Sussex Steam Co.     Unique Model Live Steam Engines   Contact Us Place an Order Price and Availability Join our Mailing List Newcomen Engine Beam Engine Type S Beam Engine Type B Mill Engine Type S Mill Engine Type B Trevithick's Puffing Devil Trevithicks Dredger   Sussex Steam Co. is based in a small village in Sussex on the south coast of England and is a small company specialising in the design and development of a unique range of historical model steam engines. The company was created in 2002 by John and Paula and now includes amongst its customers enthusiasts from all over the world as well as customers such as the Kensington Science Museum and Kew Bridge Steam Museum in London. The models that we have available are all designed by us not only to operate as 'live steam' models but also to make attractive display exhibits which can be brought to life by the use of motorisation units or compressed air. They are all available in kit form - the guiding principle behind the make up of the kits being  that the models can be built without the use of a lathe or milling machine.  Trevithick's Dredging Engine A live steam model of Trevithick's Dredging Engine. In 1806 Trevithick built a steam dredger for use on the River Thames using his 'strong steam' engine.  This model is similar to the original full size engine on display at  the Kensington Science Museum.  and is available in kit form. One of our model Dredger Engines is now on display at the Science Museum, London.     Trevithick's Puffing Devil Richard Trevithick's 'Puffing Devil' was the world's first passenger carrying steam road locomotive. It was designed and first tested by Richard Trevithick and friends on Christmas Eve 1801 when they drove the vehicle up Camborne Hill in Cornwall.   The success of this first Camborne Hill run led to the testing of the world's first steam railway locomotive at Penydarren in 1804. Trevithick subsequently  went on to build the 'Catch-Me-Who-Can' passenger train - the world's first fare-paying passenger railway near Gower St. in London in 1808. It was the first engine to use high pressure steam. James Watt thought that such pressures were dangerous and is said to have remarked that Trevithick deserved hanging for bringing such a thing into the world! There are no known surviving original drawings of  the 'Puffing Devil' . This live steam model is loosely based partly on sketches and partly on the Dredging Engine in the Science Museum in Kensington which was manufactured only two years later.    Model Newcomen  Engine A kit enabling you to build a fully working Live Steam model of a Newcomen Atmospheric Steam Engine that was reputably installed at Dudley in 1712 to pump out water from a coal mine.  The Engine works using the vacuum caused by the condensation of steam in the cylinder. It was the first commercial application of a Steam Engine and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. It was working on a model Newcomen Steam Engine that led James Watt to revolutionise steam engine design. Under live steam conditions, the Newcomen model is fiddly and time consuming to operate - just like the real thing! A battery driven Motorisation Kit is available as an option for convenient demonstration and display. The metalwork of the  model is  mainly brass and the woodwork is supplied pre-finished.  Fully built examples of our  Newcomen Engine are  now on display at the Science Museum, London and Kew Bridge Steam Museum, London  click here to see a video of a Model Newcomen operating in Live Steam Mode  Model Beam Engine Type S Available in kit form only, the type 'S' Beam Model Steam Engine and type 'S' Mill Model Steam Engines are designed to be powered by their own on-board Steam Plants. They feature a sliding valve - and the Beam Engine incorporates Watt's Parallel Motion. For display or demonstration, a battery driven Motorisation Kit is also available. These Engines work at low pressure (less than 1psi) and can also be driven by compressed air from an aquarium Pump (rated at 200L/hr). No machining required. A fully built example of our Beam Type S Engine is on display at  Kew Bridge Steam Museum, London.  Model Mill Engine Type S Model Beam Engine Type B The type 'B' Beam Model Steam Engine and type 'B' Mill Model Steam Engines are of the same basic design as the type 'S' models and are also designed to run under steam power but for this, they do require a Steam Plant (not supplied). They feature an on-board Electric Motor which enables the models to be easily displayed - they can also be driven by compressed air. Available in kit form only. No machining required. Model Mill Engine Type B For assembly, none of our Model Steam Engine kits require any machining. A lathe or milling machine is not required. Completion of the models mainly involves the gluing, shaping, cutting, filing and drilling of small metal parts. Copyright Sussex Steam Co. 2007