Engines
The museum houses the world's largest collection of Cornish beam engines, including the largest working beam engine, the Grand Junction 90 Engine, which has a cylinder diameter of 90 inches and was used to pump water to London for 98 years. This machine is over forty feet high and weighs about 250 tons. It was described by author Charles Dickens as 'a monster'. This engine is still steamed once a month for public viewing and additionally also for private parties. There are also several other large working Cornish beam engines, a triple-expansion engine and several rotative steam engines.
In 2008, the museum completed the restoration of its Bull Engine, which is one of only four known examples in the world, and the only engine in its original location and still working. The Bull engine was built in 1856 and first steamed in restoration in 2006.
One of the museum's Allen Diesel engines is also on display and operated most weekends subject to staffing levels.
Read more about this topic: Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Famous quotes containing the word engines:
“America is like one of those old-fashioned six-cylinder truck engines that can be missing two sparkplugs and have a broken flywheel and have a crankshaft that’s 5000 millimeters off fitting properly, and two bad ball-bearings, and still runs. We’re in that kind of situation. We can have substantial parts of the population committing suicide, and still run and look fairly good.”
—Thomas McGuane (b. 1939)