The Lister Story 

In 1992 I contacted Lister to see if they wanted to donate a small diesel engine around which we could build a streamline single seat car - They donated an AC1 that had been lying under wraps in their test center since the late 60's when it had been tested as an alternative for the blue Inva cars that belched smoke from their 2 stroke - We built a tiny streamlined 3 wheeler around it and ran it at Silverstone in 93 where it achieved 1760 mpg, averaging about 17mph using squirt and coast technique - we ran the car several years in the Eco Marathon sending framed photos back to the factory - I still have the engine in my workshop!

I spent my working life in the Merchant Navy and I have seen and worked on many 2 & 3 cylinder Lister diesel engines used in lifeboats. They were bomb proof, easy to start and ran like a well mannered sewing machine.

I'm in Australia and Lister was a big part of our agricultural community last century. My dad pulled a Lister D from a rubbish heap on a farm in the seventies and brought it home. It looked a mess but my dad held his faith. "Listers are great engines, she will run again." He said. And she did, he put her to work for many, many years after too! RA Lister and people like him are rare today. They believed in creating something for use, were fiercely proud of their product. They also strived to grow and provide valuable employment for their Community and Country. Very rare in today's society, to the detriment of our young people today, and in the future!

Only just found this excellent video. Most interesting. My grandfather, Percy Ashworth, was an employee of Dursley Lister for 71years, graduating from his start as a boy to the drawing office, with several patents to his name, until his untimely death by accident in the works yard on his way to work in 1975 at the age of 89 years.

Wonderful video I was a Lister apprentice from 1968 to 1973 they were wonderful times and a very good engineering grounding which served me for the rest of my working life.

3 generations of my family including myself worked at Listers, and at one time, my dad and my two brothers all worked there. The story strangely misses out the huge fire that happened when I was very young, very early eighties maybe ? Fondly remember doing my YTS apprenticeship there and later some happy memories of working in the R&D. Great place, with great people and some even greater memories. When I stand at the bottom of Long Street, I can still see the old security box and barriers where the new houses now stand 😟

I am very proud to have been the organiser of the Lister D type 90th rally held at Dursley, It has resulted in bonding close ties with the current Lister family and had the added benefit of making many more friends through our common Lister interest, Long may it continue . Janner .

My father as a refugee from Poland worked at listers on the d engine came to this country in 1948 and was staying in the nearby resettlement camp.

Thank you, Lister of Dursley

Lister motors where I grew up in OZ were the standard in excellence---all other manufactures aspired to be there, but rarely made it..I still love and respect those motors...

My father worked at the Wroughton Lister plant that is not mentioned in this video all his working life where they made the 201-202- 203-204 diesel engine's plus some of the last D-type's. I myself worked there from school for 4 year's i had some of the best engineering experience's you could wish for. Thank you for the great video Bring's back some great memories

Made in Britain-that was the stamp of quality & reliability.

Lister and Gardner two top companies in engines

Great video! Just what I was curious to learn abut! Thank you very much!

Great video thanks for posting. I am lucky enough to have saved a lister diesel generator set from being scrapped about a year ago that is around 60 years old and still works perfectly and have always been a fan of the simplicity and reliability of the lister engines 🛠👍🏻

Good day from Ontario Canada Back in 1970-80's over here alot of Amish & Mennonites used alot of Lister diesel engines. Very heavy dependable motors. Thanks

Fantastic video. I have a Lister single diesel from the 20s in my wooden boat, she still puts along nicely. Regards Liz in Australia.

I am honoured to have learnt such history.

A real marvelous video. An extra plus for the music.

Lister engines - in the post-WW2 era and doubtless well before, Lister engines were pretty well ubiquitous in a large proportion of NZ dairy farms and off-grid camping facilities. Four or so hours a day, year in and year out with little or no attention. Some farmers even remembered to give them the occasional oil change!

I have a 6/1 CS Listeroid from India. I'm lucky to have that one, as the US banned the import of them a few years ago. The real English Listers are very hard to find and demand a hefty price tag.

In 1970 our old lister cement mixer ran out of diesel. We were miles from the nearest petrol station,so I hooked it up to a propane gas bottle . Surprisingly it ran for a couple of days till we refueled.

Very professional and interesting vid!

A simple and sturdy design is beautiful. Also, fewer parts have less opportunity for breaking down.

Outstanding engine

Have a Railtruck (34025) in my garage.

I have one of those hand turned sheep shearing wheels and a drop rig t belonged to my grandfather

I worked for Petters at Staines, I think the Staines factories closed @ 1968 and all production moved to Dursley

Marvellous video, thank you!

In The Netherlands in the barge "world" river and canal cargovessels, the name Lister stands for the auxallery engine, most an Lister driven genset. Lister was the most sold genset and winch driven engine in this branche. Even the engine was an Petter or Deutz the name was : the Lister..

thank you.

Can remember using the shearing handpeices and the generators- bloody good gear

Auto Trucks for everyone asap !! 👽🛸🌈

i have a Onan 16,000 watt propane generator manufactured about 2000. it is bullet proof and the powerplant is a 1800rpm cast iron block Lister Petter

With all that history in the agricultural industry its surprises me they never built a tractor!

There is another not well known company called Blackstone--there was a motor on a Kimberley station In west oz that had done 80,000 hrs without the head being lifted--no major maintenance at all...Those old timers knew how to build a motor...I do not think these newer motors can compete..comments welcome

Great history, but lacking the major modern-times changes that took this company apart. We own the major remnants of the American arm of this company... several hundred of their engines dating back to the early years as well as reasonably full documentation of their various shenanigans in the Americas.

Thanks.

anybody....please tell me how to find this music , please,please,please.

Very sad such a great company is now gone

Great video, nice to see you found use for the video of mine I uploaded :)

thank

My grandad worked here . Brian marsh

What about Lister Mirlees marine engines?

❤

If you want a diesel generator a Lister or listeroid is still a good reliable and efficient option

Is there one product that the Chinese don't copy?

This started like a soap opera

Like all great British companies. Gone now.

An American connection was created in the late 60's. Ford offered a Lister gasoline 4 cyl. engine in its Pinto cars. Their 1.6 liter was much too small for the rigors of the America roadways. The bigger 2.0 ltr. German 4 cyl. Engine was much more favorable. It also got pretty good mpg's. Ford later developed it's own 4 cyl. engine the 2.3 liter that not even close to the German engine.

Everyone knows the best wool comes from Australia.

I thought this video was going to be about the invention of Listerine...

Is the other half of the family that came from the Shibden Hall in Halifax and owned several mills in Bradford?

...badly in need of captions...

And, most notable, Lister branched out into the mouthwash business.

The first 7 mins are a complete waste. Only gets going ( kind off) after that.

dull

I salvaged one of my crab boats out of Poole harbour. In it was a 1940's twin Lister. after being in under water for a year or more my dad stripped it , freed it off and re-started it. I refitted it to the boat , fitted a hydraulic pump for the slave and used it for four years trouble free until I sold the boat. Now that's engineering.

Great story, it's amazing how many great minds died of old age long before the greatness of their creations was realized.

In my childhood in Uganda, I remember the Lister engine used to drive agri-pumps. Later in the early 70's in the Arabian Gulf I saw saw the engines on pumps and little ferry boats, the "Abra" in Dubai. I think pre-1970's many of the Dhow vessels had Listers running the auxilliary units.

Great video, i have just finished my last video about fixing my CS 12-2 which is on my farm in Portugal, by the plate on it i see it is almost 90 years old and works great.

Loved that job,1st job after leaving school,I must have made thousands of silencers ,end covers,fan shrouds in my time👌

10:06 thats actually mrpete222. Time traveler confirmed.

13:44 Thank you! I picked up a 2-cyl Lister/Petter 8KW light tower, interesting to hear it's a 1986 or newer!

Lister Petter is now owned by Sleeman & Hawken of Teignmouth.

Repaired a Lister Genset in the 70's in Sri Lanka while on holiday. A recon injector from Colombo and it was up and running again. Maybe on coconut oil?

For those that work or worked at Lister Peter the word 'Cadam' will mean aomething. I had the pleasure of visiting the factory some years ago. Been through some tough times due to ignorance, that's ignorance of people buying crap from abroad. However I do feel that perhaps due to regulation or whatever the passing of those 'old fasioned' diesels is a shame. Many cheap copes prove that point.

Barry, I'm wondering if Lister made engines for Ford's spec's. The 1.6 ltr engine was used in the early Pintos as well as the 2.0 ltr. German engine. That power unit would take a lot of abuse. I would shift mine when it wouldn't go any faster in a particular gear.

I associate lister engines for nearly 20 years in my life. It is very cost effective. Very reliable and trouble free. Master piece of engineering work. If you have one it is there with your for 100 or more with very little maintenance. 👍👍👍❤️👍👍❤️👌👏

I served my apprenticeship as a fitter/turner with Lister in Dursley from 1963 - 1968.

Why on earth is this video age restricted? , I was prompted to use the remote on my device to "confirm my age", a bit rediculous for the informative subject matter in this video.

You need a slight change in script. To whit, "However, due not only to the considerably greater expense, but also to its total inferiority in every way to the conventional diamond safety frame, Lister's cantilever frame failed to set the world alight. Licensee's simply couldn't be bothered bankrupting themselves in order to pay the fees" (6:08"). And, "During the war years, Lister put his fascist sympathies to work in the armaments division. Not only was his ammunition manufactured in the slowest possible way, but even if the bullets didn't simply fall out of their cartridge cases, they would not fire due to the absence of gunpowder." (12:09"). That should do it.

Growing up in Newfoundland, I saw Lister engines powering trap skiffs and saw mills.

Visited the Dursley factory in the early 80's when I was at Stroud technical college as an apprentice in H.M. Dockyards where Lister autotrucks were used, they 're great fun to drive with the best tricks being either st them going in a circle, get off and leave it going round then get back on or find the balance point and drive them on 2 wheels, both not health & safety but fun nevertheless.

In the late 1970's I worked at a rental yard, in Palo Alto Ca. There were 3 Lister engined generators there. From what I remember, the founder had purchased 6 gensets, to run at the Hoover Dam construction sites. (He later opened up 3 rental yards.) These were the older style "flywheel" style engines. You'd engage the compression release, hand crank the engine over, and when it was spinning fast enough, release the compression releases, one at a time. 2 were 2 cylinder models, one was a 3 cylinder. If they were warm, I didn't need the compression release. One turn fired them up. In 1976, I went to Hawaii, for a summer, to pick pineapple. We ran 2 shifts, of 9 hours. Yes, we picked at night. The boom machine also had a Lister Diesel Genset on it. No one else knew that I knew how to fire up that engine. I recently found a small Diesel engine, about 200 CC, that has the same starting system. It will go on a motorized bike I have. steve

Volkswagen Listers

Too much waffle

Quality

At the 90TH Anniversary please don't tell me that was the gatherings the employees. Plastic fold up tables outside. How about 2 nights in a swanky hotel all booze and grub paid for. Really ?