This first story is the recollection of a conversation at the Kew Steam Museum in 1979

Mr. Norman Burrows of 87 Langley Avenue, Worcester Park, Surrey spoke to Tony Cundick about his experience while working for Phelps.

Mr. Burrows started work at Phelps in 1922 and remembers seeing Consuta and helping take her up river to Taylor Bates yard. He also remembered Consuta being converted from steam at the time.

Mr Burrows said that in 1922 there were brass fittings, cupboards under the seats with a door on the front, and a lift-up back seat, red velvet buttoned seating. Possibly this was original. He also remembered that there were hoops and fittings for this but were not used.

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This second story is the recollection of a conversation at Bushnall's yard in 2002

In 2002 James Taylor who had come along to see Consuta after restoration told Brian Smith that he remembered visiting Tom Taylors yard at Staines in 1957 with his father also called James. He saw the Desvignes steam engine now fitted in Consuta being used to drive some bending rolls at the boat yard. They were rolling up steel plate to make the drums for concrete delivery lorries.

James's father asked Tom "where had the steam engine come from?" and was told "this is the engine that you helped remove from Consuta in 1923"

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Further Facts

The Desvignes engine in Consuta was purchased by Graham Lindsay from the Staines boatyard of Tom Taylor in 1975 when it was closing down.  There is no1st source evidence that the engine in Consuta is the original but these two accounts make it almost certain the the steam engine fitted now is the original.

We are not sure about the date of this photo which is the engine now fitted in Consuta.

The two pipes, steam and exhaust both have coupling flanges for the pipe connections.

However when purchased in 1975 the steam flange had been replaced with a brazed BSP screw coupling. This was removed and a new flange fitted to the original pipe.