Kempton Great Engines

This is a triple expansion engine that pumped London's water for over 50 years (and is still in excellent working order!) It's run once a month at the Kempton works where you can see (and hear) it in operation.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Steam
• Engine
• pump
• waterwork
• Kempton
• Industrial
• Archaeology
• preserved
• heritage

[johnster1964]

Were the engine room scenes from "A Night to Remember" filmed here?

[JimTLonW6]

@johnster1964 Was that the original film about the loss of the Titanic? I've been told that this was the location for a Titanic shot, but others disagree. I think the more recent Titanic film used a different location; somebody did tell me but I've forgotten it now!

[bangwezl]

What is the sharp cyclic report (almost like a rifle shot)? Is it a clack valve or some such?

[JimTLonW6]

Sorry, I don't know! There was a pump under the main operating floor and I wonder if it might be that.

Thanks for your interest!

Jim

[CMPerry]

Marvelous engine. Where I live, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, there is a pumphouse that was used to run a hydrant system in the city, now decomissioned, and no one seems to know what to do with it. Lots of idiot ideas.

[JimTLonW6]

Well, if Winnipeg needs a tourist attraction they might just have one under their noses! Certainly these things attract a lot of interest here.

Jim

[johnster1964]

@CMPerry and here is a link to it mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/13/j­amespumpingstation.shtml

any news on what is happening to it now?

[johnster1964]

@JimTLonW6 Hi, thanks for the response. In Anight to remember, the engine room actual engine scenes were definitely filmed on location somewhere as they have marvellous working engines in them !

[Paraffinmeister]

@johnster1964 Think it was S.O.S Titanic. All of the interior shots from A Night To Remember were done in a studio as far as I know.

[rstone286]

That sounds like the unmistakeable click of Corliss valves with Craig trip gear.

It's not just modern engines that have 4 valves per cylinder...

[steamnut2008]

After each report, you can hear the steam moving from cylinder to cylinder, in compound fashion.

[steamnut2008]

That would most likely be the high pressure steam valve being cuttoff, often with a trip mechanism.

[9020powrmax]

That is from the high pressure piston (smallest one) Steam is admitted to it at about 215 psi then sent to the intermediate piston (size bigger) then to low pressure piston (biggest one) then exhausted to a condensing unit where it (steam) is converted back to water. Exhaust pressure is usually very low (About 9-10 psi).............