Smithills

This centrifugal governor has appeared on display since my last visit here. It is the speed control governor from a 2500 horsepower horizontal tandem compound extraction engine built by John Musgrave of Bolton in 1923/4 for the east Lancs Paper Mill, Radcliffe. The engine also had an extraction governor to maintain pressure in the pass-out process main. The Museum also has this engine's barring engine. The governor is seen with the cover raised to show the weights and springs within.

These components are the Corliss steam (inlet) valve trip gears from the low pressure cylinder of a horizontal tandem compound engine that was at Primrose Mill, Harle Syke. The engine was by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge and produced 700 horsepower. The intention is to reassemble these and drive them by an electric motor to demonstrate the trip gear in action. The green and red item behind is a barring engine from another site.

Seen running at about normal working speed of 120 rpm. Built by Robey of Lincoln in 1935 as a teaching engine for the Manchester College of Technology. The engine was removed in 1947 and stored for 40 years for possible resale. One of the society's members bought it and loaned it in 1987.

This is the museum of the Northern Mill Engine Society and contains one of the best collections of stationary steam engines in the country.

The audience are admiring 'Elsie' during a run on live steam. The engine is a J & W McNaught of Rochdale horizontal tandem compound from Wasp Mill, Wardle. Bolton steam Museum is the country's finest collection of textile mill type engines and they can all be demonstrated in steam.

I have a real soft spot for this 'modern' design of reciprocating steam engine. This design has the efficiency of a much more complicated triple expansion engine in a much smaller footprint. This is because wasteful condensation is reduced by ensuring the steam flows in one direction only from the hot cylinder heads to the cooler exhaust ports in the centre of the cylinder. Because of the temperature gradient and differential expansion the cylinders were bored in a barrel shape with a wider bore in the cool centre. At operating temperature the bore became parallel. Another special feature was the need to provide compression relief when the engine was running without a good vacuum produced by condensing the steam. Many uniflows had manually operated valves on the sides of the cylinder that opened auxiliary clearance spaces. This engine has automatic auxiliary exhaust valves. These operate all the time in the Museum because there is no condensing plant in operation. This engine was built in 1926 and supplied to the Baltic Sawmills, Ammanford. From 1938 it was used as a test engine in the laboratories of the Manchester College of Technology. It was removed by a local machinery merchant in 1947 and stored until acquired by the Northern Mill Engine Society in 1987. The cylinder is 13.5" bore by 16" stroke and it ran at 200 revolutions per minute on superheated steam at 200 pounds per square inch.

View south down Devonshire Road towards the junction with Lonsdale Rd. The junction with Lowndes St is just behind the photographer. Most of the houses are between the wars semi-detached red brick houses.

This is the most typical type of Lancashire mill engine of which many thousands were made. Originally built by J & W McNaught Ltd of Rochdale in 1902 for the Barchant Spinning Company in 1902, it was later used at Wasp Mill from 1917 until 1967. The engine is named "Elsie"; many textile mill engines were named, often after members of the mill-owners family. She has recently been given metal cladding with brass banding over the cylinders to reduce condensation and make it more efficient so it no looks very different than on my last visit (SD6909 : Bolton Steam Museum, Tandem-Compound Engine).

A closer look at SD6909 : Wasp Mill Steam Engine. This is the most typical type of Lancashire mill engine of which many thousands were made. Originally built by J & W McNaught Ltd of Rochdale in 1902 for the Barchant Spinning Company in 1902, it was later used at Wasp Mill from 1917 until 1967. The engine is named "Elsie"; many textile mill engines were named, often after members of the mill-owners family.

A closer look at SD6909 : Wasp Mill Steam Engine. This is the most typical type of Lancashire mill engine of which many thousands were made. Originally built by J & W McNaught Ltd of Rochdale in 1902 for the Barchant Spinning Company in 1902, it was later used at Wasp Mill from 1917 until 1967. The engine is named "Elsie"; many textile mill engines were named, often after members of the mill-owners family.

From one of the exhibits at the Bolton Steam Museum at Atlas Mill.

Bolton Steam Museum is operated by volunteers from the Northern Mill Engine Society (NMES) who have rescued 25 of the old stationary steam engines which once powered the cotton mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It has the largest collection of working steam mill engines in the UK and probably the largest in the world. The original museum was first opened to the public in 1983 in one of the original engine-houses of Atlas No 3 Mill where 5 of the rebuilt engines could be seen working in steam and over the following 7 years it became a well-known attraction in the area. However, in 1990, the mill complex was sold for redevelopment as a retail supermarket and the museum was in the way. Fortunately, the new owners, William Morrison Supermarkets, were sympathetic to the Society's plight and undertook to relocate the museum into another building on the far side of the site. Unfortunately, this meant dismantling all the engines, moving all the parts into the new building and beginning the rebuilding work all over again but the society now has the security of a long lease and has spent the last 22 years reassembling its collection, which has now grown to some 27 engines, in the new premises. The new building is ideal for the museum, with plenty of natural lighting and full crane coverage to assist with moving and assembling the heavy engine parts. The Society's collection of steam engines now represents one of the largest in the UK. Due the fact that work is still in progress, it is not yet possible to open the museum to the public on a regular basis, although special Steam Open Days are held each year. Link Northern Mill Engine Society website

A close up of the governor which maintains a regular steam pressure in SD6909 : Wasp Mill Steam Engine when it is operating.

Bolton Steam Museum is operated by volunteers from the Northern Mill Engine Society (NMES) who have rescued 25 of the old stationary steam engines which once powered the cotton mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It has the largest collection of working steam mill engines in the UK and probably the largest in the world. The original museum was first opened to the public in 1983 in one of the original engine-houses of Atlas No 3 Mill where 5 of the rebuilt engines could be seen working in steam and over the following 7 years it became a well-known attraction in the area. However, in 1990, the mill complex was sold for redevelopment as a retail supermarket and the museum was in the way. Fortunately, the new owners, William Morrison Supermarkets, were sympathetic to the Society's plight and undertook to relocate the museum into another building on the far side of the site. Unfortunately, this meant dismantling all the engines, moving all the parts into the new building and beginning the rebuilding work all over again but the society now has the security of a long lease and has spent the last 22 years reassembling its collection, which has now grown to some 27 engines, in the new premises. The new building is ideal for the museum, with plenty of natural lighting and full crane coverage to assist with moving and assembling the heavy engine parts. The Society's collection of steam engines now represents one of the largest in the UK. Due the fact that work is still in progress, it is not yet possible to open the museum to the public on a regular basis, although special Steam Open Days are held each year. Link Northern Mill Engine Society website

This is one of the more recent engines to be added to the Society's collection, having been acquired in 1995. It is an inverted vertical compound design. The "inverted vertical" layout obviously owed much to marine practice and was quite widely used in the textile industry from about 1900 onwards. No doubt the small floor area required for the engine-house was an attraction to customers, particularly if the engine was a replacement and had to be squeezed into an existing site. This relatively small example, named "Lily", was built by Scott and Hodgson of Guide Bridge in 1914 and supplied to Hardman and Ingham's Diamond Rope Works at Royton near Oldham. The company manufactured a wide range of ropes and twines using a trademark of two interlocking diamonds. The mill was badly damaged by fire in 1973 and the engine never ran again.

Bolton Steam Museum is operated by volunteers from the Northern Mill Engine Society (NMES) who have rescued 25 of the old stationary steam engines which once powered the cotton mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It has the largest collection of working steam mill engines in the UK and probably the largest in the world. The original museum was first opened to the public in 1983 in one of the original engine-houses of Atlas No 3 Mill where 5 of the rebuilt engines could be seen working in steam and over the following 7 years it became a well-known attraction in the area. However, in 1990, the mill complex was sold for redevelopment as a retail supermarket and the museum was in the way. Fortunately, the new owners, William Morrison Supermarkets, were sympathetic to the Society's plight and undertook to relocate the museum into another building on the far side of the site. Unfortunately, this meant dismantling all the engines, moving all the parts into the new building and beginning the rebuilding work all over again but the society now has the security of a long lease and has spent the last 22 years reassembling its collection, which has now grown to some 27 engines, in the new premises. The new building is ideal for the museum, with plenty of natural lighting and full crane coverage to assist with moving and assembling the heavy engine parts. The Society's collection of steam engines now represents one of the largest in the UK. Due the fact that work is still in progress, it is not yet possible to open the museum to the public on a regular basis, although special Steam Open Days are held each year. Link Northern Mill Engine Society website

The shaft of sunlight is probably illuminating dust in the air rather than steam.

A detail of the linkages on one of the engines, that enable it to turn the great flywheel while keeping the piston rod straight.