Marrying two hundred years of technology
Crofton Pumping station on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Wiltshire houses the oldest working beam engine in the world and is still able to do its original job, pumping water to the summit of the canal. Our 1812, Boulton & Watt engine and our1846 Harvey engine are regularly in steam.
With the help of graduates from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston and students from Bath University we have installed a sophisticated ‘Mechatronics’ system, as used in F1 racing cars, to measure and record key parameters such as pressures and valve timings. We do not think this has been done before for such historic engines.
On Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th June we will hold a special Mechatronics Event when there will be experts available to explain the systems and presentations throughout the day.
