The Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum has recently increased its collection with two trailer loads of stationary engines donated by father and son Ron and Peter Hargest, of Gore.The father-son pair are descendants of the farmer, soldier and parliamentarian James Hargest.

Stationary engines were once common in the era before electricity had become widespread. 

The donated engines have been collected from farms in Southland and Otago, and include portable shearing machines and brands such as Lister, Cooper, Mogul and Wolseley. They would have been used in woolsheds and generating plants in days gone by.

Peter Hargest said that he and his late brother-in-law, Peter Thompson, started collecting and restoring stationary engines in the late 1980s and early 90s after seeing one at an A&P show.

"I'd never seen anything like that before and I got a great buzz from seeing them. I'd love to see them run," he said.

Later they moved on and, having visited and being impressed by the Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum, they decided to donate the engines to them.

Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum president Alistair Hartley said that the gifting of the engines meant a lot for preserving the history of farming. 

But, he said that the restoration would keep the members of the museum busy for a long time.