Anderson Oil Engines Serial numbers, register and background.

Anderson Register

A point of reference for anything you need to know about the history or restoration of Anderson Oil Engines is:

John Thorby
Andersonia
120 Omoto Valley Rd
Kaiata
Greymouth

John maintains a register of Anderson still in existence and would welcome any serial numbers.  These can be posted to him or forward them onto me and I will pass them on.
John is also a great source of knowledge and information in restoring your Anderson engine.  Please write to him and include a stamped addressed envelope for the reply.

If you are ever visiting the West Coast on the South Island of New Zealand  then make time to visit John collection just out of Greymouth.

There is also a book on Anderson Oil Engines which will help any restoration as well as identification of the different models.  This is by Brian Batchelor (probably on Trade Me or Google it).  I have attached at the foot of the page the serial number list out of the book.  This will help you date your engine.

Background on Andersons Ltd.

Andersons Ltd was founded by John Anderson (b 1820) when he erected his first forge on a site at ‘The Bricks’ in Oxford Terrace. The business then moved to Cashel Street, and in 1857 Anderson imported Canterbury’s first steam boiler engine.
Anderson gathered around him skilled tradesmen from Scotland and began to train his two elder sons as his successors. In the 1860s- 1870s boiling down vats, station wool presses, flax machinery, steam engines and boilers were built.
From the turn of the century, the firm’s work ranged from specialised manufacture to major contract work. The oil engine founded the firm’s modern manufacturing business. Around 1948 a new factory opened in Christchurch. Trading ceased in the early 1980s.

©Canterbury Museum