From:Stoke Stable Museum, Carcoar

Name/TitleR. Garrett & Sons Steam Engine

About this objectThe Richard Garrett & Sons portable steam engine was donated by the Hoadley family during the 1970s. It was one of more than twenty items of large agricultural machinery donated during the early years of the museum’s operation. The engine was manufactured in 1906 at Leiston Works, England. A British invention, portable steam engines increased farmers’ efficiency by enabling them to operate agricultural machinery such as threshing machines in farm paddocks.

This over-type engine is largely typical of early twentieth century portable steam engines manufactured in Britain, with forward crankshaft and smokebox, rearward firebox and cylinders over a central tubular boiler. An innovative and economical - but not widely adopted by other manufacturers - feature of Richard Garrett & Sons portable steam engines from 1879 was the use of compound engines as a means of regulating cylinder temperature in order to reduce condensation. Steam was partially expanded in a high pressure cylinder and further expanded in the larger low pressure cylinder. The boiler was supplied with water by a cam-drive pump on the right-hand side of the machine. A single flywheel was mounted behind the chimney on the left-hand side of the machine, powering other machinery via a flat leather belt.

Despite the development of steam traction engines from the 1860s, portable steam engines remained in use throughout the late nineteenth century and in some parts of Australia were still in use during the 1950s. The absence of gearing meant that the portable engine remained an economical power source for chaffcutters, feed grinders, threshing machines, elevators, mechanical shearing stands, boring plant, pumps and sawbenches. In this case, it is likely that its primary use was as a power source for Ross Hoadley’s chaffcutter (Norm Hoadley, pers. comm.).
The Stoke Stable engine is in poor condition, having been exposed, unmaintained, to the elements for many decades. Evidence of repair (probably during its functional lifetime) is apparent on the chimney in the form of tin sheeting. The undercarriage of the smokebox and boiler have fully corroded away, an indication that the open chimney has allowed rain water to fill the machine for long periods of time. The original serial number plate has been removed, probably by a souvenir hunter, leaving only a barely visible trace on the rear of the firebox. Missing bolts have allowed some sheets of metal to become loose, some of which are today secured by fencing wire (again possibly dating to the machine’s functional lifetime). Encrustations of soil are visible on most of the lower components.

Significance
This engine is historically significant as it provides evidence of agricultural practices in the Carcoar district during the early twentieth century. The use of a steam portable engine during a period when traction engines were over-taking the portable in popularity suggests that district farmers deliberately chose a cheaper chaffcutting option, for which the expense of the traction engine was probably unnecessary. Eventually, the smaller internal combustion stationary engine would replace the steam portable engine. Aesthetically, Garrett steam engines were an innovative manifestation of the technology, employing the compound engine to increase steam efficiency. Provenanced to the Hoadley family and specifically dated to 1906 at the Garrett works at Leiston, Suffolk, this item’s background is relatively well documented. Whilst its condition - specifically the corrosion damage - detracts from its significance, the original fabric has not been replaced except in the form of repairs undertaken during its functional lifetime. These repairs in fact enhance the machine’s significance. A representative example of the steam portable engine, this item would enable the museum to develop interpretive panels explaining the mechanisation of Australian agriculture.
Kim Tuovinen 2010

MakerRichard Garrett & Sons

Date Madec1906

Place MadeUnited Kingdom

Place NotesLeston Works, England.

Measurements380cm long, 104cm wide, 260cm high (Chimney down).

Credit LineHoadley Family, Hobby's Yards

Object numberSS/09/027

Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved