Type - Rotary Beam Engine with Pusher Compounding
Output - 500hp @ 42 r.p.m. and 130lbs steam pressure
High Pressure Cylinder (Horizontal) - 19" Bore & 6ft Stroke with Corliss Valves
Low Pressure Cylinder (Vertical) - 35½" Bore & 6ft Stroke with Slide Valves
Governor - Lumb Governor driven by ropes
Flywheel - 18ft Diameter
Transmission - 8ft diameter gear wheel (high pressure cylinder crank is bolted to side of gear)
This is a privately owned team engine that is being stored on site for its owner. As it is not assembled there is very little to see, however it is included here because it is almost certainly unique
The engine was originally sited in George Lyle's mill at Mirfield. It was a fairly normal beam engine, similar to many other will engine driving woolen and cotton mills. The builder of this engine is unknown, but could have been one of many people who either built their own engines or acted as erectors for the likes of Boulton & Watt. As built the engine would have a quite low steam pressure when compared to more modern standards, it also had an exhaust condenser.
At some unknown date, it was decided that more power was required in the mill, so the old beam engine was rebuilt with a horizontal high pressure cylinder being placed in the next room and driving onto the original crank shaft. The exhaust steam from the high pressure cylinder was then directed into the original vertical cylinder of the beam engine (compounding).
The Horizontal cylinder was made by Woodhouse & Mitchell, but it is not known if they carried out the conversion work or even if the cylinder was made specially for this conversion or converted from part of another engine.
Similar work was carried out on many other beam engines, but this could be done in one of three or four ways and although examples of other types can be seen, this is thought to be the only surviving example of this type. Some beam engines were also built from new as compound engines.
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