Generator Set
Maker and role
Mirrlees Bickerton and Day Limited, Manufacturer
The General Electric Company Limited, Manufacturer
Production date
Post 1908
Circa 1911
Object detail
Accession number
1986.30
Production period
Description
Diesel engine and electrical generator set.
Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day blast injection diesel engine. Cast iron, 3-cylinder, with exposed rocker gear. Developing 150 BHP at 250 rpm.
Engine drives a General Electric Company DC generator - 100 kW, 228 A at 440 V. Open salient pole type.
Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day blast injection diesel engine. Cast iron, 3-cylinder, with exposed rocker gear. Developing 150 BHP at 250 rpm.
Engine drives a General Electric Company DC generator - 100 kW, 228 A at 440 V. Open salient pole type.
Brief History
This diesel engine and electrical generator set was installed at the Gisborne Municipal Powerhouse at Carnavon Street in the early 1910s and remained in service until decommissioning in 1975.
Municipal electricity supply in New Zealand began in Reefton in 1888. Uptake throughout the rest of the country was slow until the early 1900s with many local councils erecting power stations in the 1910s. Prior to this, electricity was produced on a small scale by private companies and individuals, although other means of lighting and heating were more common (e.g. coal gas).
In 1909 the Gisborne Borough Council put a proposal to its ratepayers to install a municipal power station. The purpose of the station was to provide electric power for street lighting, electrical pumping for the drainage system, and general supply to private consumers. The proposal was approved later that year. The power station was later also used to charge the batteries for Gisborne’s battery powered trams.
Internal combustion diesel engines were deemed the most economical for the borough being more efficient than steam and cheaper to install than hydroelectric stations. Tenders were sought for suppliers of the required plant with the General Electric Company (UK) being chosen to provide a pair of Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day Limited diesel engines and two GEC DC generators. The engines were 150 horsepower three-cylinder slow speed diesel engines. These were coupled to the DC generators giving an output of 100kW at 250 rpm.
Construction of the powerhouse began in mid-1911 with the engines and generation equipment being installed from November. The powerhouse was commissioned on 20 March 1912. At the time of installation, the two Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day diesel engines at the Gisborne borough powerhouse were the second set of diesel engines in the country and were the largest. To cope with increased demand a third engine of the same type was installed to the powerhouse in July 1914.
During the development of the Gisborne municipal power house, discussions were also being had around the construction of a tramway. It was initially deemed too expensive to install overhead power lines and petrol driven trams were proposed. In 1910 Mayor William Lysnar met with Thomas Edison in New York where Edison promoted his battery powered trams. Back in New Zealand the battery powered trams were approved by the council. The Gisborne tramway was opened on 16 April 1913 and used two battery-operated trams. The tram batteries were able to be charged from the new power station overnight. The Gisborne tram fleet doubled to four trams by 1919. By the mid-1920s the Gisborne Tramway System was operating at a significant loss and was decommissioned in July 1929.
By the 1950s the diesel generators were largely redundant. The Waikaremoana hydroelectric power scheme was completed in the late 1940s and was providing sufficient power to supply the district. The diesel generators were now only used in a supplementary role at peak load times.
The Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day generator sets were decommissioned from service at the Carnavon Street power house in 1975.
Municipal electricity supply in New Zealand began in Reefton in 1888. Uptake throughout the rest of the country was slow until the early 1900s with many local councils erecting power stations in the 1910s. Prior to this, electricity was produced on a small scale by private companies and individuals, although other means of lighting and heating were more common (e.g. coal gas).
In 1909 the Gisborne Borough Council put a proposal to its ratepayers to install a municipal power station. The purpose of the station was to provide electric power for street lighting, electrical pumping for the drainage system, and general supply to private consumers. The proposal was approved later that year. The power station was later also used to charge the batteries for Gisborne’s battery powered trams.
Internal combustion diesel engines were deemed the most economical for the borough being more efficient than steam and cheaper to install than hydroelectric stations. Tenders were sought for suppliers of the required plant with the General Electric Company (UK) being chosen to provide a pair of Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day Limited diesel engines and two GEC DC generators. The engines were 150 horsepower three-cylinder slow speed diesel engines. These were coupled to the DC generators giving an output of 100kW at 250 rpm.
Construction of the powerhouse began in mid-1911 with the engines and generation equipment being installed from November. The powerhouse was commissioned on 20 March 1912. At the time of installation, the two Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day diesel engines at the Gisborne borough powerhouse were the second set of diesel engines in the country and were the largest. To cope with increased demand a third engine of the same type was installed to the powerhouse in July 1914.
During the development of the Gisborne municipal power house, discussions were also being had around the construction of a tramway. It was initially deemed too expensive to install overhead power lines and petrol driven trams were proposed. In 1910 Mayor William Lysnar met with Thomas Edison in New York where Edison promoted his battery powered trams. Back in New Zealand the battery powered trams were approved by the council. The Gisborne tramway was opened on 16 April 1913 and used two battery-operated trams. The tram batteries were able to be charged from the new power station overnight. The Gisborne tram fleet doubled to four trams by 1919. By the mid-1920s the Gisborne Tramway System was operating at a significant loss and was decommissioned in July 1929.
By the 1950s the diesel generators were largely redundant. The Waikaremoana hydroelectric power scheme was completed in the late 1940s and was providing sufficient power to supply the district. The diesel generators were now only used in a supplementary role at peak load times.
The Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day generator sets were decommissioned from service at the Carnavon Street power house in 1975.
Marks
MIRRLEES BICKERTON & DAY LTD HAZELGROVE STOCKPORT Embossed
[OU]TER END NU 2 Hand-written
STEAM MBD Painted
MBD./NO/1 Hand-written
[OU]TER END NU 2 Hand-written
STEAM MBD Painted
MBD./NO/1 Hand-written
Other name
Diesel Generator
Electrical Generator
Engine [Diesel Blast Injection]
Electrical Generator
Engine [Diesel Blast Injection]
Collection
Credit Line
Mirrlees Bickerton and Day Limited et al. Post 1908
Circa 1911. Generator Set, 1986.30. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
Circa 1911. Generator Set, 1986.30. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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