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The Robey Trust
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The Robey Trust
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The Robey Trust
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The Robey Trust
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The Robey Trust
The Robey Trust in Tavistock is dedicated to restoring and running steam vehicles, and houses an internationally significant collection of vehicles by Robey & Co Ltd of Lincoln, reclaimed from many corners of the globe.
The Robey Trust was founded by Dave Davies in 1983, when ‘Stumbles’, a 1925 tandem roller, was donated by Tavistock Town Council for restoration, after spending 20 years deteriorating in the ‘Meadows’ playground. Stumbles was restored over many years, initially with help from Dave’s engineering students at Marjons and then later in garages at Tavistock where it was nearly the victim of a fire! Dave contacted Robey & Co in 1984 and the MD agreed to repair the boiler; when Dave had almost given up hope of seeing it again, a brand new ‘1925’ boiler was delivered in February 1988, the last boiler made before the firm closed down. The restoration project drew in a wide spectrum of people, who decided to establish an engineering heritage collection focusing on one make of steam engine. Dave admits The Robey Trust should really be in Lincoln, but due to his enthusiasm and perseverance the Tavistock organisation acquired its own purpose-built base in 1996 following a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. It then obtained charitable status, became a company and now holds the largest collection in the world of engineering artefacts built by one manufacturer. Purpose-built engineering workshops allow members to participate in a wide range of activities including restoration projects and educational opportunities.
Although this area had little to do with the manufacturing of steam engines, Devon and Cornwall’s mining heritage was a significant factor in the early development of steam. Locally, mines for tin, copper, arsenic and other minerals were sunk throughout the Tamar Valley, as well as further afield in Devon and Cornwall; Morwellham Quay was initially used to transport tin and later copper ore, eventually becoming the busiest inland port in England between 1848 and 1858, when Devon Great Consols was the richest copper mine in Europe. Before the 18th century, power was provided by horses, human labour or waterwheels, but by the 1700s, extracting water from deep mines was becoming a major problem and this led to the invention of steam-powered pumps. Thomas Savery created the first very basic steam pump in 1698 which worked by condensing water vapour to create a vacuum. However, it was Thomas Newcomen, an ironmonger in Dartmouth, who spent several years experimenting with steam pumps until he created a more effective atmospheric steam engine in 1712. However, as his engine heated and then condensed water in the same cylinder, it still wasted energy.
Many engineers continued working on improvements but it was James Watt, a Scottish mathematical instrument maker, who revolutionized the steam engine in 1765 by maintaining constant heat in the cylinder and adding a separate, cold condenser to produce a low-pressure steam engine with significantly reduced coal consumption. He patented his innovation and went into partnership with entrepreneur Matthew Boulton, producing the new engines in Soho in Birmingham from 1776, as well as devising the ‘horsepower’ as a unit of measurement.
Richard Trevithick grew up in the Cornish tin-mining community and became a mine engineer in 1790. Without any nearby coalfields, Cornish mines struggled to afford fuel so Trevithick set about improving the Boulton & Watt steam engines. He realized that if he used steam under pressure, and allowed it to expand within the cylinder, he could build a much smaller, lighter engine without any loss of power, which could also be transported. After adding wheels, he drove his first steam carriage in 1801 and constructed the world’s first practical steam railway locomotive and tramway at Samuel Homfray’s Penydarren Ironworks in South Wales. However, he failed to develop his ideas, leaving the way open for George Stephenson to improve the locomotive design, and for the introduction of the first public railway from Stockton to Darlington in 1825.
Portable boilers opened up new possibilities for agriculture and were available for wealthier landowners by 1840. John Fowler made substantial improvements to early ploughing equipment, eventually using engines at both sides of the field, hauling the plough back and forth. In 1858 Thomas Aveling adapted portables by attaching a chain from the crankshaft to a sprocket on a rear wheel to create a self-propelling traction engine; his first engines were steered by a horse in shafts attached to the front fore-carriage, but by 1860 the horse had been replaced by a steering wheel. He also replaced the wheels on the traction engine with rollers to create the road roller, with the company eventually becoming the largest manufacturer of steam rollers in the world. Robert Robey saw these developments taking place and set up his works in 1854 in Lincoln, manufacturing portable steam engines and thrashing machines. The firm’s range soon expanded to include mining equipment, offering a complete package from winding and pumping engines to locomotives, hoists and tools applicable to every industry. The company was at the forefront of innovation: the generation of electricity, for example was an early development, as was the introduction of oil engines, including those for ships. Robey & Co gained a reputation for good quality workmanship and by 1900 the works had expanded and 20 000 engines and plant had been built.
Dave Davies and Rosemary Best
For more information visit www.therobeytrust.co.uk or come along to the annual Tavistock Steam Fair on 3 June, or contact 01822 615960 to visit The New Perseverance Ironworks off Pixon Lane.