A recent donation to Summerlee Museum has thrown up some intriguing information about the preserved Cornish beam engine at Prestongrange Museum, East Lothian.
An old Summerlee Iron Company copy book was discovered in the attic of a house in Coatbridge. It covers the period from the 1880s through to the First World War and contains prices and specifications for improvements and repairs to plant and buildings at the Summerlee Iron Works as well as the various collieries owned by the company. In 1895 they acquired Prestongrange Colliery.
The pumping engine at Prestongrange has been on its current site since the 1870s but had previously operated in Cornwall. Although the beam was made in 1873 it has been suggested that the engine dates from as far back as 1853.
It has long been thought that in about 1916 the piston rod broke as a result of operator error, damaging the steam cylinder (the repair to which can still be seen today). However, the drawing shown here is a design for new piston rod dated 1907, suggesting that the accident happened a decade earlier than previously thought. This replacement rod was itself broken in 1938!
The copy book will be on show in an exhibtion called 'Rediscovering Summerlee Iron Works', which will be at Summerlee Museum from 14 March to 21 June 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment