This Burmeister & Wain diesel engine is just huge! In the video, you can see that three flights of stairs are required to reach its peak, dwarfing its operators.
The engine, built in 1932, still works today and is part of the DieselHouse interactive exhibition located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The exhibit is owned and operated by the same power company that had this huge diesel engine built.
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The giant decommissioned Burmeister & Wain diesel engine featured in this video was the largest in the world for over thirty years and stands at a whopping 38 feet tall and 73 feet wide. In its prime, it was able to put out 15,000 kilowatts of electricity and 22,500 horsepower. The engine is a double-acting two-stroke with eight cylinders. This monster weighs in at 1,400 tons, sports 20 tin cylinders and an 80-ton flywheel.
Electricity wasn’t the only purpose for this big engine; during World War II, it was used in the fight against the Nazis as a hide-a-way and weapons stash. This giant diesel engine had a wonderfully long career, supplying Copenhagen and even most of Zealand with copious amounts of electricity until it was decommissioned.
Now, in retirement, the big diesel gets started up twice a month, and it is a sight to behold. Check it out in the video below, and SHARE if you're a fan.
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