This 8nph portable engine was built in 1911 – works number 57121.
It was dispatched from Gainsborough on July 18th 1911 and was one of a batch ordered by Balfour Williamson & Co. They were a shipping company based in Liverpool from 1851 and traded with South America.
Purchased new by Williamson Balfour Valparaiso, Santiago Concepcion Valdivia, Chile. They were believed to be the sole agents in South America. We think is was sold to and worked on a ranch in Argentina. It was found in a scrap yard in Argentina along with many others and imported back to the UK in around 2015.
It was purchased by Ken Russel, who started work on it’s restoration. It was parked beside his house under a sheet when he passed away suddenly. His widow, Helen Russel, donated to BWLR in 2019 and it was moved to the railway by the late Bill Best and his son, also Bill.
Ken watches in being unloaded on arrival. Positioned in his garden
Bill Best Snr oversees its removal from the garden and loading onto low loader for transport to Bredgar.
It requires a lot of work which is being undertaken as time allows. The boiler itself seem in fair condition although all the tubes will need replacement. The smoke box had rusted through and is beyond repair. We have now had steel for a replacement smoke box rolled and this will now form part of the new fabricated smoke box and chimney. Some of the motion has been removed and volunteers are working on the required repairs. This engine originally had two flywheels but only one remains. We would very much like to find a replacement!!
New steel for smoke box Front tube plate with some tubes blanked off