for Timber work, South Africa for mining, Russia for the Vodka mines and loads of other places including Greece to my surprise. There is a Glossy Magazine called "Old Glory" that's worth a look.
Later on they were made in the USA and Germany as well, ("Portables" like mine).
The first Steam threshing machine appeared in Yorkshire in 1799, and the first (semi) Portable in 1812 generally credited to Richard Trevithick, and the first truly Portable (like mine ) appeared in 1839.
Most all of them (including mine ) had shafts at the front for horses to put them from one site to another and it was not 'till quite late on that the absurdity of horses pulling a much more powerful machine resulted in self propelled engines.
There, you ask a civil question and get all that lot!!

Dick
PS Anyone asking what a Vodka mine is will be viewed suspiciously

[mariner]

Hi Dick,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I thought it would be interesting to see if the old boiler would actually hold water without leaking - just fill it up full and observe to see if the evel drops and if there are any signs of wter leaking out. The actual pressure test is no big deal - I could tell you how to do that with no problems.

Many years ago as a youngster, I remember being at a local fair in Hove-Brighton area, where there was a slew of different steam powered machines running. Of course, to a youngster it was great and the new bright paintwork, shining brass and the smell of the steam and oil, all added to the attraction.

Here is a place worth a visit next time you go back to the UK. Kew Bridge Steam Museum - across from Kew Gardens. Great day out for people of any age ;D. Here is their website - take a look

" www.kbsm.org " - there is quite a history to it.

If yer got more foto's put'em up - I am sure lots of the guys would be real interested.

Thanks for the interesting post.

mariner