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This article originally appeared in the Bulletin of the
International Stationary Steam Engine Society (https://isses.org)
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)
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No. 2 Mill
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Mill engine by Mirrlees, Watson, Glasgow #2720 (1952)
Single cylinder, Corliss valves, 800hp
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No. 1 Mill
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Formerly had 2 x 300hp
Mirrlees, Watson engines
(1937)
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Visited: 14th December 1986
Bihar
Barrah Chakia (*)
Champarun Sugar Co., 1905-6
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Mill engines
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Three by Harvey Engineering, Glasgow, 1906, 1921,
1925
Single cylinder, 200hp, 150hp and 200hp respectively
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Vacuum pump
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Harvey Engineering #3121 (1921)
Single cylinder
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Carbon Dioxide Pump
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Harvey Engineering (1924)
Single cylinder
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Visited: 25th 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
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Mill engine
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‘MAHARAJAH’ by
Mirrlees, Watson, #2576 (1913?)
Single cylinder, 1000hp
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Vacuum pumps
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Two by Mirrlees, Watson
Single cylinder
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Visited: 23rd January 1985
Marhowrah (*)
Cawnpore Sugar Works Ltd, 1904-05
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Mill engines
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Two by Harvey Engineering, (1920 and 1924)
Single cylinder, both 175hp
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Compressors
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One by Harvey Engineering, (1911)
Single cylinder
One by George Fletcher, Derby (1957)
Single cylinder
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Water injection pump
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Blairs Ltd, Glasgow (1904)
Vertical single cylinder
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Visited: 26th January 1985
Motihari (*)
Gobind Sugar Mills Ltd, 1932-33
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Four mills
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Driven by steam turbines
Triveni Engineering Works, New Delhi, 600hp
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Vacuum pumps
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One by Duncan Stewart, Glasgow
Single cylinder
One by Blairs Ltd
Single cylinder |
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Steam generators
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One by Belliss & Morcom
Vertical, enclosed, 300kW
One by Sulzer, 450kW
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Boilers
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Seven, burning bagasse, wood
Six Babcock and Wilcox, one Texmaco, forced draught
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Visited: 4th January 1987
Riga (*)
Riga Sugar Co. Ltd., 1933
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Mill engines
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Two by Blairs Ltd
Single cylinder
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Visited: 5th January 1987
Ryam (*)
Bihar Sate Sugar Corporation Limited, 1913
No. 1 Mill
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Mill engine
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One by Mirrlees, Watson, #2619 (1932)
Single cylinder, 24” x 48”, 273hp, Corliss valves, cost Rs 16000 new
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Nos 2, 3 and 4 Mills
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Mill engine
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One by Mirrlees, Watson, #2423 (1914)
Single cylinder, 300hp, piston valves, cost Rs 15000 new
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Visited: 23rd January 1990
Sakri (*)
Bihar Sate Sugar Corporation Limited, 1933-34
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Mill engines
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Two by Mirrlees, Watson, (1933?)
Single cylinder, 1000hp
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Compressor
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One by Mirrlees, Watson
Single cylinder
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Visited: 23rd January 1985
Uttar Pradesh
Anandnagar
Ganesh Sugar Mills, 1932
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Mill engines
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Two by Blairs Ltd
Single cylinder, 350hp, driving 2 mills
Four other mills driven by steam turbine
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Vacuum pumps
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Two by Blairs Ltd
Single cylinder, 75hp
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Steam generators
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Two by Bellis and Morcom, #5984 & 7340
Vertical, enclosed. On stand by.
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Visited: 7th January 1987
Baheri (*)
Kesar Enterprises Ltd, 1933-34
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Mill engines
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Two by Stork Werkspoor, Netherlands
# S 86763 (1933), single cylinder, 1100hp at 80rpm
# S 87295 (1933), single cylinder, 700hp at 80rpm
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Vacuum pumps
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Stork Werkspoor
# S 96813 1933?), single cylinder, 75hp
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Boilers
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Six by Babcock and Wilcox (1933), natural draught
Three by Walchandnagar (1981), forced draught
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Visited: 26th December 1986
Balrampur
Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd., 1933-34
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Mill engines
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‘BARRY’ by Mirrlees, Watson, #2623 (1933)
Single cylinder, Corliss valves
Another engine in pieces in the mill yard.
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Other mills
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Driven by Walchandnagar Maag steam turbine (1978)
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Vacuum pumps
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One by Mirrlees, Watson
One by Allenmax
Both single cylinder
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Steam generators
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Three by Bellis and Morcom
Vertical, enclosed (1935)
To be replaced by high pressure engines.
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Boilers
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Eight by Babcock and Wilcox (1933), natural draught
Three high pressure (1978)
New Texmaco, oil fired, forced draught boiler being erected.
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Visited: 1st January 1987
Chhitauni
Uttar Pradesh State Sugar Corporation Ltd., 1934
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Mill engines
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Two by Mirrlees, Watson
Single cylinder, 300hp
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Vacuum pumps
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One by Mirrlees, Watson
Single cylinder
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Steam generators
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One by Mirrlees, Watson
One by Bellis and Morcom
Both in the power house
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Boilers
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Ten by Babcock and Wilcox (1920/1933)
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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: 6th January 1987
Gola Gokarannath (*)
Hindustan Sugar Mills Ltd, 1932
New Mill
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Mill engines
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Driven by steam turbines
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Old Mill
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Mill engines
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Two by Stork, Netherlands # 7460, 7461 (1957)
Single cylinder, 1100hp
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Vacuum pumps
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One by Mirrlees, Watson
One of German manufacture
Single cylinder
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Boilers
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Nine by Babcock and Wilcox, natural draught
Three with forced draught, two by Texmaco, one by Babcock and Wilcox
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Visited 27th December 1986
Hargaon
Oudh Sugar Mills Ltd., 1952
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Mill engines
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Three by Stork Werkspoor
S 88404 (1936), 7507 (1957) and 7551 (1957)
Respectively 350, 600 and 450hp
One by Delattre et Mariolle, France
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Vacuum pumps
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One duplesx by Mirrlees, Watson
Three single cylinder, one by Delattre et Mariolle,
Two by unknown makers
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Boilers
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Twenty by Babcock and Wilcox, natural draught (1932 -
45)
One forced draught (1972)
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Visited 28th December 1986
Pilibhit
L.H. Sugar factories Ltd., 1909-10
No. 1 plant
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Mill engines
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Two by George Fletcher, Derby
Single cylinder, 300-350hp
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No. 2 plant
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Mill engines
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Two, makers unknown
Single cylinder
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Vacuum pumps
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One by George Fletcher (#4866?)
One by Pickering, Portland, Connecticut, USA
Both single cylinder |
Visited 26th December 1986
Prattapur (*)
Prattapur Sugar & Industries Ltd., 1903
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Mill engines
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Two by Harvey Engineering (1923)
One is #3177, single cylinder, 300hp
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Other engines
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Two working cane shutes by Blairs (1932)
One duplex engine driving conveyor between shutes and crushers, by Blairs
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Visited 27th January 1985
Said to be the oldest mill in India
Sardanargar (*)
Saraya Sugar Mills Ltd., 1927-28
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Mill engines
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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. |
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Other engines
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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: 8th December 1982
Seohara (*)
Upper Ganges Sugar & Industries Ltd., 1933-34
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Mill engines
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Two by Blairs (1934)
One by Stork, Netherlands (#7100,1955)
One by Thirlau, Belgium
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Vacuum pump
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One single cylinder, maker unknown
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Visited 25th December 1986
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