Museum of power

The Museum of Power at Langford near Maldon in Essex is housed in a former water works pump house. Dominating the interior of the building is one of three Lilleshall steam water pumps that used to supply Southend-on-Sea with drinking water. The surviving pump, named 'Marshall', was commissioned in January 1931 and worked until electric pumps took over in October 1963. 'Marshall' in a triple expansion steam pump capable of moving four million gallons of water per day. The flywheel weighs 18 tons and runs at 32 RPM. The museum usually demonstrates the pump with compressed air but on selected days each year live steam is used, this video was shot on one of those days. The red Evans 'Reliable' steam pump was built in1947 and used to circulate liquid pitch at 350°C through a tar distillation furnace. The small blue pump is a Mumford's 'Favourite' Boiler feed pump, c1908. They were used by over 90% of the worlds shipping. The green Davy Paxman horizontal compound steam engine was built built in 1892. It was used on a dredger in Zurich. The reconstruction of the belt driven workshop is typical of many establishments in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Originally water or steam pumps were used, later a single electric motor. The video ends with the1903 Hornsby Ackroyd oil engine being started. Originally installed at Branwhite's Maltings, Long Melford. It has a single 44 litre cylinder with a compression ratio of 3:1, developing 25 HP at 230 RPM, it consumes 2 gallons of paraffin per hour on full load. Many smaller pumps, numerous other exhibits and a miniature railway make a visit to this museum well worthwhile. Filmed November 2012 Music: 'Time Machine' by George Dragon www.jamendo.com