Hi from Mablethorpe

I have joined the forum as my partner would like a stationary engine for Christmas. Neither of us know anything about them but both have been to steam rallies this year and enjoyed looking at them.
We have been looking on sales sites but no idea what is good or bad. Ideally my partner would like something that is a project that he can build and be proud to take to rallies in the future.
Any pointers, suggestions, items for sale with details would be great

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I would say that a Lister D is the most popular 'proper' stationary engine for beginners, parts and info are easily available. Below that you have the various JAP/Villiers air cooled engines which are of course easier to transport and store.

It may be worth starting with a scruffy running engine that need cosmetic work to get the 'feel' for engines before doing a full restoration. I would recomend a subscription to 'Stationary Engine' magazine as well.

Good luck!

I'd second the Lister D option. They are quite simple machines in engineering terms and most can be made to run beautifully with a bit of care. They do however weigh a fair bit and transport needs to be considered if rallying is your goal. Lifting one in and out of a car boot is really a no no, so a small trailer or van with a set of suitable ramps would be needed (assuming the engine is on a trolley).

Hi and a very warm welcome to the forum.
I started with a Villiers MK10 and have restored several since. Light weight and easy to work on. Parts are reasonably easy to find, both new and used. The usual problem is the magneto coil but new ones are available - Taiwanese copies are cheaper than the real thing but work fine.
As per previous post, Lister D seems are very popular choice for first project.

Welcome aboard.

As above, the Lister D is a popular starter engine with plenty of spares and info about, another one to consider is the Petter A1, you will need to consider handling and transport as they can weigh 100kg+

You can start a bit smaller with Villiers, JAP, BSA, Suffolk etc which are a lot lighter to move and still have decent spares availability.

**WARNING** once you have one engine you will want/need another and will soon need a bigger shed to house the growing collection

Welcome

Welcome!

   I have happy memories of holidays in Mablethorpe in the early 60's. It had a railway station then.

   Good luck with the search.

https://ukengineforum.forumotion.com/t9847-villiers-mk-12-i-think#72537

Maybe a bit of a long haul up to the north east

This looks tidy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163938574400

This might be a possibility for a complete beginners set up with pump and trailer.
Be sure to ask about the condition of the trailer though !!
Located Bridlington, a couple of hours from you.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lister-d-stationary-engine/254417196331?hash=item3b3c72552b:g:VOwAAOSwy6ddrLcD

It's been for sale for some time, it's a little overpriced, but you could always ask the seller if he'd take less than the starting price.