Issue 538 Print Post Approved NO PP331387-00004

November 2015 Worth £ 3/0/0

Newsletter from the National Steam Centre

In This Issue

Gotts’s Traction Engine History Discovered Elwood Steam Dredge

The Club’s Ploughing Engine and Peter Jackman’s balance plough was taken up the Top paddock for publicity shots and to get a feel for the lay of the land in anticipation of Steam Ploughing demonstrations during the approaching rally . Warwick Bryce photo

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Eddie Bedwell has kindly sent in some interesting information on early Steam Dredges operating around Melbourne His interest stems from his Diesel Mechanic apprentice days with William Adams keeping the 4 big Caterpillar engines going on the dredge belonged to Australian Dredging (Emu Engineering) . This was down at Barry Beach back in the mid 1960’s when the Oil Rig Supply Terminal was being built—the dredges were forming the access channels and swing basins for the Supply Vessels to move to and from the rigs. These were just bigger versions of the then new Von Schmidt suction dredge introduced to drain the Elwood Swamp in Melbourne in the late 1880’s . The Elwood Swamp The Illustrated Australian News 1 st August 1889 reports to the effect – the reclamation work is now in progress at the Elwood swamp and when completed a pleasantly located salubrious extent of saleable land suitable for suburban residents will be available . Settlement round Elwood has made great progress but there has stood the dead back waters of the dismal swamp as an impediment to further expansion . The work is in 2 contracts one a channel to drain not only the swamp but the surrounding district . The concrete lined channel will be 11 feet deep, 54 feet wide and run from the beach inland to Glen Huntly Road . The other contract awarded to Mr George Higgins is to fill up the whole of the swamp , 160 acres west of Barkly street using the latest design steam dredging machine. Construction of a Dredge to the patent design of Captain A. W. Von Schmidt of San Francisco California is by Langland's Foundry in conjunction with Pye

Byers and Campbell of South Melbourne . The dredge is said to be quite new to Australia and 20 times as effective as the bucket chain type and much cheaper . With good deposits of sand and clay on the Elwood foreshore a pipe line will pump water charged with sand and gravel onto the land to be filled and the water will run back into the bay . Disappointingly the rest of the article seems to concentrate more on the politics of the project than the technical details . The Von Schmidt Dredge Fortunately Eddie has also produced a much better description of the dredge that was used create Coote canal through the West Melbourne swamp and to form a swing basin and dock adjacent to the railway yards . This is in all probability the same dredge as the same characters are involved and it is the same time frame.

Above New Dredge Elwood at work . The Illustrated Australia News and Musical Times 1 st August 1889 ( The illustration bears an uncanny resemblance to the one from the Von Schmidt catalogue )

Above A view of the Elwood channel 125 years ago . It still functions today Below Illustration from a Von Schmidt

advertizment of a similar dredge showing how sand and gravel is loosened as dredge cutter sweeps the floor then sucked up and pumped to shore .

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The dredge employed was invented by Colonel A. W . Von Schmidt a well known Californian Engineer , involved in harbor and cable car work was constructed in Melbourne under the supervision of his son Captain E. A. Von Schmidt in conjunction with George Higgins . It consists of an Oregon hull with flat bottom 100 feet long and 50 broad . A pair of compound condensing engines drive centrifugal pump a with 10 ft dia runner . There are 2 multi tubular boilers as well as a donkey boiler and several small engines to drive steam winches , circulating pumps and fans. The ends of the dredge are semi circular and one end carries a swinging table supporting a 20 “ dia telescopic suction pipe . The bottom of the pipe is belled out and contains a horizontal 8 ft dia wheel fitted with a dozen steel knifes for cutting the clay . A special pair of steam engines are mounted on the table to revolve the knifes and raise and lower the cutting head . The dredge is held in position by a pair of piles that has through sockets in the hull and stick into the mud beneath . Repositioning of the dredge is done through lines either to shore or moorings . The chopped up material is drawn up the suction pipe by the flow of water and forced along the pipe to the area being reclaimed . The discharge pipe is about 1000 feet in length with the first part fitted with ball sockets and floating on pontoons to allow the dredge to follow a sweeping motion across the canal . The proportion of solid material to liquid is easily capable of adjustment to keep the material flowing . Portions of clay discharged from the pipe is in round lumps like small loafs of bread but much is intimately mixed with water as fine mud which is directed to a settling pond . There is mention of a similar smaller dredge about to be constructed for cleaning out the Albert Park lagoon . Eddies Recollections The big suction cutters Eddie worked on still used the same principle with their Caterpillar engines driving a 28 “ dia pump that could pump up to 1 1/2 miles back to shore if needed and pass 18” rocks thru without damage—boy did that make a noise at 2.00 am. Eddie Bedwell

Above View of the cutting head supported by gantry . The telescopic suction pipe and cutting wheel driven by an 8 inch square shaft sliding through a bevel gear allows it to be lowered to depths of 23 feet . US patent 185,000 Dec 1876

Above The main pumping engine is mounted low in the hull after the swivelling pipe connection . The engine resembles a twin cylinder steam winch with rotor mounted directly on the crankshaft between the cylinders. Left Plan view of the swinging table at the front of the dredge supporting the cutting head and its telescopic pipe and drive as well as a smaller steam engine for its control . Warwick

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By Rohan LambBy Rohan LambBy Rohan Lamb

Research into the history of John Gotts’s Ruston Proctor traction engine no.40292 has revealed this engine was associated with a notable individual, James Logan. He was known as the ‘Chaff King’ and he made a significant contribution to the development of Australia’s agricultural industry making the Ganmain district the one of the largest suppliers of chaff to Sydney. Furthermore, the engine was used by the winning team at the chaff cutting competition at the Ganmain Show in 1912 and 1913.

In response to the competition from American traction engines in Ruston’s colonial markets they built a lighter and cheaper traction engine to directly compete. This was referred to as a Class SHA engine. The engine was fitted with a clutch in the flywheel, only one road speed of two miles per hour, and a large firebox suitable for burning wood or low quality coal. The boiler had a working pressure of 140 psi, the engine comprised a single-cylinder of 8” bore and 12” stroke, and developed 30 BHP. Of the 24 class SHA traction engines built, 15 were sold to the Australian agents, H. V. McKay, Sunshine with engine no. 40292 being sold to McKay on 14th January 1911.1 The history of this engine looked set to remain a mystery, with the only clue to its original owner being a stamped number by the Victorian Government boiler inspector. The boiler was inspected by David Watson on the 28th of August 1911 and stamped on one of the hornplates with BIA number 2500. The record of first inspection showed the engine was in the ownership of the agents H. V. McKay, Sunshine. Fortunately the record was annotated with the name of the owner McKay’s sold the engine to, a Mr. J. Logan, Ganmain, NSW.2 Further research has found the engine spent its working life in the Ganmain district of NSW, and later at Murrabit in Victoria. James Logan was a pioneering farmer in the Ganmain district and he ultimately owned around 1000 acres. He was known as the ‘Chaff King’. He

was responsible for promoting and developing the chaff industry in the region resulting in the Ganmain district being one of the largest suppliers of chaff to Sydney. He operated two travelling chaff cutters, and, for the times, had a modern cook house constructed for his employees. James Logan also took a keen interest in civic matters and was heavily involved with many institutions in town. Two of his sons William Henry, and James Jnr were also involved with cutting chaff.3 The contribution made by James Logan was acknowledged at a presentation during a luncheon at the 1913 Ganmain show.

Chaff cutting in the Ganmain district, 1905 (Ganmain Historical Society)

John Gotts at the wheel during the first laps of the arena under its own steam, 27 September 2015 (R. Lamb)

The Chaff King’s EngineThe Chaff King’s EngineThe Chaff King’s Engine

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The President of the Agricultural Society had been given a gold representation of a chaff cutter by the Buncle Company which was presented to James Logan in recognition of his pioneering role in the chaff industry in the Ganmain district.4 Ganmain sent more chaff to Sydney than any other district in NSW, and at the first Ganmain Show in 1909 a chaff cutting competition was held in which three machines competed. This was a novel event at an agricultural show. The teams were required to cut one ton of hay in 30 minutes, and the quality of the cut chaff was judged. It created much interested amongst the farmers and in 1909 Jas. Logan, and Kelly Bros. split first prize of 10 guineas, and Brill Bros. came second.5 In 1910, the competition was mentioned, but only the winner, Kelly Bros. was noted.6 There were three competitors at the 1911 show with Kelly Bros. coming first, and Mackie Bros. second.7 In 1912 the competition attracted seven entries. W. H. Logan was first, with Kelly Bros. second, and Lennon Bros. third.8

The 1912 and 1913 shows were the peak years for the chaff cutting competition with seven plants entered. The 1913 chaff cutting competition was reported in great detail by one of the papers, and it gave an insight into local chaff industry, and its significance to the community. While a number of makes of traction engines were represented, all used John Buncle & Co. chaff cutters. It is interesting to note five plants used American made Buffalo Pitts engines, and the other two engines were English. The traction engines were:

Lennon Bros., 13 hp Buffalo Pitts engine Mackie, 18 hp Buffalo Pitts engine Thompson, 14 hp Buffalo Pitts engine Jas. Logan snr., 22 hp Buffalo Pitts engine Henry Logan, 7 hp Ruston Proctor engine (John Gotts’s engine) Kelly Bros., 22 hp Buffalo Pitts engine Ellis Bros., 7 hp Fowler engine Originally the 1913 competition was to have nine plants present

as James Logan snr. had a second plant entered. Unfortunately it was busy cutting chaff on Iandra Station in the Grenfell district and could not return in time, and J. H. Winnell withdrew his plant as well. The commitment on behalf of competitors was considerable as most had

to lose the best part of a week to attend the show. The seven plants with their respective teams of seven workers created a great amount of interest and excitement at the show. When the traction engines blew their whistles to let spectators know they were ready for the fray, the ring was deserted and the rest of the show left in abeyance as the crowd gathered to see the contest. Fortunately one newspaper provided a detailed account of the 1913 event, which turned out to be the peak year for the chaff cutting competition at the show. Each team was given one ton (260 sheaves) to cut, with up to 90 points awarded for cutting, and 10 points for cleaning up. No points were awarded for speed, but there was a time limit of 25 minutes. The chaff was judged by Messrs J. Bohun from Sydney, Owen Furner from Coolamon, and T. F. Tresillian from Young. The signal was given by one of the traction engines, and the contest commenced. The correspondent recorded “…and in a second all was life, and activity with steam power being king without a rival. Each plant had seven or eight men, all working as if a nation’s existence was at stake, but how cool they were, although the air was dense

with clouds of steam and smoke. An accident here or a stoppage there daunted them nothing, it soon being rectified, as the time allowed is ample for their capabilities. Great applause was given to J. Mackie when his machine cut out the ton in the short time of 10 minutes; Messrs. Lennon Bros. were next, two minutes later; and the balance were well within the time period. As soon as the contest was over, hundreds rushed the grounds, which had been roped in, to see the various samples.

Ruston Proctor Class SHA traction engine (Ray Hooley)

Buffalo Pitts traction engine & Buncle chaff cutter at the 1913 Ganmain Show (Ganmain Historical Society)

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There is no community in Australia with so large a percentage of farmers capable of judging good chaff as Ganmain, and the general opinion was that the prize winner would be hard to pick, on account of the whole seven samples being first class. The task of placing the winner occupied about 60 minutes. On the first inspection, the judges eliminated Messrs. Ellis Bros. (Tatura) and Thompson. Messrs Ellis Bros only had a small steamer on, about 15 feet, while most of the Ganmain competitors ranged from 24 to 36 feet. Their chaff was chopped a bit too much, although good enough from a market point of view, and creditable under their conditions. They are deserving of high praise for competing against such strong opponents as they met in Ganmain. One of the brothers mentioned to me that he never saw such a large contest previously, as at Tatura, there were, as a rule, only two or three competitors. After the elimination of two competitors, the stewards chose a bag of chaff indiscriminately from the remaining five, and it was emptied on a large tarpaulin, where the judges began their work in real earnest. Their award eventually went to Henry Logan with 85 points for cutting, and nine for cleaning – 94 in all. Messrs. Lennon Bros. 87 points for cutting (best on ground) and 6 points cleaning with runners up with 93 points. Jas. Logan senior, father of the winner, was third with cut (84 points) and cleaning 8 points – 92 points in all. Messrs Kelly Bros. and J. Mackie (prominently forecasted as winners after the event was over and previous to the judges’ decision) were unplaced. Messrs. Lennon Bros. were very unfortunate in having an unexpected accident with their elevator, the result being that chaff was spilt underneath, points being lost, which lost them the honour attached to the event.”9 In 1914 there were five entrants in the competition. George Lennon came first with Mackie Bros. a close second.10 Kelly Bros. were third, and Jas. Logan Junior fourth. After winning the event for the last two years, W. H. Logan’s plant was thrown out of action and did not finish.11 By 1915 the area was in the grip of severe drought, and many men were fighting in the First World War. While there was still a Ganmain show there was no longer a chaff cutting competition. In all, there were six years of competitions spanning 1909 until 1914. James Logan died in 1917 at the age of 57, leaving a widow, three sons, and four daughters.12 His two chaff cutting plants were advertised for sale in August 1918 by W. H. & J. Logan, executors for James Logan. The first plant comprised a 22 horsepower Buffalo Pitts traction engine which had recently been overhauled, and Buncle chaff cutter capable for cutting 40 tons per day, and complete with a Brown’s hay steamer and cookhouse with stove fitted. The whole plant was offered for 450 pounds. The second plant comprised a 7 horsepower nominal, 30 brake horsepower Ruston Proctor traction engine and Buncle chaff cutter, and Brown’s hay steamer. It was noted that this engine had won two chaff cutting competitions at the Ganmain Show, and was offered for 420 pounds.13 This second plant referred to the Ruston Proctor SHA traction engine, and the competitions won were in 1912 and 1913. There were no further records found relating to the engine until Rodney Martin purchased the engine from George Vistarini of Murrabit in 1971 when it made the front page of the local paper. This article recorded that Vistarini had owned the engine since 1914.14 This date appears to be incorrect as it was recorded the engine was for sale in 1918. It is reasonable to conclude that Vistarini purchased the engine from the Logan estate in 1918, and was only its second owner. John Gotts purchased the engine from Rodney Martin in June 2002, and it was moved from Emerald to Scoresby where John has since restored the engine to operation, steaming for the first time on 26th of September 2015.

Acknowledgements Ray Hooley, Ruston Hornsby archivist Ray Cox, Ganmain Historical Society References 1Ray Hooley, pers. comm., 14 January 2015 2PROV, VPRS7854, BIA no.2500 3Gilmore, L., 1992, The Settlers and Settlement of Ganmain, p.341-44 4Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser, 18 September 1913, p.2 & Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, 26 September 1913, p.20. 5The Sydney Mail & New South Wales Advertiser, 6 October 1909, p.15 6Sydney Morning Herald, 15 September 1910, p.6 7Wagga Wagga Express, 30 September 1911, p.3 8Yackandandah Times, 3 October 1912, p.2 9Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, 26 September 1913, p.20 10Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, 18 September 1914, p.28 11Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser, 17 September 1914, p.4 12Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser, 6 February 1917, p.2 13The Land, Sydney, 16 August 1918, p.7 14The Bridge. A Border Journal (Koondrook & Barham), 21 May 1971, p.1 © Rohan Lamb, October 2015

The engine loaded ready for the trip to Rodney Martin’s (The Bridge, 21 May 1971, p.1)

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The place was Tyres Junction a remote clearing where the East and West tributaries join the Tyres river in the foothills of Mt Baw Baw North West of Erica. A search of the interweb and a chat to forestry historian Peter Evans revealed that this was once a thriving sawmilling centre . Little can be seen today but once it was the main depot for Victoria’s 4 th 2’6” narrow gauge railway serving the bush mills of the region. Constructed by the Victorian Forest commission in 1926 / 27 for the extraction of timber the railway left the Walhalla line a few km South of Erica and wound north west over the range to the Tyres valley where it followed the 2 branches to various saw mills. A geared Garrett type steam locomotive with power bogies based on logging winches was specially

constructed in Port Melbourne by Alfred Harmon , in line with the buy local policy but turned out to weigh much more than expected consequently being too heavy for the bush track which was laid with little ballast . Subsequently the engine was scrapped but this is obviously not it’s boiler . Following this debacle a geared Climax locomotive was purchased from the USA which ran the lower section of the line built to VR

standards while rail tractors where used on the upper tramway branches. The Climax is now back in action at Puffing Billy so it is not this boiler either. The bush boiler is a bit unusual being bottle shaped with a large diameter cylindrical shell with a shorter smaller diameter extension on the end . A bit like a Marshall patented Britannia boiler but the two cylindrical sections are in line and of different proportions.

Above Embankment and culvert in the clearing adjacent to the boiler likely to be the bottom end of the West branch of the old Tyres tramway track bed closed in 1949

Ruston Proctor Jackass boiler in the bush near Tyers Junction photo Warwick Bryce

Emerging from the bush into a small river flat I was surprised to find an unusual old steam boiler lying beside the track . After a quick inspection the first thing was to identify the location in the hope that I could find out a bit about it’s history .

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Being horizontal and with a long cylindrical tube for the firebox it is designed for burning inferior fuels such as lengths of wood either branches from the bush or offcuts from the mill. The short smaller section contains a nest of tubes to get improved heat transfer.

Above The bottle shape is clearly evident from the side . It has several other subtle features as well having all circular surfaces it is easier to make while not using stays and the large water spaces simplifying maintenance and cleaning out mud something likely to get a rough hit in the bush . Another unique feature, as pointed out by Peter Evans is that by being round it lends itself to moving by rolling . Shifting boilers in the bush is always difficult particularly if used to power steam winches which are usually on ridges and periodically require shifting . This boiler is certainly connected with the timber industry but wether it was associated with a mill on the site or a winch in the bush is still being looked into . Typically manufactured in England by Ruston Proctor they have become known in the bush as Jackass boilers . This nickname may be a result of their mixture of features since Jackass originally refers to a cross between a horse and donkey but can also mean a stupid thing .

Acknowledgements Light Railways, Peter Evans , Rail Trails Victoria , Alexandra Tramway Museum , The Tyres Valley tramway by Norm Wadeson Warwick Bryce

Above Closer inspection shows heavy damage on the underside . Score marks are possibly the result of being dragged through the bush . Pock marks look like heavy rife fire as it is known there have been military training exercises in the area .

Above Ruston Proctor Advertizment indicates they made boilers with a wide variety of features

Left A similar Jackass boiler could have been used to supply steam to this logging winch during it’s days in the bush just off the Acheron Way in the Great Dividing Range north of Healesville. Now displayed at the National Steam Center it was built in the 1920’s by A.Harman . The Harman steam loco built for the Tyres railway drew on this winch technology for it’s steam powered gear drive bogies.

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44 Years Later Hearing that John Gotts was about to take his Ruston Proctor traction engine for its first spin around the arena since restoration former owner Rodney Martin wasted no time in coming down to the club to be reunited with the engine 44 years since he first purchased it . See Rohan’s article of the history of this engine elsewhere in the magazine . Steam for the Lyttelton The Lyttelton crew have been hard at work refurbishing the clubs Farrar boiler to provide steam for some of the tug’s engines. The first stage involves wire brushing and applying Dulux heat resistant paint . See photos

The old Farrar boiler goes back to the Wantirna days when it was last used to drive some of the engines there . The boiler will be permanently installed in the corner of bay 5 creating a display in it’s own right and once plumbed up to some of the auxiliary engines enabling them to be demonstrated on steam . Wether it will have enough capacity to turn a main engine is being debated. A pot boiler of simple construction it has a large vertical cylindrical fire box containing a number of cross Gallaway tubes over which the hot

Bill McRobb photo

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gases pass to gain a bit of extra heat transfer to the water . With this limited surface area for heat transfer it will not have a high steam generating capacity but with it’s large volume has a chance of storing enough energy for short runs of a main engine . Working Bee Blessed with good weather most of the effort went into getting the grounds neat and tidy . What most will notice though is the pile of dirt in the centre of the arena has gone , thanks to the Morris’s this really opens up this area . The first few bucket fulls went in filling between the tracks where they enter the train shed In all about 120 cubic metre had to be removed

which kept the Morris’s heavy earthmoving equipment busy for several hours . Healesville Heritage Festival Quite a number of MSTEC members went as visitors and enjoyed the diverse range of Heritage machinery on display in the context of a 1950’s railway setting . A balanced selection was on show with not too much of any one thing .

Above Regular stone crushing demonstrations driven by a Buffalo Pitts portable kept visitors enthralled . Right Rail motor tours down the line and through the tunnel where very popular and gave a taste of what is in store when the line opens to Yarra Glenn later next year with a steamer .

Above Case loader scooping up the heap in the arena ready for carting away in the Euclid dumper . Lucky the Morris’s had their equipment available as there was no other way we could have moved this much earth on our own . Left Aaron and Peter Morris filling in behind the train shed making work in this area such as train maintanance and track construction much easier.

Above Healesville Mobile Steam included a Roller , Traction engines , steam Truck and John Sparks steam Car Right A Pink “ Little Grey Fergy “ No doubt a ladies tractor