ss Great Britain Press Releases
DREAM OF RECREATING BRUNEL'S 1845 ENGINE CLOSE TO A REALITY
For immediate release
Photo/filming opportunity: 50-tonne crane lowering sections of the engine into the ship from 5pm on Tuesday January 31 - weather permitting please ring 07764 771657 for updates on this - interviews with experts on engine project from 1pm to 4pm.
The first sections of a working reproduction of the engine that powered the world's first great ocean liner are to be installed in Brunel's ss Great Britain next week on Tuesday (January 31).
A 50-tonne crane will be used to lift the first engine sections into place through a skylight on the ship's top deck on Tuesday (January 31) night in an operation expected to take several hours through the night.
Specialist engineers will continue working on the project over the next few months. Once completed, in the spring, visitors to the historic ship attraction will be able to experience how Isambard Kingdom Brunel's innovative engine design worked for the first time in 160 years.
Funding for the engine, worth £600,058, has come from 'ReDiscover' - the renewal fund for science centres and museums across the UK. 'ReDiscover' represents an important partnership between the National Lottery, through the Millennium Commission, and major charitable funders the Wolfson Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
Rolls-Royce is contributing to the project, providing additional financial support and invaluable advice to the ss Great Britain Trust.
Specialist company Heritage Engineering is transforming what was once a static display created for the ss Great Britain Trust into a full-scale, three-storey, working model of the engine which took Brunel's ship on her maiden voyage to New York in July 1845.
The Glasgow-based firm, which specialises in restoring steam engines and cast iron structures, is working to bring the dreams of the Trust and its Engine Committee to fruition.
The static display model of Brunel's engine, built in the 1980s, was removed in sections from the ship through the skylight on the top deck last September.
Since then, experts at Heritage Engineering have been working on transforming the 100-tonne structure into an operating model of one of the most powerful engines of the era.
The moving engine will offer visitors to Brunel's ss Great Britain a vivid impression of what it was like to be a Victorian stoker. Visitors will also find out why passengers, especially those in first class, would have regularly requested a visit to see the engine room because it was such a great wonder and curiosity of the age.
In a few weeks time, engineers will install the remaining sections, including the 18 ft 'Great Wheel', into the ship's restored engine room.
Nancy Chambers, Deputy Director of the ss Great Britain Trust, said: "We are delighted to see this first stage of the project to install Brunel's 1845 engine getting underway.
"The recreation of the original engine at the heart of Brunel's ss Great Britain will greatly enhance the experience for visitors to the restored ship."
Jim Mitchell, Engineering Director of Heritage Engineering, said: "What we have done is build on the achievements of the ss Great Britain Trust and the Engine Committee.
"Heritage Engineering has a proven track record in restoring steam engines and old machinery but this was one of the most complicated projects we have encountered.
"We look forward to the challenge of assembling and then switching on the engine for Brunel's bicentenary."
The engine project follows the 're-launch' last summer of Brunel's ss Great Britain following work costing £11.3 million to transform the historic ship into a major visitor attraction and museum as well as preserve the vessel for future generations. Visitors can now explore the restored ship's interior and see how the hull is being conserved beneath the glass 'sea' with modern technology in her original dry dock. In addition to Brunel's masterpiece, there is also the Dockyard Museum with its massive iron artefacts and state-of-the-art interactive displays.
For further updates on progress with Brunel's 1845 engine and special events, please log on to the website at
ENDS
For further information or images of the ship please call Renny Jones, PR and Marketing Manager for Brunel's ss Great Britain, on (0117) 926 0680 ext 207.
Notes to Editors:
Richard Gibbon from Heritage Engineering will be available for interview between 1pm and 4pm at Brunel's ss Great Britain on Tuesday (January 31), along with Dr Kate Rambridge, Interpretation Manager for the ss Great Britain Trust.
The crane is due to arrive at the Great Western Dockyard at around 4.30pm once the site has closed to the public.
Filming and/or photography will not be possible in the ship's engine room once the lifting begins at around 5pm but it will be possible from the dockside.
The operation is expected to last all night and will be lit by temporary floodlighting.
ss Great Britain Trust, Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol BS1 6TY
Reg charity no. 262158
Renny Jones
PR & Marketing Manager
Brunel's ss Great Britain
Great Western Dockyard
BristolBS1 6TY
Tel: (0117) 926 0680 ext. 207
Mobile phone: 07764-771657 Web: