SS Simla
1853 Built by Tod and McGregor
1840s Extensive widenings of the harbour caused the removal of both Tod and McGregor's shipyard, and the adjoining premises of Thomas Wingate and Co. Tod and McGregor later moved to Meadowside, on the west side of the Kelvin where it joins the Clyde, where they constructed a dry dock, and subsequently a slip dock for repairing vessels.
1853 A quarter scale model of the geared marine engine for SS Simla was built by Tod and McGregor. See illustrations. It was displayed at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1855, and later at the 1862 London exhibition. It then stood for many years in the 'Ivory Turning Court' of the Crystal Palace, before being moved to languish elsewhere in the 'palace'. It is then said to have been purchased from a yard by Mr. D. Desvignes (George Francis Gabriel Des Vignes) of the West London Engineering Works. In 1907 'The Engineer' wrote that 'It would be a matter of everlasting regret if it is not bought by some science college or museum. It is impossible to get anything more typical of the current of engineering thought and practice at a time when Great Britain still led the world in the mechanical arts.'[1]. Fortunately the engine is now prominently displayed in the Riverside Museum, Glasgow.
For much more information about the engine, see here[2]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Engineer 1907/01/11 p.43
- ↑ [1] The Model SS Simla Engine at Riverside Museum by Andrew C. Whyte