MAN Energy Solutions/Paxman
For some reason, this place has managed to slip under a lot of radars following closure a few years back.
Eventually, demolition had begun I decided to take a quick peek on a weekend where, like usual nowadays, all potential plans has dissolved in the days prior.
For some reason, this place has managed to slip under a lot of radars following closure a few years back.
Eventually, demolition had begun I decided to take a quick peek on a weekend where, like usual nowadays, all potential plans has dissolved in the days prior.
History
For further reading and sources, see the links below:
Paxman History Pages - Paxman Diesel Engines Since 1934
Paxman History - History and details of Paxman's high and medium speed diesel engines since 1934
www.paxmanhistory.org.uk
Paxman, initially known as "Davey, Paxman and Davey Engineers", is one of the most notable engine manufacturing firms in the UK. Their designs are best traced to numerous BR-era locomotives such as the High Speed Train and Class 56s, as well as serval naval vessels including the Invincible class. The company would become the sub-brand of numerous engineering firms through its life and into the 21st century.
Early years.
Starting out in 1865, in Colchester, the company was formed by James Paxman and Charles Davey as a general engineering firm for producing mechanical machinery components and steam powered engines. By 1898 the firm had formed into a Private limited company and undertook the manufacturing for specialist equipment in areas such as mining. The company would become part of the Agricultural & General Engineers holding company in 1920, the AGE would act as an investment and management firm to the companies under it, before it collapsed in 1932 under financial struggles and saw Paxman reformed as an individual company with Edward Paxman as the Technical Director.
Edward Paxman, son of the founder James Paxman, had joined the firm in 1926 as chief engineer. His pervious experience in the Blackstone & Co. firm, later Mirrlees Blackstone, had already sparked a passion for oil-fuelled compression engines which he carried into the Paxton firm. His ideas were to develop a high-speed compression engine which was far lighter and more compact than currently available examples. The company would eventually market the first production high-speed engine in 1934, known as the "RQ" with a 1500rpm speed, notably used in power generation for WW2 search lights.
1940 would see Ruston take a large controlling-share in the Paxman company forming Ruston-Paxman. The Ruston & Hornsby firm was formed in 1918 after the two companies merged. Prior to this merger, Ruston had been a manufacturer of railway locomotives and Hornsby a manufacturer of Heavy-Oil and later Diesel engines.
Throughout the War period, Paxman would be the provider for powerplants in numerous Naval vessels as well as other wartime machinery. Their modified RXS engine, the 6RXS, would become the source of propulsion for the British V and U Class submarines.
During 1940, following the Battle of Dunkirk and the urgent evacuation of the allied forces, Edward Paxman was tasked with undertaking the design and manufacturing of a large fleet of marine engines in preparation for a future beach assault. Having chosen to modify the recently developed TP12 engine (a high speed V12 engine) and being leased the former Britannia Engineering works, the Paxman company was able to produce over 3,500 of the TP12 engines by the end of the war.
Later years
Moving forward to the 1960's, Ruston-Paxman would be acquired into English-Electric forming the sub-brand of English Electric Diesel Engines with the Paxman name still continuing to operate under their own division. By 1968, only two years on from EE's purchase, English Electric would be taken over by the General Electric Company (Not to be confused with the US-based GE). GEC would rename their engine subdivision to GEC Diesels and then later Paxman Diesels.
One of the most notable engines would begin development in 1965 utilising the design of their previous YJ "Ventura" powerplant. The Ventura had been designed to allow Paxman to keep with the international completion for rail and marine engines and would eventually become their flagship engine. The Y3J, later dubbed the RP200 or "Valenta", would be a follow up to this project allow for higher power outputs and easier manufacturing. The Valenta would enter service with the Royal Navy and later, and most memorably, British Rail's High Speed Train in the 1970's.
The later 1980's saw GEC, along with Paxman and Ruston and Mirrlees, bought under the control of Alstom's GCE division. This resulted in the creation GEC Alstom Paxman Diesels later becoming Alstom Engines Limited or AEL. By 2000 Alstom Engines would be bought by MAN Burmeister & Wain.
In 2020 MAN Energy would propose a restructuring plan, under the threat of sale from the Volkswagen group if MAN were not able to meet set targets by late 2024. The plan proposed around 2,600 redundancies which lead to Paxman and the facility in Colchester being the first closure consideration.
In 2021 Paxman would close, ending a 155 year operating history and 144 year history at the Hythe Hill facility.
The visit.
With Mockney discovering that the former plant was now beginning to fall it made sense to plan a visit before it was really too late. Annoyingly, everyone was busy with these things called "social lives" and other commitments. This left myself twiddling my thumbs on an evermore regular night-to-day shift transition day and it made sense to burn off some fuel by driving around East-Anglia.
Having swung by Ipswich to check a lead, I quickly bailed, and continued to Colchester as the rain continued to hammer down.
Having taken a few precautionary wanders around some of the site, I gave up being patient and hurled myself over the Palisade fencing without any consideration of how to get out. The facility by this point was in a less than ideal state with the main production hall now in tatters. Despite this, the testing house was another story.
The testing house, as I'd later find out when talking to an Ex-Engineer from the site who'd been there since the 60's, was built in 1976 and would have supported the final production stage of many later Paxman designs. My initial feelings were low as I walked into this mess.
Then it got a lot better.
The engine test hall was surpisingly more vast than expected. The empty space above would accommodate the crane hauling powerplants in and out of the individual "test cells" from the factory halls.
The whole structure had a very turbine hall feel.
The crane hook was also rather beefy.
Back on the ground and into the darkened world of the testing cells.
The control desks were a mix of designs which had all seen differing stages of modernisation.
This wheelie bin caused me some grief, I'll spare the details.
The actual cells were still holding on.
Another overview of the hall.
With the rain worsening, it made sense to get going.
Anyway, that'll be all.
KP_
KP_
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