Main Engine Crankshaft Refitted

Supporting the preservation and operation of paddle steamers Waverley and Kingswear Castle

Home » Our Ships » Paddle Steamer Waverley » Heritage Rebuild – 2000 » Main Engine Crankshaft Refitted
Aft deck shelter (in light green primer) just lifted on board, the crankshaft sits on the quay ready for its lift. Note the heavy lift crane in the foreground for this purpose.
An overhead view of the boiler room with new steam main clearly visible. The structure to support the boiler room crown or promenade deck is now being fitted.
The crankshaft is lowered into place, below the protective wax film is a highly polished finish yet to be revealed.
The crankshaft is almost in position, several more hours of work is required to scrape and align the bearings. The final alignment of the crankshaft with the cylinders has resulted in the crankshaft frames being lifted by 32mm, which results in the paddle wheels being lifted by the same amount. Hopefully an improvement in performance, however minor, will be achieved as a result.

All photographs by Gordon Reid.