Hands-On Rotary – Community Service Projects and Preservation

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Beside the Irlam bypass stands one of the most unusual engines ever built — a fireless steam locomotive once used in local industry. Unlike traditional steam engines, this one carried no firebox or boiler of its own. Instead, it was charged with steam from the factory’s supply, storing the pressure in its large cylindrical vessel. The design made it safe for use in areas where sparks or naked flames would have been dangerous, such as chemical works and refineries — both part of Irlam’s industrial story.

Members of the Irlam Rotary Club have taken on this community project to preserve this fascinating piece of engineering history. Over the past year, our hands-on rotary team has stripped away layers of old paint, cleared corrosion, and applied new protective coatings and primer to prevent further decay. Once the metalwork was sound, the team gave the loco a deep maroon topcoat, restoring some of the pride it must have had when it worked the sidings decades ago.

Our aim isn’t just to make it look tidy — it’s to remind people that Irlam once stood at the heart of a busy industrial railway system, and that the effort and craftsmanship of local workers are worth celebrating.