Riches and Watts Vertical No. 2

Soon after acquisition of the 2 nhp engine I started researching the history of Riches and Watts and on enquiring of a local expert if he knew anything about them, I was surprised and delighted to hear that he knew of another engine, which he thought was in the collection of John Golden at Northrepps Foundry.

John, like lot of Norfolk men, had a reputation for keeping what he knew or had in his collection close to his chest, however, I was a friend of his cousin Nolan, (one of the most famous English Bellringers - disturbing the peace is another of my interests I'm afraid) so with some common ground and on showing him a couple of bits from my 2nhp engine I was allowed into his 'inner sanctum' to see the engine. It was in a number of pieces and very rusty but even in this state was clearly a very pretty little engine with it's curved spoke flywheel. I put the bits together and took some measurements, this activity seemed to awaken a bit of urgency in John as next time I called in to see him, it had been brushed down and painted with some grey primer, I decided at the first time of viewing that I would love to have and restore it - however John was never known part with any of his 'treasures' so I had to content myself with the pictures and the occasional visit to see it gently deteriorate.

One sad thing to note was that between my first seeing the remains and my next visit to take some photographs, the cast brass makers plate had been prized off the cylinder and disappeared as can be seen from the witness mark on the cylinder cleading.

Quite elderly, John had an amazing outlook on life - everything he had collected (perhaps hoarded is a better term) was going to be restored and he was going to open the long derelict foundry site as a museum, sadly this did not happen and he passed away a few years ago, there were sales of some of his effects but his wife Mary kept the Foundry site as it had been - untouched. I enquired if the engine might be for sale or for restoration but this was not to be. Mary passed away and in October 1998 an auction of their effects and the contents of the Foundry site was advertised.

On arrival early on a cold wet Saturday morning with another bellringing friend, we were greeted with the sight of nearly four hundred lots which had been extracted from the various derelict buildings, we soon found lot 193, 'my' Riches and Watts 1nhp vertical engine.. Several familiar faces were present and as the sale had been nationally advertised I was worried that there would be strong competition for what for me was the 'star' of the auction.

The sale took quite a while and when lot 193 was finally announced - as 'some sort of old pump' - bidding started smartly, and settled down to two bidders, fortunately the other bidder and I knew each other, he knew my interest, realised that it was fruitless to continue and dropped out of the bidding. (In return I agreed not bid for the other Norwich made steam engine in the sale - a diminutive but extremely pretty vertical thought to be made by the Norwich firm of Sabberton - which, with a Hindley vertical that once used to drive the Foundry's cupola blower was later knocked down to my 'opponent' and has gone to live near Ipswich)

My dream of 12 years or so was realised when 193 was knocked down to me at £140 and I became owner of the second of (then) only two known vertical Riches and Watts engines.

As the engine would be travelling in the back of the car, after dismantling down to bedplate, flywheel / crank shaft and 'A' frame / cylinder It was wrapped in cling film - this caused much amusement amongst the other auction goers but kept us and the car nice and clean !

We did the decent thing and stopped on in the pouring rain to help our 'opponent' dismantle and load up his engines and very decayed boiler which were sold as a single lot - steam people are funny like that. Here is the Sabberton back in the '80s, very similar in design to the Riches and Watts.

On arrival home it was dark and the 'flatpacked' engine was not unloaded until the following day, being slid down some steel channel unwrapped and into the workshop - already bulging at the seams with components for the Locomotion project.

With the crankshaft re installed in the bearings on the bedplate it rotates freely despite the journal pitting which will require metal spraying to restore.

Re erected, the eccentric and valve rod are intact and reasonably clean, the valve chest has been opened and the valve face appears to have been smothered in oil or grease at some time and compared with the 2 nhp looks in very good order. The small pulley and two mounting studs and nuts on the bedplate are for the governor, which has not survived, however, longer term one can be 'synthesised' using the one fitted to the 2 nhp as a pattern.

The next stage is to get everything de greased, shot blasted and primed, once this is done and any further corrosion is inhibited, restoration can then take whatever course is needed, dictated by whatever hidden defects may be revealed. Initial thoughts for a colour scheme are blue and maroon - good old traditional colours are hard to beat.

Benjamin and Dad with 'their' new treasure, Ben has yet to experience the joy of a newly restored pile of junk coming to life again as a result of a lot of hard work, still too young at five to appreciate that very few of us are fortunate enough to become custodians of the rare survivors of our once proud engineering past, hopefully he will absorb the interest, skills and knowledge which will allow him to take over guardianship and maintenance of our engine collection when I am too old, feeble, insane or ultimately decomposed to be able to care for them myself.

UPDATE 2000

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The stolen makers plate was an annoyance as while I knew what it looked like I could not remember and had made no note of the engine number on my first visit, however, in April 2000 - the above cast brass Riches & Watts makers plate was spotted at a local bygones display on a plate collectors display board, the cylinder cleading was dashed home for and matched with the plate - the witness marks of where it had sat for most of it's life and the out of level hole drillings for the screws that attached it matched exactly, so this was the original plate. After discussing the history and likely route before the collector bought it, a swap for another Norwich machinery makers plate was negotiated so that now (other than the governor) the engine is complete again and we know that it is No. 467 - the latest known engine still existing, built 9 engine numbers after the Langley Dyke Pumping Station engine No 458 which was built in 1887 this engine was built between then and the mid 1890's when the company closed down. A replica of the plate was cast and despatched to New Zealand for use on the Tandem Compound Vertical No 456, currently under restoration by the Canterbury Steam Preservation Group near Christchurch.

May 2000 also saw the Sabberton out on display at Strumpshaw Steam Rally, back in steam in wholly unrestored condition and looking and running well as can be seen above.

The June 2000 AGM of the International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES) was held in Norfolk and among other sites included a visit to the Old Engine House. This prompted a long overdue 'excavation' of the 1nhp engine from deep storage and 'shelf' duties in the workshop, she was perched on a trolley, towed onto the lawn, a length of 12mm pipe connected to the Dodman boiler and steam applied cautiously.

Somewhat surprisingly and despite the limited steam supply available, after many years of inactivity and corrosion and with only the addition of a ring of packing in the valve gland, the engine ran well despite sundry knocks from the big end bearing, being towed back to the workshop by Dodman late in the evening - long after the visitors, dinner, a few pints of beer and any last vestiges of interest from the family and neighbours had departed.

Restoration is soon to begin and if the KIWI's make good progress as well, there may soon be four of Riches and Watts stationary steam engines back in steam - unless of course you know of any others !

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