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224 December 2012

A Year Celebrating Power and Energy: reports of conferences; a Newcomen Street; the early electricity supply in Melbourne; 25 years of the DLR; future visits; the 2013 Summer Meeting to be held in Manchester and more…

Newcomen Links Editor & Layout Designer: Deborah Jaffé. [email protected] 603000Printed by MPC Print Solutions©The Newcomen Society 2012ISSN1478-484X

Newcomen Links is published four times a year by The Newcomen Society. The views expressed in the articles published in Links are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Newcomen Society or the Editor of Links. Every effort has been made to gain permission to reproduce the images in this issue and we apologise for any unforeseen errors. The Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 691545.Registered in the UK as a Charity No. 215410. VAT Reg. No. GB 242 7979 28. The Newcomen Society, The Science Museum, London SW7 2DD. +44 (0)20 7371 4445www.newcomen.comAffiliated to Engineering Heritage Australia www.engineersaustralia.org.au/engineering-heritage-australia

Dr. Michael Bailey is a Newcomen Fellow, who joined the Society in 1973. He has served as Member of Council for several terms, and President between 1995 and 1997. He is an author and lecturer on early railway and locomotive history, and is a consultant and archaeologist for museums and television companies. Michael was also Consultant to UNESCO regarding the Rhaetian Railway’s application in Switzerland/Italy for World Heritage status. He represents the Newcomen Society for the ‘International Early Railways’ Conference series, and is a co-editor of the Conference publications.John Bolter joined C A Parsons & Co Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1949 and became a design engineer in the Gas Turbine Department. In 1965 he moved to the Steam Turbine Department, later becoming Chief Turbine Engineer, Engineering Manager and Engineering Director, he retired in 1991.Rev. Robin Brooks. Following his apprenticeship in heavy electrical engineering at ASEA in Walthamstow, London, Robin Brooks joined the London Electricity Board in 1965 as a distribution engineer. Having taking voluntary severance in 1995, he was later ordained as a Methodist Minister, but is still an engineer at heart.Dr Robert Carr was at first involved with the physical sciences. He has since become more of a genralist, interested in a wider context and in making connections. Dr Richard Court is the wind generation specialist at NAREC, (National Renewable Energy Centre), in Blyth. Douglas J Gass is Section Manager, Operational Services Engineering, Siemens Energy, Newcastle upon TyneMartin Gregory M.A., D.Phil. taught physics at Winchester College for many years and has been a member of the Newcomen Society for 50 years. He has been involved in Industrial Archaeology in Hampshire for over 40 years, is a trustee of the Twyford Waterworks Trust and the present editor of The Journal of the Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society. His specialist interests in the history of technology lie in the sewing machine, the Stirling engine and the stationary steam engine.Henry Gunston is a hydrologist, with a degree in agricultural engineering. His historical interests cover industrial history generally. Special interests are fenland land drainage and river engineering in England, and railway engineering in countries where he has worked overseas, especially East Africa.Geoff Horseman is Chief Turbine Engineer, Siemens Energy, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Notes on Contributors

The Front Cover

Newcomen Links 224, December 2012 Newcomen Links 224, December 2012

Stephen K. Jones’s career has been in industrial development and economic regeneration, specialising in new technology and innovation. Following the demise of the Welsh Development Agency he was seconded to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE Wales Cymru) to raise the profile of engineering in Wales and was elected a Companion member of ICE. He was involved in the setting up of the heritage tourism project for Cadw (the Welsh heritage body). Professional memberships include the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM). Interest in the study of engineering history, particularly under the heading of Brunel in South Wales, and the publication of the final volume of the trilogy published by the History Press in 2009. This has also resulted in publications and exhibitions including a history of the suspension bridge; Web of Iron. Stephen is a member of the ICE Panel for Historical Engineering Works (PHEW), sits on the editorial panel for the Engineering History and Heritage journal and was elected to the Council of the Newcomen Society in 2012. Miles Pierce FIEAust, CPEng, is Chairman (2012) of Engineering Heritage Victoria, a Special Interest Group within the Victoria Division of The Institution of Engineers Australia. Doug Shearer is a chartered civil engineer having worked before retirement in the fields of water supply and electrical power generation. His interests include all aspects of the history of engineering and technology but, particularly, railways and their social impact. From 2003 until 2011 he was the Society’s North Eastern Branch Secretary.Jon Willis MSc BSc DLC DIC, Member of the Newcomen Society. Jon spent his career developing strategies and major transport projects in London, working for the Greater London Council, London Transport and Transport for London. He was responsible for the planning and evaluation of the initial Docklands Light Railway and three of its subsequent extensions. Also for the Croydon Tramlink and the Jubilee Line Underground Extension. He retired as Head of Planning of the Crossrail project now under construction and he is currently Chairman of Crofton Beam Engines.Prof. Paul Younger is Director of the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability, Newcastle University.Richard Yudin CMILT, MBA, MSc in Environmental Sciences, BSc Tropical Agriculture, has spent 40 years in the tropical fresh produce industry which involves daily management of logistical matters.

The three images on the front cover are taken from photogarphs that

appear in this issue of Newcomen Links. Above (on p18): Slow-speed horizontal steam engines driving 80kW, 2kV Ganz single-phase alternators at A U Alcock’s 1891 Electric Light and Motive Power Company’s Burnley power station. Ornate timber panel switchboard at rear. Image: Courtesy of Museum Victoria Photographic Collection.Middle (on p11): Some of the water hydraulic engines of the Newcastle Swing bridge, opened to traffic in 1876, operated by an accumulator originally raised by steam pumps, but now converted to electric pumps.Below(on p7): The worlds’ largest steel blade – 30m² exhaust 1800 mm long at 1500 revs/min

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From the Society’s Interim Executive Group

From the Editor

The copy date for the next issue of

Newcomen Links is 4 February 2013

The Council of the Society met on 14 November and worked its way through a packed agenda. Nominations for officers for election at the

AGM next year were approved, namely Geoff Wallis (President), Michael Grace (Vice-President), Julia Elton (Hon. Secretary) and Frank James (Hon. Treasurer). The accounts for the financial year 2012-2013 were presented and, as predicted by the Treasurer last year, showed a poor performance, especially in the Society’s usual operations (as opposed to its charitable functions). In view of this Council agreed to recommend an increase in the rate of annual subscription to where it was four years ago – an issue that is addressed elsewhere in this mailing. Council agreed to renew for a further five years the contract with Maney to publish the Journal; under this agreement Maney will also take over the archive of back issues of Transactions and the Journal, so that, for the first time, everything will be in a single location accessible from the new website which, it was reported, is increasing in functionality weekly. It was also agreed to renew Deborah Jaffé’s contract to produce Links and for her to take on, for a trial period in the New Year, management of the website. Council approved plans for the summer meeting to be held in Manchester in conjunction with the 24th International Congress for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, where the Society has arranged a symposium. Council also revised and approved the current redrafting of the Society’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, designed to bring the Society into line with the 2006 Companies Act, other relevant legislation and best practice. There is still a bit of work to do on fine tuning the Society’s governance document, so it was agreed, post-Council, that it would be impractical to present this at the February AGM and so an EGM will be called during the first half of next year, to consider the final text.

Further reports of the 2012 tercentenary events are published in this issue. These are from the North East, North West and Wales. Other notable

anniversaries are not forgotten. There are articles marking the bicentenary of Blenkinsop’s lightweight locomotive, that used high pressure steam, and the Docklands Light Railway at 25 as well as photographs showing the demise of the site of the Marconi factory that opened in Chelmsford a century ago. On an international perspective there is an article on the early electricity supply in Melbourne, Australia, illustrated with fascinating photographs. It appears, in the Newcomen Society, that once one Summer Meeting ends plans are immediately put in place for the next. So, details can be found on page 23 of the Summer Meeting which will be held in July 2013 in Manchester. This venue has been chosen not only for Manchester’s important role in the engineering and manufacturing industries, but also because the 24th International Congress of the History of Science, Technology & Medicine will be held there the following week. The Society will have a presence at this important congress. The front cover of this issue reveals a change of name. The magazine has gone from ‘Links’ to ‘Newcomen Links’. This is to differentiate it from the increasing use of the term ‘links’ when searching the Internet and also to brand it with the Newcomen Society. Something else new to this issue is a section called ‘Seen…’. This is for the publication of photographs of interest and relevance to members that do not require an article but more an extended caption or paragraph. Please continue to submit articles, reports, photographs, news and reviews. The copy date for the March issue is 4 February 2013.

With best wishes for the festive season

Deborah Jaffé Newcomen Links 224, December 2012 Newcomen Links 224, December 2012 3

New

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The NewcomeN SocieTy AGm

Wednesday 13 February at 5.45

In the FelloWs’ room, the scIence museum,

exhIbItIon road, london sW7 2dd.

FolloWed by the lecture by chrIs hodrIen on

babcock and WIlcox and

the bIrth oF the modern steam Plant boIler


New Members of Council

The Society congratulates Past President, Professor Frank James,

who has been elected a Member of the Academia Europaea. The Academia is a non-governmental association of scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It includes leading experts from the physical sciences and technol-ogy, biological sciences and medicine, mathematics, the letters and humanities, social and cognitive sciences, economics and the law.

The Newcomen Society’s 2013 Summer Meeting will be held in

Manchester from 17-20 July immediately before the 24th International Congress of the History of Science, Technology & Medicine, which will take place there from 22-28 July. Further details about the Summer Meeting and Congress can be found on page 23 of this issue of Newcomen Links.

Next Summer in Manchester

Congratulations

Change of name to Newcomen Links

Writing for Newcomen Links Relevant articles and items of news may be submitted to be considered for inclusion in Newcomen Links.

Articles should be a maximum of 700 words and sent in Word format by email. Images should be sent separately by email in jpg (digital) format of 300dpi minimum. They should not be embedded in the text of the Word document.Copyright and reproduction issues on images, including diagrams, must be considered and wherever possible permission for publication granted. It is not possible to receive photo-graphs/scans of images in books etc.

The copy date for the next issue is 4 February 2013Please submit articles, information, details of events etc to: The Editor, Deborah Jaffé at:[email protected] 603000

Dan Hayton, Stephen K Jones and Dr David Yeomans have recently joined the Society’s Council.

The magazine has a new name which can be seen on the front cover of this

issue. The name ‘Newcomen Links’ has come about for two reasons. Firstly, there is growing confusion between ‘Links’ as the name of the magazine and ‘links’ when used in the context of Internet searching and jumping between websites. Secondly, incorporating the Newcomen name into the title associates it closely with the Society.

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Seen...

Martin Gregory refers to the piece in Links 223 that mentioned the listing of a Webb’s Sewer Gas Destructor lamp but had no illustration nor was the location of the lamp given. Winchester’s mains sewerage was built in 1878-1880. The Engineer was James Lemon. Several lamps to provide ventilation of the sewers and to burn off any methane produced were installed in the centre of the city. Today, one remains in The Square near the cathedral with its four


Seen... is a new column for contributions of ‘things seen’

that are relevant to members of the Society but which do not require a lengthy article - just a paragraph or extended caption. The first two contributions appear here. The photograph of street names was taken in the North East by Michael Bailey. Webb’s Patent Sewer Gas Light was found by Martin Gregory and relates to an article by Roger Cline in Links 223.

Please submit your finds by email to the editor, Deborah Jaffé at: [email protected]

Michael Bailey thinks the good folk of Ferryhill, County Durham, have certainly got their priorities right.

gas mantles lit twenty four hours per day. It has been well maintained for the last fifty years to my knowledge. Some years ago the lantern was vandalised; the repairs being carried out by Suggs (now of Crawley, Sussex). The base of the lamp has two panels: one reads “J E WEBBS PATENT | SEWER GAS | DESTRUCTOR” the other “WEBB LAMP CO | LIMITED | 11 POULTRY E C”.

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Power and Energy: A Season of Conferences Part 2A continuation of the reports in Links 223The Subject of the North Eastern Branch’s Conference was Some Aspects of Electrical Power Generation.

Charles Parsons was an Irishman, the youngest son of William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, an FRS and a

distinguished astronomer. Charles was by nature somewhat irascible, felt disinclined to adopt ideas of others and liked to have full control of his activities. These characteristics enabled him to build his first turbine generator which developed 7.5 kW at an efficiency of 2% and go on to build units of 50 00 kW with an efficiency of over 36%. When studying mathematics at Cambridge he first became aware of the need for high speed steam engines to drive generators directly rather than by ropes or belts, and in 1877, patented what he called an epicycloidal engine which would be capable of operating at high speed with low vibration. Later, as a premium apprentice at Armstrong’s Elswick works, he had a prototype made and tested. Armstrong however was not interested in manufacturing it, since he, together with other eminent engineers, believed that the future of power generation lay with the gas engine which was much more efficient than steam engines. So in 1881 Charles left and joined his elder brother Clere at Kitsons in Leeds. Here they made a number of engines driving generators directly at 800 rpm. These engines were notable in that they were the first prime movers to have pressure lubrication of the bearings. Charles seemed to lose interest in the engine, possibly because he could see that it could not readily be built for larger powers without reducing the speed, and in 1884 he joined Clarke Chapman in Gateshead as a junior partner. Here he patented, built and tested his first steam turbine. He did not invent the steam turbine - there were many earlier patents - but his was the first incorporating all the essentials allowing it to be built for very large powers. He perceived that contemporary water turbines had good efficiencies when operating with water and blade of about 300 feet per second, and that to achieve these velocities in a steam turbine, it would be necessary to divide the expansion of the steam into a number of steps - 30 in his prototype (15 rows of fixed blades and 15 of moving blades). In spite of this the turbine ran at the unprecedented speed of 18000 rpm, requiring special bearings which permitted stable operation at this speed, together with compatible governing system and generator. The efficiency of 2% compared badly with contemporary steam engines of similar power, but the turbine generator had a number of advantages - much smaller, cheaper, low vibration, requiring only light foundations, steady speed and voltage, and minimal consumption of oil. So it succeeded in spite of its low efficiency and some 250 sets were built, mainly for lighting on ships. The low efficiency of the first unit was partly due to the very crude blade shape but also because the blade areas were not increased sufficiently as the steam expanded. Later units were improved in these respects with a corresponding improvement in efficiency.

Land power companies were very conservative and reluctant to adopt the turbine so in 1889 Charles, with the assistance of local businessmen, set up the Newcastle and District Electric Lighting Co (DISCO) with himself as Managing Director, and built a power station at Forth Banks,with four 75kW turbine generators. At this point he left Clarke Chapman to set up C A Parsons & Co with a factory on Shields Road in Newcastle. He then lost the use of his patents, which were the property of Clarke Chapman, but fortunately the patents covered only axial flow through the blading so he was able adopt radial flow. He had also to develop new designs of bearing governing system and generator, but these were actually superior to those covered by the patents. In spite of this setback, by 1891 he had constructed a 100kW condensing unit for Cambridge which had an efficiency equal to that of a reciprocating engine of the same power. In 1894 he negotiated the return of his patents and immediately reverted to the technically superior axial flow design. In that year a major breakthrough came when he supplied 350 kW units to Manchester Square power station in Central London. At that time more than half the electricity generated in the UK was by Willans high speed reciprocating engines. However, there were complaints from local residents about excessive noise and vibration at this station. A Court injunction to close the station was issued and the problem was solved by the installation of the turbine generators. From then on there followed a steady increase in unit size and efficiency due to improved blade profiles; better matching of blade areas to the increasing volume of the steam as it expanded; increased pressure and temperature of the steam, from the 5.5 bar unsuperheated of the early units to

Sir Charles Parsons Development of the Steam Turbine Generator 1884-1931

Aerial view of the Dunston Power Stations. The larger B Station was opened in 1933 with three 50000 kW two-cylinder 1500 rpm reheat turbine generators, the last units with which Sir Charles Parsons was associated. A fourth similar unit was installed in 1939. The photograph shows the turbine hall steelwork for the post war extension which comprised two reheat units, also 50000kW, but these were three cylinder units running at 3000 rpm.


41bar, 417C at Dunston B, and by the introduction of reheat and feed heating. A series of cross sections of important turbines in this progression, reveal different configurations - single cylinder units, single and double flow turbines, and units with up to four turbines and up to three generators. Some important developments that resulted were:• Two 1250 kW units for Elberfelt in Germany, which led to

Brown Boveri taking a licence from Parsons in 1900.• 1,500 kW units for Neptune Bank P S in Wallsend,

which persuaded the Cunard Company to adopt turbine propulsion for RMS Mauretania and RMS Lusitania.

• In 1910 a 4,000 kW unit at Bankfoot waste heat power station where Parsons introduced new ideas - he also did this in 1916 at another waste heat power station at Blaydon Burn.

• In 1912, a 25,000 kW two-cylinder unit for Chicago, four times the size of any unit in service, later christened “Old Reliability”.

• In 1914, five 11,000 kW two cylinder units for Carville B power station in Wallsend, for many years the most efficient station in the UK.

• In 1923, two 40,000kW reheat units for Barking power station, having four turbines driving two generators.

• In the same year a 50,000 kW reheat unit for Chicago, having a completely different plant arrangement comprising three single flow turbines each driving a

separate generator. The LP turbine ran at only 720 rpm but the tip diameter of the last stage blades was over 5 metres.

• In 1925, a 25,000 kW unit for Brimsdown power station with three exhaust flows, one being combined with the HP turbine (the Duplex exhaust), the other two in a conventional LP turbine.

• In 1926, a 20,000 kW single cylinder turbine with a Duplex exhaust.

• In 1930, three, later four, 50,000 kW reheat units for Dunston B power station on the Tyne. These were the last major units designed before Sir Charles, as he then was, died in 1931, and each had a single flow HP and a single flow LP turbine. They were the most efficient turbine generators in the world at the time.

Some measure of the progress made between 1900 and 1930 is illustrated by comparing Elberfelt and Dunston B. Both ran at 1500 rpm, both had two single flow turbines, but Dunston was forty times as powerful and more than twice as efficient. It seems unlikely that Charles Parsons would have been able to build such a wide variety of turbine configurations if he had not had virtually complete control of his company.Apparently he was not greatly interested in making money; so long as he made enough to continue the further development of the steam turbine, it seemed that he was content.John Bolter

A report of the lecture given by Geoff Horseman

There is expected to be a continuing demand for steam turbines for all

major applications including conventional power stations mainly burning coal, gas turbine/steam turbine combinations burning gas (CC Plant), both operating at high pressures and temperatures, and nuclear power stations, where steam pressures and temperatures are low. In addition, turbines are required for geothermal applications where steam conditions are also low but the steam is highly corrosive, and for concentrated solar power (CSP), where mirrors direct sunlight onto a steam raising unit, producing moderate steam conditions. For all these applications the market demands maximum efficiency, maximum reliability, minimum maintenance, flexibility in operation, short delivery and low cost. Flexibility is particularly important for the first two categories, since these turbines must accommodate the variability of some renewable sources of energy, particularly wind power. These requirements are met by proven designs and validated technologies, coupled with global sourcing. Mr Horseman reviewed the design trends in all these categories, based on Siemens technologies. In all of them, the demand for high efficiency is being met by: • Fully three-dimensional flow calculations which lead to

Latest Trends in Steam Turbine Design

blading having advanced profiles, variable reaction, twist, and configured to minimise secondary losses.

• Minimising leakage losses.• Low exhaust pressure, demanding large exhaust areas and

long last stage blades. Conventional Steam PlantHere the trend is to higher steam pressures and temperatures, and the potential use of double instead of single reheat is being re-examined. Unit sizes vary from 150 to 1200 MW, with

The worlds’ largest steel blade – 30m² exhaust 1800 mm long at 1500 revs/min

Newcomen Links 224, December 2012 Newcomen Links 224, December 2012 7

typical steam conditions of 280 bar, 600C, reheating to 610C, giving an efficiency of 46% compared with 37% in 1981. New turbines have been developed to operate with live and reheat temperatures of 700C which should raise the cycle efficiency further to 50%. These employ nickel-chromium superalloys for the high temperature regions plus new cooling concepts.For outputs in the range 100 to 250 MW, the arrangement is an HP turbine and a combined IP/LP turbine, both single flow, with the latter having a rotor formed of two different materials welded together in order to get the required properties at the high temperature and low temperature ends. In the range 200 to 750 MW the arrangement is a combined HP/IP turbine and one or more double-flow LP turbines. Both of these basic designs are also used in Combined Cycle plant. For larger units in the range 600 to 1200 MW, separate HP and IP turbines are employed, with up to three double flow LP turbines, depending on the exhaust area required. On all designs, different governing options, by-pass, nozzle and sliding pressure, are available.

Combined Cycle PlantThe same basic designs are used, but larger exhaust areas are required since no steam is extracted for feed-heating. The demand has been met by developing a titanium last stage blade 1400mm long to run at 3000rpm, giving an exhaust area of 16 square metres per flow. Currently, combined cycle steam turbines operate at 180 bar, 600C, with reheat to 600C, giving an overall station efficiency of 60%. It is anticipated that further development will raise this figure to 61% or above In conjunction with this, unit size has increased to achieve economies of scale. For example the 1 + 1 CC single shaft machines (one gas turbine + one steam turbine driving a common generator) can achieve 600 MW output with the 2 + 1 separate shaft arrangement producing 1200 MW.

Nuclear PlantAll large nuclear steam turbines run at half speed, i.e.1500 or 1800 rpm, depending on system frequency. They operate at moderate steam pressures with little or no superheat, and

steam pressures have risen only from 65bar in 1976 to 80 bar in 2010. Due to the high power output (up to 1900 MW) and the low energy content of the steam, mass flow rates are large and very large exhaust areas are needed, so nuclear LP turbine rotors require special consideration. The weight of each shaft (over 300 tonnes) can exceed the ability to use monobloc forgings and this form of construction is not necessarily the best configuration for wet steam applications subject to stress corrosion and corrosion fatigue. Since the mid-1980s, Siemens has chosen to make all low speed nuclear LP shafts by shrinking individual disc forgings onto a central shaft. This is because a stress threshold was discovered below which stress corrosion does not occur. The threshold is a tensile stress of ~0.9 times the yield strength. Shrunk disc rotors are preferred because each disc may be heat treated (austenitised then water quenched) to produce deep compressive stresses (typically -350 MPa to a depth of ~60 mm after shrinking the discs onto the central shaft) which coupled with shot peening ensures that stress corrosion cracking will not occur. The central shaft, which is subject to high cycle fatigue, is treated similarly. This practice has now been extended to the latest turbine designs which raise power output from ~1500 MW to 1900 MW. Consequently, very large rotors with long last stage blades are being constructed, and Siemens has developed a blade 1800 mm long giving an exhaust area of 30 square metres. This design is incorporated in the largest turbine yet constructed, a 1700 MW unit for Olkiluoto in Finland. The plant arrangement is a double flow HP turbine with three double flow LP turbines, a common arrangement for nuclear plant,

Geothermal PlantGeothermal turbine ratings range from 5 to 100MW typically, and the corrosive and abrasive steam requires very robust designs using special materials coupled with cladding and coating of critical areas. Stresses, particularly stress concentrations, are kept low. Means for separating water and solid particles are provided. In some cases low reaction or impulse blading is used.

Concentrated Solar PowerThe different methods of concentrating the suns rays include parabolic trough, central tower, Fresnel type and Stirling dish. For these applications two types of turbine have been developed: firstly a single cylinder, single flow turbine with ratings up to 100MW. For reheat applications, a single flow HP turbine runs at high speed in order to improve its efficiency and is geared to the generator which is driven directly from the opposite end by a single-flow LP turbine.

With the progressive growth in technology, turbines are operating with lower costs, reduced emissions, and a focus on maximising the responsiveness of plant, it is possible to integrate the essential thermal power stations with the ever increasing, renewable power generation sources.

The worlds’ largest steel blade Combined HP-IP turbine + double flow LP turbine for 120 - 750 MW applications


A report of the lecture given by Douglas J Gass

The lecture focussed on five famous turbine failures between 1923 and 1969, (but added that not all the affected turbines

were from the Parson’s stable) together with the early problems with impulse turbines. The subjects were:1923 Shanghai Turbine rotor burst1917 Impulse Turbines Blade and disc vibration1955 Vaal Generator end ring failure1956 Uskmouth Uncontrolled overspeed1969 Hinkley Point Turbine disc burst

1923 Shanghai Turbine Rotor BurstThis 20MW turbine running at 1500 rpm, was constructed in 1922 and had a monobloc Carbon Manganese (C Mn) rotor with 9 Low Pressure (LP) discs with a maximum diameter of 1450mm. The rotor burst occurred just one year into operational life while running at 1400 rpm and unfortunately caused two fatalities. Prior to the burst, there had been no signs of distress. Mr Gass said this was the first burst of a monobloc rotor attributed to a forging defect. The key factors which influenced the failure were, he said:• This was a large single cylinder unit for that era.• There were many internal cracks due to ‘clinking’ as well

as a high residual stress from the forging process.• There was no way of inspection forgings internally.Following the investigation of this failure, heat treatment and forging processes were changed and rotor bores provided to facilitate internal visual inspection of the rotor. A mandatory 120% overspeed test was introduced to be carried out in an armoured chamber. Today, with the introduction of low alloy steels and modern testing methods like ultrasonic examination (which alleviated the need for a rotor bore), stress and fracture problems have been greatly reduced. A further description of how non-destructive (NDE) ultrasonic scanning was carried out was illustrated and explained.

1917 Impulse Turbines, Blade and Disc VibrationBefore detailing the failures associated with early impulse turbines, Mr Gass explained the design differences between impulse and reaction turbines and the competition between the two types during the years 1910 to 1920. Some developments of the two designs over this period were:Impulse – turbines were shorter with fewer blade rows and larger blade clearances; this design allowed for tall thin bladed discs with smaller shaft diameters.Reaction – Builders of this type introduced Curtis stage control which increased blade speeds and reduced the number of blade stages. The introduction of geared marine turbines favoured this type. The failures of blades and discs of impulse turbines, (some with catastrophic consequences) which manifested themselves from 1917 were explained. These were:• Blades impacting with casings by axial vibration.• Blades breaking at roots in the disc.• Discs failing by fatigue.This phenomenon was known as ‘the great disc flutter.’ The solution to the problem was found by the diligent studies of Wilfred Campbell, Chief Engineer of General Electric (GE). He discovered how to ‘tune’ bladed wheels so to maintain a margin against resonance. In 1924 he published a key paper which included his (now called) Campbell Diagram which predicted the characteristics of vibration in discs. This is still used in

turbine design to this day. Campbell’s work enabled GE to regain a competitive edge in the building of marine turbines.

1955 Vaal, Generator End Ring FailureThis generator end ring failure occurred on a 33MW 1500 rpm air-cooled generator constructed in 1946 after 71,000 hours of service. The material used to manufacture the end ring was, 8% Manganese (Mn), 8% Nickel (Ni) and 4% Chromium (Cr) work hardened steel. The key issues which caused the failure were identified as being due to:• Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the end ring due to the

environment in which the end ring was situated, namely nitrates from electrical corona discharge.

• Ventilation holes in the ring acting as stress raisers and therefore being the site of residual stresses, resulting in cracks and fractures of brittle appearance.

• Work in the 1950s attempted to resolve these problems by controlled work hardening using hydraulic rigs, thus relieving stress, together with the reduction of corona discharge by redesigning the electrical insulation.

Later development has resulted in the situation today in which end rings with no ventilation holes are the norm with a higher SCC resistance by using 18% Manganese (Mn) 18% Chromium (Cr) steel. The limiting of moisture levels within generators has also assisted. Ultrasonic and Zyglo NDE examination throughout a unit’s life is now standard.

1956 Uskmouth, Uncontrolled overspeedPictures of this turbine showed it after its failure and the sequence of events which caused the damage were described. Douglas Gass also added that such was the magnitude of the destruction, discs from the turbine were found outside of the building! The machine in question was a 60MW turbine-generator running at 3000 rpm which was commission in 1955 and burst in January 1956. The cause of the failure was triggered by an uncontrolled overspeed of approximately 5000 rpm which resulted in a LP disc-type rotor burst as well as a generator rotor burst. Hydrogen from the generator then also caused a fire in the generator windings. Unfortunately, there were two fatalities and nine injured personnel. The cause of the overspeed was due to human error, when an operative tripped a breaker on the unit in question, while carrying out the commissioning of an adjacent unit. As soon as the load was removed from the generator & turbine, its speed increased, rumbling noises were heard and the explosions took place. Further pictures of the damaged unit were shown. Despite the human error, a protecting governor relay should have shut the unit down, but it failed to operate. This was due to a seizure of the oil release plunger within the relay on which there were deposits of magnetite (Fe3O4). These deposits were from the mineral oil used in the relay. Inevitably, this failure brought about key changes to prevent such an event happening again. On-load testing of steam valves was initiated and oil system monitoring and management systems were improved. In the following two decades, there was a move towards unitised stations (one boiler matched to one turbine) and the ceasing of many units staying on load round the clock. Valve ‘exercising’ remains an essential task.

1969 Hinkley Point, Turbine Disc BurstThis failure was the first turbine disc to burst due to stress corrosion of a disc used in clean steam. It affected a 87MW 3000 rpm Magnox nuclear turbine constructed in 1962. The machine consisted of a High Pressure (HP) section with two LP

Failures which have influenced design thinking in Turbine Generator Plant


turbines, the discs of which were of shrunk disc construction. The failure occurred on one of the LP rotors during a planned overspeed test at 3200 rpm.The sequence of the failure was:• One LP disc burst.• Debris from the failed disc caused adjacent discs to fail.• A further disc failed.• The HP turbine was spinning with the downstream shafts

missing.• The generator broke up and suffered a fire.Analysis showed that the cause of the failure was a brittle fracture with a 1.6mm deep stress corrosion crack in the disc keyway. A further factor was that the discs ran continually wet.The discs of this turbine were made of acid open hearth Crome Molybdenum (CrMo) steel which, Mr Gass said, didn’t allow the best quality control. Temper embrittlement had occurred during manufacture.

During the 1970s manufactures and operators took measures to inspect, review and modify their equipment to prevent stress corrosion failures. The current methods by which SCC is controlled by keeping stresses low with heat treatment and the shot peening of discs and root fixings was explained. These five cases are amongst some of the most prominent examples in recent history and that the lessons learnt from them should not be forgotten. But we should remember knowledge continues to be gained.

Doug Shearer reports on a lecture by Prof. Paul Younger

Prof. Younger moved the conference on to discuss energy alternatives for the future, with particular reference to

geothermal heat and power generation. He set the scene by showing a picture of a 55 MW geothermal electricity generating plant set in the geyser fields of California which has been producing energy for decades in an area of high scenic beauty. The UK faced significant energy challenges in the future, he said, including climate change, the exhaustion of fossil fuels and security of supply in a politically unstable world. Also, in the near future one third of the UK’s electricity generating capacity will be shut down due to ageing plant or in response to EU directives. A second “dash for gas” will, with the run down of North Sea supplies, lead to increasing reliance on imported gas from Norway and, in particular, Russia. Government policy that there will be no subsidy for new nuclear is regarded as totally unrealistic in the eyes of most experts. It remains to be seen whether carbon capture and sequestration for coal-fired generation can be implemented at sufficient scale to make a difference. Some claim the answer is investment in renewables and the Government has set a target of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050. Prof. Younger then examined the claim that renewable energy can be developed to replace gas and nuclear and showed a chart of the current mix of sources of electricity generation in the UK with gas accounting for 34%, oil 28%, coal 18%, nuclear 17% and renewables 3% most of which is hydro.

Energy Alternatives with Particular Reference to Geothermal and Binary Turbine Cycles

This claim must, he said, be treated with some scepticism. Quoting from a 2011 report by the Adam Smith Institute and Science Alliance, to meet current targets for wind generation, for example, will require the installation of 5 turbines every working day, mostly offshore. Prof. Younger also showed a map of the location of sources for large-scale solar generation where the best sites are in latitudes far from centres of energy demand and in countries of doubtful political stability. His conclusion was that renewables can only be part of a mix of nuclear and fossil fuel sources. He then reviewed the future energy options for the UK. These, he said, had, ideally, to be low carbon, “ours”, on demand and provide heat as well as electricity. He demonstrated the importance of the last point by showing a pie-chart of total energy use in the UK with electricity taking 21%, transport 32%, and heat 37%. Inescapably, for the time being, we will have to continue to rely on imported gas. We will also have to import uranium for nuclear generation but noted that world economic reserves would only last for about 45 years. The use of thorium in reactors, although the resource is widely available, remains unproven and nuclear fusion is probably still at least 25 years away. Coal is too dirty without carbon capture, which besides being unproven so far, is expensive. Arguably, coal is also too precious to simply burn directly as a fuel, rather its future should be as a substitute for oil in chemicals and transport. Underground coal gasification would utilise our large untapped coal reserves and, with carbon capture, provide a temporary bridge to the development of other resources. Shale gas has been hailed as the new source but expert opinion doubts whether in the UK it will ever contribute on the same scale as in the USA for practical and political reasons. Prof. Younger concluded that none of the above provides a “silver bullet” on its own and we must utilise all of them as best we can. He then turned to geothermal sources, which are only just being explored in the UK. Geothermal energy generation relies on the exploitation of the increase in temperature with depth within the earth’s crust. Generally this is about 22 – 25 degrees C/km of depth but is greater in some places, particularly in the so-called Ring of Fire where tectonic plates meet. Geothermal energy is utilised by transfer of the heat to water, either naturally or by injection, and is harnessed directly, in the case of dry steam at temperatures greater than 300 degrees C, by a


One of many 55 MW plants at the Geysers geothermal field, California

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flash process for wet steam, 150 – 300 degrees or, in the case of hot water, using some form of binary cycle transferring heat to another working fluid with a lower boiling point such as iso-butane. Prof. Younger particularly noted that this geothermal source, unlike most other renewable sources, can be used for both electricity power generation and heat production and the processes can be used in sequence (“cascading use”), flashing wet steam power production, followed by a binary cycle to generate further power, followed by heat transfer to district heating before discharge back to the earth in a closed cycle with little environmental impact. All of these technologies are well-developed around the world, in Iceland, California and Indonesia, for example but in the UK, which is geologically more stable, the heat gradient is not so different from the world average and commercial development has been slower. However, there are a number of “hotter spots” where the gradient can be higher and these were examined in the 1980s by a Dept. of Energy research programme. Despite some success, particularly in the Wessex basin, the results were deemed to be not commercially viable and the project was abandoned. Southampton City Council, however, with a French company, developed a scheme in 1987 which still heats several municipal buildings.

Wind and Tidal Turbine Technologies

Stafford M Linsley reports on the lecture by Dr Richard Court

Beginning with wind generation, Dr Court first outlined the three main types of wind turbine – vertical axis,

horizontal axis downwind and horizontal axis upwind. The latter is the most commonly used type. The Betz’s limit of 59.3 per cent, (after Albert Betz who published his findings in 1920), governs the maximum energy that any wind turbine can capture from the kinetic energy in the wind, irrespective of its design. Today’s wind turbines achieve performances closer to that limit than ever before, but it remains the case that, partly by virtue of friction in the turbine system and the losses in power transmission, only about 30% of the power of the wind is converted into usable electricity. We had already heard from another speaker however, that every megawatt of installed wind power requires 0.9 megawatt of reserve thermal power. Additionally, every wind turbine needs a grid supply for it to function. Turning to wave and tidal energy generation, we were presented with a truly mind-boggling statistic; if we could recover only 0.1% of the kinetic energy of the oceans, that would provide five times the total world demand for electricity. Much easier said than done however, and available technologies for recovering the energy in our oceans are far from mature. As an example of the latter fact, a montage of different suggested wave and tidal technologies was presented – few are likely to have any significant impact. Yet, the 1966 Rance Barrage in Brittany, giving an annual output of approximately 600 GWh, shows what is possible where the right conditions are available; can the Severn Barrage be put off indefinitely? Some promising lines of development for tidal stream energy generation are being examined at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Stromness, Orkney, where the seas have amongst the fastest tidal streams in Europe. Hopefully these will bear practical fruit before the oil runs out.

A Visit to Newcastle Swing Bridge & The Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Robin R Brooks

The small group of members who visited the two moving bridges of Newcastle (in both the physical and emotional

senses) enjoyed a most fitting end to the North East’s exciting two day conference. The contrast between the workings of William Armstrong’s 1876 Swing Bridge, with its solid ‘all exposed’ Victorian engineering and the enclosed switch panels of the 21st century Millennium Bridge, could not have been more marked. Unfortunately, although the Swing Bridge engines were run for the visitor’s benefit, the bridge wasn’t actually swung open. Arrangements were however made for the Millennium Bridge to be lifted for the visit, but the visits to both bridges demonstrated that British engineering skill and design can achieve spectacular results.

Above: Some of the water hydraulic engines of the Newcastle Swing bridge, opened to traffic in 1876, operated by an accumulator originally raised by steam pumps, but now converted to electric pumps.Below: The oil hydraulic cylinders of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge opened June 2001.


Stephen K Jones

Taking the title of Power Progressed – The Potential of “Strong Steam” the conference at Swansea was intended

to highlight the development of steam power at the beginning of the 19th century, in particular the contribution started by Richard Trevithick with high-pressure steam. The conference was organised by the Newcomen Society with the support of the National Waterfront Museum (Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE Wales Cymru). Dr. Michael Bailey, Past-President of the Newcomen Society, opened the conference and chaired the first session; ‘Strong Steam: The Potential of High Pressure Steam’. Dr Stuart Owen-Jones gave the first talk of the morning with: ‘Some recollections on the construction of a speculative reconstruction of Trevithick’s historic Penydarren engine’. This engine was the world’s first steam railway locomotive. Stuart had originated the project for the Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum over 30 years ago. His presentation was a unique and personal insight and he explained the methods by which the components were acquired. After describing the reconstruction of the Penydarren locomotive, which is based at the National Waterfront Museum, he related stories about its subsequent operation. It can run on both tram-road and standard-gauge track as it has a set of railway wheels to allow it to run on standard gauge track. Laurence Ince gave the second presentation on Supplying ‘Strong Steam: the story of Neath Abbey Ironworks’ and its output, which included high pressure steam engines built to Trevithick’s design. Based on his extensive researches into the Neath Abbey Ironworks, Laurence’s informative presentation highlighted the prolific output of this South Wales enterprise and its role in wider industrial history. Michael Bailey closed and summed up the session and during lunch

there was an opportunity to view the galleries of the National Waterfront Museum including the replica of Trevithick’s historic Penydarren engine and other exhibits. The Penydarren engine made the first ever railway journey when it ran from the Penydarren ironworks at Merthyr Tydfil to the Glamorganshire Canal at Abercynon on 21 February 1804. The afternoon session, ‘Machines in the Landscape’, was opened and chaired by Professor Stuart Cole of the Wales Transport Research Centre (University of Glamorgan). Brian Davies, curator of the Pontypridd Museum spoke on ‘Mining Machines: surviving steam colliery engines in South Wales’. His detailed subject knowledge and experience of steam winding engines, such as ‘The Hetty’ engine near Trehafod, was backed up by a comprehensive selection of images including a movie clip. Swansea historian, Paul Reynolds spoke about ‘Moving Machines: the legacy of Trevithick, railway locomotives in South Wales by George Stephenson and others before 1830’. He talked on the fact that although the first recorded railway locomotive operated in south Wales in 1804 – Richard Trevithick’s Penydarren locomotive - only a few other locomotives are known from the region before 1830. He identified the few locomotives used on early railways in South Wales before 1830. The possible reasons for an apparent lack of interest on the part of the ironmasters and coal owners of the region were discussed. The day was closed by Dr David Jenkins, Senior Curator at the National Waterfront Museum. The venue and the welcome given to the conference was very much appreciated and we were extremely grateful for the support given by the Head of the Museum, Steph Mastoris.

Further information: National Waterfront Museumwww.museumwalses.a.uk/en/swansea/

The reconstruction of Penydarren locomotive in its present home, the National Waterfront Museum at Swansea. Image: courtesy of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

Power Progressed: The Potential of ‘Strong Steam’ at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea


Some 36 delegates attended a very successful day recalling the history of the British Nuclear Industry. It was noted by

several people that the day appeared to be the first occasion that members of the industry had met to consider its history, and that the Society was instrumental in bringing this about. Six papers exploring events since World War II were given: • Learning from the past - The UK nuclear power journey

by Dame Sue Ion, member of EPSRC, Chair of Fusion Advisory Board.

• The value of surveillance monitoring to support nuclear power plant operation by Prof. Peter Flewitt, Visiting Professor, Bristol - Oxford Nuclear Research Centre, University of Bristol.

• Materials in nuclear technology by Prof. Andrew Sherry, Director, Dalton Nuclear Institute, University of Manchester.

• Generation IV systems - The route to 2050? by

A Conference in Manchester on The Nuclear Industry

Dr. Paul Howarth, Managing Director, National Nuclear Laboratory.

• Experiences of a Nuclear Engineer in the former Soviet Union by Dr. Paul Haigh, Founder Chairman, Nuclear Technology Subject Group, Institution of Chemical Engineers.

• Nuclear people: Stories of Achievement by Jean Llewellyn, OBE, Chief Executive, National Skills Academy for Nuclear

Four Chairmen conducted the day’s proceedings, namely Prof. Frank James, Royal Institution and Newcomen Society, Dame Sue Ion, Prof. Andrew Sherry and Richard Maudslay, Newcomen Society.

The BBC used the Manchester conference to publicise the Society’s 2012 events. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18600708

Other AnniversariesRichard Yudin

Our society has been leading the celebration of the 300th

anniversary of commercial steam power, as applied to pumping water from mine shafts, which is widely held to have sparked the Industrial Revolution by making possible the exploitation of deeper deposits of mineral fuel. We seem to have collectively overlooked the 200th

anniversary of steam railways, which made possible the huge commercial expansion of the late 19th century through wider distribution of goods and services on land, and cheaper and faster personal mobility. One of our past presidents, Charles E. Lee, wrote an article, published in The Railway Magazine in June, 1962 commemorating the anniversary of commercial steam traction on railways, which because of the rapid imitation on other early railways, began the revolution in mechanical land transport. Lee was a prolific writer on railway subjects, and presented several papers to our society. John Blenkinsop, manager and part owner of a colliery at Middleton near Leeds, collaborated with Mathew Murray, a Leeds millwright and competitor of the more famous Boulton & Watt of Manchester, in the design of a lightweight locomotive using high-pressure steam that had its first commercial run on 24 June of 1812. By using a rack mechanism laid alongside the existing cast-iron edge rails, their design managed to avoid the continual cracking of the “tram plates” of the wagon way that had denied success to Trevithick’s 1804 application of steam power on the Pen-y-darran tramway in South Wales. Blenkinsop’s development was particularly useful on mountain railways. Lee records that Blenkinsop paid a royalty of 30 pounds to the trustees of the Trevithick patents. The colliery railway from Middleton to Leeds already had a claim to fame since it was the first to have been authorized by parliament, as a wooden “wagon way” in 1758. The line still exists, and is run by an enthusiast group, the Middleton Railway Trust Limited. I contacted their chairman, and was told they duly held commemorative events this year,

one of which was the the best-attended event in their history. Blenkinsop had a total of four similar locomotives built for his own line, which lasted in traffic until the 1830s, and according again to Charles E. Lee, one of them was still preserved in Belle Isle near Leeds until around 1860.

The Middleton Railway operates a Diesel Service every Saturday from 13:00 and a Steam Service every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 11:00. The journey from Moor Road to Park Halt and back takes approximately 25 minutes. The Engine House is open to the public from 10:00 on operating days.

Further information: www.middletonrailway.org.uk The Station, Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 2JQTel 0845 680 1758


A Model of Blenkinsop’s rack locomotive, 1812. Model (scale 1:8). The locomotive represented here was designed by John Blenkinsop (1783- 1831). Blenkinsop worked at Middleton collieries near Leeds and devised a rack and pinion system. This consisted of a cogwheel on the locomotive which locked into special teeth in a rack on one side of the rail. This was particularly successful in mountain railways. 3/4 side view front rear. Image 10306844 courtesy of SSPL. © National Railway Museum/ Science & Society Picture Library. All rights reserved.

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Jon Willis

It is fitting, following 25 years of operation of the Dockland Light Railway (DLR), to reflect on how this remarkable

railway came about and its impact on the redevelopment of London’s Docklands. The DLR, opened by HM the Queen in 1987, kick-started one the largest regeneration projects in Europe, repeating a similar period of intense activity nearly 200 years previously when the Docks were built. The construction of the West India Docks, where Canary Wharf now stands, together with the other docks, over the period 1800-1830, confirmed Britain as an international trading nation – just as Canary Wharf has done more recently, this time dealing in soft rather than hard commodities. But the City of London is wary of newcomers. In the early 19th century the City Canal was built across the Isle of Dogs, shortening the route for ships sailing to the Pool of London. They relaxed their planning laws 180 years later, to try to slow the transfer of businesses to Docklands. Following the demise of trade in the 1970s Government studies for Docklands suggested a mini-tram system linking the various sites. The Greater London Council (GLC) favoured an extension of the Underground, but the modest developments then proposed could not nearly justify the investment. Michael Heseltine as Environment Minister set up the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) in 1981 with more realistic plans. But money was tight and only £50m could be made available for transport improvements. Studies by the GLC and London Transport suggested a busway as the only cost-effective solution. The light railway could only justify half its cost but estimates showed it would generate 3000 more jobs. The only way a railway could be built with these limited funds was by making maximum use of existing railway rights of way – so the chosen route took over four sections of former railways. The London and Blackwall (LBR) railway was London’s second railway. Robert Stephenson’s cable hauled line opened in 1840, running between Fenchurch Street and Blackwall, connecting with the popular steamer service to Southend. The railway was elevated for much of its route with coaches slipped at the intermediate stations and picked up on

the return journey. Between Tower Gateway and East India stations the DLR follows the line of the LBR, taking over two tracks of the route now used by c2c trains. The viaduct section between Limehouse and Millwall was last used in the 1950s but with some structural strengthening and replacement of bridges it readily accommodated the lightweight DLR trains. The Millwall Junction railway opened in 1872, running down the Isle of Dogs to North Greenwich. The southern part of the line closed in 1928 and for 11 years the single track viaduct was used by the DLR until the Lewisham extension opened. Through the rest of the Isle of Dogs initial plans were to run at street level but these were quickly overturned by the LDDC who wanted the line to be elevated, providing a ‘dramatic entry’ into the prime area for redevelopment. Northwards from Poplar the line took over the former Poplar Dock freight line and via steep curve this was linked to the Great Eastern Railway; the DLR then taking over a freight line running into an abandoned bay platform at Stratford. The concept of a light railway was new to London. Without its ability to negotiate tight corners and steep gradients, using 11 single articulated vehicles with simple unstaffed stations and re-used existing rights of way it would not have been possible with the money available. Additional innovations included access for disabled people, driverless automation and a design and construct contract. It was built to support 25,000 jobs in the Isle of Dogs but even before it opened developers were coming forward with plans to more than triple this. Since it opened, the railway has been almost continually upgraded, with extensions to Bank, Beckton, Lewisham, Woolwich, a second line to Stratford, and trains and platforms extended to three cars. Now carrying 150,000 passengers a day with 111 vehicles the Initial Railway is now unrecognisable. The Jubilee Line extension and the coming of Crossrail, Docklands will have the transport infrastructure to cope with much more development. However, without the very modest initial railway, which put Docklands on the map, it is unlikely that anything on this scale would have happened.

The Docklands Light Railway at 25

One of the DLR’s Initial Railway articulated vehicles at All Saints station.


Planned Closure of Didcot ‘A’ Power Station Henry Gunston

On 14 July 2010 a party of Newcomen members visited Didcot “A” power station. It was a 2,000 MWe power

station, completed for the CEGB during 1968. The station burns mostly pulverised coal, but also co-fires with natural gas. Didcot was the first large power station to be converted to have this function. In addition, a small amount of biomass, such as sawdust, is now burnt at the plant. The station primarily runs on coal fed by rail, firstly using “Merry-Go-Round” trains of hoppers from collieries in the Midlands, then (more recently) using modern bogie hopper wagons to bring coal imported atAvonmouth. Didcot A opted out of the Large Combustion

Marconi in Chelmsford - 100 years

The Marconi New Street works in Chelmsford, Essex was the world’s first purpose built wireless factory and first

electronics factory using mass production techniques. When the factory was opened in 1912, the SS Titanic had just sunk and 711 lives were possibly saved because of the use of Guglielmo Marconi’s invention and by the brave Marconi wireless operators aboard. Now the Chelmsford site stands derelict with notices of planning applications attached to the railings. These are to clear most of the site to make way for a housing development. Fortunately, the frontage, with the Marconi name engraved and

Plants Directive which meant it was only allowed to run for up to 20,000 hours after 1 January 2008 and must close by 31 December 2015 at the latest. The decision was made not to install Flue Gas Desulphurisation equipment which would have allowed continued generation. After high generation levels in 2008, the amount of generation was subsequently reducedsignificantly and it is reported unlikely that the running hours would be used before the station is forced to close. A proposed closure date of 31 March 2013 has recently been announced.

Further information at:www.rwe.com

highlighted in gold, above the door are listed so will remain. To mark the centenary and sadly the company’s demise, large placards have been erected along the street front with graphics telling a brief history of Marconi. Tim Wander’s book, published last February tells the history of the Marconi Company’s century in Chelmsford and impact on the world. DJ

Marconi’s New Street Works 1912 - 2012 by Tim Wander. Authors Online Ltd£12.99

The boarded up frontage of the Marconi factory in Chelmsford. Photographs: Deborah Jaffé


Demolition at London Bridge Station!

Robert Carr

At London Bridge railway station there is a large terminus, larger than King’s Cross, which is shortly to

be demolished. Dating from the 1860s and listed grade II, readers interested in Victorian structures may well wish to inspect the big train shed covering platforms 9-16 illustrated here. At present the interior is fairly dark and a visit on a sunlit afternoon can be recommended, before it is too late. The London Bridge terminus was built for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway 1864-7, the engineer was F D Banister (1823 -1897) with C H Driver (1832 -1900) as architect. At one time there were 11 platforms, now reduced to eight. English Heritage and the Victorian Society have decided not to oppose demolition.Relatively unknown compared to the famous stations north of the river, few people beyond the regular travellers who catch their trains here visit this part of London Bridge station. Destinations are relatively local and these platforms were never the departure points of any really glamorous trains. Unloved and neglected as this terminus appears to be, there was little in the way of protest when demolition was announced. It is almost as if we are back in the 1960s when the destruction of large Victorian railway stations was generally accepted. The design for the roof of the terminus is on a ‘nave and aisles’ plan: a substantial barrelled roof runs longitudinally with two flanking side aisles. Originally theses aisles were flat roofed. The nave is based on a ‘crescent roof’ design - similar roofs once existed at Cannon Street, Blackfriars, and Charing Cross. Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street were also similar but the roof in Liverpool is now the only one to survive. When built the structural design of these roofs was not radical but at London Bridge we have the only one of its kind still left in London.A longer article on this is in Industrial Archaeology News 162.

Above: The roof of the trainshed for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway at London Bridge StationBelow: Columns in the interior of the trainshed.Photographs: Robert Carr


Lottery success for return to steam at Twyford Waterworks Martin Gregory

Still commercially pumping 5 million gallons of water a day, Twyford Waterworks, which nestles in a rural

chalk downland setting in the heart of Hampshire and within the South Downs National Park, is also a ‘time capsule’ of engineering, showcasing the complete history of water pumping through the eras. From Edwardian steam, through to 1930s diesel, 1950s electricity and right up to today’s modern technology, the historic site has been described by English Heritage as ‘exceptional’. Containing nearly all its original equipment from the past 100 years including five large lime kilns, a water-powered narrow gauge incline railway, water-

driven lime mixing equipment and the entire water softening process, most of the Waterworks is now managed by Twyford Waterworks Trust and is

run and kept alive by a team of 40 passionate volunteers and nearly 200 Friends. The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded the Trust £819,600 to restore the large 1906-built Babcock & Wilcox WIF water-tube boiler and the 1914 Hathorn Davey triple expansion steam pumping engine, to literally bring the main part of the site back to life and into steam. There will be new interpretation for visitors, and a new workshop facility will also mean that vital skills can be passed on to a new generation of volunteers so that the waterworks, once an important employer in Twyford village, can be brought back to the heart of the community. Southern Water, which leases the site to the Trust, is supporting the project with funding towards the educational material and community outreach programme, and also by making their project and educational material available to inform people about the importance of using water wisely and protecting our environment. Southern Water will also be carrying out extensive roof repairs to the main buildings later in 2012/13. By the end of the HLF project in 2014, The Works will have seen over £1.5 million invested in it. Work is expected to commence on the boiler in September, with special steamings planned for late 2013 and return to steam celebrations culminating in a special event to mark the centenary of the Hathorn Davey engine in 2014.

A time capsule has been buried in the foundations of the new Design Museum. The museum will relocate from

Shad Thames to the former Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington High Street in 2015. The original building, with its iconic hyperbolic paraboloid shaped roof was designed by Roger Cunliffe with Harris and Sutherland acting as structural engineers. The building was opened by HM The Queen in 1962. John Pawson is the designer of the conversion into the new Design Museum beneath that roof. The time capsule contains iconic pieces of technology and industrial design that were selected by leading figures in the world of design and architecture. They include: • a Standard light bulb • a USB containing images of jazz and blues music album

covers, including John Coltrane and Bing Crosby• an iPhone 4S • the London 2012 Olympic Torch• an image of Battersea Power Station• a model of Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI museum in Rome • a miniature model of the 1949 Wish Bone Chair by Hans J.

Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son• a Cylinder Line Coffee Pot designed by Arne Jacobsen• a map of the London Underground The move will give the museum three times more space, free access to its unique collection and bring it into Kensington’s cultural quarter where it will join the V&A, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Imperial College, Royal College of Art and Serpentine Gallery.

Further information at: www.designmuseum.org

History for the Future

The NewcomeN SocieTy

AGm




FolloWed by the lecture on babcock and WIlcox

and the bIrth oF the modern steam Plant boIler

by chrIs hodrIen


Early Electricity Supply in Melbourne

Miles Pierce

In the latter part of 1882 the Australian Electric Company (AEC) inaugurated an electricity supply facility, based

on steam engine driven generators, in the ground floor of its Russell Place premises in central Melbourne. The plant powered arc lighting in nearby parts of Bourke and Swanston Streets and also supplied several local, private customers. This nascent public electricity supply venture was contemporary with Edison’s first small public electricity supply scheme in London at Holborn Viaduct, commissioned in April 1882, and his famous Pearl Street central public supply power station in New York which started in September 1882. AEC’s enterprise was also inaugurated within a year of the public electricity supply for the small town of Godalming in Surrey (UK), which is widely considered to have been the first public electricity supply in the world. At the end of 1882, the AEC demonstrated the then new incandescent electric lamps in the Atheneum Theatre with supply from their Russell Place generating plant. This was followed by an extensive installation of incandescent and arc lights in the nearby Opera House in Bourke Street. In 1883, the Victoria Coffee Palace installed electric lighting in public rooms, and became another of AEC’s early customers. In the succeeding years several other private enterprise electricity supply companies set up in competition to the AEC, with A U Alcock in Corr’s Lane and the Union Electric Company in Heffernan Lane being the most notable. Despite its early success, the AEC got into financial difficulties and was wound up to be replaced by the New Australian

Electric Company (NAEC) in 1889. The new company, with substantive capital backing, immediately commenced the construction of a central generating plant in suburban Richmond. The first stage was in service by the following year with the main plant comprising three 2kV Elwell single-phase alternators driven by 200hp (150kW) Robey slow-speed steam engines. AC distribution into parts of Richmond, other adjoining southern suburbs and the CBD, was by overhead lines with 2000/100V step-down transformers for individual customer services. In the following year, A U Alcock, as the Electric Light & Motive Power Company (ELMPC), opened the first stage of a planned large central generating station off Burnley Street, Richmond. It was based on steam engine driven 80kW, 2kV Ganz single-phase alternators, similar in principle to the NAEC plant at Green St. Like the latter, electricity was distributed at 2kV for street lighting and private customers in north Richmond, Abbotsford and Collingwood as well as some parts of the Melbourne CBD. The two companies traded in active competition, particularly for CBD customers. In 1891 the Melbourne City Council (MCC) resolved to establish its own power station and distribution for electric street lighting in the CBD. The MCC’s Spencer Street power station was commissioned in March 1894 with the first of four locally built Austral Otis 300hp (225kW) slow-speed steam engines each driving up to five Thomson Houston constant-current 3kV arc lighting dynamos. Each dynamo supplied an individual series-connected circuit of arc lights and incandescent lamps. Four 75kw, 2kV, single-phase alternators


Slow-speed horizontal steam engines driving 80kW, 2kV Ganz single-phase alternators at A U Alcock’s 1891 Electric Light and Motive Power Company’s Burnley powerstation. Ornate timber panel switchboard at rear. Image: Courtesy of Museum Victoria Photographic Collection.

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were added in 1895 with overhead distribution for street lighting and private premises supply in Council areas outside the CBD. 2000/100V transformers were installed on poles or at customer premises. By 1899, the MCC decided to become the sole electricity supply undertaker within its municipal boundaries, which it was entitled to do under the 1895 Victoria Electric Light & Power Act. The Council duly acquired the assets of the former private electricity supply companies in the Melbourne CBD. The loss of the more lucrative CBD customers hastened the amalgamation of the NAEC and the ELMPC under the auspices of the UK Brush Co. into the Electric Light and Traction Company, based at the NAEC’s Richmond power station. In 1908, this became the Melbourne Electric Supply Company, which was ultimately absorbed into the State Electricity Commission in 1930. In 1900 the MCC converted the Melbourne CBD supply to a 460/230V three-wire DC system with the aim of meeting demand for motive power applications, particularly electric lifts. From 1913, central DC generation at Spencer Street was superseded by 6.6kV, 3-phase turbo-alternators with the DC then supplied from rotary converter substations.


Above: The engine room of the Melbourne City Council Electricity Supply Department’s Spencer Street powerstation c1908. Single-phase 750kW, 4.4kV turbo-alternators in foreground, a remaining 1894 arc lighting set in the middle distance and 460V DC generators in the background. Image: Courtesy of T Ingram Photographic Collection.Below: Brush 500kW, 4.4kV, 50Hz alternators driven by compound ‘Universal’ reciprocating steam engines at the Electric Light & Traction Company’s Richmond power station, c1902. Image: Courtesy of Museum Victoria Photographic Collection.

Conversion of the CBD areas to 3-phase AC supply commenced in 1932, however the last DC customer supply was only finally terminated in 2003. Melbourne was the first city in Australia to host a public electricity supply. The MCC was also an early entrant as a municipal electricity supply undertaking, however it was not the first; with schemes in Tamworth followed closely by Young in NSW dating from 1888 and 1889 respectively.

This article is based on a paper of the same title presented at the Third Australasian Engineering Heritage Conference in Dunedin N Z, November 2009. The full paper is published in the Australian Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Engineering, Vol 8 No 1, 2010.

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Eric Sutherland Lomax

The remarkable story of Eric’s life was well told in the substantial obituaries contained in several national

broadsheet newspapers on the 10th October, just two days after his death in his home town of Berwick-Upon-Tweed. He was 93 years of age and had been a member of the Society since 1952. Eric had a life-long interest in railways and railway engineering. Brought up outside Edinburgh, he witnessed the operations of the LNER and LMS and the industrial systems of Scotland and further afield as opportunity allowed. He joined the Royal Corps of Signals and in 1939 was deployed to India and Singapore as the signals officer attached to a unit of the Royal Artillery. His capture when Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942 led to dreadful experiences, particularly during the time spent on the infamous ‘Burma Railway’. Eric kept himself mentally alert by remembering as much as he could about the details of the railway and its operations. This mental strength remained with him throughout his life, his remarkable recall of railway facts never failed to amaze all those who knew him. The very moving story of his wartime experiences, and the remarkable reconciliation with his one-time Japanese torturer, was told in his book The Railway Man, first published in 1995, and since re-printed several times. From 1949 Eric spent several years in the British Colonial Service posted to the Gold Coast in West Africa (now Ghana). His duties included the planning of the Volta River project for the construction of a giant dam and a major new harbour. It would have created the largest man-made lake in Africa, providing hydro-electric power, but differences between French and British interests killed the project off. He was, however, responsible for the construction of many miles of 3 ft 6 in-gauge railways through the country and of equipping them with locomotives and rolling stock. This role renewed his interest in engineering history and encouraged his membership of the Society. I met Eric in 1975 when we both attended the Society’s summer meeting in Lancaster, and we immediately hit it off. His interests, like mine, included collecting railway books, maps and memorabilia. I first visited him at his home in the ‘New Town’ of Edinburgh. In the knowledge that his collection was considerably more extensive than mine I looked around in surprise to see no evidence of books! After a pleasant lunch he invited me to see his collection by suggesting I get my coat on to go round to his ‘other’ house in the next road where everything was stored! This was an Aladdin’s cave bursting with railwayana as well as books. Just to get in through the hall-way one squeezed past a glass-panelled display-case containing a brass model of Stephenson’s Rocket that used to grace Waverley Station in Edinburgh. How many children must have thrilled at the model’s movement when an

old penny was inserted! He showed me his ‘3-ton room’ full to bursting with the contents of the former Caledonian Railway headquarters

building in Glasgow which had a ‘turn-out’ after nationalisation back in 1948. He saved from the disposal bin not only books, but historic plans and maps, and a wealth of memorabilia, including the Caledonian Railway linoleum from the wash-room floor! Eric later concentrated on acquiring antiquarian railway books at auction, and was a frequent bidder for lots at many of the country’s sales events. In particular he built up a major collection of maps, timetables and other publications from the Bradshaw publishing house, including a number that are very rare. He developed a knack of finding bargains where the book-dealers had not appreciated the rarity. He thus became well-known in the

book-trade, although some dealers found him difficult to deal with. His horrific war-time experiences had left him with a stubborn resistance to authority and, particularly, over-forceful correspondence. With the passing of the years, the future of his collection became a worry, and he felt obliged to sell much of it at a major auction held at Hendon Museum a decade or so ago. Even so, he continued to track down rare Bradshaws, but his ambition to write a comprehensive history of the publisher was never fulfilled. His remarkable story told in ‘The Railway Man’ touched the emotions of countless readers. The book has now been adapted as a major feature film due to be released in March 2013. Eric as a young man is played by Jeremy Irvine, and as an older man by Colin Firth. Eric’s wife, Patti, who played such a crucial role in Eric’s rehabilitation and reconciliation, is played by Nicole Kidman. In spite of all he had been through, I have happy memories of a man with a wonderful sense of humour. Many are the days we spent swopping railway anecdotes and concluding in fits of laughter. Members who attended some of the Society’s conferences in the 1970s and 1980s will recall the humour with which his talks were delivered. Although poor health prevented him from participating in Newcomen Society affairs for several years, he fully maintained his interest in its progress. Although, understandably, the world will recall his extraordinary war story and the reconciliation, we have lost in addition a close colleague. I was privileged to give one of the eulogies at his memorial service on the 15th October at Berwick Parish Church, during which I was able to pass on the condolences of the Society and its members to Patti, his daughter Charmaine, and to his step-sons and step-daughter and their families. Eric will forever be ‘The Railway Man’.

Michael R. Bailey

Obituary


Bletchley Park Replaces Mayfair

The Alan Turing Monopoly Board from Bletchley Park

The Alan Turing Monopoly board has been launched by Bletchley Park Trust. It has been developed from an original board, now in the Bletchley Park Museum, which was hand-drawn by William Newman, son of Turing’s mentor, Max, over 60 years ago. Key elements of the original hand-drawn board have been retained in this edition. Turing often played on Monopoly on this board with the young William and usually lost. In this special edition of Monopoly, the property squares around the board and revised Chance and Community Chest cards tell the story of Alan Turing’s life. Included are: a replica of the original hand-drawn board, complete with William’s own rules; pictures of Turing, kindly given by the Turing family; Turing’s face on all the banknotes; the iconic huts and blocks, which housed the codebreakers and their machines, instead of houses and hotels - Bletchley Park and Kings College, Cambridge replace Mayfair and Park Lane. Other changes include: the ‘Utilities’ squares replaced by the Enigma Machine and Bombe; Community Chest and Chance cards have messages such as ‘Auntie Flo is not so well’ – coded call-up to Bletchley Park from 1939 instead of ‘Go To Mayfair’ The original board was drawn around 1950 and was played upon by William and his brother Edward, but went missing around 1986 when William moved from the family house in Cambridge. It resurfaced in 2011 when the present owners of the property discovered a box of William’s belongings, and donated the board to Bletchley Park Museum. Peter Griffin, of Winning

Moves manufacturers of the games, says: “We hope fans of Turing across the globe will enjoy playing on this very special edition of Monopoly. Through play, they will find out more about Turing’s remarkable life and his crucial role shaping the society we enjoy today.” The commercial board has been supported by Google, which has bought the first 1,000 units as a donation to the Bletchley Park Trust. The board is initially exclusively available from the Bletchley Park website, and from the Museum Shop.

Monopoly Alan Turing Edition, Price £29.99 + £5 p&p (UK) Available from Bletchley Park Shopwww.bletchleypark.org.uk


ceremony. The book reveals human experience from the Luddite Riots and Peterloo Massacre to accounts of child labour, Utopian communities, scientific experiments and the coming of the railways.

Icon Books. Paperback, 376 pp, £16.99

PANDÆMONIUM 1660-1886, the coming of the machine age as seen by contemporary observers.

By Humphrey Jenningswith a foreword by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Humphrey Jennings was a co-founder of the Mass Observation movement in the 1930s as well as a documentary film maker. PANDÆMONIUM 1660-1886, is a compilation of the texts he collected relating to the rise of the machine age and industrialisation in Britain from 1660-1886. Jennings died in 1950 and it was not until 1985 that the book was published having been edited by his daughter Mary-Lou and Charles Madge. This new edition has just been reissued. The film maker and creator of spectacular opening ceremonies, Danny Boyle, has said that it was Humphrey Jennings’ collection of texts that provided the basis for 2012 Olympics

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PRISM (The Fund for the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material) awards grants to help acquire or conserve items of importance to our scientific, technological or industrial heritage. All fields of science and industry are eligible, including natural history, medicine, photography, engineering and geology. The remainder of the 2012-13 financial year will see some changes to the PRISM Fund, aimed at ensuring that grants are available to a broad cross-section of organisations and projects. The maximum grant amount for projects has risen from £12,000 to £20,000, and the match funding requirement has fallen to 10%. These changes will be in effect until the end of March 2013 at which point they will be subject to review. PRISM is open to museums, archives and charitable groups in England and Wales and supports a huge range of objects, from the last working Tiger Tank 131 to a papier mache anatomical model of a caterpillar, and everything in-between including trams, helicopters, aircraft, archives, signs, trains and coaches, agricultural equipment, carts, cars and much more! Applicants to the PRISM Fund do not have to be accredited organisations but they do need to have charitable purposes and exist for the public benefit. Rather than funding on-going maintenance costs we support specific projects; and we are particularly mindful of the long-term sustainability of access and care to the object. PRISM is a rolling fund and has no deadlines. Further information at: www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/apply-for-funding/prism/If you have a specific project in mind, or want to discuss eligibility criteria please contact the fund manage: [email protected]

Changes to the PRISM Fund 2012-13The Fund for the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material

Funding, Exhibitions & Conferences..............Going Underground: Travel Beneath the Metropolis 1863–2013A conference to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground

17 - 18 January, Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. Organised by the Centre for Metropolitan History (IHR),in association with the London Transport MuseumFurther information and booking from:www.history.ac.uk/events/london-underground

There she Blows - aspects of the London whaling tradeThe Docklands History Group Symposium.

3 March at The Museum of London Docklands, No 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London E14 4AL

Further information from the Docklands History Group: www.docklandshistorygroup.org.uk

The copy date for the next issue of Newcomen Links is

4 February 2013

La Musée des arts et métiers, Paris

A Request from the Great Northern Railway SocietyWe are a small group interested in the pre-Gresley carriages of 1846-1905. We have found it difficult to understand how the 5-9 ton early carriages were moved from Central London to other parts of the countrywithout a railway. For instance from near the Barbican, or Gough Street off Grays Inn Road. In 1848 a number of carriages were moved from there to either New Holland inLincs, or Boston/Louth, and we are trying to understand that movement. Both London locations were some distance down a hill to City Road basin, or Euston. Please send any information to: Paul Craig [email protected]


La Musée des arts et métiers in Paris is a vast and wonder-ful collection. The museum houses the Conservatoire

National des arts et métiers (The national Conservatory of Arts and Industry). Founded in 1794 by a priest, the collection remains in its original building, the priory of Saint-Martin-des Champs. The original aim was to show local artisans that, by embracing the then new technologies and industries, they could improve the design and manufacture of their products. A day can easily be spent here starting with the need to understand the world, looking at a reconstruction of Lavoisier’s labora-tory, through the development of 19th century technologies and industries with the products they produced, into the transport galleries, then robotics and ending in the now de-consecrated church. A reconstruction of Foucault’s pendulum is suspended from the dome and racks of trams and cars fill the nave. There is a special exhibition on robots until 3 March 2013.

Musée des arts et métiers, 292 rue Saint-Martin75141 Paris, Francewww.arts-et-metiers.net

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The 2013 Summer meeTiNG

mANcheSTer17-20 July, with optional extra days

The Society has chosen Manchester as the location of the Summer Meeting in 2013. Manchester holds a unique place in the History of Engineering and Technology and the

24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine (ICHSTM) will be held there immediately after the Summer Meeting (22-28 July). The Society will have a presence at the Congress. This will give members the opportunity to continue their stay in Manchester and attend the Congress.

The main part of the Summer Meeting will consist of four days of visits (17-20 July) to fascinating and historically important sites in and around Manchester. The city and surrounding towns are renowned for their place in the history of the cotton industry and we will visit the best examples of the remaining mills such as: • Ellenroad Mill with its magnificent twin-tandem compound engines• Queen Street, the world’s only surviving steam driven cotton weaving shed• Quarry Bank, Europe’s most powerful working water powered mill with fascinating social

history

We will also take a look at canal history and some of its structures, key to Manchester’s early success and we have been granted special access to the Lion Salt Works and presently closed to the public. There will also be visits to modern manufacturing plants and evening talks about cotton, coal and railways. There is an option to take an additional two days of visits before the main tour when we will visit the Railway Museum at York to see the special exhibition of all the surviving Gresley A4 Pacifics including those specially shipped from North America; go underground at the National Mining Museum and take a ride on the Anderton Lift.

The management of the tour has been entrusted to Heritage of Industry, who have successfully run many Summer Meetings in the past. Full details and booking forms are available from:website: http://www.heritageofindustry.co.ukcontact Bill Barksfield for more informtaion:email: [email protected]: 01494 873677

The International Congress of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine is the largest event in the field, and takes place every four years. Recent meetings have been held in Mexico City (2001), Beijing (2005) and Budapest (2009). The

2013 Congress will take place in Manchester from Monday 22 - Sunday 28 July. Congress facilities will be provided by The University of Manchester with tours and displays on local scientific, technological and medical heritage co-ordinated by members of the University’s Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Further information at: http://www.ichstm2013.com/


New

comen D

iary.............................................................................

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Newcomen Diary..................A coNducTed Tour

of The muSeum of LoNdoN, 150 LoNdoN wALL, LoNdoN,

ec2y 5hNWednesday 13 February at 2Pm

A guided tour of the Museum of London has been arranged for Wednesday 13 February 2013, the same day as the Society’s AGM in London. The Museum’s collections include material on the Port of London and the river, a photographic collection, a social and working history collection (including a fine assortment of craft tools etc) and, of course, a strong archaeology collection. The group is limited to 10-20 persons. The tour will last for about 70 minutes and will take in the main items of interest at a cost of £8.50 per person. After the tour you are free to re-visit areas of interest. If you wish to register please send the details below and an SAE by 29 January 2013 to:Mr David Worth, 51 Stanley Gardens, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3NX. Name of visit, the number of places and your name, address and phone number/email address. Please enclose a cheque for £8.50 per person made out to: “the Newcomen Society’.

The NewcomeN SocieTy AGm




FolloWed by the lecture on babcock and WIlcox

and the bIrth oF the modern steam Plant boIler

by chrIs hodrIen

The BruNeL iNSTiTuTe & SS GreAT BriTAiN TruST,

GreAT weSTerN dockyArd, BriSToL BS1 6Ty

thursday 7 march at 2Pm In November 2010 the extensive Brunel archive of Bristol University was transferred to a new facility adjacent the SS Great Britain where it is available to the public. The material in the Brunel Institute archive relates to Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Henry Marc Brunel, and Isambard Brunel and includes: accounts, atmospheric railway, Clifton suspension bridge, diaries, Great Eastern steamship, Great Western Railway, letters to and from the Brunels, notebooks, sketchbooks, drawings, etc. In addition to this the Institute has 6500 maritime books (including Lloyd’s Registers back to the 1700s), 7300 ship plans, 100 ship models, diaries and letters of crew and passengers on the SS Great Britain, 50 films, and hundreds of artworks. The Newcomen Society’s Visits’ Committee has arranged a tour of the Institute by the curator and a selection of suitable original material will be on display for inspection. Numbers are limited to eight but because this is likely to be well supported a later visit may be arranged. To gain access to the Institute photographic identification (driving licence or passport) is necessary. The tour begins at 2pm and afterwards the SS Great Britain may be visited. There is no charge but we feel the Society should make a donation of £5 per person. If you wish to register please send the details below to:Dr B Lawton, Visits Chairman, 2 The Elms, Highworth, Swindon, Wilts SN6 7DD.Name of visit, the number of places and your name, address and phone number/email address. Please enclose a donation of £5 per person; cheques to be made out to ‘Activities Sub-committee, Newcomen Society’.

www.newcomen.com

A weekeNd iN corNwALL

aPrIl 19 – 21 Following a talk at the Newcomen Society in London by Allan Green, research fellow at Porthcurno Telegraph Museum, the Visits Committee (formerly the Activities Sub-committee) thought that a weekend visit to Cornwall, taking in the Telegraph Museum and other local industrial attractions would be appropriate. The weekend begins on the Friday evening at the hotel with a talk on the History of Mining in Cornwall by Cornwall’s foremost mining historian, Allen Buckley. As a miner, an academic and an author Allan is especially qualified to give us an insight into what was, for many years, Cornwall’s primary industry. The talk will be followed by dinner at the restaurant on-site. On Saturday morning we will have a unique tour of the Telegraph Museum, led by Allen Green. After lunch we will have an underground tour of Rosevale Mine, which is a privately owned tin mine at Zennor. Members will need stout shoes, an ability to climb ladders, and clothes which you don’t mind getting dirty! After Rosevale, Kingsley Rickard, vice chairman of the Trevithick Society, will give us a guided tour of Hayle where the huge Cornish Engines were built. In the evening we will visit a nearby pub for a group dinner.On Sunday morning we conclude with a visit to the King Edward Mine Museum with its unique collection of working surface equipment. After lunch the bus will return to the hotel and then to Truro for those travelling by train.The price is £250 per person sharing, £50 single supplement. This includes:Two nights bed and full breakfast accommodation. All rooms are en-suite with multi channel digital TV and WiFi is available; Friday night talk; luxury air-conditioned minibus transport; a light lunch on Saturday and Sunday; 3-course dinner on Saturday; entrance fees and local guiding; services of a tour manager.Group members are responsible for their own travel arrangements to the hotel on Friday afternoon and home from the hotel or Truro Station on Sunday. Drinks and dinner on Friday are not included.All bookings for the tour are being handled by Heritage of Industry Ltd.Full details and booking forms are available from their website: http://www.heritageofindustry.co.ukOr contact Bill Barksfield for more information:email: [email protected]: 01494 873677

Newcomen Links 224, December 2012

NEWCOMEN · The Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of . ... an author and lecturer on...

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