Central Marine Engine Works

1889. Quadruple Expansion Engines.

Plan of works in 1893

1913. Engines and boiler of the SS Boeton.

Display at the Museum of Hartlepool

1932. Engine for the SS. Kepwickall.

The Central Marine Engine Works of West Hartlepool and Hartlepool

1883 Company established by William Gray and Co to manufacture their own engines on site; they recruited Thomas Mudd from T. Richardson and Sons to set up the business.

1886 Detailed description, with engravings and drawings, of the engine for the SS Enfield, made by the Central Marine Engine Co under the patents of Thomas Mudd, Managing Director. cylinders 21 in., 35 in., and 57 in. diameter, 39 in. stroke. The crankshaft had only four main bearings, instead of the usual five or six, but they were of great length. In the erecting shop, on a deep foundation, 'four cast-iron girders were well bolted, the bolts reaching through the concrete. These girders have planed T grooves in the direction of their length, and upon them were placed four wide girders planed on the underside to slide upon the lower girders, and arranged to be secured thereto at any point by bolts in the X grooves. The upper sides of the upper girders have planed T grooves at right angles to their length, and their upper surfaces are planed all over. Both sets of girders were set absolutely level by the careful use of a very expensive and heavy l6 ft. straight-edge and a delicate spirit level.' The base of the engine bedplates was planed. 'When the engine is placed upon the table a large and very powerful boring apparatus was used to bore the main bearing seatings. The engines could be bolted to the bedplate for testing.

1887 Detailed description of the works, with drawings and plans

1887 Description and engraving of triple-expansion engine for SS Maryland

1888 Conversion of engines in SS Suez.

1888 The company of William Gray and Co was registered on 21 December, to take over the business carried on by the firm of William Gray and Co and the Central Marine Engineering Works.

1889 'A remarkably quick piece of work is reported from Hartlepool. The s.s. Ermanarich, recently launched from the yard of Messrs. W. Gray and Co., Limited, was sent down to the Central Engine Works at 3 o’clock on the Wednesday afternoon. Her engines and boilers, of 700 indicated horse-power, were put on board, the connections made, and they were successfully steamed for four hours in the presence of the official and owners’ inspectors on Saturday morning, and the ship returned to the builders’ yard by noon on Saturday, that is in less than three working days from the time she left there. We fancy this beats the record ; at any rate in a district noted for quick work, it is a capital performance, and one on which the Central Marine Works may be congratulated.'

1889 'HARTLEPOOL WORKS EXTENSION. A NEW FORGE. The Central Marine Engine Works at West Hartlezpol, which were built in the years 1883 and 1884 by Messrs W. Gray and Co., and commenced operations about the beginning of 1885, have since made very rapid strides, and during the past year have added about 2 acres to their ground area, upon which they have just erected a very extensive new forge. The dimensions of the main building are 500 feet long, by 85 feet clear span, the columns being all of double wrought iron rolled joists, braced together, whilst the roof is entirely of wrought iron, of a very beautiful design from an engineering point of view, possessing a minimum of material for a maximum of strength. The columns and roof were made by the John Cockerill Company, of Seraing, Belgium, for the main transept of the great exhibition at Antwerp. It afterwards did duty at the Liverpool Exhibition, and has now found a final home at the Central Works.
There are altogether ten steam hammers under this roof, varying in capacity from seven tons to one cwt. The seven-ton hammer is a "Morrison," recently celebrated in song in Newcastle, and the forgings are manipulated by two powerful hydraulic cranes, each capable of lifting 15 tons. The next is a five-ton hammer, by Glen and Ross, Glasgow, the cranes at which are worked by steam, and are capable of dealing with forgings up to ten tons in weight. There are also single-legged hammers for forgings of a more moderate weight by Davis and Primrose of Leith, and also by Glen and Ross. We notified also a plant for dealing with the large stern frames and rudders of steamers. The arrangements for getting coal to the furnaces are exceedingly unique, there being a hydraulic lift at each side of the shops capable of lifting a ten-ton coal truck to a height of eight feet, where it passes along a depot at each side of the shop behind the furnaces, so that the coals are dropped exactly where required without any wheeling. Further down the shop is divided into halves by a row of columns in the centre, one side being covered by overhead travelling cranes, and fitted with powerful machinery for dealing with all classes of heavy forgings, and the other side contains about 20 smiths' fires, stamping plant, &c., forming a complete smiths' shop for small work. There are also stores for bar iron, finished work, templates, &c. ; a pumping engine house, where are the pumps and accumulator for supplying the hydraulic machinery at a pressure of 1,250 lb. per square inch, besides Worthington pumps for feeding the boilers. Steam is supplied to the hammers by the large marine type boilers, capable of working at a pressure of 100 lbs per square inch. This pressure is perhaps unprecedented in steam hammer work, and its effect is seen in the very lively action of all hammers in this shop. When our representative visited the works this afternoon they were in full swing, and presented an exceedingly busy and striking aspect. A length of a huge shaft was in process of building up, and was placed red hot under a hammer which struck a blow estimated at 250 tons. A stern frame, weighing 10 tons, was also in process of welding up and foundations were being prepared for an immense planing machine from Messrs Spencer, of Manchester, With the additions recently made to the works employment is now found for 1,500 hands, and there are prospects of further improvement the extensions. It should be added that we are indebted for the above facts to Mr Thos. Mudd, CE., the courteous manager of the works, who personally conducted our representative over the new forge.'

1891 'The year's work at Messrs T. Richardson & Sons' has been in keeping with former records, and comprises thirty sets of triple expansion engines of an aggregate horse-power of 45,000. .... in the erecting shop, which is one of the highest in the kingdom, a new travelling. crane by Messrs Booth, of Rodley, has been erected capable of lifting 60 tons. A fire- extinguishing system has been completed. The arrangement consists of a stationery fire engine and quick-steaming boiler of Messrs. Merryweather & Sons' well-known 'Greenwich' type, capable of discharging 32,000 gallons per hour. ....'

1893 Description of the works, including plans showing the arrangement of shops, in Engineering 1893/03/10

1894 Triple Expansion Engines for the SS Maori. Article and illustration in 'The Engineer'. Company is shown as The Central Engine works.

1914 Directory: Listed as Iron Founders, Marine Engineers and Boiler Makers.

1914 Marine and General Engineers, Boilermakers, Iron and Brass Founders, Coppersmiths, Makers of Forgings and Drop Forgings, Machinery Repairers, Pump and Steamship Auxiliary Makers.

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Sources of Information

• Hartlepool Built [1]