Clay Mills Pumping Station

Well another day out! I finally went to Clay Mills (just 4 miles away) on a steam up weekend. Only £5.00 + 50p for gift aid - good value.

Lots of engines, all maintained on site by the volunteers. Some nice traction engines, including a huge fowler ploughing engine and some classy meccano too! I was very impressed by the chap in the joinery shed - a lifelong carpenter he now makes patterns for the engines and is making some cartwheels for the first time in his life.

Star of the show are the huge beam engines. I got a 'personal' tour, including seeing the camshaft (yes camshaft) in the basement. They condesor ran short of cold water so they stopped the engine, and I and one other chap got to watch the team effort to start up the other engine once they had a supply of cold.

A massive planer and a modest shaper doing gentle demos under steam power in the workshop and good selection of other small engines, including another Buxton and Thornlea - this one with variable cutoff and something like 11 lubricator cups and a ratchet lubricator! Amazing to see all the detail close up and realise how many tiny details there are.

Plenty to see - I was there two hours and didn't see everything, despite it being a very small site. Also the guys there were very friendly and helpful with all teh time in teh world to talk to interested vistors.

Lots of good pics but i'm too tired to post them now!

Neil