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Robey and Co. was a firm based in Lincoln, England that built steam Rollers.
Robey & Co Ltd was founded in 1854, by Robert Robey, as manufacturers of portable steam engines and thrashing machines. By 1862 they had expanded greatly and exhibited a display of agricultural equipment; "fixed engines, traction engines, ploughing tackle, corn mills, saw benches etc" at the Great Exhibition. Soon they extended the range to include a complete range of mining equipment from winding engines and pumping engines to locomotives, cages and kibbles (mine bucket).
History[]
By the turn of the century the firm had been incorporated into a limited company, the works had expanded to cover 15 acres and 20 000 engines and plant had been built. Stationary engines of many types were added to the range, such as the 'Quick Revolution' vertical, for electrical generation. Indeed Robey's 'Globe works' was said to be the first factory in the U.K. lit by electricity.(verification required)
New range of traction engines was introduced and the steam wagon made its appearance in 1906, various models of which remained in production until 1934. Road rollers were made from 1914 and steam tractors enjoyed a ready sale. Road locomotives (Steam trucks) became popular, especially in overseas markets; a few still exist in Australia. An inspired innovation was the development of a tandem roller from the stayless wagon boiler and engine unit.
Engines with simple slide valves, expansion gear, piston valves and drop valves were developed for application in many industries (our Class E is a good example of the latter). Colliery winders up to 84" stroke were amongst the largest of these, exported all over the world. Many are still in use in India and elsewhere. The Robey Trust owns one of three examples preserved in England.
'Overtypes', 'Superheater' and 'Uniflow' engines were sold, the latter, the most efficient type of steam engine made, being a speciality of the firm. Engines were made to every configuration; horizontal, vertical and diagonal; duplex, tandem and cross compound cylinders; open and high speed enclosed, all in a variety of sizes and powers.
Robey made an early entry into the internal combustion engine market: for half a century vertical and horizontal oil and diesel engines were produced for diverse applications such as ship propulsion. Air compressors, rock crushers and hemp decorticators serve as examples to illustrate the wide range of products made.
Robey's contribution to the war effort was considerable; in 1916 Sopwith aircraft and Short Seaplanes were built in large numbers; from 1939 production centred on gun mountings, frigate engines and other heavy items. After the war the capacity and expertise of the company was used to fabricate everything from converters for steelworks to parts for the Jodrell Bank radio telescope. In the firm's later years, however, package boilers in oil, gas or solid fuel fired versions were made in larger numbers: a new boiler barrel and tubeplate for the Robey Trust's Tandem roller was the last boiler made and tested at the works before closure in February 1988.
Model Range[]
- Stationary Steam engine
- Gas engines
- Oil engines
- Steam roller
- Steam Tractors
Robey Trust Preservation List[]
- Robey Portable, single cyl. c1875
- Robey no. 3331 - Thrashing Machine c1880
- Robey no. 12787 - Class A single cyl fixed engine 1892, Supplied new to Pearson's Pottery, Chesterfield, in 1892, this engine was rescued from the derelict remains of the pottery in 1972 by a local haulier.
- Robey no. 31821 - Five ton Steam Tractor 1913
- Robey no. 32387 - Robey 3 point steam roller 1913
- Robey no. 42522 - Steam wagon - ex ? of Bollingbrook, Lincs
- Robey no. 42693 - Tandem roller "Stumbles" 1925
- Robey no. 45655 - Tri-tandem roller 1930 - Herts Wanderer
Preservation[]
Preserved Robey steam engines[]
Engine No. | Name | Build Date | Type | Weight | Power nhp | Reg No. | Owner | Image | Other info |
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Robey no. 2216 | Name ? | c.1880 | PE | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 5513 | Name ? | 1880 | PE | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 5637 | Name ? | 1879 | PE | weight | 7 nhp | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 6529 | - | 1881 | Portable | - | 5 nhp | - | owner ? | to add | At Beaulieu Steam Revival 2010 |
Robey no. 7406 | - | 1883 | Portable | - | 6 nhp | - | Bursleden Brickworks Museum |
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Robey no. 10247 | Name ? | 1887 | PE | ? ton | ? nhp | Reg no. ? | Owner ? Canterbury |
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Robey no. 10330 | Name ? | 1888 | PE | weight | power | - | Preston Services, Canterbury |
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T42 at Preston Services/Projects |
Robey no. 10456 | Name ? | 1888 | PE | weight | power | - | Preston Services, Canterbury |
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T38 at Preston Services/Projects |
Robey no. 10809 | Name ? | 1889 | PE | weight | 3 nhp | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 13166 | Name ? | 1892 | PE | weight | 5 nhp | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 15598 | Name ? | 1895 | PE | weight | 3 nhp | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 19420 | Name ? | 1891 | PE | weight | power | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 19435 | Auld Jock | 1899 | TE | weight | 7 nhp | AO 8122 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 25961 | - | 1906 | Portable | - | 3 nhp | - | owner ? | to add | At Beaulieu Steam Revival 2010 - Repatriated from Australia |
Robey no. 28086 | Dartmoor | 1908 | PE | weight | 5 nhp | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 28094 | Pride of The Walk | 1908 | TE | 9 ton | 5 hhp | AO 8932 | P. Wallington, Oxfordshire | At Bloxham Steam Rally 2009 | |
Robey no. 28295 | Name ? | date built ? | Traction engine | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ?, New Zealand |
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Resident in New Zealand[1] |
Robey no. 29330 | name ? | 1910 | TE | 9 ton | 6 nhp | CT 4101 | owner ? |
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Robey no. 29333 | Wally | 1910 | TE | 9 1/2 ton | 7NHP | AD 9899 | Owner Paul Antell, Dorset |
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Robey no. 29450 | King George V | 1910 | Traction engine | ? ton | 6 nhp | AB 9453 | John Collins collection, Worcestershire[2] |
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Moved to Bob Davis's yard in 2012 |
Robey no. 29531 | Name ? | date built ? | Traction engine | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ?, New Zealand[3] |
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Resident in New Zealand |
Robey no. 29911 | Name ? | date built ? | Road engine | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ?, New Zealand[4] |
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Resident in New Zealand |
Robey no. 30708 | Name ? | 1911 | PE | weight | 12 nhp | Reg no. ? | Owner ?, ROI |
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Robey no. 31821 | Name ? | 1913 | Steam Tractor | 5 ton | 4 nhp | Reg no. ? | Robey Trust Museum |
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Robey Trust collection |
Robey no. 32387 | Name ? | 1913 | 3 point steam roller | 10 ton | power? | DE 2592 | Robey Trust Museum |
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Robey Trust Collection |
Robey no. 33348 | - | 1914 | TE | ? | ? | Z 200 | Robey Trust Museum |
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Robey no. 33810 | - | 1915 | Portable | - | power ? | - | Hollycombe Steam collection | To add
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Robey no. 33957 | Village Queen | 1915 | ST | 4 tn | 6 nhp | FE 1620 | Owner ? |
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Rebuilt as no.40798 in 1922 |
Robey no. 35548 | Sir Giles | 1916 | TE | ? ton | 6 nhp | DO 2046 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 37657 | The Guvnor | 1918 | ST | 4 tn | 5 nhp | AP 9341 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 37871 | Name ? | 1918 | PE | weight | 14 nhp | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 37958 | Jill | 1918 | PE | weight | 5 nhp | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 37962 | Name ? | 1918 | PE | weight | 5 nhp | - | Owner ? ROI |
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Robey no. 38020 | - | 1919 | Portable | - | 8 nhp | - | Vinderup, Frilandsmuseum Hjerl Hede |
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Robey no. 38403 | Hercules | 1919 | PE | weight | 10 nhp | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 38818 | - | 1920 | Portable | - | 8 nhp | - | P. Cummins, Trowbridge | Repatriated from South Africa. Shown at Lister Tyndale Steam Rally 2009 | |
Robey no. 40062 | Ruby | 1921 | Portable | - | 12 nhp | - | Breamore Countryside Museum |
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Robey no. 40672 | - | 1923 | Steam roller | 7 ton | ? nhp | FE 5391 | Robert Crawford collection | To add | |
Robey no. 40892 | Name ? | 1923 | PE | weight | 5 nhp | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 40991 | Shamrock | 1923 | Convertible tractor | 7 ton | 5 nhp | FE 5373 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 41005 | PERDITA | 1923 | PE | weight | 12 nhp | J.R. Godfrey Derbyshire |
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Robey no. 41113 | Name ? | 1923 | RR | 12 ton | power | FE 5345 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 41492 | Name ? | 1924 | ST | 5 ton | 4 nhp | FE 5736 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 41493 | Our Nipper | 1924 | Steam tractor | 5 ton | 4 nhp | MF 3946 | Owner ? | At Great Dorset Steam Fair | |
Robey no. 41593 | Name ? | date built | Tandem roller | weight | power | FE 6255 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 41602 | The Mistress | 1924 | Tandem Roller | 7 ton | ? | FE 6319 | The Riley Collection |
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Robey no. 41803 | Name ? | date built | type | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 42129 | Name ? | 1924 | Tandem RR | 8.5 ton | power | RL 75 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 42216 | "57" Jeannie | 1925 | RR | weight | power | FE 6672 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 42493 | Name ? | date built | RR | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 42520 | Barkus | 1925 | Tandem Roller | ? | ? | FL 7632 | Bressingham Steam Museum |
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Robey no. 42522 | - | 1926 | Wagon | 6 ton | ? nhp | FE 5464 | The Robey Trust Ex Alan Rundle, Boston |
At Carrington Steam and Tractor Rally 2011 | |
Robey no. 42550 | Name ? | 1926 | PE | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 42657 | - | 1925 | Steam wagon | 6 ton | ? nhp | MY 318 | Robert Crawford collection | At Carrington Rally 2011 Just rebuilt(2009) | |
Robey No. 42675 | - | 1927 | TE single cylinder | 8 ton | 6 nhp | JU 8198 | R.E.M. Booty | To add | At Lincolnshire Steam and Vintage Rally 2008 |
Robey no. 42693 | Stumbles | 1924 | Tandem Roller | 8 ton | ? | FE 7490 | The Robey Trust | At GDSF 2009 | |
Robey no. 43165 | Name ? | date built | type | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 43388 | Kernow Knight Ex Pendle Knight/ Deeside Knight |
1929 | Tractor | 7 ton | 4 nhp | VL 983 | Owner ? | Ex Tom Varley collection | |
Robey no. 43739 | Jesse | 1927 | PE | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 43747 | Name ? | 1928/200? | type | weight | power | VK 4540 | Owner ? |
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Wagon built from boiler of Roller 43747 |
Robey no. 44083 | Name ? | 1930 | 3 RR | weight | power | VL 2370 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 45655 | Herts Wanderer | 1930 | Roller | ? | ? | VL 2773 | The Robey Trust |
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Robey no. 46935 | Name ? | 1933 | Tandem Roller | weight | power | CZ 2432 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 48869 | Name ? | 1939 | Tandem Roller | 8 ton | power | EDV 916 | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 49364 | Name ? | 1941 | type | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 49481 | Name ? | date built | type | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 49484 | Name ? | date built | type | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 49494 | Name ? | 1942 | PE | weight | 16 nhp | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 51956 | Name ? | 1940 ? | PE | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. UP39 | Name ? | 1880 | type | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. UP40 | Name ? | 1940 | PE | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. UP41 | Name ? | date built | PE | weight | power | - | Owner ? |
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Robey no. UP71 | Name ? | date built | PE | weight | power | - | Preston Services Canterbury |
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Robey no. UI | "Name" | date built | type | weight | power | Reg no. ? | Owner ? |
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Robey no. 41000 | ex PWD | date built | type | weight | 10 HP | - | in Transport Museum Hobart, Tasmanian |
Key | References |
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Machine types Key: SW = Steam Wagon, PE = Portable engine, PLG = Ploughing Engine, RR = Road Roller, SM = Showmans, TE = Traction Engine |
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Preserved Robey industrial engines[]
A number of examples of Robey horizontal industrial engines exist in various museums
- Anson Engine Museum
- Bolton Steam Museum
- add others here
Template:PML Robey industrial
See also[]
- Anson Engine Museum
- Bressingham Steam Museum
- Strumpshaw Hall Steam Museum
- The Robey Trust Museum
- List of Steam Machinery Manufacturers
- List of Vehicles by registration number
- List of Named Vehicles
- Shows and Meets
- Clubs Listing
- Museums
References / sources[]
- The Robey Trust web site
- Old Glory Magazine
- Show guides
External links[]
- The Robey Trust web site
- Robey Pictures on the Steam Scenes web site
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