| AdminHistory | Built by Grazebrook & Whitehouse to the Watt Design in 1817. It was probably the largest steam engine in the Black Country. It supplied air at a pressure of 5lbs per square inch to two blast furnaces. In 1912 it was reduced to a standby engine when a pair of steam driven vertical engines were installed to provide a higher pressure blast. It was kept in working order and used occasionally, so it was in good mechanical order when it was dismantled in 1964. The beam is 28ft long and weighs 10 tons. It was made of cast iron. The steam cylinder is 42ins. in diameter with a stroke of 8ft. it ran at between 12 and 16 strokes per minute. A pressure regulator vessel was fitted to smooth out series of puffs of air. Steam was provided by a bank of six Lancashire boilers. The engine house was built with lime mortar so that the structure could 'flex' with the movement of the engine. |