Progress re the source of or reason for the naming of Engine River, which joins the Thames near Walton Bridge.

Below is an extract from a very helpful and detailed reply from Jane Lewis ("JL") on behalf of the Public Services and Engagement Manager at the Surrey History centre, Woking.

Is there an Elmbridge, Hampton or Kingston area member who visits Working, who could stop by the Surrey archive and look at the items below and several others as identified by JL, who estimates this will take an hour?  Volunteers should e-mail me their details on chris.mhyde@zen.co.uk so I can pass over JL's complete response.

Obviously I'll publish if I get to an answer/explanation via other ongoing research.  

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This sounds like a fascinating piece of research and we have quite a few resources which might help you investigate this further. 

Dial Stone, which was for many years the journal of the Walton and Weybridge Historical Society, published an article on Engine River by H W Landsdell in March 1971 (SHC Ref J/178/38 Dial Stone No 37).  There is another article in the following publication (Dial Stone 38 - although this one is anonymous); in Dial Stone 35 (also anonymous) and in January 2015 another reference to the river along with Oatlands underground passages and relics of the old 'Duke's Head' Walton (Dial Stone 227).