Following the egg-ended boiler trail

In the 1800’s, one of the more common steam boiler types found in Australian sawmills was the egg-ended boiler. This boiler type gained its name from the shape of the boiler ends as they were a hemispherical shape, similar to that of an egg.

The A&D Munro company used at least one of this type of boiler at their Argyle Mill. We know this as a report was published in the Toowoomba Chronicle and Queensland Advertiser on the 5th of August 1874, just one week before the Argyle Mill began operation, outlining the equipment installed at the mill. That report describes the boiler as being 25ft long and 5ft in diameter and having an “egg-ended” shape.

Credit: National Library of Australia

In 1897, the A&D Munro company brought their new sawmill at Palmtree on line and from that time on operations at Argyle appear to have been wound down. At the new mill, a more modern boiler was utilised for steam generation, namely a Babcock and Wilcox tubular boiler; but, as the photo below shows, they also appear to have adapted an egg-ended boiler, quite possibly one removed from the Argyle mill, to serve as part of the locomotive water filling station, i.e. the boiler vessel was serving as a water tank.

Egg-ended boiler used as water storage vessel, top right hand foreground.

Following cessation of operations, Munro’s advertised their Palmtree mill equipment for auction as per the image below. The equipment up for auction included “two eggend boilers used for water storage”.

Credit: National Library of Australia

We also see an image of one of these boilers either being hauled to the mill, or away from the mill after sale, and another image, from more recent times, showing one of these units on a Ravensbourne district farm, serving as a vessel for livestock watering.

So an interesting trail, quite likely starting at Argyle then on to Palmtree and then off to a Ravensbourne farm. Wonder where it is now?