If you google the background, it sounds like there is no formal curator

The Re:Make project is a unique approach to developing a museum – encouraging visitors and volunteers to become citizen curators, designers and makers; learning new skills or applying skills they already have to support the redevelopment of Derby's Silk Mill (the site of the world’s first factory!).

Reminds me of a local paddle steamer boat here years ago that was pulled apart by enthusiastic volunteers, who promptly took a six inch angle grinder to the sliding surfaces of the valve gear on the engine. Well meaning but clueless. It may be a good thing the winding engine has gone to Wales to someone who knows what it is and particularly wants it.

If it’s gone to internal fire it’s going to a good home. There are mainly internal combustion engines but the museum is branching out into steam to keep the museum alive for visitors, when health and time allow I volunteer at the museum, it’s constantly evolving and worth a visit.

http://www.internalfire.com, hit the Facebook link and there is a short explanation of how it ended up in Wales.

This is interesting.

They claim to have a 'significant collection of stationary steam engines'.

The industrial collection is 8.5% of their objects but takes up 25% of the space, and they want to make room for contemporary collections.

You may or may not agree with various aspects of their policy, but they do say they won't get rid of things 'primarily for financial gain', and passing to another collection is the preferred disposal route (the policy on destruction is interesting and not as scary as you may imagine).

Neil

Poorly run council museums , look at Birkenhead on the Wirral , Had some of the worlds largest engineering firms located here and there is not one council run museum. The only one closed many years ago.

Looks like a trip to Internal FIre is on the cards then, i have not been there for a few years. Use to call in regular when it first opened and I could be the only one there and Paul would start up the engines just for one person.

Mike

PS it is not in North Wales

It would help if Internal Fire had better signage – I've seen their turn-off a few times, but the one time the SO and I had time for a visit we couldn't find it!

Neil

The signage is down to the local Authorities, they won’t allow a brown sign. For special events they put up there own signs but they would love a permanent one. They are in Tan y grous but then I’ve been going at least twice a year for years but still forget which end of the village they are 😁

Edited By martin perman on 17/05/2017 10:00:48