Ruston locos in Lincoln

[Dava]

Working back in Lincoln, there are persistent rumours that the  Museum  of Lincolnshire Life may not have an assured future in the care of the cash-strapped County Council,  and that they wouldn't mind divesting of it, or selling the Lincolnshire Yeomanry barracks in which it resides for use as apartments. One has no way of knowing the truth or otherwise of these rumours, but other cultural assets are heading out of the door fast enough,  so who knows? Anyway I took advantage of a quiet afternoon at work for a trip back in history, not having been there for...certainly more years than I've owned a digital camera, possibly this millennium.

 

I promptly encountered a school party, and photoed a couple of Ruston excavators sitting in the parade ground, then to business in the machine hall. There is a fine collection of 3 narrow gauge Rustons [i know this is a standard gauge thread, you'll have to wait].

 

 

The ZLH was a single-cylinder 10hp copy of a Deutz built by Ruston Proctor from 1915,  note the large flywheel.

 

 

The 11-13hp locos were cute little things from the 1930's.

 

 

The LAT was the modern postwar version from the 1950s.

 

 

here seen in front of the standard gauge 88DS.

 

 

The 88DS on its own, this was a local shunter in the forge.

 

 

The USP of the museum is the WW1 Tank, again built locally. Not many of these around so you'd think it would underpin the Museum's future.

 

Upstairs are some models, including this fine Clayton & Shuttleworth steam railcar built by Basset Lowke for JG Ruddock, local author & rail enthusiast.

 

 

There are lots more engineering, military, industrial and other exhibits. Worth a trip to see whilst its there, its free [so is the parking], a stroll from the Castle & friendly.  A pity that they were unable to have a NG running line like the Leicester Pump House Museum which would give it some life. Now the Ruston Archive is nearly digitised, some investment to give people search access to photos etc would be a good move.

 

Dava

 

 

[DavidR]

I remember taking visitors to the museum many times, when I lived just around the corner (off Mill Rd), in the late 80's/ early 90's. On occasions, they had the steam shovel (outside) in operation. The tank was built by Fosters in Boultham, which was rail connected to the MR, I think. Certainly the track was there in the 70's, although long out of use.

[pete_mcfarlane]

I'd not been there for years, but I took a trip over to Lincoln yesterday (which I'd been meaning to do for a couple of months since seeing this thread).

 

The large barn at the back of the museum where they keep the machinery always fascinated me as a kid, as has changed little. My 10 year old self was particularly intrigued by the Ruston and Proctor, with its flywheel, single cylinder engine and chimney. I could never quite work out if it was a steam engine or a diesel (it is of course neither, being petrol powered!). 

 

As well as the locos, and the tank, there are all sorts of tractors, road rollers, farm machines, stationary engines and so on. Most of the main Lincolnshire manufacturers are represented (Ruston and Hornsby, Aveling-Barford, Marshall and some of the less well known ones).  

I was particularly amused by the display board next to the 88DS. That photo looks suspiciously like 11001, the Bulleid diesel shunter, and definitely not an 88DS!

 

The excavators outside are pretty impressive as well. I know very little about these things, so I suppose a spot of reading up is needed.

 

Round the corner is the Museum's (normally) working windmill, which is currently having mechanical problems. This is definitely worth a visit - you get a guided tour from one of the volunteers, who explain how the thing works as you climb around inside it. The mechanics are very clever, and very straightforward. 

 

And a couple of photos from my last visit in 2004. The LAT has been restored since then, which in a way is a shame as it was quite a good exhibit in its slightly knackered out of service condition. That said, I suspect the average visitor probably doesn't think that way. 

The other exhibit that fascinated me as a kid isn't there any more - the Ruston and Proctor steam navvy, with its dual gauge wheels. What I didn't appreciate until recently was its history, having been dumped in a quarry that subsequently flooded, and then recovered 40 years later and restored. It's no longer at the museum, and is now apparently at the Vintage Excavator Trust in Cumbria. This is it in the courtyard back in 2004. 

 

I hope the museum manages to survive. Parts of it had succumbed to the latest trendy museum ideas (some 'actors pretending to be people from the past' type stuff, and empty performing spaces for them where there used to be galleries). Now I suppose I was a slightly atypical child visitor, being interested in machinery and all things technical, but that would have done nothing to interest me as a kid. Especially as they talk to you, which is a big no-no for a geeky 10 year old!

[pete_mcfarlane]

Finally managed to find the page giving more information on the recovery of the Ruston and Proctor steam Navvy: http://www.oldengine.org/members/ruston/Arlesey.htm

[ailg8048]

The steam shovel looks a lot better now https://aligrieve.smugmug.com/PreservedRailways/Narrow-Gauge/Threlkeld-2016/i-W4dRzhP

[Osgood]

The steam shovel looks a lot better now https://aligrieve.smugmug.com/PreservedRailways/Narrow-Gauge/Threlkeld-2016/i-W4dRzhP

 

Great place that. I remember a visit in the late 80s(?):

 

I was standing chatting with an old boy at the base of a huge stockpile, watching an old 33RB dragline on top with two old boys on board, digging from one side and throwing back behind.

After a while the dragline came to a rest and the crew got out, puffing at their pipes and admiring their handiwork.

I said to the old boy next to me "So what do you reckon they'll do now?"

To which he puffed at his pipe, saying - "Ah lad - likely as not they'll put it all back again!".

 

I suppose I really should have seen that coming…...