William Brown’s giant Tyneside engines

Abstract

William Brown – a distinguished but forgotten engineer. The coal trade from Newcastle: landsale, export and seasale. Brown’s training and early experience of Newcomen engines. The challenge of the Tyne Basin. Winning Walker Colliery. Shiremoor Colliery – Humble’s difficulties. Bell and Brown buy shares and build large Newcomen engines. Winning Willington Colliery – use of recycled material. William Gibson’s account of building and operating the engines. Practical problems of moving heavy loads. Temperamental nature of the early engines. Types of engines. Party for winning the colliery. Browns needs to be placed on a par with the other great engineers of the late eighteenth century – his friends and associates.