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Lot 53

AN EARLY SMALL, FULL-SIZED VERTICAL FOUR-PILLAR ENGINE,
Built circa 1840 to drive a coffee mill in the City of London,

22 September 2015, 13:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £4,750 inc. premium

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AN EARLY SMALL, FULL-SIZED VERTICAL FOUR-PILLAR ENGINE, Built circa 1840 to drive a coffee mill in the City of London,

The cylinder, 2.5" bore x 5" stroke, has decorated flanges and integrally-cast steam passage carrying the three-way split and decorated valve chest also bolted to the bed. The cylinder cover has decorative turning, long square nuts, lubricating plug and square gland nut. The piston rod drives a cross-head running in round guides fixed to the cylinder flange and entablature. The connecting rod is barrelled with strapped gib and cottered big-end.

The crankshaft has waisted cranks, hollow cast eccentric sheave driving the valve spindle via drop links and a weighshaft with lift-off system.
The flywheel is a delightfully crude four-spoke casting with rectangular section un-machined rim.
The plinth has decorative mouldings, checker-plate base, with exhaust and draincock passages. It supports four fluted columns with well proportioned feet and capitals, a delicately moulded entablature and elegant main bearing supports and plummer blocks.

Finished in its original black paint. 36 ins (92cm) high x 16 1/2 ins (42cm) long

Footnotes

The engine has a great deal of intricate decorative architectural detailing.

Additional information

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