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Ferranti engine, Museum of Science & Industry

This is a very important machine with a chequered history. It is an inverted vertical compound steam engine built by S Z de Ferranti in 1898 to drive a 250 kW shaft alternator at Lambeth for public electricity supply. Its capacity was exceeded by 1900 and it was moved to Brunswick Mill (weaving), Chorley and drove the mill by ropes from a grooved flywheel. In 1960 Messrs Ferranti acquired it for display at the Hollinwood works and the rope drive was retained.
Finally, on closure of the works the engine was acquired by the then Greater Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. By great good fortune, a suitable Siemens zig-zag alternator was obtained from Ferranti and just fitted the engine. So it is now shown not as a mill engine but more or less as built as a generating engine with shaft alternator. It can be demonstrated in steam and is lovely. Sorry to witter but the context and story do matter in this case.