International Stationary Steam Engine Society

31/08/2026

One of Britain’s most famous Victorian pumping stations Claymills was in steam this weekend! They have 4 Gimson & Co beam engines all of which run on steam. On open days all 4 run at various points of the day. This video is a timelapse of both afternoon runs of engines C & D. This was taken by ISSES’s Media Officer James Evans

19/08/2026

📬 ISSES BULLETIN 45.3 IS NOW IN THE POST!

The latest International Stationary Steam Engine Society Bulletin — Volume 45, No. 3 — is now on its way to all ISSES members! 🎉⚙️

Here’s a little peek at what’s in store in this latest edition:

🇬🇧 UK Notes & News — edited by Chris Allen

📚 Book Review — IEEC3, Transactions, Volume 1

🏭 Bradford Industrial Museum — a fascinating look at Moorside Mills and the main power hall, including the museum’s engines and machinery.

🏛️ National Museum of Scotland Collection Centre, Granton — featuring the impressive collection of stationary steam engines.

🚢 Marine Notes & News — edited by John Cooper.

And that’s just a taste! There’s plenty more to discover throughout Bulletin 45.3.

📮 Keep an eye on your letterbox — your copy should be arriving soon!

10/08/2026

A very unusual & rare engine for sale at Berrybrook!

This is one of those engines that really makes you stop and think about just how advanced some Victorian engineers were.

This engine was designed in 1870 to work at around 400 psi — an astonishing pressure for the period. Even more remarkable, some experimental versions of the design were run at pressures of up to 1,500 psi!

The design was based on Jacob Perkins’ unique high-pressure water-tube boiler, a remarkably early form of boiler which had first been developed around 1820, together with Perkins’ patented mechanical joints for the high-pressure steam pipework.

The Perkins father-and-son designs were way ahead of their time, and their work wasn’t limited to engines. Their high-pressure systems were also used for things such as pressurised-water central heating and steam baking.

The survival story is just as interesting. Of the two examples known to have survived as recently as 1960, both were found working in a relatively modest, low-tech lime quarry in Surrey. Amazingly, the very derelict Perkins water-tube boiler still survives there today — something which was highlighted in a Facebook post only a couple of months ago.

A fascinating survivor of a very early period of high-pressure engineering, and certainly not something you come across every day.

This engine is currently for sale through Berrybrook.

A compound steam engine designed by a grandson of Jacob Perkins, one of the founders of Baker Perkins. We understand this is an unusual design for the time, being compound...

29/07/2026

📚 Did you miss an ISSES Bulletin? Never fear!

Whether you’re a new member, missed an issue, or simply want to revisit a favourite article, back issues of the International Stationary Steam Engine Society Bulletin are available!

Packed with fascinating articles, engine histories, restoration stories, society news, and stunning photographs, there’s plenty to enjoy from previous editions.

📖 Browse the available back issues using the link below:
⬇️
https://www.isses.org/Newsletter/BackIssues20031214.pdf

Happy reading, and thank you for supporting the preservation of our stationary steam heritage! 🚂⚙️

24/07/2026

Importance notice! This year Markham Grange Steam Museum in Doncaster will be closing early at the end of August rather than end of October due to reducing visitor numbers. It’s open every Wednesday and bank holiday Monday and is well worth a visit! Please do go and give them your support 😊

17/06/2026

Englefield estate sawmill has been converted to office accommodation. The engines have been retained but will not run again. The Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies is pretty good but its room is rather sterile. The Clayton & Shuttleworth is under a disintegrating dust sheet and shows some surface rusting. The boiler is pretty much as was but out of use. The creosoting plant has been swept away and is in store at Hollycombe Steam in the Country.

Nicely done but has lost its former buzz.

Access is strictly by arrangement and details are in ISSES UK Engines guide for 2026. A visit report will be in the next Bulletin.

11/06/2026

🍺 ENGINE SPOTLIGHT #5 – THE THORNEWILL & WARHAM BREWERY ENGINES 🍺

This Engine Spotlight focuses on a unique pair of brewery engines preserved at Markham Grange Steam Museum.

Built in 1884 by Thornewill & Warham of Burton-on-Trent, these engines were supplied to Greenall Whitley & Co. Ltd. at their brewery in Wilderspool, Warrington.

They remained in service until 1962, driving brewery machinery. Even after being retired from active work, they were maintained in good operating condition until the brewery finally closed in 1990.

The engines were generously donated to the museum in 1997.

⚙️ A PAIR OF ENGINES ⚙️

Although often referred to as a single installation, the brewery engine is actually two separate engines.

Built as works numbers 524 and 525, they were constructed side-by-side with the flywheels positioned in the centre, effectively making one engine the mirror image of the other.

Each engine can be operated independently.

⚙️ TECHNICAL DETAILS ⚙️

Builder: Thornewill & Warham, Burton-on-Trent
Year: 1884

Type: Single-cylinder horizontal engines

Cylinder Diameter: 18 inches
Stroke: 36 inches

Valves: Slide valve with an expansion valve mounted above

Flywheels:
• 8 ft 6 in diameter
• 25 inches wide
• Cast in two halves and bolted to the crankshaft

⚙️ HOW THEY WORKED ⚙️

The engines originally drove a line shaft located above the cylinders using a 12-inch-wide flat belt.

Power to the brewery machinery was engaged and disengaged by moving the belt sideways between:
• A fixed pulley
• A loose pulley

This arrangement explains the unusually wide 25-inch flywheels fitted to both engines.

The maximum speed of each engine is controlled by a Porter governor, operating through a linkage connected to the steam throttle valve.

The valve gear is driven by two eccentrics mounted on a separate shaft. This shaft is driven from a 46-inch diameter crank disc by drag links.

Steam cut-off can be adjusted manually using a handwheel, which changes the position of the eccentric rod within a slotted link, altering the travel of the expansion valve and therefore the point of cut-off.

📜 PRESERVATION 📜

After arriving at Markham Grange Steam Museum, the engines were restored to operation and became popular exhibits.

Until 2021, they were operated on steam. Following the loss of the museum’s steam supply, they are now demonstrated using low pressure air.

Recently, Brewery Engine No. 1 ran for the first time since 2021 following extensive work by museum volunteers.

📍 VISITING

The Thornewill & Warham Brewery Engines can be seen at Markham Grange Steam Museum, where they form part of one of the largest collections of preserved stationary steam engines in the United Kingdom.

More Engine Spotlights to follow.

03/06/2026

This is a rather unique beam engine which would be well worth visiting and investigating if you’re near the heritage centre

Object of the month 🔍 - Lightmoor Beam Engine

Beam engines transformed coal mining in the 19th and 20th centuries. This type of engine made large-scale deep mining possible.

In the Forest of Dean, these advances led to the replacement of small drift mines with large industrial collieries. Lightmoor Colliery opened in 1832 and was owned by Henry Crawshay & Co. Ltd. In 1899, it was one of the largest collieries in the Forest, employing more than 600 men.

The Lightmoor Beam Engine was built on the site of the Dean Heritage Centre in the early 1820s. It remained in use at Lightmoor Colliery until its closure in 1940. The engine was then dismantled and sent to the National Museum of Wales. It later returned to the Forest and was restored for display at the Dean Heritage Centre. It is the only surviving example of those used in the Forest.

ℹ️Plan your next visit here - https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/visit-us

23/05/2026

Thank you Mr Postman!! ✉️ 📕 🎉
Have you received your copies yet? Make sure to use the booklet to your advantage and go and explore the brilliant engines out there!! Send in your photos and videos too of your fun days out seeing them 😊

21/05/2026

🚨NOTICE TO ALL ISSES MEMBERS🚨
UK Engines 2026 was sent to print last Tuesday (19 May 2026), we hope you’ll be receiving your copies in the post in the not too distant future!

For those who aren’t familiar - the UK engines booklet details preserved stationary steam engines which can be visited regularly or by appointment and what their current status is - running or not and what method (steam/air/motor etc). A must have for any stationary steam aficionado!