Stationary Engines

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The Enfield Cycle Co Ltd. were pioneers among manufactures of the small petrol engine, building an air cooled horizontally opposed twin cylinder model of 250 cc making 5 bhp at 3000 rpm. These engines, built under an MoD contract for the Army and Air Force, were usually supplied coupled to a generator. No specific generator was supplied but each engine came with a number of rubber couplings allowing the set to be used with any generator readily available.

War work is covered in a commemorative book which the Enfield Cycle Co. produced after the hostilities. It shows that as well as the bicycles, motorcycles and stationary engines, a lot of work went into making ammunition as well as gun sights, specialised cams, and auxiliary equipment for anti-aircraft guns.

By the late 1940s they were producing high speed air cooled diesel engines in single verticle and twin cylinder horizontal forms from 3 1/2 to 15 bhp.

Whilst cast iron was used for the cylinder liners, the cylinders and cylinder heads were of aluminium. C.A.V. injection equipment with a single hole injector was used.

A number of the horizontally opposed twin cylinder engines were supplied for marine use coupled to a Parsons 2 to 1 reverse reduction gearbox.

Some of these sturdy engines are still giving good service today, many years after production ceased.

The stationary engines were sold by Enfield Industrial Engines Ltd. and when the E & H P Smith group sold off the company, Enfield Industrial Engines moved to the Isle of Wight in 1967, under the control of a Greek millionaire. There they made S and Z-Drive units for in-board boat engines until at least 1981 and maybe later.