Description

This pump is a floor standing horizontal double acting pump. Drive from the steam cylinder to pump is through the kite and connecting rod arrangement using the flywheel mounted on a crankshaft for momentum. Reversing gear was optional fitted, to clear the pumping end of material that could solidify. The pumping end can also be lagged to assist in pumping very viscous liquids such as tar. This type of pump became well known in gas works and also found very large application for high viscous pumping duties in tar distillation plants.

Construction

The steam cylinder is of cast iron construction with slide valve type steam valves operated by eccentric from the crankshaft. The steam piston is cast iron with spring rings. The piston rod is steel and cottered to the kite. The crankshaft is made of steel, carried on two adjustable bearings in the main frame. The flywheel is weighted to ensure smooth working.

The pumping end is cast iron, incorporating pump barrel and housing for piston valve. The piston valve is of a cylindered type operated by eccentric on the crankshaft lubricated by the material being pumped. Reversing gear is optionally fitted. The cast iron bucket has cast iron rings and suction and delivery air vessels are provided. the piston rods are made of steel.

Range

There are a few versions of the reliable pump, the two versions that apply to the Gar Works and Tar Distillation industries are the 680 and 685.

- 680 general duties such as water.
- 685 with reversing gear, steam jacketed pumping end, optional Pickering governor page 1, page 2.
- 686 is the same as the 685, but suitable for thick liquids, which may contain obstructive matter.
- 690 high lift applications, with outside-packaged ram type pumping end for gritty water (mines).
- 692 for general pumping and steam engine duties simultaneously, or engine duties only.

The specification of the 680 and 685 versions are shown below.

Collection

There are 9 Joseph Evans Reliable pumps:

1. Reliable horizontal 4x2x4, No.24247, 1924, South Wales
2. Reliable horizontal 4x2x4, No.26900, 1929, Bedwas Coke Works
3. Reliable horizontal 4x2½x4, No.30934, 1938, Caerphilly Tar Plant
4. Weir Reliable horizontal 4x3x4, No.322125, 1962, Beckton Gas Works
5. Reliable horizontal 4x3x4, No.'unknown', 1968, Avenue Tar Plant
6. Reliable horizontal 5x3x6, No.19473, 1916, Llanbradach Coke Works
7. Reliable horizontal 5x4x6, No.18949, 1914, Beckton Gas Works
8. Reliable horizontal 6x6x9, No.37673, 1949, Pontypool Gas Works
9. Reliable horizontal 8x5x9, No.12011, 1905, Beckton Gas Works

4” steam cylinder, 2” pumping cylinder with 4” stroke.

This pump was acquired in August 2004 from a scrap merchant. The pump was in a very poor and damaged condition with many parts missing, probably as the result of poor supervision during previous efforts at dismantling. The pumping cylinder flange was broken and a large section missing, both eccentric blocks rims were also damaged and the reversing mechanism broken beyond repair. Finally one web of the crankshaft had been bent.

This presented a huge challenge for restoration. The crankshaft web was heated to dull red in a large lathe and carefully straightened. Many new parts have been fabricated, including all piston and valve rods and a new extended cylinder cover to incorporate a facility to fix a long bolt from the end of the pumping cylinder cover to the chassis. Replacing the broken cylinder flange without the broken part would be impossible. A new reversing eccentric was located and fitted, along with new eccentric straps.

Careful examination of the steam cylinder prior to painting discovered that the cylinder was numbered 25965 obviously from a different but similarly sized pump. One wonders how long ago this had happened?

The valve face was skimmed and new valves fitted, the chuff can clearly be heard in the video clips.

This pump is very similar to No 26900, the main difference being 26900 is not fitted with a reversing eccentric.

Watch video (6.3MB 10s) :Running on Compressed Air - Left View

Watch video (6.5MB 10s) :Running on Compressed Air - Above Right View

During the final stages of restoration	Restored at Langford Essex
Restored at Langford Essex	Restored at Langford Essex

Size: 4" steam cylinder, 2" pumping cylinder with 4" stroke and 24" diameter flywheel, double acting.

Woodall Duckham Ltd, purchased this pump in 1929 for the new Bedwas coke works, Trethomas Monmouthshire and used it for internal transfers and the loading of crude tar into road and rail vehicles. From 1939 when Caerphilly Tar Plant opened, Bedwas tar was sent to Caerphilly for distilling.

Bedwas coke works closed on 23 December 1986 and this pump was purchased for £10 from the demolition contractors in March 1987. Upon stripping it was found to be well worn, and the valve rod in the steam chest had been eroded to half its original thickness, due to the action of wet steam impingement. A replacement rod has been manufactured and many other parts have been replaced with original spares obtained from the stores at Caerphilly upon closure.

The pump is complete, in working order, and runs well on compressed air. It is the smallest of the" Reliable" steam pumps manufactured by Evans being of 4" stroke, other pumps in the series were manufactured with either 6", 9" or 12" stroke. This particular pump is not fitted with a reversible eccentric.

This pump is presently on display at the Museum of Power, Langford, Maldon, Essex and regularly runs on air.

Watch video (6.2MB 10s) :Running on Compressed Air - Left View

Watch video (6.8MB 10s) :Running on Compressed Air - Right View

After restoration	On display at Barleylands 2002
Restored at Langford Essex	In motion at Langford Essex

4” steam cylinder, 2 ½ “ pumping cylinder with 4” stroke.

This pump was supplied new to the Caerphilly Tar Plant in 1938 as the standby reflux pump for the No.2 distillation unit. It was fitted with a Pickering governor driven from a second smaller flywheel on the crankshaft.

The pumping valves are of the butterfly or poppit type, being spring-loaded and the piston block runs in a stainless steel liner of 3” outside diameter and 2½ “ internal diameter. This pump remained in service until the end of tar distillation at Caerphilly in December 1986.

It was acquired from a scrap merchant at the same time as No. 24247. It was complete, although the Pickering governor had disappeared and the governor flywheel had been broken. Unlike coal tar, which acts as a metal preservative, crude benzole is a powerful solvent and degreaser and the pump had seized solid with rust after 20 years of inactivity.

The pump was carefully dismantled, cleaned and has been fully restored to working order. New piston rods have been made, but otherwise most other parts were salvaged and reused. Restoration was completed November 2006.

The similar reflux pump from No 1 distillation unit, No 30933 was acquired by Chris Evans of Pickering, Yorkshire in 1987 and has also been fully restored.

During the final stages of restoration	Restoration completed

 

Size: 4" steam cylinder, 3" pumping cylinder with 4" stroke.

This pump originated from Beckton Gas Works and was manufactured by Weirs to the Joseph Evans 680 pattern after the take over of Joseph Evans. The works plate displays the Weirs Cathcart Glasgow logos.

The pump is in storage awaiting restoration.

Work plate displaying the Weir logos

 

Size: 4" steam cylinder, 3" pumping cylinder with 4" stroke and 24" diameter flywheel, double acting.

This pump was acquired from Avenue Tar Plant, Wingerworth Chesterfield in November 1988, where it had been dumped along with many other steam pumps for several years. It was taken back to Caerphilly Tar Plant for temporary storage and then transferred to Essex in 1991.

The pump has since been dismantled, cleaned , repainted and restored to its present condition. A close examination of all the cast components has failed to find any manufacturer's identification marks or serial numbers. In particular the chassis, banjo and flywheel appear to be rough copies of Joseph Evans castings. The steam cylinder however is an identical Evans cylinder probably purchased as a complete unit including piston, valve and rods. Similarly the connecting rod, eccentric block and strap are obviously of Evan's manufacture. The crankshaft however has not been forged but has been machined with the following identification marks stamped on the crank webb.

    ME   92988/13                 029258                       68/1415                12 - 11 - 68

The pump was designed to transfer liquid pitch and is fitted with a steam gland between the body and the pitch pump and the whole unit mounted on its own base plate. This particular pump is not fitted with a reversible eccentric.

Restored, note unusual pumping end

 

Size: 5" steam cylinder, 3" pumping cylinder with 6" stroke and 30" diameter flywheel, double acting.

This pump was purchased by the Chemical Engineering Company in 1916 for the new Llanbradach tar and coke works north of Caerphilly in the Rhymney Valley, S Wales. At an unknown date (early 1930's) the pump was transferred to Bargoed where tar distillation was centralised up until 1939, when the new tar works at Caerphilly came on stream.

After the war, this pump along with other equipment, was transferred to the Caerphilly site where it was installed initially on effluent disposal and finally on caustic soda duties, following the commissioning of the new naphthalene plant in 1962.

In 1982 the naphthalene plant closed and the pump fell into disuse. The cylinder was removed in 1985 and used on a similar pump following frost damage. The remains, including the base plate were recovered in 1991 and transported to Essex.

In 1996 the original cylinder was reunited with the pump enabling full restoration to be completed. This particular pump is fitted with a reversible eccentric.

This pump is currently on display at the Museum of Power, Langford, Maldon in Essex and runs regularly on compressed air.

Watch video (6.7MB 10s) :Running on Compressed Air - Above Left View

Watch video (6.3MB 10s) :Running on Compressed Air - Right View

During removal from Caerphilly tar plant in 1989	On display at Barleylands 2002
Restored at Langford Essex	Restored at Langford Essex

 

Size: 5" steam cylinder, 4" pumping cylinder with 6" stroke, double acting.

This horizontal Evans is a very early example.  It originally came from Beckton Gas Works and has been out of use for many years.

The pump is assembled, by individually bolting both cylinders and crankshaft bearing pedestals on to the common flat bedplate. An additional interesting detail is that both piston rods are threaded and screwed into the kite, adjusted and held by locking nuts. In the early 1900’s this detail was changed to a cotter fixing with slotted piston rods and kite. Compared to more recent manufactured 6" stroke pumps, this method of fixing has resulted in a smaller kite and connecting rod.

This pump was acquired from the Jim Newnham in June 2006 and is in store and awaiting restoration.  New bearings and eccentric straps will be required.”

Shown in back garden of previous owner	Shown in back garden of previous owner

 

Size: 6" steam cylinder, 6" pumping cylinder with 9" stroke and 36" diameter flywheel, double acting.

This pump was one of a pair installed in 1949, to transfer crude gas works tar from the new continuous horizontal gas retorts under construction at Panteg, Pontypool. The plant worked until the early sixties using coal as its feedstock, to produce towns gas for the Newport undertaking of the Wales Gas Board. The retorts were closed down following the construction of a new gas reforming plant that used naphtha oil as its feedstock. This plant also on the same site only ran for about 4 years when it too became redundant, but this time because of the advent of North Sea (Natural) Gas.

In 1972 the remaining equipment was offered for sale prior to demolition. The 2 pumps were purchased by Thomas Ness for use as spares at their tar distillation works at Caerphilly for the price of £30 each, plus £3 VAT.

No. 37672 was used for spares, whereas 37673 was installed as a replacement for 30898, the No 2 Daily Products pump worn out after 33 years of continuous use. 37673 was acquired from Caerphilly following closure of the tar works in 1986, along with the steam cylinder from 37672. Unlike 30898 this pump is fitted with a liner.

The pump has been fully restored and runs well on compressed air. It is currently on display at the Museum of Power, Langford, Maldon, Essex.

Evans horizontal reliable pump No. 30898, size 8x6½x9 was scrapped many years ago, but the steam cylinder survives in the Museum as a 'donation pot'.

In situ March 1996	Prior to removal March 1996 (2nd from back)
During assembly	Restored at Langford Essex
Restored at Langford Essex

 

Size: 8" steam cylinder, 5" pumping cylinder with 9" stroke, double acting.

This pump was originally used at Beckton Gas Works, but had been unused for many years until acquired by it previous owner. It is an early design with the steam cylinder, pumping cylinder and bearing pedestals individually bolted onto the common bedplate, unlike pump 18949 this pump employs the later method of attaching the piston rods to the kite using cotters.

In June 2006 it was acquired from Jim Newnham and is awaiting restoration.

Shown in back garden of previous owner	Shown in back garden of previous owner

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