Steam Engines in the Indian Sugar Industry by Geoffrey Hill

This article originally appeared in the Bulletin of the International Stationary Steam Engine Society and is reproduced by their kind permission. Necessarily the information is dated (the last visit was in the 1980s), but will provide a foundation for future visitors in search of working stationary steam. Rest assured that following my discoveries in Indonesia, Burma and Thailand there is plenty still out there in India.

The modern sugar industry in India developed as a result of the Sugar Industry Protection Act of April 1932 which imposed duty on imported sugar and molasses. The tariffs were 31% ‘ad valorem’ on molasses and 9 Rupees 1 Anna per hundredweight on sugar. Hitherto Indian producers of refined sugars had competed fairly successfully against more produced imports, although there had long been a large local industry producing khand, jaggery and gur, non-crystalline sugar.

In 1920 there were 22 mills producing sugar from cane but immediately following the Protection Act many new mills came into production, particularly in the populous northern region now forming the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar; no less than 58 in these areas between 1932 and 1935.

Since independence in 1947 increasing demand for sugar resulting fron a doubling of population and greater prosperity has stimulated continual growth in the industry. Much of the new capacity has been insyalled in the south, away from the original cane growing areas. By 1984-5 there were 355 mills, the largest numbers being in the states of Uttar Pradesh (99), Maharashtra (89), Andra Pradesh (32), Bihar (29), Karnataka (27) and Tamil Nadu (23). About half the mills are run as co-operatives by local communities, most of the remainder being in the private sector, although a number of these which have become insolvent have been nationalised, notably in Uttar Pradesh (30) and Bihar (11).

Before 1947 mills were predominantly equipped with British machinery but since independence rapid industrialisation has made India self sufficient in sugar mill plant. Names such as Walchandnagar, K.C.P., Triveni and Texmaco are now seen on new equipment. However, while visiting long established mills (mainly in search of steam locomotives) in the period 1982-1990 I was able to see much original machinery in use. A summary of this is provided below. Mills then operating steam locomotives are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Andra Pradesh

Shakarnagar (*)

The Nizam’s Sugar Factory, started 1937-8 (No. 1 Mill) and 1951-2 (No. 2 Mill)

No. 2 Mill	Mill engine by Mirrlees, Watson, Glasgow #2720 (1952) Single cylinder, Corliss valves, 800hp
No. 1 Mill	Formerly had 2 x 300hp Mirrlees, Watson engines (1937)

Visited: 14^th December 1986

Bihar

Barrah Chakia (*)

Champarun Sugar Co., 1905-6

Mill engines	Three by Harvey Engineering, Glasgow, 1906, 1921, 1925 Single cylinder, 200hp, 150hp and 200hp respectively
Vacuum pump	Harvey Engineering #3121 (1921) Single cylinder
Carbon Dioxide Pump	Harvey Engineering (1924) Single cylinder

Visited: 25^th January 1985

Originally an indigo factory until the invention of Reckitt’s Blue killed the trade in 1904.

Lohat (*)

Bihar Sate Sugar Corporation Limited, 1914-5

Mill engine	‘MAHARAJAH’ by Mirrlees, Watson, #2576 (1913?) Single cylinder, 1000hp
Vacuum pumps	Two by Mirrlees, Watson Single cylinder

Visited: 23^rd January 1985

Marhowrah (*)

Cawnpore Sugar Works Ltd, 1904-05

Mill engines	Two by Harvey Engineering, (1920 and 1924) Single cylinder, both 175hp
Compressors	One by Harvey Engineering, (1911) Single cylinder One by George Fletcher, Derby (1957) Single cylinder
Water injection pump	Blairs Ltd, Glasgow (1904) Vertical single cylinder

Visited: 26^th January 1985

Motihari (*)

Gobind Sugar Mills Ltd, 1932-33

Four mills	Driven by steam turbines Triveni Engineering Works, New Delhi, 600hp
Vacuum pumps	One by Duncan Stewart, Glasgow Single cylinder One by Blairs Ltd Single cylinder
Steam generators	One by Belliss & Morcom Vertical, enclosed, 300kW One by Sulzer, 450kW
Boilers	Seven, burning bagasse, wood Six Babcock and Wilcox, one Texmaco, forced draught

Visited: 4^th January 1987

Riga (*)

Riga Sugar Co. Ltd., 1933

Mill engines

Two by Blairs Ltd
Single cylinder

Visited: 5^th January 1987

Ryam (*)

Bihar Sate Sugar Corporation Limited, 1913

No. 1 Mill

Mill engine

One by Mirrlees, Watson, #2619 (1932)
Single cylinder, 24” x 48”, 273hp, Corliss valves, cost Rs 16000 new

Nos 2, 3 and 4 Mills

Mill engine

One by Mirrlees, Watson, #2423 (1914)
Single cylinder, 300hp, piston valves, cost Rs 15000 new

Visited: 23^rd January 1990

Sakri (*)

Bihar Sate Sugar Corporation Limited, 1933-34

Mill engines	Two by Mirrlees, Watson, (1933?) Single cylinder, 1000hp
Compressor	One by Mirrlees, Watson Single cylinder

Visited: 23^rd January 1985

Uttar Pradesh

Anandnagar

Ganesh Sugar Mills, 1932

Mill engines	Two by Blairs Ltd Single cylinder, 350hp, driving 2 mills Four other mills driven by steam turbine
Vacuum pumps	Two by Blairs Ltd Single cylinder, 75hp
Steam generators	Two by Bellis and Morcom, #5984 & 7340 Vertical, enclosed. On stand by.

Visited: 7^th January 1987

Baheri (*)

Kesar Enterprises Ltd, 1933-34

Mill engines	Two by Stork Werkspoor, Holland # S 86763 (1933), single cylinder, 1100hp at 80rpm # S 87295 (1933), single cylinder, 700hp at 80rpm
Vacuum pumps	Stork Werkspoor # S 96813 1933?), single cylinder, 75hp
Boilers	Six by Babcock and Wilcox (1933), natural draught Three by Walchandnagar (1981), forced draught

Visited: 26^th December 1986

Balrampur

Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd., 1933-34

Mill engines	‘BARRY’ by Mirrlees, Watson, #2623 (1933) Single cylinder, Corliss valves Another engine in pieces in the mill yard.
Other mills	Driven by Walchandnagar Maag steam turbine (1978)
Vacuum pumps	One by Mirrlees, Watson One by Allenmax Both single cylinder
Steam generators	Three by Bellis and Morcom Vertical, enclosed (1935) To be replaced by high pressure engines.
Boilers	Eight by Babcock and Wilcox (1933), natural draught Three high pressure (1978) New Texmaco, oil fired, forced draught boiler being erected.

Visited: 1^st January 1987

Chhitauni

Uttar Pradesh State Sugar Corporation Ltd., 1934

Mill engines	Two by Mirrlees, Watson Single cylinder, 300hp
Vacuum pumps	One by Mirrlees, Watson Single cylinder
Steam generators	One by Mirrlees, Watson One by Bellis and Morcom Both in the power house
Boilers	Ten by Babcock and Wilcox (1920/1933)

The mill and its workshop were a treasure house of additional steam engines including:

Five vertical pumps (three by Mirlees, Watson and two by Belliss and Morcom, including #8188)
One duplex horizontal fan belt engine by R. Garrett of Leiston
Three horizontal single cylinder engines (by Ruston, Proctor # 15326, Ruston and Marshall #71876?)
A single cylinder Mirlees, Watson engine driving fan belting
A Mirlees, Watson vertical engine driving the bagasse line

Visited: 6^th January 1987

Gola Gokarannath (*)

Hindustan Sugar Mills Ltd, 1932

New Mill

Mill engines

Driven by steam turbines

Old Mill

Mill engines	Two by Stork, Holland # 7460, 7461 (1957) Single cylinder, 1100hp
Vacuum pumps	One by Mirrlees, Watson One of German manufacture Single cylinder
Boilers	Nine by Babcock and Wilcox, natural draught Three with forced draught, two by Texmaco, one by Babcock and Wilcox

Visited 27^th December 1986

Hargaon

Oudh Sugar Mills Ltd., 1952

Mill engines

Three by Stork Werkspoor
S 88404 (1936), 7507 (1957) and 7551 (1957)

Respectively 350, 600 and 450hp
One by Delattre et Mariolle, France

Vacuum pumps

One duplesx by Mirrlees, Watson
Three single cylinder, one by Delattre et Mariolle,
Two by unknown makers

Boilers

Twenty by Babcock and Wilcox, natural draught (1932 - 45)
One forced draught (1972)

Visited 28^th December 1986

Pilibhit

L.H. Sugar factories Ltd., 1909-10

No. 1 plant

Mill engines

Two by George Fletcher, Derby
Single cylinder, 300-350hp

No. 2 plant

Mill engines	Two, makers unknown Single cylinder
Vacuum pumps	One by George Fletcher (#4866?) One by Pickering, Portland, Connecticut, USA Both single cylinder

Visited 26^th December 1986

Prattapur (*)

Prattapur Sugar & Industries Ltd., 1903

Mill engines	Two by Harvey Engineering (1923) One is #3177, single cylinder, 300hp
Other engines	Two working cane shutes by Blairs (1932) One duplex engine driving conveyor between shutes and crushers, by Blairs

Visited 27^th January 1985

Said to be the oldest mill in India

Sardanargar (*)

Saraya Sugar Mills Ltd., 1927-28

Mill engines	Two by Fives Lille, France (1925) Single cylinder, Corliss valves Named ‘SIR WILLIAM MARRIS’ and ‘SIR MALCOM HAILEY’ One twin tandem engine by Stork Werkspoor (1933) – this engine had gone by 2004.
Other engines	Two single cylinder engines by Werkspoor (1933) One small vertical cylinder engine, maker unknown There is (was) a preserved remnant of an earlier mill on the site dating from ca 1912

(Sir William Marris and Sir Malcolm Hailey were both Governors of the United Provinces in British India.)

Visited: 8^th December 1982

Seohara (*)

Upper Ganges Sugar & Industries Ltd., 1933-34

Mill engines	Two by Blairs (1934) One by Stork, Holland (#7100,1955) One by Thirlau, Belgium
Vacuum pump	One single cylinder, maker unknown

Visited 25^th December 1986

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