Connaught Pumping Station: Dover Transport Museum Society Project
KCC. Council voted a financial grant towards this very worthwhile project.
The following account of the work to date has been sent by the Dover Transport Museum Director, Mr. Colin Smith.
The pumping engine at Connaught was built by Worthington Simpson and was one of a pair for installation at Dover to replace the beam engines. Numbered 5055, it was first steamed in 1939. The other engine, No. 1056, did not come into operation until 1954 and is now in the Forncett Industrial Museum in Norfolk.
The engine is of triple expansion design with high, intermediate and low pressure cylinders of 14", 26" and 42" diameter respectively. All have strokes of 36". The designated output was 96,000 gallons per hour at 25 r.p.m.
The engine was taken out of service in 1976 and has lain idle in a cold, damp atmosphere since then. In an attempt to reduce the amount of condensation in the engine house, we are installing two extractor fans. The boilers were taken away and scrapped and the boiler room used for other purposes.
A boiler was located in the basement of a hotel and many months work were expended in removing this boiler and transporting it to Dover. Work had commenced on cleaning this boiler and constructing the new boilerhouse when Tilmanstone Colliery was closed. We heard that more modern, vertical boilers were in use there and a workparty was dispatched to investigate. We managed to acquire one of the boilers which, after much work, we were able to transport to the Museum together with a steam winch which we are told was used to sink the first Tilmanstone shaft around 1909.
The boiler has since been installed within the boilerhouse which is now ready to receive its roof. Unfortunately, the Water Company dictated where the boilerhouse was to be built and it has cost us many months of extra work and a lot of extra money to excavate a chalk bank and build a wall for retaining purposes.
The boiler has had an initial examination by the boiler inspector and having passed its physical the next stage will be for a full hydraulic test when all the necessary fittings etc. have been put back on. If the boiler test is successful, and if we can complete the pipework to the engine, and if there are no major problems with the engine itself, and if we can afford the coal, we should be in steam for Easter! We are currently negotiating with another recently closed installation in the area for a chimney for the boiler and a quantity of spares. Does anyone have a set of firebars for a Cochrane boiler in their shed? Apart from the steam section, the Dover Transport Museum also houses a varied section on transport, with many items of local interest.
Exhibits range from the full-sized coaches, fire engine and other vehicles including cars, motorcycles and bicycles etc. to hundreds of models of vintage transport including ships, buses and commercial vehicles, trams, trains and aircraft. Add to this the varied selection of relics and other smaller items, plus four railways under construction (00 gauge, 0 gauge, 5" gauge, and 2' gauge) and you will see that our museum, although not large, can provide hours of interesting browsing. Open Easter to the end of September, Sundays only, from 1100 to 1700. K.A.S. members may view the project any Sunday morning during the regular working party time. 1000 to 1300, by special arrangement with the Museum Director and Secretary, Mr. C. Smith, 33 Alfred Rd. Dover, Kent. Tel. (0304) 204612.