EVOLUTION OF THE ENGINE

Evening Star, Issue 18852, 29 January 1925, Page 9

EVOLUTION OF THE ENGINE

EXHIBITION’ AT SOUTH KENSINGTON. -PUFFING BILLY ” AND THE “ POCKET.” An exhibition of the greatest Interest, illustrating the development of the steam engine from the earliest times, was thrown open to the public recently in the new’ hall of the Science Museum at South Kensington. Many of the exhibits had been brought fresh from Wembley; other’s were collected from various galleries in the Exhibition; and a large number had never before been seen by the public, for the reason that there had been no space available in which to exhibit them.

At present (says a London paper) the entrance to the new' hall is the same as that used temporarily to the Science Museum, as the fine stone entrance from Exhibition road is still far from being completed. When the latter is opened, however, visitors will have an imposing view down the vast hall, in which the evs is immediately caught by several of the large and unlovely relics which have snß> vived from the infancy of the steam engine. Facing the visitor as he stands on the stops is "a bust of Janies Watt, who is popularly, though erroneously, credited with basing' been the inventor of the locomotive. He invented the stationary engine for general industrial purposes, however, and greatly improved the, pumping engine, besides being responsible for a long list of other inventions, which entitle him to the place of honor, and are duly recorded on the pedestal. Towering above the other exhibits on the left are three huge, beam pumping engines, matched on the right by three beam engines used for general purposes,. Included "in the former is the giant Newcomeii engine, dating from 1791, which, was working until 1918 at Pcntrich Colliery, But telley, Derbyshire, It is built as aii integral' part of the engine-house. Not only the engine, but the solid stone masonry and the" whole surroundings have been brought from Fentricli, in to cioate the'proper atmosphere. It required twenty truck loads to transplant this veteran with its appurtenances, and the journey cost £I,OOO. The "exhibits are carefully arranged so as to show the stages of development as the visitor proceeds down the hall. Op each side of the central hail are beauti-fully-executed models in glass cases, or actual engines of (lie stationary type, until the visitor comes to the first steam turbine, invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1864. Further stages in the turbine’s evolution are shown, culminating in a wonderful model, in a huge glass case, of ihe groat turbo-alternator designed by Sir Charles Parsons for the power station of the Edison Company at Chicago, llio uv del lioing an eight It of the actual size. On the south side of the main hall are

exhibited all kinds <-t boilers and their fittings, and on the north side are to be seen engine details; while in the cross-

gul’erv the development of the internal combustion engine is well represented. Probably th" par: of the exhibition that will prove of most interest to the general public is the see!ion o! the hall on the light, devoted uitiiely to the, development of the railway locomotive. Ihe first engine ever used for passenger purposes i; labelled ‘‘ Engine Go. 1 Locomotion,” and is still preserved reverently by the North-eastern Railway Company at their station at Darlington, it ua-> built by George Stephenson in Icit, and on September 17 of that, year the St-Kxton and Darlit- glon r.rdv..iv was opmed, the first passenger railway in ihe world. A model of this cnr.uv. whirl! w.v 7 in me till 1846, rnav be seen by the visitor.

"Jlie famous " [’idling Billy,” tlie, oldest locomotive in ex: Once, which was used in 1013 at V. vlam Colliery, Newcastle-on-Tyne, for raining real down to tho river, hoacD th- t> • of ancient survivals.

” I’ufiuig iiidv ” had many predecessors, dating from IEO3, when llioliard Trevithick, the inventor of the high-pressure engine, designed his locomotive, which whs used at IVnydarren, -Soutit Males, for drawing pig iron down to the sea, but it was found not to he a workable proposition.

A number o? engines and remains of engines may be .seen, lammcLe-l with the famous competition wlueii took place on tho Liverpool and Manchester railway in 1529 at. Rainin';!, near Liverpool, when ihe “ .Rocket ” carried off the. first prize, and ihe locomotive practically began its career as the agent for transporting passenger traffic on a commercial basis, “The Rockc-i ” was designed by Gcorgo and Robert Ftephen.y.n, and was used on the Liverpool ; ,ml Manchester railway from 1029 :o 1336. Jt attained the creditable speed of fifty-two miles an hour, ]i> average of tluiiy miles an hour was a ureat advance on tc.o maximum of ten mires by the “ Puffing Billy ” at M’ylam Colliery. “The Rocket,” without its

tender, is to he soon in “ veterans’ row,” and near at hand is a mode!, showing th« complete engine and “ tender,” the latter being merely an open Intck, containing » largo barrel of water tor supplying the boiler. ,\ s next year will he the centenary of the opening oi the Stockton and Darlington railway, there will be a special exhibition of relics and mementoes added to the collection from July onward.