Engines at Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal
It was a bit difficult for me to appreciate Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal. Industrial design isn’t really my cup of tea but I do realize the importance of this place to the Dutch. The boiler room was quite impressive. The large boilers take in coal which is burned to boil water and produce steam. The steam in turn will power the engines which make the pump work. In the 1960s, they changed the fuel to oil which I think it a bit cleaner than coal. The next room is even bigger than the boiler room. This room houses the steam engines which power the pump. It was only that time that I was able to see an actual steam driven pump. The engines were housed in large enclosures reflecting the size of these machines.
Gauge of an Engine at Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal
There were a few of these engines in this room but they weren’t working either. Like the previous room, you can stay here and admire the industrial design of these machine. I must admit they look quite impressive. One touch of these machines and you feel that they would last a lifetime. Probably a far cry from the mass produced stuff which we are all very familiar with. If you drop these things on your foot, you would seriously hurt yourself. It would have been very cool to see them in action but I don’t think it is possible since they will have to pull water out when they operated the machine.
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