Steam engine, Abbey Mill, Billington

Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 19 May 1984

A gear drive cross-compound mill engine used in a weaving shed and built c1885 by W & J Yates of Blackburn. This was removed into store in Haslingden but has subsequently been scrapped (2006)- another sad loss. This shows the emergency stop mechanism between the engine's stop valve and the high-pressure cylinder slide valve chest that is seen on the left. The horizontal arm with a weight on the end is connected to a valve in the pipe supplying steam to the engine. It is held open by a latch and closed by a spring to stop the engine. As it falls it hits the S-shaped lever below and opens the vacuum breaker. This slows the engine more quickly and prevents water being drawn into the low-pressure cylinder. The lever is released either by the overspeed governor through the horizontal rod above the slide chest or by the Simpson electric stop motion in the rectangular box above the weight. This latter can be operated from push buttons around the shed, However, by the time the engine coasts to a halt anybody caught in the machinery would probably have suffered quite a bit more - it is not instantaneous and there are no brakes.

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