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National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port - hydraulic pumping engine

The docks made extensive use of hydraulic power with water at 750 psi piped from two pumping stations, each with two engines. Only the crankshafts and flywheels survive of the lower engines as the house was demolished. This is the upper engine house with one steamable engine and one largely dismantled engine (extreme left). The engines were built in 1873 by the renowned hydraulic engineering company - W G Armstrong of Elswick on the Tyne. It is a duplex cross-coupled engine good for 36.5 horsepower and pumping 56 gallons/minute. The hydraulic pumps are worked directly from the piston rods and the connecting rods are of pitchfork design and pass round the pumps. The cylinders have simple slide valves and there is a basic Watt type governor. The nearest cylinder has its piston out for overhaul.