Starting a 130 Year Old Oil Engine

🔥 Before diesel engines powered farms around the world, this machine changed agriculture forever. Built over 130 years ago, the remarkable Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine became the world’s first commercially successful heavy-oil internal combustion engine — laying the foundations for the diesel engines we rely on today. Long before modern tractors, combines and agricultural machinery, Herbert Akroyd Stuart’s revolutionary design was proving that heavy oils could be used to generate reliable mechanical power. Built by Richard Hornsby & Sons of Grantham, these engines helped usher in a new era of farming and industry. Unlike modern engines, there were no spark plugs, fuel injection systems or electronics. Instead, operators heated the famous “hot bulb” vaporiser using a blowlamp before the engine could be started on paraffin or kerosene. This groundbreaking technology would later influence some of the world’s earliest oil-powered tractors and agricultural machines, helping transform farming forever. It’s not often you get the chance to stand next to a running piece of engineering history. Filmed at Tractor Fest 2026. 👍 Like the video 💬 Leave a comment 🔔 Subscribe for more vintage machinery, tractors, engines and engineering history. 📺 Watch the full playlist:    • 🔥 Engines & Steam Power   📸 Follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com/around_the_bend_and_up_yonder #HornsbyAkroyd #TractorFest #oilengine #stationaryengine #EngineeringHistory