ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Monday 14 October 2013

TEES COTTAGE PART II. (14/10/13)

I spent more time on this Gas Engine than on the Beam Engine but even though I thought I had cracked the job the pictures do leave much to be desired. I used this engine as a rehearsal and should have gone back and taken it’s pictures again. There is always next year but there will come a time when I’m not granted a next year. Life is not a rehearsal.

I met a lass here who had a 7D camera. She wasn’t a star of film, digital or in my eyes worth taking a snap of but was just starting out. She was on a course somewhere local. She said it’s impossible here. The light is awful. I gave her the benefit of my ignorance but she hadn’t got time to position and stand guard over a second strobe for me so I was buggered if I was going to reciprocate by lending, sorry renting my Pocket Wizards and strobes.  Canon 7D folk are funny, they are birders. Not flashers. Sorry Keith you are one of the few who are half okay._V0G7799

_V0G7802

_V0G7801 This is all that I could salvage. I did get the chance to take pictures of the cylinder end and the valve gear but deleted them in camera and forgot to re-take them. I really must get a note book and use it, there is just so much to think about. I get distracted by the subject. The Lord knows what I would be like taking pictures of Uma Thurman! I’d be lucky to get her in the frame at all.

This engine is a twin cylinder Gas Engine built by Richard Hornsby in 1914. It is really two single cylinder units with separate cranks driving a common central flywheel. It is the largest Gas Engine in Europe and the only one of it’s type still running in the world. As far as I know.

…. It runs on natural gas today but previously it ran on coal gas or water gas or a mixture of the two. There is still a gas producer here but they don’t use it. Gas producers were fine as long as the engine was running continuously but on shut down any excess air creeping into the system could cause an explosion. They had two uncontained explosions here, the last being in 1955 when the gas producer was retired and the engine switched to Town or Coal Gas.

This engine was originally started by a TVO or more likely a petrol Donkey Engine. ( I failed to get snaps of it…sorry). Today it is started on compressed air which turns half the engine. Once the other half fires on gas then the compressed air is switched off and the gas supply turned on and the jobs a Good Un! I used to be in charge of a converted trawler with a superb six cylinder Gardner Engine. I used to have to decompress four cylinders…not any four but the correct four and feed air into I believe numbers two and five. Once oil pressure was up I’d wind the handle to shut the valves, turn the tap for diesel to the injector pumps on and away she would go. Good as gold she was.  She did have a hand oil pump to give pressure feed to the bearings, I used that as well just to be on the safe side. Those were the days. They even had bits made of copper, brass and gunmetal that one could polish to show ones appreciation. When I finished work it was big Mann or Caterpillar diesels with wet exhausts, gen sets and air con units. Service engineers with aluminium cased computers. The job lost it’s appeal. The engines were better and gave a sexy burble when docking. It’s wasn’t the same though._V0G7804The shiny black thing is the drive belt for the pumps. It’s made of half inch strips of leather. It is a work of art on it’s own. It is worth remembering that without these belts Harley Davidson Bikes would not have the posh Kevlar ‘V’ groove belt but still be on chain drive and be horrid. They still are awful but do allow room for my old age spread. A Fireblade makes no such concessions but is the pinnacle of bike design at sensible money. The Fireblade is twice as fast and much more agile. Anyone got one I could borrow?

_V0G7803 The pump end of the job. I didn’t realise How few images I had of this piece of pumping equipment. It’s what I calls a Cock Up! This is me being trying. Very trying I was trying to act professional. Don’t worry you proffies. I’m along way from your standards. 

I’ll have to stop using excuses as I’m off to see and snap some really posh cars tomorrow. I must not Foul Up, Cuckoo or Display Muppetry with them….. It may be okay, he has seen my blog and I have supped a gallon or two of the falling down water in his company. I meant I have spent an hour or two Networking. I wasn’t out on the piss but I want a drive of a couple of his cars. He will still have to pay for the snaps.

Tomorrow I’ll tidy up Tees Cottage with a few Traction Engines and bits and bobs from around the site.

Have fun.

 

23 comments:

  1. Great piece of engineering Adrian. And I'm one with a 7D, I tried a 5D and it wasn't any good. You can't beat the 7D. I can't wait for the new one of the range.

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    1. Bob, the 7D is okay. It is the business for your close in shots. I just like full frame and never or rarely burst shoot. I don't have to worry too much about noise. It's horses for courses. The 5D is great but the 1Ds is better. I only crop macros or birds on one axis.Never to give the impression I am closer than I am. I like seeing things in their environment.

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  3. Totally beside your point ... my comment, that is ... but gave to share this with you: After coming to Canada, and passing all my hard earned nursing degrees over and again, I was asked by a (now) dear nurse friend on my unit on my scary day one ... Are you okay, Lassie ? Will never forget this ... never, ever, ever ... Thanks for your kindness as well, Adrian ... kisses ... cat.

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    1. Cat...Where did you come from? I call all little girls lassie. I don't mean they are sheep dogs. This one was a dog but her ugly was more than skin deep.

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  4. Adrian, all this is a bit overwhelming and educational for me. The pictures and descriptions are good. I would like it if you would talk more about what these machines are/were used for.

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    1. David, they supplied drinking water to the people. Prior to this pumping and filtration plant folk were keeling over in droves because just upstream on the Tees they built an isolation Hospital at Barnard Castle. An Isolation Hospital with no sewage treatment facility.
      Nothing much has changed in the UK with this shower in charge. They still want to blame Badgers and Foxes. I'm more growed up than them and blame them as total incompetents one and all.

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  5. I'd never imagined you as a "Fireblade" fan to be honest Adrian, funny world. It's funny when people on courses bang on about "bad light", you'd think a bit of research (oh i'm in a building tommorow) would be part of the course under the section "preparation", nevermind at least we got to see your images, are we going to see the posh cars?

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    1. Douglas, it isn't easy snapping under mixed light. She knew to use flash to provide light. I said to her it's not the answer though it helps. I showed her mine and how I don't get blown windows but a view through them. She said they never told me that. I told her to use the flash at full chat and expose for the window bits. I worked that out all on my own. I lent her a diffuser but then got fed up. She has a 7D and is used to just blasting away and the picking whilst praying. No chance.
      The Fireblade is a bit small for me. I'm 6'4" and fifteen stone. It is a lovely bike. No steering damper, more power than one could wish for, brakes to die for but easy to ride. Honda have yet to find tyres that grip on those silly lines they paint on roads. The 1997 one was perfect, it did tend to trap ones privates under hard braking. The new one or last years one is back to what it was. A dream of a bike, but with anti-lock brakes. Really posh, for those that don't realize the wheel isn't revolving. I have been dumped off one twice. It hurts. I won't be pushing one again till the next time.

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  6. Thanks for the recommendation. I agree, birders are a funny lot. Most are.
    You've certainly got patience to be messing about with flashes and things.
    Looking forward to cars.

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    1. Keith, I like messing. I have pictures for the first time in my life that show trees outside an little window and machinery inside. It is a challenge. I only have the 430 strobes as they are cheap. You bought the beer last time. I'll show you how to use them next time. It's easy peasy.

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  7. Adrian wat is dit mooi een pracht reportage die doet mij denken dat ik vroeger met mijn vader aan boord mocnt van hele grote schepen die voor reparatie kwamen.

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    1. Bas, ik hoop dat dit is uw naam. Ja ze zijn zeer vergelijkbaar motoren aan de scheepsmotoren maar deze degenen liggen horizontaal. Scheepsmotoren staan ​​verticaal.

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  8. A wonderful read and fantastic images Adrian... sounds like you were like a kid in a sweetshop.

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  9. Technology has a long and interesting history. Just this one gas engine is a big story on it's own. Now technology has changed over and over when it comes to car engines. We don't even get a look at industrial stuff. Industrial stuff is a whole other world.

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    1. Red, it's a world I love to immerse myself in.

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  10. Fascinating machinery ~ something my dad would have been very interested in, He often took my brother and I to see such mechanisms, including steam engines. Once we came over here and travelled around, the large dams with their huge generators caught his attention. I remember seeing a massive wrench, just one of the tools used to adjust the mammoth settings. In particular, I remember camping and visiting the Hungry Horse Dam

    Your recent steam train photos reminded me of taking the steam train from Carlisle to Silloth for holidays...and then getting an ice cream sandwich or cornet when we arrived. Of course, that was just a f.e.w. years ago ;)

    Sounds like you are in your element, and really appreciate you sharing your photos and commentary.

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    1. Glo, thanks for the link.
      I should spend more time around such machinery. There is plenty of it about.

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  11. Could it be Adrian that the young lady might have taken your mind off the job for a wee while and you forgot what you were there for? However, you seem to have managed to pull yourself together and got some good shots in the end!

    It seems that being in charge of a gas engine might have been a bit of a precarious job at times?

    Another interesting post, much enjoyed...[;o)

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    1. Trevor, no I was not distracted just having lots of trouble finding settings that worked.
      When they built the engine houses they didn't think of providing a good view for photographers..
      I suspect a big bang concentrated their minds.

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