The Steamboating Forum

Hello all,

While not technically an introduction, I though this might be a good place to ask for advice. I am headed to London this evening for 5 days, and was wondering if anyone had steam related suggestions for what to do while there, beyond the well advertised museums.

Thanks,
Scott

CROSSNESS PUMPING STATION !!!

This 1800's pumping station, with its operating Triple Expansion Corliss Rotative Beam Engine is quite a sight to see. Standing 95 feet tall, with many large links and levers innertwined among the magnificant cast iron stairways and entrance, the looks of which rival the lobby of a European five star hotel.

Hope you can get there on a day when it is actually steaming.

Goodness! It looks like a temple to Steam.

The Kempton Pmping station is pretty impressive also.




info here:: http://www.kemptonsteam.org/

Not exactly a steamboat engine, but steam and wonderful none the less.

There are many more videos of the CROSSNESS pumping engines on Youtube.

Dear Scott

Kew Bridge Pumping Station is worth a visit . Officially it is a museum of the water supply for London but there are quite a few stationary engines ranging from Cornish engines to a 30' high triple .
Some of these engines are steamed on most week ends.

Regards Edward.

Marine steam wise;

Depending on where in London you are, Chatham Dockyard is well worth a visit, both PS Kingswear Castle and VIC96 are based there, as well as numerous traction engines and tons of vintage naval and dockyard machinery.

Again, depending on where you are, ST Cervia is in Ramsgate harbour, as well as Preston Steam Services in Canterbury.

Greg

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I am going to the Kew Bridge pumping station tomorrow, and will try to get to the Kempton engines as well. Sadly it looks like Ramsgate is closed for the season. I'm only allowed souvenirs that cost less than the plane tickets and will go in carry-on, so I best not visit Preston Services...

Thanks,
Scott

The third floor of the Science Museum in London has a large collection of steam engine builder's models.... well worth a (free!) stop in.
Plus lots of full scale stuff:

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmu ... _hall.aspx

I'll be in London on business just after Thanksgiving... hope to have time for a quick side trip too.

- Bart

barts wrote:The third floor of the Science Museum in London has a large collection of steam engine builder's models.... well worth a (free!) stop in.
Plus lots of full scale stuff:

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmu ... _hall.aspx

I'll be in London on business just after Thanksgiving... hope to have time for a quick side trip too.

- Bart

Well, I was in London last week and the model exhibition on the third floor has been replaced with other exhibits as best I could tell (I was somewhat jetlagged, so they may have hidden them somewhere).

- Bart