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Allen Motor Scythes ◆ Roslyn the red roller ◆ Tracks to the Trenches ◆ Man of Steam: Ted Jones
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Boiler and hydraulic test certs valid until Dec 2014, steams well and running, buying bigger engine need space. Wagon also available. £13,500 ono Tel. 07733 328715. Kent
1942, good condition, the only one as it was built by Durham Fire Brigade workshops, MoT and tax exempt, can be driven on a car licence. Tel. Ralph 07771961307.
3/4” scale model traction engine and water cart with its own wooden storage/carry case, very well made, spirit fired, cash on collection, £2150 ono Tel. 07990 858645. Northants
4.1/2” scale, boiler test till March 2015, many new parts recently fitted, rear axle, bushes, differential complete with winch & final drive, on rubbers ready to rally, £12,500 Tel. John 01235 521678. Berkshire
4” scale showman’s engine, built 1987, rebuilt 2013, retubed and rebuilt dynamo now electrics, now 12v, new injector and rebuilt pump, new boiler test done, £22,000 Tel. 01983 403935. Isle of Wight
BUrreLL
BUrreLL trACtIoN eNGINe
CASe trACtIoN eNGINe
foDeN “C” tYPe
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Thetford Town Showman, part-built, drawings, many parts included, good project, bargain. £2700 ono; no withheld calls please. Tel. 07962 342482. Essex
SCC, 7nhp, built 1912, nice big engine with all history, new box and barrel etc 5 years ago, Tel. 01379 608745. Norfolk
60hp, very good original condition but needs a new firebox, £15,000 Tel. 07774 445628. Somerset
6”, 2006, owned since 2008, hydraulic till 2020, passed steam test, double high, c/w covered trailer fitted with elec winch, complete firing irons, tarp sheets, etc. Tel. 07971 260220 for info. Leics
lorry, d/drive, 265 Rolls Royce engine, needs tlc, £1500 ono Tel. 07852 196779. Lincs
foDeN teAM wAGoN
foSter 4” SCALe
foSter 4” SCALe
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fowLer PLoUGHING
New build, test run only, LSM design, full commercial boiler certificate, vulcanised rubbers, brass tender and cleaning, road registered, £15,500 Tel. 01494 526807. Bucks
4” scale, black, vgc, boiler test till March 2015, road reg, new tubes fitted 2010, ready to rally, can be steamed anytime for serious buyer, £16,500 Tel. 01235 521678. Berkshire
Engine Jack of Herts for sale, good boiler. Tel. Dave 07785 276907. Berkshire
4 1/2, four years old, eight year professional hydraulic test, professional built boiler, excellent paint job superb engineering & first class runner, £18,000 ono Tel. 07788 990015. Staffs
drum and elevator, £3500 ono Tel. 0115 9333178. Notts
GArrett 4CD
GArrett trACtIoN eNGINe
GreeNS DrX
HorNSBY DUPLeX PortABLe
JoHN Deere 1120
6” scale tractor, completed in 2012, very little use, road registered, all boiler paperwork, weight 21 cwt, lovely engine, easily towed behind a 4x4 or similar, £38,750 Tel. 01271 882412. Devon
4” scale, c/w water bowser, road legal, current boiler certificate, 4” No.7 S/C Garret traction Engine. Boiler/Hydraulic test done. Road legal. C/W water bowser. £15,000. s.g.s04@talktalk.net Cornwall
Diesel Roller with Petter AVA2 engine, starts and runs well, ready to rally, call for further details. £1500 will take an offer Tel. 07771 561157. Dorset
1881, 10nhp, needs complete restoration, £5500 Tel. 07774 445628. Somerset
1967, in very good condition, everything working as it should. For further info please call Tel. 07715 059043. Devon
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20 ton, 1947, fully restored and very good condition, built at Derby, LMS, tidy vehicle and rare, £15,000 Tel. 07931 238911. Powys
1908, Traction Engine, single cylinder 8HP, rally condition, new boiler, both axles & many other parts, Tel. 01768 776054. Cumbria
1-in scale traction engine, poor health reason for sale, £800 buyer collects Tel. 01628 662651. Berks
Compound traction engine, some work needed to steam again, new tube plate fitted, £15,000 Tel. 07774 445628. Somerset
1890, Portable Steam Engine No. 11301. Tel. Keith +27 095233399. South Africa stevensmechanical@telkomsa.net
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An orig Reeves made corrugated metal with metal wheels, sympathetic restoration, retains its orig character, pencil records on the wall of lambs born one season. £5000 buyer collects Tel. 07890 779389. Dorset
111/6116 twin cylinder tractor mower, h/duty drive, approx 4ft cutter, £390 Tel. 01442 832744. Herts
Advance diesel roller (fitted with National 2bs engine) and Man 7.5 tonne lorry (with MoT). Viewing welcome contact for details. Sensible offers only please. Tel. 07736 341031. N Lincs
1909, 6hp, new firebox/barrel, overhauled, excellent condition, with semi portable parts, £15,500 Tel. Bob 07530 313714. Hampshire
Steam tractor, 3” scale, £5250 Tel. 01723 882243. N Yorks
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OLD GLORY NOVEMBER 2014 | 101
11.11.11
Neil Gough and steersman Miles Banks stop at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, to lay their tribute to the fallen with Neil’s WD-liveried McLaren road locomotive No 1332 of 1912 Gigantic, on route from Horsham to the Old Warden rally on September 6, 2014. ROBIN MARSHMAN
THE National Traction Engine Trust celebrated its 60th anniversary in fine style with its road run on September 27. To have such a concentration of over 180 steamers on the road must constitute a world record! All participants seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, as did the spectators on route and a big vote of thanks must go to the Bedford Society for planning and hosting the run on the NTET’s behalf and for feeding everyone back at base camp. Apart from one withdrawal during the run due to leaking tubes, the event passed safely and efficiently. Well done to all those involved. So at its 60th milestone, is the NTET in good health? Well if success is measured in membership numbers, then no. Despite virtually a blanket acceptance of its Insurance Disc scheme, many engine owners still obviously seem to feel that the Trust is not for them and membership has been declining.
Many a reason for this has been trotted out among the chattering classes and online forums. Is the engine insurance partnership offer not what it was? Is the NTET too ‘aloof ’? Is it too top heavy on rules and regulations? Is it fence-sitting on the conversion issue? The issues seem to be many and varied. The trouble is, is that the NTET is between a rock and a hard place, damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. ‘Regulate or be regulated’ is an oft-held mantra, yet when it comes to any perceived threats to steam freedom on the road from Brussels et al, it is too easy to hide behind the petticoats of its affiliation to the British Federation of Historic Vehicle Clubs and we do after all have an excellent ‘watchingeye’ in the form of the all-party parliamentary committee for historic vehicles, which includes among its members, the engine-owning Robert Goodwill MP. Some observers, trust members and non-
members alike, believe that things won’t change under the current Trust regime. However, change is inevitable and there is now a much younger element within strands of NTET management, with more in the pipeline, and the prospective candidate for its chair is one generation down from the current holder. Members will have the chance to vote at the trust AGM this month. Use your vote wisely. The Trust still runs well-supported steam driving weeknds and your Steam Apprentice Club is something to be proud of.
Colin Tyson Editor
ctyson@mortons.co.uk
OLD GLORY NOVEMBER 2014 | 3
Contents No 297 | November 2014 NEWS 6-23 News & Events 89 Old Glory in Miniature News
FEATURES 26
Foden road test revisited Rather than road test Foden C Type wagon No 12364 in the late 1920s, the correspondents of Commercial Motor magazine waited until 1988 to get round to it.
32
The John Allen of Oxford Motor Scythe The John Allen & Sons of Oxford self-propelled motor scythe is becoming increasingly hard to find, but not in Chris Eades’ back garden.
74
38
Printers’ block Before Gary Wragg could reproduce his collection of old printers’ type and engraved illustration blocks, he first had to restore the machinery to print them.
44
Tracks to the Trenches Eighteen months of planning 90 a First World War military railway reconstruction came together for members of the Moseley Railway Trust.
46
Ted Jones and sons A 50th anniversary reenactment road run for this Shropshire man of steam.
56
Roslyn the red roller Michael Oldham’s Aveling & Porter 10-ton road roller No 8974 of 1919 Roslyn.
66
NTET Sixtieth anniversary road run 180 road steamers take to the lanes of Bedfordshire and east Cambridgeshire for the day in a glorious celebration of steam on the road.
4 | NOVEMbEr 2014 OLD GLORY
56
News updates at oldglory.co.uk www.facebook.com/ OldGloryMag 78
Big Betsy’s Bush Rescue A crazy, 12-month slog to rescue a huge 28hp Marshall portable engine from the bush, involving New Zealand Railways, various plant and big chunks of timber. An uplifting experience We meet Ray Darvell and his 4in-scale Foster crane engine and heavy loads.
REGULARS 50 52 62 74 84 95 106
Enginelines Helpline Vintageworld Steam Archive Christmas Gift Ideas Events Diary ‘Tail Lamp Tom’
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See page 36
26 54 Front Cover: Lunch stop at one of the circuits on the NTET’s 60th anniversary road run held on September 27, 2014. DAVID WARREN This issue was published on Thursday, October 16, 2014. The December 2014 issue of Old Glory (No 298) will be on sale from Thursday, November 20. Having trouble ďŹ nding a copy of this magazine? Why not Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month?
Meet the team
90
Derek Rayner
Colin Tyson Editor
Technical Advisor
Mike Dyson
Steve Dean
Correspondent
Correspondent
Colin Smith
Roger Hamlin
Advertising Executive
Correspondent
www.oldglory.co.uk
Malcolm Ranieri Photographer
James Hamilton Photographer
OLD GLORY NOVEMbEr 2014 | 5
News&Events
Closure fears for Douglas horse trams THE last day of the season for the Isle of Man’s Douglas horse trams took place on Sunday, September 14. There are plans to close for a whole year while singling of the track (as part of the Douglas Promenade upgrade) takes place and to reopen in 2016... or close forever, reports David Lloyd-Jones. The days of the double track are
over, as the new located system will be single track for the whole two-mile route, with a passing place and will be located on the seaward side of the roadway instead of occupying the centre of the road. Hoping it wasn’t their last ride, people formed large queues to ride the trams all day, with the
Tram rides were popular throughout the day. BOTH: DAVID LLOYD-JONES
‘Ian’and‘Teddy’run parallel on the horse tramway on September 14, which has never happened before and will certainly not be possible again.
stables open to visitors in the afternoon. The sense of occasion had an extra twist, with a spot of ‘parallel running’ taking place between Broadway and the Sefton Hotel, something never done before and certainly never again. ‘Mark’ hauled the last tram of the day, season (and possibly forever) with Car 18 packed with officials, dignitaries and local enthusiasts. There is feeling among locals
that the trams have had their day, amid a fresh campaign to close forever on the grounds of cruelty with over 500 animal lovers filing an online petition to lobby Douglas Council to stop the practice. Concern has been expressed by island ministers that this historic and unique tramway will never reopen due to the governmental budget restrictions placed on the Department of Infrastructure.
Matched steam ploughing returns to Scotland THE only pair of matched ploughing engines in Scotland are set to make their public working debut at the Scottish Ploughing Championships in October. The pair of Fowler BB1s are expected to be in
action on October 25-26 at Newlands and Pittendreich Farms at Balgedie, Kinrossshire KY13 9SL. This will be the first visit of the championships to the county and the first
time steam ploughing has appeared at the 51-year-old event. It will also see for the first time a pair of matched ploughing engines working together north of the border for around 65 years, when a pair of K7s worked for a Fife contactor. The pair are owned by the Cook family of Leven and were the first ever Fowler BB1s to emerge from the Steam Plough Works in 1918, as part of a contract to supply 65 pairs of engines to the government responding to food supply needs in the First World War. No 15139 Master has spent the postwar era in preservation and is restored, while sister engine No 15138 Mistress recently returned from 50 years in Canada and is in very original condition. Both originally worked in the West Country and carry Wiltshire registrations. For more details on the ploughing event visit www.scotplough.co.uk Left: Both of these Fowlers will visit the Scottish Ploughing Championships on October 25-26 with a balance plough working in between. PETE SMALL
6 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
Got a story? Tell Old Glory 01507 529306 | ctyson@mortons.co.uk
Scots ‘No’ vote removes all vintage transport doubts THE ‘No’ vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum has removed concerns that an independent Scotland might have made it harder and more challenging for vintage transport operators, preservationists, heritage railways and operators of main line steam tours to operate across what would have been the new border. There was little detail in the Scottish Government’s White Paper on Scotland, its blueprint for post-independence, to assure operators that Network Rail would still function in Scotland, while there were doubts over the Scottish Government’s ability to create freestanding effective regulatory bodies for rail, preserved road vehicles and
locomotives in Scotland, while it was by no means clear that existing regulators would be prepared to operate north of the border. There were also concerns over the effect of independence on the vehicle taxation regime, insurance and health & safety regulations, and how Scotland’s only heritage tramway might be regulated. Sources at Waverley Excursions told Old Glory privately several months ago that they were concerned that it might not have been possible to have the vessel passed for service after the proposed independence date of May 2016 as there was no detail as to what might replace the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency. “There
Full steam ahead for PS Waverley and the heritage sector after the‘No’vote.
was simply no mention of what would have been provided in Scotland to replace the agency and pass us fit to sail.” But all these worries have now
been dispelled and it’s business as usual in the light of the clear rejection of independence by voters on September 18, with 55% voting ‘No’ and 45% ‘Yes’.
John Fowler 1826-1864 Left: The new storyboard lectern at the Fowler monument. DON EASTWOOD Right: The original plinth, with bronze plough share.
THE 150th anniversary of the death of John Fowler was commemorated on September 27 by the unveiling of an information board beside the Fowler Monument in South Park, Darlington. The Friends of South Park and the Steam Plough Club designed and funded the board which summarises the achievements of Fowler and the company that he founded. Mayor of Darlington, Coun Gerald Lee, officiated and guest speakers were Chris Lloyd – local historian and sub-editor Northern
Echo, and Dick Eastwood, secretary, Steam Plough Club. The massive block of red Shap Fell granite was originally topped by a bronze model of a steam plough on a bronze plinth decorated with sheaves of corn and laurel wreaths in relief, made by metal founders Elkington & Co of Birmingham. It was first erected in the grounds of the home of Henry Pease and moved to South Park around 1890. John Fowler’s wife, Elizabeth Pease, was Henry Pease’s niece. The bronze model disappeared in 1979 after the
monument was vandalised and was never recovered. Further celebrations are planned: On November 4, Leeds Museums & Galleries will open a 12-month exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills featuring John Fowler. On December 4, at noon, in a joint ceremony with Leeds & District Traction Engine Club, the Leeds Civic Trust is organising the unveiling of a blue plaque on the Steam Plough Works site, presently occupied by a supermarket. OLD GLORY NOVEMBER 2014 | 7
steAM trACtiON
Foden road test
revisited
Rather than road test Foden C Type wagon No 12364 in the late 1920s, the correspondents of Commercial Motor magazine waited until 1988 to get round to it, writes Alan Barnes
Foden C Type wagon No 12364 of 1926 at Northiam, Kent, in July 2003.
26 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
Andy Caldow and his Foden at Old Warden, September 2014.
C
ompleting a road test on the latest steam wagon was nothing out of the ordinary for the transport correspondents of Commercial Motor and details of the latest developments from the likes of Tasker, Foden and Sentinel were regularly featured in the periodical. However what was perhaps somewhat unusual was the test on a steam wagon carried out in the late 1980s. Just before Christmas 1988 Commercial Motor arranged for a road test to be carried out on two restored steam wagons; a 1926 Foden and a 1927 Super Sentinel. Now just over 25 years since the details of that test on the Foden were published I took the opportunity to talk with the current owners, Nicola and Andy Caldow of Enfield, about their wagon, which has been christened Tiny. Foden C Type wagon No 12364 of 1926 was delivered new to E Devenish of Rayleigh, Essex, and was used on contract work with the LNER. It is thought to have spent much of the time hauling loads of manure from various local stations to market gardens in the area. In 1927 the Foden was sold to A Stutely in Stevenage and it changed hands once again in 1936 when it was sold to Tar Roads. It would appear that initially the wagon was used to haul loads of stone but later the company converted the wagon for use as a tar sprayer which extended its useful working life. It finished its working days with Charrington Hargreaves of Leyburn in 1962 and was rescued for preservation in 1963 by Harry Parkin.
In 1981 it was acquired by well-known preservationist John Crawley who carried out a complete ground-up restoration which included replacing the boiler, rebuilding the cracked chassis and the work which he completed led to the Foden being acclaimed as “The finest steamer running today”. Right: The wagon on the front cover of Commercial Motor, Christmas 1988, where it was pitched against a Super Sentinel waggon.
From 1936 No 12364 was with Tar Roads, initially to haul loads of stone but later converted to a tar sprayer as seen here, which extended its useful working life. PN WILLIAMS / OLD GLORY ARCHIVE OLD GLORY NOVEMBER 2014 | 27
VintAgE MACHinERY
Cutting EdgE
i
t’s now 80 years since Allen Motor Scythes first came to market (1934) and 40 years since production ceased. Allen Power Equipment Ltd had roots in Oxfordshire going back to 1878; originally the Oxford Steam Plough Co and later John Allen & Sons Ltd. And Chris Eades is one of a small band of very serious collectors of the marque, with examples of Allen scythes collected over the years that showcase the development and additions to the machines and their associated equipment. A nostalgic element is usually strong among collectors and their collections and this certainly holds true in Chris’s case. With a childhood during the 1960s, Chris recalls being around six-years-old when, on his father’s smallholding which contained an orchard, a ubiquitous Allen Model T scythe 32 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
with a plough attachment on the front was housed in an old tin shed. Recalls Chris: “I remember asking dad to get the Allen out, which had extended handlebars and one of the optional plough attachments. It didn’t work very successfully but it was used around May and June time to keep the long grass and cow parsley at bay. My job was to simply rake the grass up afterwards with a peg rake. Dad traded that machine in for a second-hand Allen rotary cutter and not long after acquired a Hayter 21in rotary cutter.” Forward to 1990 and Chris came across an unloved Model F machine, known as the ‘Universal Motor Scythe’ with plug-in attachments. Chris recognised the Allen wheels and Villiers engine and that rekindled his interest to an extent that he ‘got the bug’ and his collection now numbers around 40 examples dating from 1934 to one that was
despatched to Scotland in 1974 when production ceased. Although he has examples of every model, he didn’t set out to do that. “It was all unintentional, but I ended up with a collection that just ‘came my way’. It was something that just happened.” Allen Motor Scythes were well-made and utilised components from two well-known brands; after the early spoked iron wheel examples they had specially-made Dunlop tyres and for the main years of production were fitted with Villiers of Wolverhampton two-stroke engines of 1.5hp, later developing to four-stroke engines of 150 and 250cc. The two-stroke engines finished around 1968 and at the end of production finished with a Villiers F15 four-stroke option, whereupon customers could choose between the 3hp fourstroke Villiers or a 4hp four-stroke Kohler engine – both with recoil start.
The John Allen Motor Scythe Once the mainstay of country estates, water boards, municipal councils and smallholdings, John Allen & Sons Self-Propelled Motor Scythes are becoming increasingly hard to ďŹ nd... but not in Chris Eades’ back garden, writes Colin Tyson
Above: With two steel blades your motor scythe could become a snowplough! Left: Prototype Mk.2 Allen scythe 1937-38. OLD GLORY NOVEMBER 2014 | 33
VINTAGE MACHINERY
Printers’ block Gary Wragg with a printers’block depicting a brewery from the 1850s and the print taken from it.
Before Gary Wragg could reproduce his collection of old printers’ type and engraved illustration blocks, he first had to restore the machinery to print them, writes Alan Barnes
H
aving just completed printing a batch of pictures – on occasion even I can manage to press the right buttons in the right order on my computer – I took a moment to reflect on just how easy it is to produce a decent quality image in full colour. Turn the clock back only a few years and you would take your film to the chemist and return the following week (or more) to collect your snaps. For the ‘serious photographer’ hours, if not days, would be spent in the darkroom carefully manipulating black and white negatives to create the perfect exhibition print. While photography is now the accepted medium for the advertising world, it is a relatively recent introduction. Before the coming of the camera different skills were required to bring illustrations to the marketplace. 38 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
Today the illustrated book is taken for granted but 1000 years ago any books being produced would have been written and illustrated by hand. The Chinese are credited with the invention of the moveable type printing press sometime between 1041 and 1048, while in Europe Johannes Gutenberg introduced his new press in 1450 and is arguably regarded as the father of modern printing. The invention of the printing press which allowed text to be ‘mass produced’ and distributed is arguably one of the most significant events in human history. The development of the printing press from the hand operated mechanical machine to modern digital technology has been rapid, although some of the artistry and technique has been removed from the process over the years. Looking through some of the illustrations in Victorian pamphlets, books and catalogues,
the amount of work to produce such finely detailed images becomes obvious and the skills involved lay not only with the printer but also with the platemaker. The images of steam engines, machinery and scientific items by the Victorian printers are truly works of art in their own right. Gary Wragg has long been fascinated by the process and I spoke to him recently about his new business venture which involves the production of images using these traditional processes.
PRINT INTEREST
I have known Gary for many years, having met him during his tenure as curator at the Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, and his interest in traditional print ran parallel to his steam engineering day jobs at the Bluebell Railway, the British Engineerium and Hampshire CC Museums. Having retired, he
The Leighton Buzzard Railway’s Baldwin locomotive No 778 of 1917 (left) lined up with the German military light railway’s Henschel locomotive No 1091, a visitor from the North Gloucestershire Railway at Toddington and Kerr Stuart‘Joffre’type steam locomotive No 3014 of 1916. MIKE HEATH
Tracks to the Trenches
W
hat will attract a wide range of re-enactment and living history groups to a commemoration of the centenary of the start of the First World War? The answer is an extensive trench system supported by a narrow gauge railway network giving the opportunity for gas attacks and surprise enemy raids, writes Barry Job.
Add plenty of space for bell tents, cavalry troops and room for cameo displays such as treating wounded soldiers at a first aid station, setting up a machine gun emplacement and stripping down a jammed Lewis gun. All of these facilities were provided at the Tracks to the Trenches event organised by the Moseley Railway Trust at its Apedale Valley site, North Staffordshire, in mid-September. Meticulous planning and hard work over 18
Supported by
months had linked their established narrow gauge infrastructure to a realistic trench system via a field railway network. The latter consisted of ultra-lightweight rail sections originally developed for the French military by Paul Decauville and showcased at the World Exposition, Paris, in 1878. A visitor to the Exposition was a German, Arthur Koppel, who in turn developed the idea for the German army. The British, on the other hand, preferred wars of manoeuvre with cavalry charges sweeping the enemy from the field. The First World War put a stop to that as the protagonists dug in and the machine gun dominated the battlefield. The British soon realised that the prodigious demands of a modern army in terms of ammunition and stores supply required a narrow gauge railway system and by 1918 had nearly 2000 locomotives and over 4000 miles of track.
EXTENSIVE COLLECTION
German‘Brigadelok’locomotive No 1091 built by Henschel in 1918. BARRY JOB
44 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
The Apedale site is home to an extensive collection of locomotives, both steam and internal combustion, and rolling stock. This includes the trust’s own Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 engine No 1238 of 1916, which spent many years lying on its side in a river in Ghana until
sTeaM TRaCTIon
Ted Jones and sons
Shropshire men of steam Malcolm Ranieri charts how a love of steam brought Ted Jones of Shrewsbury into the early preservation scene and records a recent 50th anniversary road run reenactment in his home county
T
he Onslow Park Rally at Bicton, near Shrewsbury, has had four venues over the 53 years of its existence, the first being at Church Stretton in 1961, organised then as now by the County of Salop Steam Engine Society (COSSES). The other venues have been Bishop’s Castle from 1970, Walcot Hall from 1991 and finally Onslow Park, Bicton, from 1994. However, it’s the first venue, Church Stretton, which concerns this story of a life in steam. We need to go back to July 20, 46 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
1964, and then fast forward 50 years to July 20, 2014. Ted Jones was born in 1931 in Llanfair Caereinion, well known to railway enthusiasts as the terminus of the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway – the son of George Jones, a steam threshing and engine driver. George worked for John Thomas Evans of Whittington, near Oswestry, a steam contractor. The firm operated Fowler ploughing engines in Shropshire during the Second World War – apparently they were also utilised on ground work at an airfield in Basingstoke. On their
return home from Hampshire, one of the engines ran away and had to be towed back behind its sister Fowler. Photographs exist of the engines also employed on dredging the moat at Whittington Castle. A rival firm of threshing contractors to John Evans, named Bernard Wynn, operated in the same area and owned seven traction engines. Due to this competition, Wynn’s decided to find another area where there were no existing contractors and moved to Frodesley, a few miles south of Shrewsbury, in 1952. George Jones then went to work for Wynn’s.
ON THE WATER
Thames & Tide Photography: James Hamilton
Paddle Steamer Waverley departs from Tower Pier, London, with a full complement of passengers on September 28, 2014. Right: Steam Boat Moondance, owned by John Whittaker and built by Walter Simmons of Fowey, at the Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta in late August 2014.
Participants in the Thames Sailing Barge Match at Southend on August 24, 2014.
54 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
Roslyn
the red roller
A steam enthusiast since a young lad, Michael Oldham always dreamed that one day he would own his own traction engine. at dream became a reality in 2010 when he became the proud owner of Aveling & Porter 10-ton road roller No 8974 of 1919 Roslyn, writes Alan Barnes
H
owever the actual purchase of the Aveling nearly didn’t happen and it all came down to a matter of timing. As Michael explained “The roller had been laid up in a shed for a number of years and when news came that the owner, Charlie Child, had decided to sell the engine I knew that I needed to make a quick decision or the roller would certainly go elsewhere. Although the Aveling had been stored under cover, it was still sporting a thick layer of grime and dirt, the chimney had been removed and some extra, very ‘non-Aveling’ pipework had also been fitted. The old thing did look very sorry for itself and I initially thought that I was looking at a five or six-year restoration project to get her back on the road. “The thought of a lengthy rebuild didn’t deter me and a deal was agreed and No 8974 was mine. It was just two days later that I took my pregnant wife, Dawn, to the hospital for her
Michael Oldham on the footplate. ALAN BARNES
first scan and we were both obviously rather nervous hoping that the baby would be fine. As it turned out everything was fine although we were a little shocked to learn that we were to become the parents of twins! If the appointment for the scan had been a couple of days earlier it is doubtful that I would have arranged to buy the Aveling. From just the two of us the Oldham family would now be mum, dad, two babies and a steam roller!” The BS-Type Aveling was new in 1919 to Horsham Urban District Council, West Sussex, and rather than the standard green livery the council had included in the order the instruction that the roller be painted Midland Railway red. In fact the build sheet, issued as Aveling Test No 8262, contains a note that the engine should be painted “Midland Railway Colour (Purple Brown)”. Roller Roslyn arrives at the Sewards rally in Hampshire in July 2013. ALAN BARNES
IndUstrIal HerItaGe Grane Mill prepares for its open weekend. ALL: DAVE COLLIER
Alice prepares for steam wonderland
Dr D A Collier visits a Lancashire mill engine under restoration that opens to visitors on just one weekend a year
d
The 26ft diameter flywheel weighs 15 tons.
60 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY
uring the Heritage Open Days in England over the weekend of September 13-14, 2014, a rarely visited site was opened to visitors. The Grane Mill at Haslingden is a former Lancashire cotton weaving mill that closed in 1979 and subsequently part of the site was redeveloped. The engine house and boiler house and some associated buildings were retained and are now the focus of a restoration project. Much has been done to conserve the fabric of the building and the impressive mill chimney. David Arnfield and a group of volunteers have been steadily working hard during recent years to restore the steam engine that originally powered the mill. Work is still in progress but already the engine looks impressive. The engine was built in 1907 by S S Stott & Co of Haslingden, whose works are quite close to the mill. It is a horizontal cross compound engine, works number E542-543, with Corliss valves and rated at 600ihp. It has cylinders of
Tail lampTom Telling iT like iT is
Engine cleaning is better breeding! WE ARE successfully breeding a new generation incapable of either socialising or communicating with others. Communication between individual specimens is either in some form of unknown language which does not appear in any published dictionary or by means of staccato grunts and hand signals. This breed is quite common and is widespread throughout the country and lives in the majority of households. They’re called teenagers! However, I am pleased to report that there are still some enlightened parents around who want their children to learn new skills which hopefully will be of use in later life. Consider that during the age of steam on our roads, if a driver had a problem with his engine he would more than likely have the skill required to repair it at the roadside or he could call upon the services of the local blacksmith. My late grandfather on my father’s side was a village blacksmith in a village in Somerset. He was able to turn his hand to making nigh on anything
out of iron and during the First World War was contracted by the Government to make mule shoes for the war effort. When the original contractor, Charles Mare of Blackwall, went bankrupt during the construction of Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash mid-contract, Brunel’s men scoured the countryside around Saltash to find local blacksmiths to finish the work. Nowadays, we are fortunate to have such schemes as the NTET Steam Apprentice Club programme and junior clubs at heritage railways which encourage youngsters to become interested in the operation and maintenance of steam engines. These help to ensure the continuation of our hobby in the future. When they were younger and before they had homework to complete over weekends, and before the advent of interest in the opposite sex, my grandson and grandaughter became steam apprentices at the Robey Trust in Tavistock and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Both of them learned new skills and my granddaughter,
Miniatures are a great way to get the children involved at an early age. MALCOLM RANIERI
11-years-old at the time, was taught how to paint parts of an engine. While she was doing that, my grandson was given jobs such as tube cleaning and brass polishing on the Robey Tri-tandem and tandem rollers Nos 45655 of 1930 and 42693 of 1925 respectively. At the end of the day they would return home tired, dirty and happy and with a sense of achievement, being part of a team. We did not encourage either child to play with computer games and consoles and consequently both children have good communication and social skills and are doing well at school. When at a rally, there’s nothing I
like more than to see a father and his children cleaning and polishing their engine. It conveys a sense of family values where the family stick together. However, I have seen a couple of instances of ‘slave labour’ where a teenage steam apprentice was given the job of cleaning a smokebox as he was the only person small and thin enough to get between the frames and the smokebox. At Chapelton rally in North Devon a few years ago a father got his son to clean all the compacted mud from between the strakes on the rear wheels. The poor lad did not look very amused.
The views expressed by ‘Tail Lamp Tom’ are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher.
NEXT MONTH
▲ GarrettSuffolkPunch
▲ The Robey Trust
l An Isaac Ball Burrell restored l More Christmas gift ideas l Autumn event reports l December issue on sale from Thursday, November 20, 2014. Save money and subscribe – see page 36 106 | NOVEMBER 2014 OLD GLORY