Ram Brewery - the two beam engines

Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 2 Apr 1991

The Ram Brewery, now closed (in 2006), was home to a pair of magnificent Wentworth Woolf compound beam engines dating from 1835 and 1867. The older (1835) engine is closest to the camera with the younger engine in the background. Although they had not been used commercially for some years they were maintained in operable condition and I saw them run several times. They are listed and retained but I do not know whether they are accessible. The older engine is an A frame, jet condensing, Woolf Compound beam engine. It was built in 1835 for 12 horsepower and altered to 16 horsepower in 1863. The cylinders are 12" x c28.25" and 18" x 40". It ran at 32 rpm on steam at 60 psi. The flywheel is 12' diameter. Surprisingly, this earlier engine has been retrofitted with a more advanced Porter governor built by Ormerod & Grierson of Manchester. The younger engine retains a basic Watt conical pendulum governor. The younger engine is also an A frame, jet condensing, Woolf compound engine. It is rated at 20 horsepower (probably nominal) at 32 revolutions per minute on steam at 60 psi. Following a re-bore in 1970 the cylinders are - high pressure 12.25" x c28.25" and low pressure 20.25" x 40". The flywheel is 14' 6" diameter.

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