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Stationary Engine

The term ‘stationary’ means that this type of engine stands alone from the machinery it is powering, rather than being incorporated into the machine itself. Stationary engines are generally designed for a long life, a necessary requirement for use on river ferries that operate twenty-four hours, seven days per week.

The original engines used petrol and kerosene. They were started up on the volatile petrol and then switched to the cheaper kerosene once the engine was warm enough to vaporise it. Ferries ran most of the time on petrol due to the frequent stopping and starting. Improvements in diesel technology during the 1950s, coupled with the reduction in the demand for kerosene, meant the use of this type of engine decreased. All ferry engines were essentially the same size to allow for easy changeover. The dead weight of a ferry is around 50 tonnes and coupled with the weight of livestock ‘on the hoof’ or, in later years, vehicles, greater power for faster acceleration and higher travel speeds became necessary.

The Ruston Hornsby proved a reliable engine. Due to the fact that the manufacturers were not especially customer focused, delivery (of parts or the engines themselves), sometimes took up to a year. They were used by the Highways Department ferries nearly until the end of the mechanical drive era when hydraulic drives replaced the mechanical drive.

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