Kempton Park Pumping Station

 

The engine house. The boiler house was situated at the back.

Click on pictures to enlarge

 

Kempton Park Pumping Station is a working station of Thames Water. The listed engine house houses two magnificent Triple Expansion pumping engines built by Worthington Simpson of Newark and commissioned in 1929 as well as a pair of steam turbines by Fraser & Chalmers built in 1933. The five Lilleshall triple expansions in the adjoining house were scrapped in 1968 and replaced by electric pumps which are still in service.

     

No. 6 Engine Sir William Prescott is the operational engine    Metropolitan Water Board coat of arms and gauge panel.    No. 7 Engine Lady Elisabeth Prescott is employed to describe the engine construction.

The two engines are either side of the engine house. The original intention was to install a third engine in the centre but a change of plan led to a pair of steam  turbines being installed instead. Although less efficient than the triples these were much cheaper.

The main crankshaft bearing cap has been lifted for maintenance. Crank and connecting rod with the flywheel in the background. Crank and connecting rod.  

At the time of writing there was a problem with the main crankshaft bearings of Number 6 Engine and one cap had been raised for inspection

The cylinder tops and steam inlet and exhaust valves.  Engine crosshead.  One of the twin flywheels seen from the drivers position.

  Each engine has two barring engines, one on each flywheel.  Another view of a barring engine.  This barring engine is stripped for maintenance.

View of the pumps from the basement floor.  The cylinders from the intermediate platform.  Part of the very complex lubrication system.

The two steam turbines and centrifugal pumps are much smaller than the triples and were placed on the basement floor at the level of the pump bases. 

One of the two Fraser & Chalmers steam turbines that were installed in 1933 instead of a third triple expansion engine.        Another view of a turbine.

The engines are maintained and displayed by an enthusiastic group of volunteers, The Kempton Great Engines Trust, who have a website at  http://www.kemptonsteam.org    and produce some excellent descriptive booklets about the engines. Open days are held regularly and details will be found on their website.

 

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