2022 Traction and Portable Engines
6HP Brittannia
Manufacturer: Marshall Sons & Co Ltd
Britannia Iron Works, Gainsborough, England
Year of Manufacture: 1907
Country Assembled In: England
Type of Boiler: Colonial
Fuel Used: Wood
Owned By: Antony Pritchett
Location: Hunter Valley
Restored By: David and Antony Pritchett
Description of Use: Engines of this type which combined a light weight engine and boiler drove pumps Chaff cutters and other agriculture machinery.
They were called portable because they could be carted easily around the country side as needed
Ruston Proctor
Manufacturer: Ruston Proctor Co Ltd of Lincoln UK at the company’s Sheaf Iron Works in Lincoln.
Year of Manufacture: 1913
Country Assembled In: England
Type of Boiler: Fire Tube
Fuel Used: Wood and Coal
Owned By: Jim & Lyndle Hawkes
Location: Kurri NSW
Restored By: Current owners and took over 6 years. The boiler work was completed by Ken Ainsworth of Goulburn.
Description of Use: The Ruston (known as Reverie) is an 8nhp double crank compound 2 speed agricultural traction engine. These engines were designed for mainly agricultural purposes such as powering (via a flat belt) threshing drums, chaff cutters, sawmills, pumps and land clearing.
This engine is also fitted with a winch that could be used to pull logs out of the bush and itself out of bogs. Water is carried in the rear tender and in a belly tank that is suspended under the boiler. Fuel is carried in the coal bunker that is located at the rear of the engine.
Timber is carried in the steel basket that hangs over the rear of the engine.
14 HP Marshall
Manufacturer: Marshall Sons & Co Ltd
Britannia Iron Works, Gainsborough, England
Year of Manufacture: 1911
Country Assembled In: England
Type of Boiler: Locomotive Type
Fuel Used: Wood
Owned By: Kelly and Peter Garnham
Location: Maitland NSW
Restored By: Peter Garnham and members of Maitland Steam and Antique Machinery Association
Description of Use: Engines of this type which combined a light weight engine and boiler drove pumps Chaffcutters and other agriculture machinery.
They were called portable because they could be carted easily around the country side as needed.
8HP Marshall
Manufacturer: Marshall Sons & Co Ltd
Britannia Iron Works, Gainsborough, England
Year of Manufacture: 1914
Country Assembled In: England
Type of Boiler: Locomotive Type
Fuel Used: Wood
Owned By: Ross Taylor
Location: Tamworth
Restored By: Ross Taylor
Description of Use: Used to saw Mill Equiptment
Bill Ives Marshall
Manufacturer: Marshall Sons & Co Ltd
Britannia Iron Works, Gainsborough, England
Year of Manufacture: 1925
Country Assembled In: England
Type of Boiler: Locomotive Type
Fuel Used: Coal or Firewood
Owned By: Bill and Daniel Ives
Location: Brisbane
Restored By: Bob and Bill Ives
Description of Use: Marshall 80161 was built in 1925 and arrived in Australia in February 1926. The Roller was imported for the Queensland Main Roads Commission by the Queensland Machinery Company. The roller was used by main roads in the southeast Queensland area.
The last known job was the Toowoomba range west of Brisbane. It was sold in the early 1960’s to Cyril Cadwallader for preservation. It was subsequently sold to a caravan park builder who used it to build a caravan park at Caboolture. It then went to a private collector and then to a couple of tourist parks.
The last park closed, and the roller again went to a private collector. It wasn’t steamable then and he towed it to roll his driveway with a frontend loader. One day the roller got away and dragged the frontend loader down the road.
Bill bought the roller shortly after that and he and his family have had it running for over 30 years.