IMPORTANT PRESS RELEASE A Challenging time for the famous Ellenroad Steam Enhines Having saved and steamed the largest working textile mill engine in the world for countless visitors, in 2025 the Ellenroad Mill Engine Museum’s volunteer charities discovered serious structual problems had developed in its Victorian masonary and 105 year old roof trusses. The whole building is part of the 3000hp machine which transmitted all that horsepower from the engine house into 5 vast vibrating spinning machine floors for 8 decades. After abandonment and demolition of the Mill’s huge spinning block, the unique steam plant was saved. The charity’s community volunteers have brought the engines back to life and have regually steamed them at speed for a further 3 decades to attract thousands of appreciative visitors to the local area from near and far until the structual emergancy became apparent.

Structual Emergency

The nature of the structual challengesment that although the main engine - and all the other working engines - are in good order, the big engine house had to be put out of bounds to volunteers and visitors alike and made safe. Suitable experienced consulting engineers were immediatly commissioned, who have analysed the complex problems and designed emergancy structual propping and steel ties, which were immediatly installed, all funded by a contingency the Charity had set aside for such a crisis. The top of one side wall had become distorted significantly over half its length. There was limited evidence of rot hidden in four structual timbers, but regretably the original trusses were found to have insufficient bearing on the walls. So, the big engine room itself was closed to visitors and volunteers alike pending permanent repairs. Before emergancy propping could be installed, one truss dropped significantly due to the unrestrained wall leaning out. Regular laser monitoring has shown the temporary emergancy works have now stabilised the structure.

Operational Impact

Unfortunatly, as well as the main engine house, the Generator Room is also closed to visitors as access is via the big engine room. It has been found that almost as much expensive coal is needed to fire the boiler to run only the smaller mill engines. As fewer visitors attended when the big engine was not available, the hundreds of pounds of coal costs to fire the large Lancashire boiler to working pressure cannot be raised. On the other hand, car shows remain popular, so opening arrangements are of necessity being temporarily focussed accordingly and steamings reduced in frequency as advised on the Ellenroad Web and Facebook pages. It is clear a major project will be required to ensure the Steam Museum’s resilience is restored and normal service resumed as soon as possible. A sub group has been set up to manage the technical and funding challenges and the charity is confident it can handle this with sufficient community support.The regular work of the volunteers continues every Sunday and Tuesday, as they continue to keep their unique heritage assets in full working order and visitor information will be advised on the Ellenroad website. (If the main gate is not open on a Sunday or Tuesday visitors should telephone 07510 288546).

Project Status

The building has been stabiised on an emergancy basis and further analysis, timber and laser monitoring data is being recieved from the structual engineers.The temporary works have stopped the movement of the walls and secured the partial failure of truss No 2 which has dropped about 250mm. The permanent repair may involve rebuilding the top 2.5m or so off the distorted west wall and parapet in a straight line above the windows between trusses 1 and 4. Four truss ends need to be repaired where rot has been located. Steel shoes are needed to correct the original design faults in all 5 trusses whose bearing ends wre woefully short and which eccenticaally loaded the walls and probably eventually led to the failure. These all need to be tied to the wall by a method which is currently being designed. The Charity has futher commissioned the consulting engineers to check the whole of the building and ascertain when we may steam the beam engine again as it is connected to the failing wall. They will proceed to determin our design options for the repairs and design the most cost effective long term solution in sufficient detail for a realistic overall project fund raising target to be prepared. This is all a lot of work and while continuing at pace, months of work will be needed to design the right solutions and raise sufficient funds, before specialist contract works can commence on site. Fundraising Campaign

In the meantime, a fund raising campain group has allready identified several promising leads and further ideas are being developed. Look out for the launch of the public campaign to maximise the six figure sum these essential works will need. If your able to donate towards this critically vital work, or even covenant a regular montly amount by direct debit, please send your donation to: Ellenroad Trust Ltd. Bank sort code 01 - 07 - 44 Account No. 07208650 If you pay income tax, please also fil in a Gift Aid Form which will soon be available via the Ellenroad Steam Museum Webpages to maximise the benifit of your donation. The volunteers hopes this helps explain the challenges we face and the proactive work that is going on behind the scenes. Your support - whether little or large, in time or in money - will be very much appreciated. The Ellenroad Trust and Volunteer Society Charities ELLENROAD TRUST LIMITED. Charity number 700197 THE ELLENROAD STEAM MUSEUM SOCIETY. Charity number 1118643