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Big Bertha Steam Engine
Big Bertha is a triple expansion piston steam engine. The first cylinder has 33” diameter and 5.5
foot stroke. As the steam expands it goes to a cylinder that is 66” in diameter with a 5.5 foot stroke and then to a cylinder with a 98” diameter and a 5.5 ft. stroke. It has two 20 foot diameter flywheels and
operated piston pumps that send water up to the Sigsbee reservoir on 26th Street. It made 600 HP at 50 RPM. Operating something like this was fairly
labor intensive.
Big Bertha was retired from service in 1951 and pumping duty is now done by several far more
powerful electric motors and centrifugal pumps.