Steam Engine Carels-Van den Kerckhove

The protected steam engine dates back to 1936. It is the largest steam engine still preserved in Belgium. It is the seventh and largest steam engine used by the town of Izegem . The machine was built in Gent in the Workshops Carels-Van den Kerckhove, the electric part at ACEC. 

With this steam engine one produced electricity for the industry and the households of Izegem. The notice board "town electricity " still refers to the town electricity company which started in 1901 and which was one of the first in Belgium. At that time, two smaller steam engines produced electricity for the lighting of the streets in the center, for 15 houses and an engine. 

There are two cylinders (tandem) assembled one after the other; a cylinder with high pressure (12 kg/cm 2) and a cylinder with low pressure (5 kg/cm 2); the cylinder with low pressure uses the steam of the cylinder with high pressure (compound). The generator or dynamo produces D.C. current for the oldest part of city (ACEC 575 kW  – 230 V  – 2500 A).
The alternator produces AC current with electromagnets assembled in the wheel (ACEC 600 kVa  – 10 kV  – 34,6 A ster). The AC current was used in the suburbs (this already since 1923 with a former steam engine). 

High voltage had been used since 1950 and henceforth the steam engines were only used during peak hours. One definitively stopped them in 1966.