Dogdyke Engine
Encyclopedia
The Dogdyke Engine is a drainage engine near Tattershall
, Lincolnshire
, in England
. 2500 acres (1,012 ha) of land around Tattershall was authorised for drainage in 1796, and came under the control of the Witham Third District commissioners in 1844
The building dates to 1856 when a rotative beam engine
was built to replace windmill style engines possibly dating to 1540 and draining land between the rivers Bain
and Witham
. The engine discharged into the River Witham, but has a long fetch from a drain parallel to the river called The Dogdyke engine drain originating just south of Kirkstead
at a place called Parkbeck.
1856 is relatively late and Wheeler does say that the 1856 engine replaces one installed in 1841, but the location of that is unknown.
The building is a grade II listed ancient monument.
is older, it can no longer be steamed. The preservation trust claim this is the oldest working steam drainage engine.
The engine built by Bradley & Craven of Wakefield has a 16 feet (4.9 m) flywheel, and a cylinder of 24 inch (0.6096 m) diameter and 48 inches (1.2 m) stroke. The construction is similar to an 'A' frame, but the decorative form of the cast iron upright obscures that basic shape and might be considered unique.
The scoop wheel
is 24 feet (7.3 m) in diameter and runs at up to 7rpm through a 4:1 gearbox from the engine.
The first boiler, which lasted until 1909, was a twin tube Cornish type, at 12psi. The replacement was a Foster locomotive-style tubed boiler delivering 15psi. Although the structure of this boiler survives, a modern vertical boiler is used for the demonstration steamings.
The original 100 feet (30 m) Chimney was struck by lightning in 1922 and reduced somewhat. It was felled in 1941 after the conversion to diesel operation.
as a standby for the nearby electric pumping station. They are usually operated when the museum is open.
The steam engine was replaced in 1940 by a Ruston & Hornsby 7XHR diesel engine, serial number 194833, driving a 22 inch Gwynnes centrifugal pump. This engine has a capacity of 23.6 litre. The 7XHR design has a single horizontal cylinder of 10 inches (25.4 cm) bore, 18.5 inches (47 cm) stroke, and develops 40 hp at 300rpm.
There is also a Ruston & Hornsby 1VTO auxiliary engine, used to provide the starting air for the larger engine and to operate a small priming pump for the Gwynnes pump. The 1VTO design has a single horizontal cylinder of 4 inches (10.2 cm) bore, 4 inches (10.2 cm) stroke, and develops 5 hp at 1000rpm.
Toilets, teas and limited wheelchair access are offered.
Tattershall
Tattershall is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, located on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford road, east of the point where that road crosses the River Witham. At its eastern end, Tattershall adjoins the village of Coningsby, to the north of the village...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. 2500 acres (1,012 ha) of land around Tattershall was authorised for drainage in 1796, and came under the control of the Witham Third District commissioners in 1844
The building dates to 1856 when a rotative beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
was built to replace windmill style engines possibly dating to 1540 and draining land between the rivers Bain
River Bain
The River Bain is a river in Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the River Witham.The Bain rises in the Lincolnshire Wolds at Ludford, a village on The Viking Way long-distance footpath, and flows through or past the villages of Burgh on Bain, Biscathorpe, Donington on Bain, Goulceby with...
and Witham
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
. The engine discharged into the River Witham, but has a long fetch from a drain parallel to the river called The Dogdyke engine drain originating just south of Kirkstead
Kirkstead
Kirkstead is an ancient village and former parish on the River Witham in Lincolnshire, England. It was amalgamated with the civil parish of Woodhall Spa in 1987.-History:...
at a place called Parkbeck.
1856 is relatively late and Wheeler does say that the 1856 engine replaces one installed in 1841, but the location of that is unknown.
The building is a grade II listed ancient monument.
Engines
- Bradley and Craven Beam engine and scoop wheel, built 1856
- Ruston & Hornsby Diesel engine and centrifugal pump, built 1940
- Ruston & Hornsby auxiliary engine.
Steam engine
The steam engine is maintained by a preservation trust, and steamed on weekends throughout the summer. Although the Pinchbeck EnginePinchbeck Engine
The Pinchbeck Engine is a drainage engine, a rotative beam engine built in 1833 to drain Pinchbeck Marsh, to the north of Spalding, Lincolnshire, in England...
is older, it can no longer be steamed. The preservation trust claim this is the oldest working steam drainage engine.
The engine built by Bradley & Craven of Wakefield has a 16 feet (4.9 m) flywheel, and a cylinder of 24 inch (0.6096 m) diameter and 48 inches (1.2 m) stroke. The construction is similar to an 'A' frame, but the decorative form of the cast iron upright obscures that basic shape and might be considered unique.
The scoop wheel
Scoop wheel
right|thumb|Rim driven Scoop wheel of the [[Stretham Old Engine]], CambridgeshireA scoop wheel may be a pump or an excavator.-Scoop wheel pump:...
is 24 feet (7.3 m) in diameter and runs at up to 7rpm through a 4:1 gearbox from the engine.
The first boiler, which lasted until 1909, was a twin tube Cornish type, at 12psi. The replacement was a Foster locomotive-style tubed boiler delivering 15psi. Although the structure of this boiler survives, a modern vertical boiler is used for the demonstration steamings.
The original 100 feet (30 m) Chimney was struck by lightning in 1922 and reduced somewhat. It was felled in 1941 after the conversion to diesel operation.
Diesel engines
The two diesel engines are maintained by The Witham Third District Internal Drainage BoardInternal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
as a standby for the nearby electric pumping station. They are usually operated when the museum is open.
The steam engine was replaced in 1940 by a Ruston & Hornsby 7XHR diesel engine, serial number 194833, driving a 22 inch Gwynnes centrifugal pump. This engine has a capacity of 23.6 litre. The 7XHR design has a single horizontal cylinder of 10 inches (25.4 cm) bore, 18.5 inches (47 cm) stroke, and develops 40 hp at 300rpm.
There is also a Ruston & Hornsby 1VTO auxiliary engine, used to provide the starting air for the larger engine and to operate a small priming pump for the Gwynnes pump. The 1VTO design has a single horizontal cylinder of 4 inches (10.2 cm) bore, 4 inches (10.2 cm) stroke, and develops 5 hp at 1000rpm.
Public access
Access to the site on steaming days involves driving down an unmade road and walking across a grassed area. Although essentially on one level, disabled access is limited because of the historic nature of the site.Toilets, teas and limited wheelchair access are offered.