The Other Holy Trinity

This blog was created to reconnect myself to my aging dad with a hobby we both shared over 5 decades. The love for stationery engine is very evidence in both our blood.

It all started a few months just before my impending birth in August 1959 when my dad took up secondary job of an engine driver to supplement the family income in anticipation of his bigger family count.

Many of you may have not heard of an engine driver. This is an occupation of manning a diesel generator set in a British rubber estate before the national grid was put in place.

The writer's 1967 Yanmar NT110 vintage driving a Chinese ST5. This is how electricity was generated in the day before the national grid was put in place.

So this became our common love since my birth as dad would bring me along to start or stop the generating set as soon as I am old enough to walk. The engine then was a huge 3 cylinders 40hp Ruston Hornsby  driving a Swedish made Asea 25KVA generator at 1000rpm.

To start the engine, one has to activate the compression release lever acting on the 3 exhaust valves. Hand cranked it with a starting handle with brute force and when the flywheel gain sufficient speed and momentum, the compression release is deactivate and the engine burst into life with cylinder 3-2-1 firing in sequence.  

The same experience of watching the engine started by my dad for the first time was repeated when I first saw Stars War movie back in the late 70s.



For many years, the engine room was filled with activities. Mum would dry our clothes during the raining season as the heat of the engine is perfect for drying albeit the smell of diesel on our clothing.

Outside, there were 2 unit 600 Lit cooling tank for the engine. Since the main engine drive an electric water pump too for fresh water need of the community, it doubles up as a fresh water supply to the cooling tanks. With the heated water from the cooling tanks, we took our hot bath there to save the fire wood needed to heat water at home.

After close to 25 years of service, the Ruston was decommissioned and replace with a Lister HA3 aircooled unit driving a Stamford 25KVA brushless generator in 1979. The modern medium speed Lister HA3 running at 1500rpm create a ruckus every evening when it was fully loaded. Somehow, my dad and I missed the slow rhythmic rumbling of the old Ruston. And we missed out the hot water shower too!

My Lister CS6/1 in the condition i bought. It was left to the elements for years and bought base on the weight. It is now in original working order after a thorough overhaul. 

The piston was completely seized by the weather on my CS6/1 but this is was no big deal. The cast iron (not aluminum alloy) piston and cylinder liner show hardly any wear after close to 40 years of service when it was freed and reused with a new set of rings.