Power behind the Spindle

A last look at the mighty steam engines that once powered Lancashire's mills.

swSteam once powered the great textile mills - but times are changing. Courtaulds in Essex is electrifying, and there are some sad scenes for enginemen as the mighty engines are dismantled and the power houses hum to a new sound. Mr Harrop, Courtaulds' fuel and power engineer, recalls his younger days as a man of steam, wrestling with double-acting pumps, inlet valves, high pressure cylinders and evaporation.