An update---
Ken has collected my pump set and found a gem of a paper written up by the guys that rescued the set and restored it in 1995.
Old things are SO much more interesting when you know some history!
Lister CS 5hp Pumping Set.
This equipment was supplied to Leicester City Council in 1948 by Messrs. R.A
Lister and Co.of Dursley, Gloucestershire.
It replaced an earlier set dating to the 1930s era. The names of Land Army
Girls were written on the wooden framework of the galvanised shed where the
pump was housed, until rescued in June 1995.
The pump drew water from the River Wreak at Rotherby, near Brooksby Hall,
Melton Mobray, and pumped the supply a great distance to the Corporation
flower nurseries in Rotherby itself.
A later addition to the plumbing was a loop circuit incorporating a water
meter. It can only be assumed that this was used to find out the actual
amount of water used, in order to compare the cost of running the diesel set
against the cost of the mains water. This would probably have been in the
late 1950s. The mains supply won the financial battle, and the diesel set
was abandonned.
Fortunately full frost precautions were carried out after it's last running,
but lubrication was not carried out as well as might have been, resulting in
the wear of various parts of the pump, to which repairs are slowly being
carried out.
The pump is double acting and produces an output of 1400 gallons per hour at
a pressure of 104 PSI.
The set which weights in excess of 8 cwt is original, neither the pump, nor
the engine have been replaced. Fortunately it has the original Lister fuel
tank with float level indicator.
Stan & Dave (pump set restorers in 1995)
How about THAT? One note-- the discharge is in British gallons. 1400 of those is 1680 of ours. There's also an old water meter and the piece of wood with the Land Army Girls' names on it is included. Now I know what the guy felt like that bought and imported London Bridge!
North to Alaska today to do battle with the Philladelphia lawyers...literally. Back in a week.
