Lister type A stationary engine restoration

Gary Thorne recounts the restoration of his Lister type A stationary engine which had sat, unused and neglected, 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 magazine. 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 30 kilometres from my home in Shepparton, in northern Victoria, Australia, and installed to run the line-shaft in a shearing shed. It was subsequently removed during the 1950s or early 1960s, when the property was connected to a mains electricity supply. 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.

My father, Frank, and I, having loaded the engine onto the trailer, headed for home but, on the way, we stopped at a local car wash and removed all of the cobwebs, spiders and hardened oil deposits that were caked on to 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 I have; there are about 60 on the list at the moment (I’m sure that we’re all guilty of this at some stage or other!).

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, so had to be cut out so that replacement parts could be fitted. I was pleased to find that the piston and piston rings were like new, so I’m guessing that it had only been run for a few days every year, at sheep 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 was found to produce a good, strong spark. A new lead was fitted to complete the electrics.

As I mentioned earlier, the original base was broken, 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’m still trying to confirm this, so if anyone has any information on the subject, I’d be extremely pleased to hear about it.

Externally, there was more original paint left on the engine than I had originally thought, so it 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 now I’m delighted to report that the engine is running; they were amazed to see it operating once again. I took the Lister to its first rally, at Wedderburn, in Victoria (on September 9th-10th), and am certainly looking forward to attending many more similar events with it in the future.

Finally I’d like acknowledge my sincere gratitude and thanks to Doreen Edgington, Mario and Eugene Caladro, Rob Johnson and Robin Grogan, for the help and encouragement they all provided on 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