IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
HOLMFIRTH, HD9 2RD

Agnes is a 600 horsepower horizontal tandem compound steam built by Pollit & Wigzell in 1909. She was latterly tended by the late Herbert White who is seen here preparing her to run on my behalf. Agnes is now at Markham Grange Steam Museum.

Agnes is one of my favourite engines but is no longer at this location, indeed the engine house's site has been cleared. Agnes is a horizontal tandem compound condensing mill engine built in 1909 by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge. The Corliss valve cylinders are 18" & 36" bores by 4' stroke. Operating speed was 80 rpm on steam at 160 psi and it developed 600 indicated horsepower. The 16' flywheel drove via ropes to a large alternator next door and to some limited machinery in part of the mill. The engine was in regular use until early 1980 and was then run just for show, usually on Friday afternoons. This shows it running at full speed one Friday afternoon with blurring of the governor, crosshead and crank.

Agnes is one of my favourite engines but is no longer at this location, indeed the engine house's site has been cleared. Agnes is a horizontal tandem compound condensing mill engine built in 1909 by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge. The Corliss valve cylinders are 18" & 36" bores by 4' stroke. Operating speed was 80 rpm on steam at 160 psi and it developed 600 indicated horsepower. The 16' flywheel drove via ropes to a large alternator next door and to some limited machinery in part of the mill. The engine was in regular use until early 1980 and was then run just for show, usually on Friday afternoons.

Agnes is one of my favourite engines but is no longer at this location, indeed the engine house's site has been cleared. Agnes is a horizontal tandem compound condensing mill engine built in 1909 by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge. The Corliss valve cylinders are 18" & 36" bores by 4' stroke. Operating speed was 80 rpm on steam at 160 psi and it developed 600 indicated horsepower. The 16' flywheel drove via ropes to a large alternator next door and to some limited machinery in part of the mill. The engine was in regular use until early 1980 and was then run just for show, usually on Friday afternoons.

Agnes is one of my favourite engines but is no longer at this location, indeed the engine house's site has been cleared. Agnes is a horizontal tandem compound condensing mill engine built in 1909 by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge. The Corliss valve cylinders are 18" & 36" bores by 4' stroke. Operating speed was 80 rpm on steam at 160 psi and it developed 600 indicated horsepower. The 16' flywheel drove via ropes to a large alternator next door and to some limited machinery in part of the mill. The engine was in regular use until early 1980 and was then run just for show, usually on Friday afternoons. This shows the high pressure cylinder valve gear under the control of the Lumb governor and regulator. In the background the crank is in the correct starting position, ready to start turning as soon as the stop valve is wound open. The three ropes bottom right drive the governor.

Agnes is one of my favourite engines but is no longer at this location, indeed the engine house's site has been cleared. Agnes is a horizontal tandem compound condensing mill engine built in 1909 by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge. The Corliss valve cylinders are 18" & 36" bores by 4' stroke. Operating speed was 80 rpm on steam at 160 psi and it developed 600 indicated horsepower. The 16' flywheel drove via ropes to a large alternator next door and to some limited machinery in part of the mill. The engine was in regular use until early 1980 and was then run just for show, usually on Friday afternoons. This end on view shows the combined jet condenser and single acting air pump. The big green drum above is an oil separator that removed oil from the exhaust steam so that the condensate could be used in the mill's processes. The little black cylinder to the left is a vacuum operated trap that discharged the oil that had been caught (best not to think where it might have gone).

Agnes is a 600 horsepower horizontal tandem compound steam built by Pollit & Wigzell in 1909. She was latterly tended by the late Herbert White who had patiently waited on a freezing day in December. Agnes is now at Markham Grange Steam Museum. This was to be my last visit before Herbert passed on and the engine was removed to Markham Grange. This is one of my all time favourite engines. I used to bunk off school early to get the bus to Holmfirth and then walk to the mill and wander into the engine house. The mill had Agnes, a steam turbine and a modern gas engine. They could all be synchronised to the National Grid and were then locked at grid frequency. This caused a problem one day when a kitten fell into Agnes's rope race and tripped the rope break detector. The steam was turned off by the stop motion but the National Grid then kept driving the engine using the alternator as a synchronous motor. The ropes were smoking when the engineer realised the problem and disconnected.

Agnes is one of my favourite engines but is no longer at this location, indeed the engine house's site has been cleared. Agnes is a horizontal tandem compound condensing mill engine built in 1909 by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge. The Corliss valve cylinders are 18" & 36" bores by 4' stroke. Operating speed was 80 rpm on steam at 160 psi and it developed 600 indicated horsepower. The 16' flywheel drove via ropes to a large alternator next door and to some limited machinery in part of the mill. The engine was in regular use until early 1980 and was then run just for show, usually on Friday afternoons. This view is from alongside the high pressure cylinder looking towards the crank. The latter is in the starting position and a few moments later the engine was running. This is Pollit & Wigzell's patent three piston rod design with the two low pressure rods passing either side of the high pressure cylinder. The shiny rod coming from the right hand edge is one of the low pressure rods. This made for a slightly shorter and more compact engine. The plastic pipe above the engine is not original and was a replacement condensing water supply. The little shelf on the end wall once held a gas meter.

Agnes is one of my favourite engines but is no longer at this location, indeed the engine house's site has been cleared. Agnes is a horizontal tandem compound condensing mill engine built in 1909 by Pollit & Wigzell of Sowerby Bridge. The Corliss valve cylinders are 18" & 36" bores by 4' stroke. Operating speed was 80 rpm on steam at 160 psi and it developed 600 indicated horsepower. The 16' flywheel drove via ropes to a large alternator next door and to some limited machinery in part of the mill. The engine was in regular use until early 1980 and was then run just for show, usually on Friday afternoons. This view is down the side with the valve gear. The big lump in the middle is the low pressure cylinder with the high pressure cylinder beyond. The black object on the left is the combined jet condenser and single acting air pump.