I first got to know about this museum through fellow brick collector & local historian David Kitching. So during my stay in Congleton this year, I went along to see Poynton's locally made bricks & what turned out to be a very interesting museum & a great day out. Outside there are displays of long forgotten trades, wheelwright, wood bodger & blacksmith, with the old crafts being recreated by the volunteers. Inside & out there are working engines of all kinds, starting with steam through to gas & diesel.
Everything is put to good use, so I hope the blacksmith has a new pair of boots now !
Crossley Brothers, first style Atmospheric - Free piston engine.
I was told at reception that various engines would be shown in action. So while I was photographing the outside displays the gentleman in the picture above, rounded us all up & the engines were fired up one by one. He was very
knowledgeable & made us all laugh with his little quips. Especially after the next engine (photo below) had finished & he said " Did you like that - it was a cracker that one" just like Fred Dibnah. I was hoping to put a video of this engine in action, but found it was to larger file to be included.
This Crossley Atmospheric engine had been used to unload tar from barges to the distillery at Bristol Docks.
A 1865 Hugon gas engine.
A 1897 engine designed by Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, a German inventor & mechanical engineer who first invented this type of engine.
A Paxman diesel engine.
A 1947 Napier Deltic, used by British Railways in their Class 55 locomotives.
An old type of printing press, which looked like it still worked from the papers on the machine.
One of the smaller engines in action.
Some of the many miniature steam engines.
This a scale model of Poynton & is situated in the local history section along with locally made bricks collected by Les Cawley & other volunteers at the museum. If you wish to read about the brickworks at Poynton, I have pasted David Kitching's link below.
http://www.brocross.com/poynton/book/subsid.htm
The photos I have only shown are only a small selection of many engines that are on display. So if you are interested in visiting the museum, I have pasted their link below. You will be made most welcome by the very enthusiastic volunteers & you may like me, spend 3 hours in looking round this very interesting museum. If you are a serious engine devotee, you my need longer or more than one visit. So after enjoying a cake & cup of tea in the tearoom, I then went off to nearby Lyme Park for the rest of the afternoon.
http://www.enginemuseum.org
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