Elsecar Newcomen Engine

 

The enginehouse seen from the raodway.

The Elsecar Newcomen Engine is the last Newcomen Atmospheric Engine to remain on its original foundations. Although it has been substantially modified over the years with a new cylinder, piston and beam  it remains a unique monument to our industrial past. The associated colliery and ironworks buildings are now reinvented as a leisure complex with preserved steam railway, antique shops, craft workshops and refreshment facilities but the engine house itself is open but rarely. Details can be found on the council website http://www.barnsley.gov.uk/tourism/elsecar/index.asp

 

The outdoors end of the beam seen from below. The pump rodding has been cut just below the edge of the picture and the white diagonal strapping is part of a set of counterweights that were fitted to enable the machine to be demonstrated in motion. Note the parallel motion on the pump rod, an unusual feature in pumping engines.The wooden A-Frame was used to lift out the pump rodding.

The engine was constructed in 1795 with a 42 " bore cylinder and the conventional arch head wooden beam with chain connections to the pump rodding and piston. It was fitted with a larger (48") cylinder in 1801 and the beam replaced with the present cast iron version in 1836. The engine worked continuously until 1923 and on standby until 1930. It was then modified to operate without the pump connected and run occasionally for interested visitors until 1953 when it was understood to be damaged following a demonstration. Latterly it was supplied with steam from the nearby colliery workshops, the original and replacement boilers having been removed. At present there is no suitable steam supply available and no plans to return the engine to steam although it is believed to be in fair mechanical condition. The cylinder shows some signs of cracking at the base but this is believed to be of some antiquity and no cause for concern.

The steel doors cover the pumping shaft. Behind the doors can be seen a wrought iron pump rod joining piece. The rods themselves were of square section timber. More pitwork. One is offset. A rare beast. This cast iron windbore would normally be at the very bottom of the pumping shaft where it served as a crude filter preventing large rock particles from entering the pumping system and damaging the valves and pumps.

The boiler-like object is a steam accumulator that was used when the original boiler was scrapped and steam was supplied from the colliery workshops.

The indoors end of the beam. The stop pins are provided with wooden safety shields. The beam is of cast iron and is 24 feet long and 4' 4" deep at the centre. It was fitted in 1836 replacing a wooden beam. The outdoors end of the beam. The platform is showing evidence of neglect. The winch was used for maintenance.

A view of the parallel motion on the indoors end of the beam. The loops are on the left. Cap, Piston Rod, Beam and Parallel Motion. The parallel motion from below.

  The open topped cylinder. In operation there would be about twelve inches of water on top of the piston to form a seal and keep the hemp packing wet. The overflow spout can be clearly seen and also the supply pipe to replace losses. Piston rod and cylinder. The piston seen from above.

    Richard Lamb explaining the working of the open topped cylinder to a group of visitors at a recent open day. Note the disembodied hand!

The cold water injection valve. The water came from a tank on a platform on the outside of the engine house.   The cylinder. The steam admittance valve can be seen at the back.  Another view of the steam inlet valve. Ntice the square headed nuts fastening the cylinder to the base.  The cold water injection valve. The cut off supply pipe is towards the viewer.

 

  The hotwell lies under the cylinder.The cold water injection pipe is immediately above it and the eduction pipe is on the left. The drivers position. It will be seen that the castings were designed to take three arbors which implies that the engine may have originally been intended for use as a winding engine. The base of the cylinder slopes sharply to the back. This enables the condensate and injection water to flow out , via a flap valve,down the eduction pipe to the hotwell. It would then have been pumped into the boilers as feedwater.

The castings supporting the valve gear arbors have clearly been rather crudely modified when installed. This might indicate that the engine was originally made for use in a different engine house and may have been purchased second hand. The old pump, formerly driven by the plug rod to pump cold water up to the injection water tank, now sits in a corner of the engine house. The main beam bearing.

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