Although diesel engines had been around for some time they were basically heavyweight beasts suitable only for industrial applications. However in the late 1920s things were changing as the small diesel engine was finding a niche in the market for something that was suitable for light industrial and agricultural applications.

One such engine was the Lister CS which was placed on the market in 1929/30. As development of the small diesel engine evolved, the Lister CS engine was upgraded and the power outputs increased. Indeed the water-cooled CS engine quickly became accepted as a practical engine, resulting in many thousands being bought worldwide.

While the CS engine was doing excellent service in some of the harshest ope