Ellenroad Ring Mill Engine facts for kids
The Ellenroad Ring Mill Engine is a huge, old steam engine that has been saved and is now a museum display. You can find it in Newhey, a town in Greater Manchester, England. This powerful engine used to run the Ellenroad Ring Mill starting in 1917. Even though the mill itself closed down, the engine is still kept working with steam for visitors to see!
This engine is incredibly strong, with 3000 horsepower! It's made up of two engines working together, called Victoria and Alexandra. They are a special type called a twin tandem compound steam engine. This might be the most powerful engine of its kind that is still working today. The engines had a giant flywheel with many ropes wrapped around it. These ropes turned long poles called line shafts on every floor of the mill. These shafts then powered the machines that did ring spinning, which is how thread was made.
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What Else Can You See at the Museum?
Besides the main mill engine, the museum has other cool machines that still work. You can see the original Ellenroad mill's pilot generator engine, which helped make electricity. There's also a sprinkler pump, which was important for fire safety. The museum also has the Whitelees Beam Engine and the Irene Engine. The people who run the museum are also working to fix up parts of another old engine, the Fern Mill Engine, hoping to get it running again one day.
The Ellenroad Mill Building
The Ellenroad Mill was a very large building, built in 1890 by architects Stott and Sons. It was a five-story mill designed to be fireproof, with brick walls and corner towers. Sadly, a fire damaged the mill in 1916. It was rebuilt to use ring spinning machines. The mill building itself is no longer standing today. However, the engine house, where the steam engine is kept, the boiler house, and the tall chimney are still complete. The Ellenroad Trust takes care of the steam engine and runs it once a month for visitors.
See Also
External Links
- Ellenroad Steam Museum website
- Engine video on Flickr
Images for kids
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The Ellenroad Mill building, which is no longer standing today.
