Back in October 2022 a friend of mine became involved in the clearance of some outbuildings from a deceased estate.
The usual question from me was the familiar “is there anything interesting there?” which resulted in an invitation to go and check out one of the sheds.
Upon opening the door of the wooden shed there, right in the middle sat an engine, the “lump with two wheels and a big tank” turned out to be a tank cooled Lister B type, sat on the floor, still mounted on its original skids.
A chat with a member of the family revealed that the wooden shed had been used as a milking parlour for the small herd of cows they once had. The cows were led in two or three at a time for milking. The separating rails for each milking bay can be seen in the pictures.
The milk was then taken in churns the few hundred yards down the lane to the railway line which, until Dr Beeching wielded his axe, ran behind the property, there being a small halt there.
The shed which housed the Lister.
Some rubbish cleared away for a closer look revealed that, although rusty, the engine was complete, the exhaust manifold and pipe were in the water tank, having been removed from where they presumably went outside through the side of the shed. A quick look in the toolbox revealed the starting handle.
View from the door after some space was cleared.
Getting a closer look.
A deal was done and I was told to get on with moving it, on my own!
Equipped with the usual selection of pry bars, tubes, planks and straps, the engine was lifted from its resting place, onto rollers, across the floor and out the shed door, where it saw sunlight for the first time in many years. With more planks and straps it was winched up onto the trailer and secured for the journey home, blowing the dust and cobwebs off as we went.
Once the engine was safely home it was put onto a steel trolley for ease of movement, and given a check over.
Whilst turning freely, the exhaust valve was stuck closed, so the engine would only turn a part revolution. Luckily nobody had tried to force it, so I have filled the bore and the valve ports with a diesel and oil mix, together with the governor linkages.
Luckily the shed was water tight, and the floor where the engine sat was concrete cobbles, so the skids are in very good shape. The tank box has suffered somewhat from woodworm, but nothing serious. The whole of the woodwork has been given several coats of woodworm killer and a coat of treatment to prevent further attack and the engine now resides in my shed, in the long queue for attention.
Once stripped and rebuilt and given the oily rag finish it should be a nice addition to the collection.
An email to Doreen Edgington shows the engine was supplied new as a skid mounted unit to W.M.Friend, Agricultural machinery dealers of Bourne, Lincolnshire on 10th October 1935.
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Country: GB