Newcomen Atmospheric Engine

John Child’s working model of a Newcomen Atmospheric Engine.
It was Thomas Newcomen who designed and built the first practical working steam engine in 1712; his invention changed the world. There is surprisingly very little known about Newcomen as a person and his first engine.
He was born 1664 in Dartmouth, Devon, to a merchant family eventually becoming an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher. Newcomen and his partner John Calley built the first successful engine in the vicinity of Conygree Coalworks near Dudley in the West Midlands, the exact location has still to be defined.
It was most likely built from an eclectic mix of parts available to Newcomen as part of his ironmongery business; bits of scrap and allsorts, a BSA, but it worked. So why is it when people think of steam engines, the name James Watt springs to mind?
Newcomen was just an everyday practical hands on guy, he was not a member of the intellectual elite, the ‘intelligentsia’ who had always been ready to attribute bright moves by ‘their inferiors’ to other people. There is a myth that the intelligentsia explained away Newcomen’s discovery as an act of god. You do indeed question their ability to learn facts and skills and apply them, especially when this ability is highly developed.
You only have to read about John Harrison, and the obstacles carefully placed in his path of discovery by the academic elite while working on the development of the marine chronometer, a long-sought after device for solving the problem of establishing longitude.
John Child built this working model of a Newcomen Atmospheric Engine, and he bought it along to the Florette Festival Market in Lichfield in July 2015, for display on the stand of the Lichfield Waterworks Trust (the friends of Sandfields Pumping Station), it is a joy to behold.
John is a highly skilled engineer and an everyday, practical hands on guy. His model Newcomen engine is built from an eclectic mix of parts that you would find in any ironmongery shop. There are parts of locks, door handles, ceiling roses, baked bean tins, hopper heads and amplifiers, but it works.
By a strange coincidence, it was when James Watt, who was an instrument maker at the time, was trying to repair a broken model Newcomen engine and accidently allowed some melting solder let cold water into the cylinder, thus creating an instantaneous vacuum. An act of god?
Watt quickly realised the energy efficiency saving that could be made, by not have the cylinder cycle through hot to cold on each stroke, and the rest is history, or so it seems....
A very special thanks’ to John Child for ringing his amazing steam engine to Lichfield.
Links:
Lichfield Waterworks Trust
www.sandfields.org/
Lichfield Discovered
lichfielddiscoverd.wordpress....
A full sized working replica of a Newcomen engine can be seen here
www.bclm.co.uk/
The only remaining Newcomen engines still in its original location
www.elsecar-heritage-centre.co...

[@MasterMoonClap]

The most impressive part was when they poured the water in the kettle with the beacon and didn't spill any. I actually did a speech on the Newcomen engine and James watt's engine. They are very fascinating.

[@mostlyoldthings]

Good video of a great build which I've admired for quite a few years. I don't like the music though and would have preferred to hear the engine running......

[@drakedorosh9332]

Too bad the audio is gone and substituted for sound effect music.

[@brassandbricks7701]

Nice model!

[@morturn]

John Child’s working model of a Newcomen Atmospheric Engine. It was Thomas Newcomen who designed and built the first practical working steam engine in 1712; his invention changed the world. There is surprisingly very little known about Newcomen as a person and his first engine. He was born 1664 in Dartmouth, Devon, to a merchant family eventually becoming an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher. Newcomen and his partner John Calley built the first successful engine in the vicinity of Conygree Coalworks near Dudley in the West Midlands, the exact location has still to be defined. It was most likely built from an eclectic mix of parts available to Newcomen as part of his ironmongery business; bits of scrap and allsorts, a BSA, but it worked. So why is it when people think of steam engines, the name James Watt springs to mind? Newcomen was just an everyday practical hands on guy, he was not a member of the intellectual elite, the ‘intelligentsia’ who had always been ready to attribute bright moves by ‘their inferiors’ to other people. There is a myth that the intelligentsia explained away Newcomen’s discovery as an act of god. You do indeed question their ability to learn facts and skills and apply them, especially when this ability is highly developed. You only have to read about John Harrison, and the obstacles carefully placed in his path of discovery by the academic elite while working on the development of the marine chronometer, a long-sought after device for solving the problem of establishing longitude. John Child built this working model of a Newcomen Atmospheric Engine, and he bought it along to the Florette Festival Market in Lichfield in July 2015, for display on the stand of the Lichfield Waterworks Trust (the friends of Sandfields Pumping Station), it is a joy to behold. John is a highly skilled engineer and an everyday, practical hands on guy. His model Newcomen engine is built from an eclectic mix of parts that you would find in any ironmongery shop. There are parts of locks, door handles, ceiling roses, baked bean tins, hopper heads and amplifiers, but it works. By a strange coincidence, it was when James Watt, who was an instrument maker at the time, was trying to repair a broken model Newcomen engine and accidently allowed some melting solder let cold water into the cylinder, thus creating an instantaneous vacuum. An act of god? Watt quickly realised the energy efficiency saving that could be made, by not have the cylinder cycle through hot to cold on each stroke, and the rest is history, or so it seems.... A very special thanks’ to John Child for ringing his amazing steam engine to Lichfield. Links: Lichfield Waterworks Trust www.sandfields.org/ Lichfield Discovered lichfielddiscoverd.wordpress.com/ A full sized working replica of a Newcomen engine can be seen here www.bclm.co.uk/ The only remaining Newcomen engines still in its original location www.elsecar-heritage-centre.co.uk/event/a-great-industrial-age-tours-of-elsecar-and-its-1795-newcomen-engine-3/

[@derekferguson385]

Didn’t know they had Disco Music in 1712.

[@bmzaron713]

So awesome.. strangely the perfect song choice too

[@morturn]

Thank you

[@derekferguson385]

Sarcasm?

[@kidultvideo1504]

Very great 👍 video!!!

[@morturn]

Thank you very much!

[@walterbennie816]

James Watt invented the world's first practical Steam Engine, by dumping Thomas Newcomen's Atmospheric Power and Arkwright's Water-Power for Steam Power. He had to invent a new engine to achieve this. Thomas Newcomen's Atmospheric Pump was a 70 years long dead-end! ( nothing changed ). 70 years after James Watt's invention, the world had changed so much they had to call it an " Industrial Revolution" Britain 1800 to 1900. 20,000 Water-wheels decreased in number. Windmills decreased in number. The Englishman Thomas Newcomen's 1,500 Atmospheric Pumps disappeared. The Scotsman James Watt's Steam Engines and their descendants increased in number to 10,000,000 !!! For every SINGLE Water-wheel in 1800 there were now 500 Steam Engines in 1900 !!! This WAS the Industrial Revolution!

[@yousufs325]

Bill gates !

[@admiralcraddock464]

Scrap the crap music it it would be worth watching