Reliant (Old Trafford) and Caledonia Engines

[David Allinson]

Hi there.
As an indication of how well the museum services of UK look after things you may be interested to know that one of the side lever engines from the Reliant is now in a garden centre. I am glad to say that it seems that they are looking after it a great deal better than the rest of the ship was cared for!!  http://www.mgsteam.btinternet.co.uk/side_lever.htm
I wonder what would have happened to it if the garden centre hadn't taken care of it??

You can also view a set of tandem compound diagonal engines at Hollycombe  http://www.hollycombe.co.uk/
There they have the complete engine set from the The Caledonian. The last time I was there they were complete and undercover but in a pretty poor state .
If I have the right Caledonia she was built in 1889 by John Reid and the engines were built by Rankin and Blackmore. The ship was 200ft long. They are a very impressive exhibit and must have been quite a sight when fully operational.

Happy engine hunting

All the best
David

[AlistairD]

You can also view a set of tandem compound diagonal  engines at Hollycombe http://www.hollycombe.co.uk/
There they have the complete  engine set from the The Caledonian. The last time I was there they were complete  and undercover but in a pretty poor state .
If I have the right Caledonia  she was built in 1889 by John Reid and the engines were built by Rankin and  Blackmore. The ship was 200ft long. They are a very impressive exhibit and must  have been quite a sight when fully operational.

 Wrong one, these are not tandem compound  engines but standard two-cylinder compound diagonal engines from the Caledonia  of 1934, which became a floating restaurant on the Thames after withdrawal in  1969 and was badly damaged by fire in 1980 and later scrapped , form where the  engines were taken to Hollycombe. It is a few years since I was last thee, but  at that time they were occasionally operated using the boiler from a steam  sawmill and a long hosepipe
 Â 
 Alistair

[David Allinson]

Alistair.  
Sorry I got the wrong Caledonian. I knew that there was more than one, but wasn’t sure which one. Thanks for the correction.  
David  
<![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]>  
-----Original Message-----
 From: Paddleducks [mailto:preserved@paddleducks.co.uk]
 Sent: 04 June 2005 23:45
 To: preserved@paddleducks.co.uk
 Subject: Re: Reliant (Old Trafford) and Caledonia Engines  
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The following message was posted on Paddleducks, by AlistairD  
You can also view a set of tandem compound diagonal engines at Hollycombe http://www.hollycombe.co.uk/
 There they have the complete engine set from the The Caledonian. The last time I was there they were complete and undercover but in a pretty poor state .
 If I have the right Caledonia she was built in 1889 by John Reid and the engines were built by Rankin and Blackmore. The ship was 200ft long. They are a very impressive exhibit and must have been quite a sight when fully operational.
 
 Wrong one, these are not tandem compound engines but standard two-cylinder compound diagonal engines from the Caledonia of 1934, which became a floating restaurant on the Thames after withdrawal in 1969 and was badly damaged by fire in 1980 and later scrapped , form where the engines were taken to Hollycombe. It is a few years since I was last thee, but at that time they were occasionally operated using the boiler from a steam sawmill and a long hosepipe
 Â 
 Alistair
 
 
 
 Exported by Paddleducks Mail System.

[Waverley]

Hi all

Nice to know the engines survive as I spent many hours watching them while sailin on CALEDONIA in her last few seasons. Surely, though, they are three cylinder, triple expansion?

Incidentally, the fire in 1980 (with photograph) made the front page of the Johannesburg evening newspaper. It seemed an odd choice of main news for a South African paper.

Regards

David

[AlistairD]

Hi all

Nice to know the engines survive as I  spent many hours watching them while sailin on CALEDONIA in her last few  seasons. Surely, though, they are three cylinder, triple expansion?
 Â 
 Of course, apologies for the  error
 Â 
 Alistair
 

Incidentally, the fire in 1980 (with photograph) made the front  page of the Johannesburg evening newspaper. It seemed an odd choice of main news  for a South African paper.

Regards

David



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[mjt60a]

The last time I saw those engines was when the ship was on the thames, about two months before the fire, I wondered what had happened to them (in Paddlesteamers in Camera by Allan T Condie, it says the engines 'survive' but not where they were)