Talk:Stationary engine

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[edit] Re-organisation required

There are a number of issues with this page that need addressing in due course.

This page should concentrate on what the engine is, and how it is used. Details of 'how it works' (such as presently described under 'Farm') should be moved into the appropriate engine article linked-to from 'Types of Engine'.

'Types of engine' should be much nearer the start, if not first after the introduction. This can then provide links and summaries to the different types. I would suggest separate sub-sections for steam engines and internal combustion engines. It is questionable how much detail these should include – stationary steam engine lists a number of different types; should there be an equivalent page describing internal combustion types, or should the different steam-powered types (beam, rotatative, horizontal, vertical, etc) be mentioned here too? The two types should be treated equally, and with the same level of detail.

Having 'types of engine' near the start allows the remainder of the article to refer to specific types without further explanation.

A 'History' section (after 'Types...') can show the development regardless of power source.

'Usage' should include (in no particular order):

  • mining (pumping, winding)
  • manufacturing (eg cotton mills, engineering workshops) - eg driving line-shafts
  • railways (as mentioned previously) - include mention of use in quarries and mines
  • pumping stations
  • electricity generation
  • agriculture - mention the portable engine, essentially a stationary steam engine on wheels! (Heck, its no less applicable than the wheeled trollies described in the present 'farm' section!!)
  • anything else? (where do the engines that power Tower Bridge fit in?)

Any such re-organisation should be done in parallel with the articles describing the different engine types (especially the summary page/s), and the industries mentioned. This should avoid repeating information unnecessarily.

EdJogg 11:41, 18 January 2007 (UTC)