Farme Colliery Engine
There were several steam engines in use at the Farme Colliery of the Farme Coal Co, near Rutherglen, but this entry refers to a remarkable old beam engine which spent its long working life at the colliery, and is now preserved at Summerlee Museum of Industrial Life in Coatbridge, near Glasgow
Its significance has long been recognised. In 1879 The Engineer described it as 'in many respects the most remarkable old steam engine in existence.' It is a Newcomen-type atmospheric engine, constructed in 1810 or 1811. This is a late date for such an engine, and furthermore, the valve gear harked back to an earlier era, being of a very simple hand-operated type. [1]. The engine is believed to have been constructed by the Camlachie Foundry.
Note: There were two other Newcomen engines at Farme Colliery, used for pumping.[2]
c.1908 photograph here, showing the open topped cylinder and its piston and the small sealing water pipe. Hemp packing for the piston lies nearby.
More old photos here.
From David Napier by David Napier and David Bell: Note 3:-
The cylinder, which was never bored, is 32.25 inches diameter and 5 feet 6 inches stroke. It is open at top, and the piston was packed about twice a year with hemp, which, with a small feed of water, kept it sufficiently tight. Steam of 5 - 6 pounds per square inch was admitted by a hand lever, the reverse movement of which allowed a jet of water for condensation to be injected through the bottom of cylinder, supplied from a tank placed about ten feet above and kept filled by a pump on the engine. With 27 to 37 rpm, about 30 HP was obtained, the work done consisting in winding up coal from a depth of about 43 fathoms.
The engine worked until 1915, when it was presented to the City of Glasgow.