| Description | The engine shown is possibly a Watt's improved Newcomen Engine. This engine was moved from a nearby pit to Bassett Pitt in 1817, and it was used until 1886. The photograph shows an unusual arrangement and it would seem that the owners of Bassett Pit took two of the small Whimseys and coupled them together so that one was used as the engine, the other as the pump. The engine had a working pressure pf 21lbs per square inch. The Whimseys used here are most likely to be engines made by Francis Thompson, an engineer who had an extensive business specifically making non-condensing Whimseys. The
'Haystack' or 'Balloon' boilers are on the extreme edge of the photograph.
Information extracted from 'The Engineering History of Derbyshire' by Frank Nixon. Photographer: Mr E. Williamson of Alfreton. |