Vertical Slide Valve Steam Engine
Credit LineGift of Ms. Lois Marshall, 2008
Object number2008.007.002
Label TextThis is an Ernest W. Marshall miniature model of a vertical slide valve steam engine. Marshall was a London resident and Somerville London Machine Shop employee for 41 years. He was recognized for his models at Hobby Fairs locally and nationally. As well, articles appeared about him and his models in the "Somerville Link" magazine and the "London Free Press." By the 1870s, industries in both Guelph and London depended on steam power. As in other Canadian centres, river flow fluctuated. This made power generation uneven and encouraged the early adoption of steam technology. As early as 1833, the "Colonial Advocate" noted that “steam engines are not subject to the casualties of broken dams, stoppages by drought and frost, to say nothing of the unhealthiness of large ponds of stagnant water…” In its turn, hydroelectricity replaced steam power in the early 20th century.
NameModel
c. 1945
