Colin Tyler's passion for vintage engines began at 17 with his first purchase of a 1912 Lister N engine from England.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Colin Tyler's passion for vintage engines spans decades, beginning when he was just 17 years old with the purchase of his first engine, a 1912 Lister N on an original trolley from England.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
“I used to hook it up to a saw bench and chop firewood with it when I first got it because I was only young and mum and dad had a wood fire,” Colin said, who serves as treasurer for both the Echuca Vintage Machinery Club Inc. and the Echuca Moama Steam Preservation Society Inc.
His collection has grown significantly over the years.
“I've got 12 Listers, some going, some not and now that I'm retired, I am going to finish them off,” he says.
“Some of them were off shearing plants, but most of them, I haven't got a clue what they were doing.”
Colin's collection includes several notable pieces, including a BW Bartram engine he purchased about eight years ago, which he's currently setting up as a portable milking machine for display.
“The first milker I have, which is a Sunshine, is from about 1935 and the Bartram, the milking plant that I have got is from about 1945,” he said.
His interest in engines stems from his professional background as a maintenance fitter.
“I've maintained and reconditioned them all, pulled them apart, repaired them, put them back together, painted them and used them on display,” Colin said.
The story of his first engine purchase is particularly memorable.
“When I was probably 10, mum and dad moved off the farm into town, they had a dairy farm and Mum bought a house cow with her and stuck it at a friend's place on the outskirts of town,” he said.
“I spotted this engine there and when I got a bit older, I had a job, had a little bit of money, I got the courage to walk in and buy it.
“That's how I started, I saw it and thought ‘That looks good’ and I tried to buy it, which I did, and I’ve been collecting the odd one here and there ever since.”
At this year's Steam Revival, as treasurer of the event, Colin will find himself stuck in the office all weekend, leaving the display of the two engines he is bringing along to others.
The two engines he will be bringing include a Lister D, a 1.5 horsepower petrol engine, and a Lister Junior, a three horsepower engine running a very old LKG vacuum pump.
Maintaining and restoring vintage engines is not the only vintage display in which Colin is involved.
You will also find him regularly volunteering at the Port of Echuca, where he operates the steam-driven mill.
Apart from vintage engines, Colin also volunteers at Port of Echuca, operating the steam-driven mill.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
