Restoring an long-neglected Lister A type engine

Gary Thorne tells the story of the restoration of a Lister A type engine that had been sitting unused and unloved for more than 60 years.

I acquired this 3½hp Lister A type engine, serial number 270218, in early 2023; and an article of its addition to my engine collection appeared in the August 2023 issue of Stationary Engine. This engine was bought at a local online farm clearance sale for $450 AU, plus $67.50c of buyer’s premium and sales tax.

The engine, which was in a very sorry state, was purchased by the Fredrick family of Gowangardie, approximately 30km from my home in Shepparton, northern Victoria, Australia, and installed to run the line-shaft in a shearing shed. It was subsequently removed in the 1950s or early ’60s, when the property was connected to mains electrical power. It was then simply dragged out and put under a home-made tin cover, where it remained undisturbed until May 2023, when it was included in the clearance sale.

Having loaded the engine onto a trailer, my father, Frank, and I headed for home. On the way we stopped at a local car wash and removed all of the cobwebs, spiders and hardened oil that was caked on just about every external part of the engine. We arrived home with an engine that at least looked presentable. I must admit that the engine did jump the queue of restoration projects; there are about 60 on the list at the moment (I’m sure that we are all guilty of this at some or other stage!).

On close inspection it was discovered that the engine was in a remarkably good mechanical condition. Having said that, there were a few items that needed addressing. The base had been broken at some point, possibly when it had been removed from the shearing shed. The exhaust valve was seized in its guide; it had to be cut out and replacements fitted.

I was pleased to find that the piston and piston rings were like new, so I’m guessing that it had only run a few days a year, at shearing time. The fuel pump was also in good order and only required cleaning and some new gland packing. New gaskets were fitted throughout. When it came to the magneto, this was cleaned and serviced, after which it gave a good strong spark. A new lead was fitted to complete the electrics.

The original base was broken, as mentioned earlier, and left me stumped as it only had ‘OE 267’ stamped on it; from what I could find I think it may have come from ‘Yorks Garage’ rather than the Dursley factory; I am still trying to confirm this, so If you have any information on the subject, I would like to hear from you.

Externally there was more original paint than I had thought, so the engine was cleaned again and treated with two coats of linseed oil, then mounted on a trolley which I happened to have for such a restoration.

A number of photographs and videos have been sent to the Fredrick family to show them the various stages of the restoration and, finally, the engine running; they were amazed to see it back in running order. Since than, on the 9th and 10th of September last year, I took the Lister to its first rally, at Wedderburn, in Victoria. I look forward to taking this engine to many more rallies in the future.

I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to Doreen Edgington, Mario and Eugene Caladro, Rob Johnson and Robin Grogan for all of their help and encouragement during this project.

This feature comes from the latest issue of Stationary Engine, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE