Miscellaneous Stationary Steam

Click here for the International Stationary Steam Index

Click here for the Surviving Steam Road Engine Index

Steam Rollers and Other Road Engines (updated 18th Aug 2024)

These, traction engines and portable engines (mainly in Asia and the UK) are covered in a separate series of pages, which is updated as news come in, the date indicated may not be accurate as I often forget to amend it!

Paddle Steamers (updated 5th June 2023)

PS Waverley is the world's last seagoing paddle steamer. I enjoyed a cruise on it in September 2018 (19th September 2018). It did not cruise in 2019 as it needed a new boiler but is now back in action. On 4th June 2023, it made its first excursion to Lundy Island since 2018, an event which had long been high on our of 'not to be missed' list. We had a perfect early summer's day, read my report (5th June 2023)..

See http://www.paddlesteamers.info/  (amended 30th September 2013)

In the best spirit of this website, Kevin Hoggett has been exploring the Nile through Egypt. The website referred to above had much information on steamers (and ex-steamers) in the country) but by July 2020 it had disappeared.:

• Side Wheeler Paddle Steamers (link dead by July 2020)
• Stern and Quarter Wheeler Paddle Steamers (link dead by July 2020)

Kevin himself has provided pictures of the following (all taken in 2011, links all amended 30th September 2013)

PS Karim which still 'works' between Luxor and the Aswan Dam.

PS Sudan which still 'works' between Luxor and the Aswan Dam.

PS Nile Peking (ex-Time Machine and ex-Mahasen) which serves as a floating Chinese restaurant and offers cruises around Cairo

At the sad end of the scale, Chris Capewell spotted some steam tug relics outside Budapest Transport Museum (30th September 2013)

There are some pictures on this site of paddle steamers at the 2013 Echuca Rally in Australia (4th December 2013). 

John Taubeneck has pointed out that there is a surviving wrecked 1883 built paddle steamer with a beam engine in Chile see https://civilwartalk.com/threads/wreck-of-the-1883-steamer-olympian-possession-bay-chile.130770/ (25th October 2018)

Screw Steam Ships (updated 7th May 2024)

In the same vein as the above, screw steam ships are covered here: http://steamships.awardspace.com/ (added 22nd November 2009, link broken by December 2021). This is NOT a database but just illustrates a few preserved items.

Phil Barnes tells me about the Hidria Segundo, the last working steam ship in Spain, based in Vigo. It was formerly used used to deliver drinking water but now operates tourist charters. It is powered by a 177HP steam engine but is equipped to use sails if the wind is favourable and sufficient crew available. See https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidria_Segundo for more information and search YouTube for "Hidria Segundo" for many videos which show the triple expansion engine at work (7th May 2024)..

I attended 'Stoom in Dordt' in May 2018 and there are some pictures of steam ships mixed up with all sorts of other steam powered machines (30th May 2018). I have now added some pictures of the 2014 event from Phil Barnes (updated 22nd November 2018).

TSS Earnslaw is "the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere" and operates on a near daily basis on Lake Wakatipu, South Island, New Zealand. Phil Barnes has sent me some pictures taken on his visit to Queenstown on 7th March 2019 (31st October 2019).

Floating Steam Cranes (updated 4th June 2019)

These are the Hen's Teeth of surviving steam power on water, Chris Capewell has scoured the web for examples of the genre (updated 4th June 2019). This is another link which is not always updated as it is now part of the steam and hand cranes page.

Steam Fire Engines (updated 30th May 2018)

John Carstairs Hallam email: carstairs@jchallam.fsnet.co.uk (domain dead by October 2017) has an initial list of some 400 extant machines - he would like to get in touch with fellow enthusiasts. For an excellent website on (surviving) British built steam fire engines see http://british-steam-fire-engines.org/index.html (added 6th December 2008), link amended to http://british-steam-fire-engines.org/category/british-fire-engines/ (link broken 5th April 2019)(29th October 2017) 

David Parfitt also has a website covering preserved steam fire engines http://www.steel-wheels.net/sferegister.html (added 1st May 2012).

Ray Gardiner has supplied some notes and pictures of preserved steam fire engines in Cuba (updated 1st May 2012).

There are a number of preserved steam fire engines which I have photographed at steam rallies in the UK (and one in the Netherlands) but there is no way to find them except to plough through the reports where they usually appear under 'other steam' or similar (new link 30th May 2018, but more will appear from time to time subsequently).

Tea Factories (updated 9th October 2014)

See this site http://www.greentea.net/tea_process.html (link is dead by 9th October 2014) from which the following quotation is taken (albeit refers to times past, no doubt):

"The machinery in use is very varied in character, and it has been evolved principally by practical planters of a mechanical turn. Many estate superintendents have begun their careers Machi as engineers, and it is not unusual for a large estate, or group of estates, to have one member of the European staff who is a qualified engineer. The motive power is generally a steam engine, but the greater economy and facility of oil engines have led to their fairly wide adoption. Where water power is available, turbines of a variety of types are in use, the machines to be driven are airfans, rollers, roll-breakers, sifters, cutters and packers, and there are besides numerous types of driers or desiccators. The names associated with the most successful and widely used machines are those of the Messrs Jackson (makers, Marshalls of Gainsborough) and Mr S. C. Davidson, of the Sirocco Works, Belfast. The production of the empty boxes for packing, called chests or half-chests, is in itself a large industry. The heavy old-fashioned country-made packages are rapidly being replaced by light-tarred, boxes made from several thicknesses of veneer pressed closely together, most of which come from Russia."

G.J. Ram of Malaysia confirms that when he visited Sri Lanka in 2002, he saw stationary steam engines in some tea estates in the mountains (5th January 2013).

James Waite found surviving Marshall tea machinery in the Azores (9th October 2014) but only a disused Marshall portable steam engine.