STEAM ENGINES AND WATERWHEELS

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Abandoned Gilkes' water turbine made in Kendal. This was replaced by the diesel above at Kirkstone Quarry when more power was needed.

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The reduction valve in the steam line to the tape sizing machines at Bancroft Shed. They ran on 40psi from boiler pressure of up to 160psi.

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The tape sizing machines at Bancroft Shed in 1976

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The teagle hoist at Bancroft in 1978. It was driven by an electric motor so it could be used at any time independent of the engine running. Used mainly for hoisting back beams in for the tape machines.

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This gives an idea of how much cooling water a big engine used. The condenser return to the River Beal at Newhey for the Ellenroad engine.

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The rope race from the engine at Ellenroad in 1985. Rope driving was elevated to an art in these big spinning mills. See the story of Ellenroad for the reasons why I had to destroy it.

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Kenyon's rope splicers working at Spring Vale mill, Haslingden, in 1979.

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Ross Mill at Bacup was the longest rope race of any mill. Kenton's men told me that when they knew one of the longest ropes needed replacing they went off sick!

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The teagle hoist at Bancroft in 1978. It was driven by an electric motor so it could be used at any time independent of the engine running. Used mainly for hoisting back beams in for the tape machines.

Whilst working on the dock road in Liverpool 1980, We had cause to use one of these to install new machinery into a paint factory,I thought we had reached the correct height for the fourth floor doors to land the equipment when my mate above indicated to inch it. I pulled the rope for up only to see the load hurtle back down towards me. how I stopped £2000 new equipment hitting the deck I will never Know but we did. We slipped the factory staff a good drink to operate it after this,with no further problems.

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Ross Mill chimney and engine house in 1978.

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Daniel Meadow's pic of the lad cleaning the rose on the bottom of the intake pipe in Bancroft Dam for condenser water. There was more to running an engine than sitting in the chair watching it running! The waste warm water came out of the open ended pipe in the arch, into the trough, and was dropped back into the dam further up so it got chance to cool in the body of the dam before the intake grabbed it and recirculated it. The colder the intake water, the more efficient the engine.

Wellhouse used to have a wooden sluice across the back of the shed took the hot water from the engine house to the opposite side of the dam, used to be good for fishing off when mill closed.

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The headgear on the large turbine at Glasshouses Mill, Pately Bridge.

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Cecil Hufton and the two apprentices from the Rochdale Training Centre, my workforce during the Whitelees engine at Ellenroad in 1991.

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The Whitelees running in 1998 for my American students.

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Lea Bank engine at Burnley. Silentnight owned the mill in the latter days and offered the engine to Burnley for preservation but nothing was ever done and it was scrapped.

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Fire pump by Bracewell of Burnley. Donated by Silentnight to the Lancashire Textile Museum at Helmshore after being found in a cellar at Wellhouse Mill.

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The dams at Wellhouse Mill in 1887.

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Terry Gissing loading two new bearing shells for the Jubilee engine at the Lilley Injector Works in Rochdale. This was the last big job the foundry did before closure. I got all my bearings cast there, Dick Bonser understood bronze and knew which metals to use. In case you're wondering, there are three shells because one of the originals was used as a pattern.

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Boring the brasses for the Jubilee engine at Gissing and Lonsdale's Havre Park. I get a lot of pleasure doing jobs like this that are the last in a long li9ne. G&L includes Henry Brown Sons and Pickles and this is the last time a job like this will be done on Johnny's old Bullard borer. It's been scrapped now and who would want to do another set?

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The same borer at Brown and Pickles in the 1930s boring a liner for an Edward's air pump.

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Internal boring of the Jubilee bearings at Gissing and Lonsdale's. The two halves were soldered together for this operation.

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The jnournal on the Jubilee engine flywheel shaft. Not bad condition after over 100 years of running. The bearings are the bottom brasses in each side. The old ones were worn and cracked, the top brasses were OK.

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The flywheel boss sat in its bearings at Masson, ready for the first spoke which is hung on the block and tackle. In cas you're wondering, all mating surfaces numbered and marked up when the engine was first built.

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Unknown engine. Very unusual layout and the flywheel is behind the panelling behind the tenter, evidently gear drive, you can see the second motion shaft going out of the engine house on the left. Looks like a tandem.

[Stanley]

Pendle street mill engine at Nelson. Made by Roberts of Nelson, cross compound and 2000hp.