West Ham Sewage pumping Station - stationary steam engine

Image: © Chris Hodrien Taken: 23 Jun 1973

In 2019 this site still contains two Lilleshall beam pumping engines but in 1973 it was also home to three inverted vertical compound engines driving centrifugal pumps. Two were by John Cochrane & Co of Barrhead and built in 1900. The third was second hand and possibly of German manufacture. The picture shows one of the two Cochrane engines. The cylinders were 20" & 33" x 24" stroke. The high pressure had a piston valve with variable cut-off under governor control and the low pressure had a Meyer expansion slide valve. They were of 274 horsepower. The flywheel is relatively light as the impellor adds flywheel effect. The flywheel is also used for hand barring the engine to the starting position or for making adjustments. The German engine was removed for preservation and was re-erected but subsequently was claimed to have moved to the north of England and its fate is unknown The two Cochranes were subsequently scrapped. The image has been converted from a rather light colour slide.

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