Allen S12 Oil Engine By Carl Hargreaves B
ack in 2015, the local Pumping station at Crossens, Southport was having a refit, going all electric and removing the last four diesel pumping engines. Originally when this pumping station was opened back in 1960, there were eight Allen engines and two Ruston Hornsby engines.
them due to the cost of transport. There was a chap, Gary Aldred, representing VolkerStevin Ltd who were the firm used for the refit. He looked me up and down, remember back in 2015 I would have only been 32yrs old and wanting to buy a 10 Ton pumping engine! Solely because it is a piece of British Engineering history.
Crossens Pumping station 1960
I had to convince these contractors and The Environment Agency of my Plan. Luckily, we have a large collection to show them I meant business. A price was submitted for approval, and agreed. I then had my choice of the four engines. I could only save one due to storage, the cost of haulage, and crane hire. Please remember I am self-funded.
Here is the way things were, just before the removal of the old equipment, in 2015.
I got to know about these engines via an Environment Agency Rep. called Robert Ide. I made arrangements to go and view the engines, and took my Dad along for the visit.
When we arrived on site, there was the usual Health and Safety briefing as this was still a Live Site. As we all walked into the engine room, I remember my Dad saying “You don’t want to be messing with stuff this big!” I then realised that due to the cost and the logistics involved, this was going to be an achievement if I could pull it off. The engines had been offered to a couple of specialist museums, but neither had taken the opportunity to save
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I chose one of the Allen S12 engines. Along with it, came the compressors and air bottles in order to start the engine. Later, I also acquired the other compressors and air bottles from the other engines, which sadly got scrapped. I have other engines which require Air Starting equipment back at base. Because I saved an Allen S12, The Environment Agency saved one of the Ruston Hornsby engines as a static gate guardian, which is now outside the pumping station.
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