In the summer of 2009 a small group of SHRA volunteers and local business people raced against the wrecking ball, fought nearly 40 years of corrosion and rust and successfully rescued a Corliss steam engine. Manufactured by the St. Louis Ice and Cold Machine Company in 1911 the engine was located in the former Swift & Company pork processing plant in the former Sioux City Stockyards. This particular steam engine was installed to operate one of three ammonia compressors that were used to refrigerate this 5 story packing plant when the building was built in 1917.
What is a Corliss Steam Engine? This style of steam engine was named after it's inventor American engineer George Henry Corliss. Receiving it's first U.S. Patent in July of 1859, the Corliss steam engine revolutionized the way industry powered their machines. The Corliss engine was 30% more efficient then previous steam engines which made them more cost effective and allowed industrial plants to move away from water wheel power of the rivers and streams into the downtown areas of cities making it easier for workers to live nearby. Their use lasted into the mid 1900's when the even more efficient electric motors came on the scene. The Corliss engines supplied the power to turn huge flywheels (usually at about 100 rpm) which provided the power and inertia to operate items such as drive generators, line shafts, pumps and compressors.
The Corliss we rescued although small for a Corliss (the world record being a 7 story tall giant) has a 12 foot flywheel that weighs in at 24,000 pounds. The other cast iron components for the cylinders, drive shafts, pistons, crossheads, etc... bring the total weight to around 65,000 pounds.
We intend to fully restore this engine to operational status for the enjoyment of our visitors so they can feel, smell and see the artistry of steam in motion on this early 1900's work horse.
Below are some pictures of the rescue and some original pictures of it operating in its heyday at the bottom of the Swift plant. Please use the link on our home page to go to our You Tube page for a couple very nice videos of the rescue effort.
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