IEEC2.1 01 Coalbrookdale, Cornwall and Cylinders - New Light from the Norris Files

Coalbrookdale, Cornwall and Cylinders -

New Light from the Norris Files

Dr John Kanefsky

An off-print from

Transactions of the 2nd International Early Engines Conference – Vol.1 - pp5-32

Summary

This paper examines an important source of information on the cylinders and other components of Newcomen engines produced by the Coalbrookdale Company over a period of half a century. This source documents many engines previously unknown to historians as well as providing new detail on others. It adds considerably to our understanding of the diffusion of the Newcomen engine in the middle decades of the eighteenth century. It also reinforces the value of the continuing search for additional documentation and emphasises the risk of assuming that the completeness of what has been published previously cannot be improved on.