National Diesel Engine

Single-cylinder horizontal four-stroke diesel engine with dynamo and lighting set, made by the National Gas Engine Co. Ltd, Ashton-under-Lyne, 1928. Poppet valve, compression ignition, speed 210 rpm, power output 90 horsepower. Dynamo made by Crompton and Co. Ltd. No. 144526, 50 kw, 227 amps, 310 revs.

This engine shows the change in the method of fuel injection from air blast to mechanical pump. It provided power for the Buxton “Safety in Mines Research Establishment” site until the arrival of the National Grid, when it was still used to power remote parts of the site that were not connected to the grid. It also continued to provide DC for the site labs which needed it, because the grid was only AC. It was in constant use until the 1950s, then provided backup power and DC through to the 1970s.

Large diesel engines like this were in common use by 1928. They began to take over from the steam engine for use in industry. They were ideal for driving electric generators because their steady speed made it possible to produce a steady current.