IEEC3.1 02 The History of the Caprington Colliery Engine

The History of the Caprington Colliery Engine

Ellie Swinbank & John Crompton

Appendices

                                                                              1 - The Invoice dated 18 July 1811       - John Crompton

                                                                              2 - Caprington Engine Re-erected   - Paul Stephens

An off-print from

Transactions of the 3rd International Early Engines Conference - Volume 1 pp41-58

Summary

This paper explores the history of the Caprington Colliery Newcomen-style atmospheric engine that operated at Earlston, Ayrshire, from 1811 until 1901. It draws upon the work of John Crompton and Geoff Hayes, both of whom were instrumental in the construction and interpretation of the engine in its current position in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. John Crompton drew together the history of the colliery and the engine through archival research using, in particular, the papers of estate owners, the Cunninghames of Caprington, held by the National Records of Scotland, and the records of the Carron Company, the maker of the engine’s iron components, along with an article that appeared in The Engineer in 1898. The sections of this paper drawn from documentary sources are his work. The paper goes on to trace what happened to the engine after 1901 before being finally restored and rebuilt in Edinburgh in 1998, under the leadership of Geoff Hayes, who went to great lengths to document the process and record his own recollections and expertise, providing the insights that form the later parts of the paper. It finishes by touching on the engine’s current and future situation in the National Museum where it continues to be the centrepiece of displays about the rise and impact of Scottish industry.