You’ve probably noticed that the Newcomen Steam Engine hasn’t been its usual self this year and as such, over recent weeks, has been in preparation for a detailed boiler inspection.
Following that inspection on 11 August, and 31 years into its life at the Museum, it has been confirmed that the boiler now needs replacing.
As you can imagine, this is a big job (and a bespoke one at that) and so, whilst we will be cracking on with sourcing a new boiler straight away, replacement works will not take place until next year. Until then, the Newcomen building will remain open and the brickwork exposed so that visitors can see the boiler prior to its replacement.
To make sure the story of steam is not lost, we will be progressing the restoration works to the Racecourse Colliery (due for completion early 2018) including further work-in-progress tours.
Please do keep a look out for further progress updates about the Newcomen, Colliery, and other ongoing projects on the intranet.
Leave a Reply