Newcomen Engine, circa 1750
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This is the oldest known surviving steam engine in the world. Named for its inventor Thomas Newcomen, the engine converted chemical energy in the fuel into useful mechanical work. Its early history is not known, but it was used to pump water out of the Cannel mine in the Lancashire coalfields of England in about 1765. The engine was presented to Henry Ford in 1929.
This is the oldest known surviving steam engine in the world. Named for its inventor Thomas Newcomen, the engine converted chemical energy in the fuel into useful mechanical work. Its early history is not known, but it was used to pump water out of the Cannel mine in the Lancashire coalfields of England in about 1765. The engine was presented to Henry Ford in 1929.
Artifact
Steam engine (Engine)
Date Made
circa 1750
Keywords
United Kingdom, England, Greater Manchester, Ashton under Lyne
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Made in America
Object ID
29.1506.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Earl of Stamford Trustees.
Material
Stone (Worked rock)
Iron (Metal)
Wood (Plant material)
Dimensions
Horsepower: 11 hp (8.20 kW)
Speed: 14 rpm (0.23 Hz)
Height: 22.417 ft
Diameter: 28 in (Bore)
Width: 30.417 ft
Length: 32.458 ft
Length: 72 in (Stroke)
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