"A" Station Turbine Hall
No.3 Turbo-Alternator
An empty space where the No.3 Turbo-Alternator was once installed
The No.3 Turbo-Alternator, built by Willans and Robinson of Rugby, UK, was commissioned in 1916. After decades of service, it was relocated to the SECWA Museum at 12 Parry Street, Fremantle — a former substation built in 1933 that later became home to Western Australia’s energy heritage collection. The museum closed in 2009.
Today, the No.3 Turbo-Alternator can be seen on public display at the Power Up Electricity Museum in Manjimup, where it continues to showcase the state’s early power generation history.
No.7 TA Turbine Gauge Board
A clean version of the No.7 Turbine Gauge Board
No.5 Multijector Air Pump
The Mirrlees Steam Multijector Air Pump—also known as the Mirrlees Two-Stage Ejector Air Pump—was built by Mirrlees Watson Co Ltd in Glasgow, Scotland. It was supplied to a company based in Newcastle-on-Tyne, most likely C.A. Parsons, well known for manufacturing steam turbines.
Installed in 1928, this air pump was used alongside Turbo-Alternator No.5. Its purpose was to help the turbine run more efficiently by removing small amounts of air that leaked into the steam system. If this air wasn’t taken out, it would reduce the vacuum inside the system, making the turbine less effective.
To improve energy efficiency, the hot steam coming from the air pump wasn’t wasted. Instead, it passed through a heat exchanger, where it was cooled using warm water from another part of the system. This allowed some of the heat to be reused, saving energy overall.
The steam valve connected to the system was manufactured by W. H. Bailey & Co. Ltd—a company originally founded in 1865 as John Bailey & Co. Over the years, it changed names and ownership, eventually becoming W. H. Bailey & Co. Ltd. Despite several mergers, the name remained in use until 1978.
A second steam jet air ejector, similar in design, is currently located in the Boiler House Extension. It sits among a large collection of equipment that was relocated from the former Bunbury Power Station.
