We had a mooch to this while out walking old canals around our area. We were considering sticking this in general photo's but really liked it so thought we'd do a short report. It's a great little bit of industrial revolution and canal history.
The Mount Scion Steam Crane is grade 2 listed and sits in it's original location on the towpath of the derelict Bolton/Bury canal, it is thought to be one of the earliest surviving steam cranes in the country and is the only example in England that still remains in its original canalside location. The Crane was constructed by Thomas Smith & Sons of Rodley near Leeds, probably between 1875 and 1884 and bears the number 3184. It was formerly used to move coal between the canal and the Mount Sion Bleach Works, located on lower ground immediately to the south, which from the 1930s became the Mount Sion Papermill, after the bleach works burned down. Boats on the canal were designed to take containers that could be lifted directly to and from the bank and as such were probably of a specific design to this canal. There may have been a forerunner to this system operating on the Bridgewater Canal, Greater Manchester, where the barges brought coal directly from the Worsley mines via a container system. It is not known when the Mount Sion steam crane went out of use.
The disused Bolton/Bury canal.
The crane stands on a rectangular stone plinth with an iron casing holding the crane's rotating gear that allowed it to swing horizontally through 360 degrees.
Cylindrical riveted boiler.
Control pedals.
Winding Gear to raise and lower the jib and hoist.
Cylinder and flywheel, you can also make out the number 3184 stamped on the iron.
Thanks for looking.
The Mount Scion Steam Crane is grade 2 listed and sits in it's original location on the towpath of the derelict Bolton/Bury canal, it is thought to be one of the earliest surviving steam cranes in the country and is the only example in England that still remains in its original canalside location. The Crane was constructed by Thomas Smith & Sons of Rodley near Leeds, probably between 1875 and 1884 and bears the number 3184. It was formerly used to move coal between the canal and the Mount Sion Bleach Works, located on lower ground immediately to the south, which from the 1930s became the Mount Sion Papermill, after the bleach works burned down. Boats on the canal were designed to take containers that could be lifted directly to and from the bank and as such were probably of a specific design to this canal. There may have been a forerunner to this system operating on the Bridgewater Canal, Greater Manchester, where the barges brought coal directly from the Worsley mines via a container system. It is not known when the Mount Sion steam crane went out of use.
The disused Bolton/Bury canal.
The crane stands on a rectangular stone plinth with an iron casing holding the crane's rotating gear that allowed it to swing horizontally through 360 degrees.
Cylindrical riveted boiler.
Control pedals.
Winding Gear to raise and lower the jib and hoist.
Cylinder and flywheel, you can also make out the number 3184 stamped on the iron.
Thanks for looking.
