317 Comments for Ryhope Pumping Station

just imagine

This place looks like it's ready for the workers to come in and go right to work! I wish it was this clean at my workplace!!!

You're work is hypnotizing!!! I've been looking at your site for like two days now! Absolutely amazing!! The historic pics with your pics are my favorite after your pics of course.

After climbing about in ruins, and the detritus of decay, touring this pristine environment must have been a real pleasure. This is one of the best galleries you've ever done.

great pic of a fly ball governer

the interiors must be just as amazing, any of those about

No, since the guy was nice enough to let us in, I wasn't going to start pressing buttons everywhere. The station does still run.

did you press any of the buttons to test what they do if anything at all?

What I believe these are .....connecting rods to the steam "pistons". Steam pressure pushes the pistons thus pushing the connecting rods....those in turn push the beam....at each ed of the beam are the "pump rods". Those would reach deep into the earth to pump the water out. Hence the name "beam engine" The pivot points shown here are really very similar to an automobile engine......the "wrist pins" of the piston. Car engines however, use the piston and connecting rod to turn the crank shaft as a means to turn the drive wheels. Here....the wrist pins are connecting the rods to the pump beam. The central pivot....much larger than the rod pivots, allows the beam to be pushed by the rods opposing each other....like a rocker switch. The beam then pulls and pushes the pump shafts or rods. Very simple yet ingenius system. Very similar also to an old steam ocean liner. Remember the movie "Titanic". The connecting rods turning the large crank shaft in the engine room scenes...that crank shaft actually turned the propellers or "screws" that powered the ship. That machinery was roughly the same size as this water pump mechanism.

This facility has to be clean.....it's a museum now. Don't you people read the opening paragraphs ??? It still operates on certain holidays thru the year as a demonstration.

The "knife like" lever is a locking lever for the valve wheel. This is more than likely an oil injector valve. Occasionally, oil is injected into the mechanisms to keep it lubricated. The locking lever allows the valve to be open to a certain level and locked in place.

That particular piece of equipment had to stay clean....it is the governer to control the throttle of the steam engine. If it were dirty, the "balls" would not throw out to max speed, as the shaft would not slide the mechanism properly and the engine would not run to "balls-out" speed.

Yes, that is also correct.......it comes from steam locomotive engineers......when the "balls" were straight out......the engineer would tell his conductor or brakeman that "we're runnin balls-out".........meaning full throttle. It's been adopted by just about every gear-head in the world !! And, it has nothing to do with male anatomy !!!

Just like to point out that this is the origin of the phrase "going balls-out." When the machine was spinning at full speed, the balls would be flung as far out as the linkage would permit.

This would make a good wallpaper.

Thad is absolutely correct in his description of the governer. The shaft spun and as the weights moved up or down the throttle would open or close. easy mechanism