Blackstone was a farm implement maker. In 1896 they built lamp start oil engines. By 1912 they had developed a new diesel engine that ran on vaporized oil and was fired by a spark. It did not need a hot bulb like most engines of the time.
By 1919 they had mounted a 25 hp 3 cylinder version in a crawler tractor, which they built till 1925. Garrett assembled some of these tractors. They were similar to an International 15-30.
By 1929 they were building diesel engines for the AGE group.
AGE collapsed in the 1930s, but Blackstone continued as an engine builder and was taken over by Lister in 1937. were they continued to build Agricultural machinery as well as Engines. The firm was then branded as Lister Blackstone.
Lister Blackstone was acquired by the Hawker Siddeley Group on 1 June 1965 and merged with Mirrlees National of Stockport in 1969. The company name was then became Mirrlees Blackstone Ltd.
The Brand was carried on for many years, and used on Large industrial engines. The Firm became Mirrlees Blackstone as part of BTR, before being sold to Alstom. The firm was then taken over again this time by MAN B&W and absorbed into MAN B&W in the 1990s, with the production facilities closed down in the UK.
Model range[]
Agricultural machinery[]
- Corn mill
- Blackstone No.9 Haymaker - RASE award winner (Taunton)
- Blackstone Hay Rake
- Blackstone Hay Turner
- Hay rake
- Fertilizer spreaders
- Patent Blackstone No. 20 Swath turner - Award winning design in 1907
- Potato spinner (Digger)
Engines[]
- Generator set engines.
- Marine engines
- Stationary Engines
Engines[]
- Engine list based on date at the Blackstone History pages. (to be linked up to the many photos of engines from shows - were the type is known).
Type | Description | Period | Power Range | Fuel Type | example (Image) | Misc info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blackstone 'Lamp' engine | Horizontal, Overhung Cylinder, Lamp | 1896–1902 | 1-1/2 to 20 bhp | Kerosene Oil | - | - |
Blackstone Standard RS engine and Blackstone TS engines | Horizontal, Overhung Cylinder, Auto Vapouriser | 1902–1919 | 2 to 75 bhp | Kerosene Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type RW engine High-Speed & HW | Horizontal, O/Hung Cylinder, Auto Vapouriser plus Vapouriser Water Drip | 1912–1919 | 2-1/2 to 50 bhp | Kerosene Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type VI engine VO | Vertical, Auto Vapouriser and Water Drip | 1910–1915 | 1-1/2 to 5 bhp | Kerosene Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type CC engine & TC | Horizontal, O/Hung Cylinder, Dual Spray Box, Hot Bulb | 1908–1912 | 15 to 140 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone Marine engine | Vertical, Hot Bulb, Multi-Cylinder | 1911–1916 | 60 - 120 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type CG engines | Horizontal, Girder Bed, Hot Bulb, Dual Spray Box | 1913–1924 | 9 to 140 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone Type SFC engine | Horizontal, Girder Bed, LT Magneto Ignition | 1914–1923 | 3 to 50 bhp | Kerosene Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type 3VJ engine & Blackstone type 3VN engines | Vertical, LT Magneto Ignition | 1915–1923 | 25 to 30 bhp | Kerosene Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type AV engine | Horizontal, Girder Bed, Auto Vapouriser & Water Drip | 1919–1927 | 4 to 40 bhp | Kerosene Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type SI engine | Horizontal, Girder Bed, Spring Injection | 1924–1942 | 6 to 900 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type LSI engine | Horizontal, Girder Bed, Spring Injection, Low Compression, Fuse Start | 1926–1942 | 8 to 55 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type SK engine & LSK | Horizontal, Girder Bed, Spring Injection, High Speed | 1930–1942 | 6 to 900 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type HSI engine | Horizontal, (Hopper Cooled version of SI) | 1926 to 1936 | 6 to 20 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type BPV engine | Vertical High Speed version of SI. CCC or Bosch Injection | 1927–1931 | 20 to 60 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
Blackstone type BPV engine | Vertical High Speed version of SI. CCC or Bosch Inj. + Pressure fed Br'gs | 1931–1939 | 10 to 60 bhp | Distillate Fuel | - | - |
Blackstone type OPV engine | Vertical High Speed, Bosch Injection, Pressure fed Bearings | 1935–1938 | 15 to 30 bhp | Distillate Oil | - | - |
Blackstone Side Valve engine | Vertical Petrol | 1922 | 5 bhp | Petrol | - | - |
Blackstone Overhead Valve engines | Vertical Petrol | 1923–1935 | 2-1/2 to 7 bhp | Petrol | - | - |
Blackstone Overhead Valve engine | Vertical Petrol/Kerosene | 1923–1935 | 2-1/4 to 6 bhp | Petrol/Kerosene | - | - |
Blackstone Box Type engine | Vertical Box Type | 1931–1936 | 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 bhp | Petrol | - | - |
Blackstone Fuel Oil engine | Petrol Engine adapted to run on Fuel Oil | 1931–1936 | 5 to 7 bhp | Distillate Oil | - | - |
Blackstone DB type engine | Vertical, Bosch Injection | 1935 on | 3 to 12 bhp | Distillate Oil | - | - |
Blackstone EPV type engine | Vertical, Enclosed, CCC or Bosch Injection | 1933 on | 80 to 320 bhp | Residual Oil | - | - |
J, N, OPH | Horizontal Enclosed, Bosch Injection, Hopper Cooled | 1936 on | 10 to 22 bhp | Residual / Distillate Oil | - | - |
J, N, OP | Horizontal, Totally Enclosed, Bosch Injection | 1936 on | 10 to 22 bhp | Resid / Dist Oil | - | - |
Blackstone R type engine & Blackstone SP type engine | Horizontal, Totally Enclosed, Bosch Injection | 1938 on | 26 to 50 bhp | Resid / Dist Oil | - | - |
Blackstone CPV type engine | Vertical Enclosed, CAV Injection | 1943 on | 80 to 120 bhp | Residual / Distillate Oil | - | - |
model | type | date | power | fuel | image | misc notes |
Preservation[]
- A Number of restored Blackstone engines appear at steam rallies and related events as well as Stationary engine club events around the UK and also fature in museum collections.
- A large number are also in Australia & New Zealand collections were a large number were exported to.
- Several example appear in the Anson Engine Museum collection, nr. Manchester England.
See also[]
Reference / sources[]
- Classic Tractors of the World by Nick Baldwin
- Stationary Engine Magazine
External links[]
- Official Blacstone engine pages - History & S/n data