2O24 Easter Sunday and Easter Monday then Fridays and once a month on Sundays ( dates to be announce Hot drinks available and cakes etc. NO hot food
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104 years ago today Les Cawley was born in Ardwick Manchester.
Hears a few photos of him, we dug the 1st footings out for the museum 37 years ago, 1st concrete was laid on the 9th June 1986. The photo with me in a yellow waterproof was taken at Congleton cattle market in 1977 thats 47 years ago Les was only 58 then, doesn't time fly. Geoff C
Here’s another video of the replacement liner on the Mirrlees single cylinder being fitted etc.
Helping other engine enthusiasts.
There’s a number of 50hp per cylinder Mirrlees engines around the world that are being rebuilt or are runners!
One of the UK engines that runs is a 5 cylinder engine that’s at the Prickwillow Pumping station in East Anglia.
One of there volunteers Philip Lacey at Prickwillow ( what a nice name to mention in certain company)
has some work to do on the Mirrlees and is a little worried about a number of water leaks and has asked the Anson can we help.
Philips Question
I’m Phill from the Prickwillow Engine Museum.
Sunday was our last run for the year and now need to carry out some repairs on our Mirrless.
While running we have developed some water leaks, most are not a problem but this one I’m a little concerned about case I cause more problems.
Do you have any information about the cylinder lub oil feeds, our water leak is from the oval 2 hole fl**ge plate that they oil pipes screw into.
I’m worried incase I break the oil pipe behind the fl**ge plate.
How are the oil pipes fitted internally? Or is the fl**ge made to seal against the cylinder wall?
Or May be water shouldn’t be in this area, if that’s the case oh dear!
It just happens that when we rebuilt the single cylinder Mirrlees after we’d fitted a replacement liner I did a little video of the oil quills that Philip has the water leak!
So if you’re ever doing a job that you may never have to do again take some photographs or a video because in years to come somebody might benefit from your exploits!
Preparation to water test the 1920’s Mirrlees single cylinder liner to casing after liner replacement at the Anson Engine Museum Poynton Cheshire.Taken on Fr...
Warm volunteers have more enthusiasm than cold ones!
John and Richard replenish the wood for the wood burner in the workshop.
There just some tins!
Just a few of the tin containers we have at the Anson with all sorts of screws and nuts and bolts.
The to***co tin has a bit of age to it as well!
The Bensons and Hedges tin is intersecting as it refers to “soecially packed for Skyways of London.
Skyways was an early British airline.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyways_(British_airline)
Let’s go back to 2015!
At the Anson Engine Museum Geoff,Eddie, Ian and Jeremy start this 1951 Ex Orsay Island light house Kelvin K2 Petrol/Diesel engine its first run after rebuild...
The Cris Bowden building.
Slowly getting there!
Mirrlees 50 hp per cylinder spares.
The Anson has a vast collection of spares for the single and the four cylinder engines we are currently working on, due to lack of covered space they live outside and recently we had some hard frosts!
Here’s a few brrrrrrrr photos of some of the parts.
Notice the different designs of cylinder heads but are interchangeable if reqd.
One down one to go!
Bob1 has removed the old paint and given the cast iron radiator its first coat of paint, he’s now working on the second one.
These are going to be used on the 2 large National gas engines in the museum, this will alow the engines to run longer and when filled with an antifreeze solution help preserve the water spaces in the engine that often over looked!
A rather winter scene as I left the Anson this afternoon the sun rather low in the sky and the frost from the previous night still evident.
In this months excellent Ferguson magazine!
That’s if you’re a Ferguson fan?
Pre Winter Drain Down of Engines at the Anson.
So you check and check then other people check.
Then it’s I wonder if the drain has been opened at the bottom of the water pump!
Next there’s a mess on the floor.
The moral being check more than twice!
In the past I might of mentioned my past life at Mirrlees!
The 2 engines KV16’s date from 1976 built at Stockport as she’s not towing she’s only running on one engine at a very low load.
This video is from a FB page and the video has been posted by Russel Duse the caption of tug now called Ionic 09 ( originally the John Ross )
She’s presently in Port Louis Mauritius taking on bunkers on her way to India!! Not necessarily good news
Keeping parts of Lincolnshire dry during the recent damp spell!
Although many diesel powered pumping stations have been decommissioned and replaced with "modern" electric pumps a number of ki he sent me that I've knitted together.
Most of them ran for days on end!
Bob1 removing years of coats of paint from 2 cast iron radiators.
As the 2 National gas engines in the museum occasionally over heat as they don't have a proper cooling system, but hopefully this will soon be rectified?
Alan alias Len and Fartoo and his woodworking skills!
A recent donation to the Anson.
Forget your 6 and 12 inch rules we've now got a wopper!
Info on Taylor Lang.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor,_Lang_%26_Co
Info on W Wittam of Bolton.
https://www.whittamprecisionrules.co.uk/about-us/
The suns rather low this time of the year, this is taken this afternoon on the way out of the Anson car park time 1540hrs.
Ken’s now ready to represent Mirrlees anywhere in the world!
After the HR department had words with Ken last Friday he’s now awaiting his next challenge
Further to my earlier post about Mirrlees here’s a couple of photographs.
The first taken 1910 is the engine build and test beds these engines were 50 hp per cylinder and similar to the 2 Mirrlees engine we’re working on at the Anson presently.
The bed plate with the crank in bottom right is a single cylinder engine similar but 16 years younger than the engine that’s run for the first time this year at the Anson.
The next is a crankshaft being carefully lowered in to its bed plate. In fact these slings now live at the Anson hung up in one of the engine halls!
It’s a KV12 cylinder engine of about 750hp per cylinder at 600 rpm.
This range of engine were built in 3,5,6,7,8 and 9 cylinder configurations also built as a V engine in 12,14,16 and 18 cylinders and quite a few are still running and exported all over the world, in fact most of the nuclear power stations in the UK rely on the engines for emergency use!
The last is of a MB430 16 cylinder engine of 1100hp per cylinder at 600 rpm.
Not many were built before MAN stopped production, if you ever go to the Isle of Man the island use to rely on these engines for there electricity supply, now on standby as the IOM now has a cable to the UK but they occasionally run the engines to back feed to the UK when there’s a high demand!
Life before becoming a volunteer at the Anson.
Before retiring in 2004 after 38 years service I attended (worked!) at Mirrlees Blackstone Hazel Grove Stockport.
The Mirrlees Bickerton and Day factory was the first purpose built diesel engine factory in the world opening in 1906 after production had been transferred from Glasgow.
Now it’s a housing estate, thank you MAN!
I started as an apprentice and ended up as a fitter on engine build, then worked in the research department then ended up up as a foreman on engine test then finally as the engine acceptance engineer.
The attached photograph taken in the 1990 is one of 108 MB275/8 cylinder engines built for the class 60 locomotive on BR, it was rated at 3100 hp and was one of the most fuel efficient engines at the time!
It seems just like yesterday but it’s 33 years ago!
The American made Alfred Herbert drill from Mid Wales.
The drill has now been unloaded from the Anson’s Ford Cargo ( now a collectors vehicle) and temporarily moved into the Gardner room.
Here’s a series of photographs of the move and details of some of the moving parts.
Interesting patented 8th Oct 189?
More Mid Wales treasure.
Bob1, Bob2 sorting out the non ferrous lengths of pipes with Alan standing guard over them.
An unusual 1/2” female BSP non return valve amongst the haul!
Most people associate Birds Eye with frozen food especially Fish Fingers.
But in the past it was a brand of cigarette!
You guessed it from Mid Wales.
A bit more electrical treasure from Mid Wales
Treasure? From Mid Wales.
When I picked up the box I initially thought it was a box of handy tension springs bit later on I found it was in fact resistance wire.
Also in the box was this wooden reel of resistance wire for repairing an electric toaster!
Times must of been bad in 1951!
Progress on the Cris Bowden building.
As the Anson is now closed we’ve been able to move some of the items that where stopping the end of the building progressing.
Hopefully the sheets will soon be in place.
Bob1’s handy work.
This Important Notice has come from the Criterion Stamping Ltd the original home of the 1928 Crossley OE128 and it was in a rather sorry state.
Bob1 has made a new frame carefully cleaned up the notice and now it’s ready to be put on display by the engine.
I suspect at some time there’s been an “incident” in the past!
Hence the “Important Notic”
Yet another Anson volunteer birthday and that means cakes!!
Ken’s in trouble!!
Ken the Anson’s wizard machine person use to be in a previous working life a Mirrlees Blackstone service engineer, he travelled the world working on Mirrlees Diesel engines.
Service engineers were issued with white boiler suits and a Mirrlees Blackstone cloth badge that required sewing on.
Ken is now wearing one of his surplus boiler suits and has asked do we have any MB badges for his overall so today I found him a couple!
Todays Welsh outing!
It was about 75 miles from the Anson to our Welsh destination and it seemed a bit silly only coming back with one item and very out of character to do so!
Hence a few more items came back as well!
A saw table ( rather heavy) a belt driven grind stone and various other items!
How many straps do you need to secure your load?
As many as you have!
The day trip to Mid Wales.
The purpose of the Anson working out team was to remove a Alfred Herbert but American made drilling machine and transport it back to the Anson.
Here’s a series of photographs showing the removal of the drill.
First with the aid of an engine lifter move it to the door then eventually with the aid of the Hiab type lifter on the Anson Ford Cargo lift it on to the lorry then lay it down!trip
Today at the Anson.
Some progress has been made on the control panel for the Ricardo E6 engine.
The Anson working out team is off to Mid Wales this morning.
I wonder what we will return with?
Design changes on early Mirrlees engines similar to the Anson’s single and 4 cylinder engines.
If it didn’t need it they wouldn’t of changed it!
We have quite a few spares for our Mirrlees “Stud”
Here’s two examples of what are the same item but different design.
First Air/Exhaust valve cage, one with only the one port the other with multiple ports.
Second the Engine governor, plain bearings versus ball races and the bob weights are different the overall height is different but as it goes in a casing it’s the shaft at the top that’s important.
Ken's aluminium sealing ring for the Crossley OE128
Does it fit?
Yes! Success.
Remembering all the engineers that never came home.
Ken completes machining the aluminium joint ring for the 1928 Crossley OE128 air valve cage.
The ring is made of aluminium that put up quite a fight towards the end and didn’t quite part of as per Ken’s plan!
Who rember using this type of fire extinguisher?
Recently acquired!
Unfortunately the transfer is in poor condition but we do have the maintenance kit!
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In the past I might of mentioned my past life at Mirrlees! The 2 engines KV16’s date from 1976 built at Stockport as she’s not towing she’s only running on one engine at a very low load. This video is from a FB page and the video has been posted by Russel Duse the caption of tug now called Ionic 09 ( originally the John Ross ) She’s presently in Port Louis Mauritius taking on bunkers on her way to India!! Not necessarily good news
Keeping parts of Lincolnshire dry during the recent damp spell! Although many diesel powered pumping stations have been decommissioned and replaced with "modern" electric pumps a number of ki he sent me that I've knitted together. Most of them ran for days on end!
Bob1 removing years of coats of paint from 2 cast iron radiators. As the 2 National gas engines in the museum occasionally over heat as they don't have a proper cooling system, but hopefully this will soon be rectified?
Alan alias Len and Fartoo and his woodworking skills!
A recent donation to the Anson. Forget your 6 and 12 inch rules we've now got a wopper! Info on Taylor Lang. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor,_Lang_%26_Co Info on W Wittam of Bolton. https://www.whittamprecisionrules.co.uk/about-us/
Yet another Anson volunteer birthday and that means cakes!!
Ken’s in trouble!! Ken the Anson’s wizard machine person use to be in a previous working life a Mirrlees Blackstone service engineer, he travelled the world working on Mirrlees Diesel engines. Service engineers were issued with white boiler suits and a Mirrlees Blackstone cloth badge that required sewing on. Ken is now wearing one of his surplus boiler suits and has asked do we have any MB badges for his overall so today I found him a couple!
Today at the Anson. Some progress has been made on the control panel for the Ricardo E6 engine.
Ken's aluminium sealing ring for the Crossley OE128 Does it fit? Yes! Success.
Ken completes machining the aluminium joint ring for the 1928 Crossley OE128 air valve cage. The ring is made of aluminium that put up quite a fight towards the end and didn’t quite part of as per Ken’s plan!
Crossley OE128 Joint Ring. Ken is busy making a replacement aluminium sealing ring for the engine air valve cage. A modified Gardner cylinder head joint was originally going to be used but we only have the one and if required we'd have to make one hence making the aluminium one.
Anson Winter goings on. The Lister made wooden bench goes under cover to dry off.
Bates Oil engine parts for sale. I'll let Geoff explain about them.
Video from one of the members of the North West Stationary Engine Association from the FB page. Hope they don’t mind me reposting. The NWSEA had a club visit on Sunday to the Anson I’ve “knitted” theses 2 videos together of the start of first the Mirrlees engine followed by the Crossley engine. In years to come people will say look at that ***** bugger on top of the engine and I’ll say “It looks a bit like me”
1926 Crossley OE128. Ken one of our volunteers and wizard machine men took this video of the OE128 over the weekend.
Bob 2 starts yet another engine.
Bob2 under "supervision" starts the Ruston with Bob1 a James keeping a close eye on proceedings!
1926 Crossley OE128 the lubricator. Now we have a “runner” we can set up the lubricator to deliver the correct quantities of oil to the various parts of the engine, one chamber seems a little lazy at the moment!
Anson closing weekend the 27th,28th and 29th of October 1000 to 1600. As well as running as many engines as possible we've got something special for our visitors to enjoy over the weekend! But you'll have to visit the Anson in person to find out what is producing the exhaust smoke!
Mark starts the Mirrlees Single cylinder. Now as Autumn approaches and the temperature is now dropping the compressed air used to start the engine is more visible. The white “smoke” is in fact a cloud made when the 250psi air used to turn the engine escapes into the atmosphere. It’s more impressive than the engine exhaust!
One of Sundays visitors mode of transport Here's a video on the Oldsmobile
The 1926 Mirrlees Single cylinder. We've been running the engine by hand governing as part of the engine governor required welding up! It now returned ( thank you Edd) The challenge now is to have the engine speed controlled by the engines own governor. The aim is to have the engine running relatively slowly as you can appreciate the "chuff and valve gear better" The governor was set up for a much faster speed than what we'd like. So inorder for it to given it needs a softer spring on the governor so the weights move earlier. Here's a video of original and softer spring! Early days but as you can see the governor sorts of governs. A single cylinder trying to accelerate a 6 ton flywheel and all its inertia does help!
Some more progress on the 4 cylinder Mirrlees blast injection engine. The cam shaft has been assembled and albeit presently without the caps on turns?
Marks been doing a bit of brass casting today! Cough Cough. The furnace is powered by waste engine oil.
Life before becoming an Anson volunteer. Ken Hunter in a previous life was a Mirrlees Service engineer travelling the world installing and servicing Mirrlees Diesel engines. One of his assignments was to install and commission 2 V16 engines in an ocean going salvage tug in South Africa, the tug the Wolraad Waltemade is due to be withdrawn from service and scrapped shortly!! So Ken and Peta travelled to SA to pay what “ might” be there last visit. Hers a post and video from the Wolraad FB site, the ship sailed later on for more work! What an honour it was to see Ken and his wife coming onboard for the final time to the startup of the Mirlees engines. Ken was almost in tears when he was asked to start the the Starboard Engine, He did it with grace as he done almost 48years ago when he was the first person to start up the engines before he handed over, with the engine installation done to the specs. Well done Ken. you've done a great job that has served the Masters, Officers, crews and the people of South Africa well, over the 48 years.
Bob1 entertains some of the bank holiday visitors starting the National gas engine.
Taken on Monday the 28th of August 2023 Tony after a little how it works talk starts the Stott, an ex Mill engine.
Pipe now cut to length so Bob cuts a new BSP thread while James hopes he marked it to the correct length!
We have a friend of the Anson ( Nathan) who owns a company who designs and builds exhibition displays.(http://splash-uk.co.uk/) he designed and erected the Gardner 150 year exhibition art work. Nathan also collects tractors! Here’s a short video of his latest acquisition a Ford 8730 imported from Denmark. Nathan’s on the left at the start of the video.
Another “prime mover” on the move today prior to the big dig. This Ruston Hornsby gas turbine is “levitated” out of the way!
