Stationary Steam Engines

The quiet powerhouses of the industrial revolution, stationary steam engines provided the driving force behind every manufacturing process for well over a century, as well as providing drainage of mines and allowing clean water supplies for the majority of our larger towns and cities. From a small sewage pump at the edge of a field of a few horsepower, to a twelve thousand horsepower leviathan rolling armoured plate for battleships, these gentle giants of the steam age kept working quietly for many decades, unseen by many, but often loved and cared for by the men who operated and maintained them. The engine houses they were kept in could be plain or ornate, and a variety of boilers provided the steam for them. This book looks at all of these aspects and what it was like to run a large steam engine for industry. The legacy of these iron giants is seen in the dozens of engines preserved for posterity all over the UK, in museums or in their original locations, as well as giving thousands of people the chance to see them and enjoy getting involved in their care and display.

Author Biography

Anthony Coulls is Senior Curator of Rail Transport and Technology at the National Railway Museum, York. The author of several books and articles, he lives in County Durham with his family and vintage road roller.