While going back thru the Key archives I found a 2008 post asking a similar question about how many of the 57,000+ Hercules engines still survive, but no one seems to have ever been able to determine that figure.
Has anyone got even a rough guesstimate? I’ve been curious as during some of my rummaging in the Australian National Archives I found reference to over 150 leftover power eggs after the war that resided at DAP in Melbourne (where the Australian Beaufighter amongst others were built), and was able to trace them as far as 1947 when they were moved into storage further north. Have not ever found any indication they were then struck off and disposed of.
Now don’t get excited thinking there are buried Hercules engines about 😉 I highly doubt it indeed (be great though!) as I suspect they ended up probably at Tocuwmal and went to RH Grant who were the main scrappers, along with Hughes….
Just curious more than anything. The Moorabbin Air Museum has four or five for memory (two in the Beau) but not been down to look at them and see which variant.
By: millsie216 - 21st August 2014 at 20:48
Bristol Herules 216
Hi i have a Bristol Hercules 216 which i have restored to running order and have just started to restore a Centaurus.
By: Wyvernfan - 24th April 2013 at 20:15
Thanks for clarifying it to be a Centaurus.
Interesting picture of the centaurus, I have seen that one before but can’t remember any of the details from the time. Where is/was that centaurus? Tempest perhaps?
Yes i photographed it at Barry Parkhouse yard a couple of years ago. Not sure what it was from, but top left of the pic is also a Typhoon or Tempest fuselage frame.
Rob
By: VARSITY - 24th April 2013 at 19:02
Was this taken at the store of Barry Parhouse , is that a Mitchell in the back ground.
By: Creaking Door - 24th April 2013 at 18:57
Hercules or Centaurus?
Centaurus…..because the sleeve drive-gears are all at the front on a Hercules. 😉
By: Alan Clark - 24th April 2013 at 18:55
There are at least a couple of others missing from the BAPC list, the MoSI in Manchester have a sectioned Hercules, not sure which Mk. I think it is a later version.
By: TwinOtter23 - 24th April 2013 at 18:01
For the sake of clarity, the 2003 BAPC list that have referred to in this thread recorded:
“Aero-Engines Exhibited & Stored in the United Kingdom & Ireland”
I’m not sure why the IWM Hastings engines were not listed! :confused:
By: garryrussell - 24th April 2013 at 17:41
The Freighter suffered two issues when they were trying to keep it gong as long as possible’
First it was gearboxes, that was cured by an adaption that enabled Varsity boxes to fit. Finally it was a shortage of propellers with sufficient life.
The engine itself seemed to be able to go on for quite some time.
The Noratlas used license built versions of the Hercules.
By: aeropark - 24th April 2013 at 17:29
Ive got 5 , i unused 1 with 200 hrs inhibited ex WL676 1 seized exWF376 and 2 on my Varsity WL626 which would run acccept they are too noisy for the locals.
Two vids showing his varsity been run on the Aeroparks old site… Good old days
By: VARSITY - 24th April 2013 at 16:44
There must be at least 16 Hercules fitted to Hastings ie Cosford Duxford Newark and Gatow. Also TAC had one which we had on loan ex Cardiff museum which was returned in the late 1990s. There was a Hercules 264 at Lasham which went to Barry Parkhouse i presume. What happened to the 2 x 264’s on ebay ex Bristol and Varsity WF410, there was a nice Varsity one at Misson ex Finningley in the 1980’s in a shed along with about 12 Gipsy Queens ex Devons.
By: TwinOtter23 - 24th April 2013 at 15:39
One question I’ve often wondered is how many per 100 series Hercules engines still exist? There are plenty of surviving late model engines around but these are quite different beasts to the pre 100 series engines.
Anne.
According to the 2003 list re Hercules 100 series:
100 – 3
106 – 1 + 8 in Hastings aircraft
130 – 1
Some earlier Mks were also noted!
By: DaveR - 24th April 2013 at 13:55
Interesting picture of the centaurus, I have seen that one before but can’t remember any of the details from the time. Where is/was that centaurus? Tempest perhaps?
By: Scouse - 24th April 2013 at 12:32
The Bristol Hercules…..the greatest engine never to be flown in a single-engined aircraft!.
I asked about this a while ago and was quickly disabused! Strictly speaking the Hercules never saw a production single-engined application, but there were the two Northrop test beds used by Bristol (a Gamma and an A-17) and also the Folland Fo108 all-purpose test beds which used a single Hercules to get them from A to B with a minimum of fuss when they didn’t have something exotic at the front end.
– – – Updated – – –
Hercules or Centaurus?
Rob
Centaurus, I’m pretty sure. Four cylinder apertures visible on the front row – the spacing is for a nine-cylinder row, rather than the seven of a Hercules.
By: Wyvernfan - 24th April 2013 at 11:20
Hercules or Centaurus?
Rob
By: Denys Jones - 24th April 2013 at 09:49
We have two at Ferrymead out of one of the RNZAF Hastings plus we have quite a stock of parts left over from SAFE Air’s disposal of their stocks from Bristol Freighters (however we sold the bulk of what we had to the Fighter Collection for their Beaufighter project some years back).
There are several Freighters around NZ each with a couple on board as well.
By: VARSITY - 24th April 2013 at 09:38
There was an early one ex Wellington at Eden camp.
By: Bellarine - 24th April 2013 at 08:54
I stand corrected – Moorabbin Museum has six engines….
By: Creaking Door - 24th April 2013 at 08:47
The Hendon Wellington (two), the Canadian Halifax (four), (six?) Bristol Beaufighters (twelve).
There are sectioned Hercules engines at Coventry and Newark, there must be more, and a complete engine at Duxford.
By: anneorac - 24th April 2013 at 08:32
One question I’ve often wondered is how many per 100 series Hercules engines still exist? There are plenty of surviving late model engines around but these are quite different beasts to the pre 100 series engines.
Anne.
By: Andy Wright - 23rd April 2013 at 22:58
A couple running on the taxiable Kiwi Bristol Freighter and the chap who got those going has a trailer-mounted example that goes too.
If several were flying there would certainly be a small industry of new/rebuilt components to support them. The lack of flying/flyable airframes hamstrings the Hercules. We’d all love to see Varsitys, Freighters and Noratlas’ etc flying but perhaps our only chance is a Beaufighter … and that might be the only ‘popular’ Hercules-powered type that returns to the air.
By: TwinOtter23 - 23rd April 2013 at 22:56
Having got the grey-cells working properly I’ve just opened up my copy of the Issue 1 of the BAPC Aero-Engine List, which was issued in 2003.
Under the Bristol listing Hercules engines were listed and noted with serial numbers at 47 sites in the UK (some had multiple entries e.g. NAM’s Hastings etc.); in addition there were 11 unidentified engines noted!
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April 23, 2013 at 12:55 pm