Steaming 1981 Vol.25 No.1

The Magazine of the National Traction Engine Club

Kim2fiarn51: 'Feg,Mr3on Membership of the National Traction Engine Club is open to those who, whether engine owners or not, have a genuine interest in the preservation of self propelled steam road vehicles, portable engines etc.

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President (and Technical Services): S.J. Wharton, Southern Down, Minster Lovell, Oxford.

Vice Presidents: John T. Beeby; Anthony S. Heal.

Chairman: P.G.C. Barber, 77 Amyand Park Road, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 3HG. Vice-Chairmen: J. Crawley, Field House, Turvey, Bedford MK43 8DU. Eric A. Fillmore

General Secretary: George Beck, 127 Greensted Road, Loughton, Essex IG 10 3DJ. The annual subscription is £8.00 for Membership Secretary: Mrs Fay Wood, 'Windrush', Hail Weston, Huntingdon, Cambs PE19 4JY. individuals, £10.00 for family Treasurer: Mrs Y. Hanmore, 'Woodcote' Wannock Road, membership and £5.00 for Polegate, East Sussex BN26 SEA. pensioners. The Club's magazine Chairman, Rally Sub-Committee: E.A. Fillmore, 34 Northwick Park Steaming is sent free to members Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 2NU. during January, April, July and Chairman, Engine Owners Sub-Committee: M.J. Wharton, October, and other benefits of Southern Down, Minster Lovell, Oxford. membership include advantageous Secretary, Steam Apprentice Club: Sylvia Berth-Jones, terms for boiler insurance as well as 101 Mill Lane, Sawston, Cambridge CB2 4HY post free prices on publications Insurance Officer: J.S. Hirons, 98 Hailey Road, Witney, Oxfordshire purchased through NTEC sales, and 0X8 5HQ. access to advice on technical matters

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PLEASE NOTE WHEN ORDERING (NTEC members only) A post and packing remittance of 75p should be added to each order up to a value of £10. Orders in excess of £10 are free of post and packing. Please enclose your current membership card with order; it will be returned.

Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to NATIONAL TRACT/ON ENGINE CLUB. Trade enquiries for NTEC publications are welcome.

Please allow 28 days for delivery.

Orders to:

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A selection of books available (send SAE for full list of NTEC Sales)

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2.00 NEW Traction Engines and the Law (NTEC) 7.50 NEW Steam at Work (Beaumont) 5.50 NEW Showmans Road Locomotives (NTEC) 2.70 NEW The Traction Engine in Australia NEW Steam Rollers and Steam Waggons of the 6.70 Worcestershire C.C. (Rhead) 2.75 NEW Traction Engine Locomotive (Hutchinson) 6.00 Major Ind Collection of Historical Photographs (RLS) 11.95 Traction Engines in Colour (Finch) 6.95 Traction Engines in Close Up (Sawford) .

1.95 A Head Full of Steam (Stevenson) 11.00 Garrett 200 (Whitehead) 7.95 Kaleidoscope of Traction Engines (Whitehead) . . .

7.9 5 Kaleidoscope of Steam Wagons (Whitehead) Story of the Steam Plough Works (Lane). (special price) 18.0 0 (special price) 6.9 5 .

Foden Story (Kennett) The Undertype Steam Road Wagon /Kelly) (special price) 6.9 5 The Overtype Steam Road Wagon (Kelly) (special price) 5.9 5 5.7 0 Steam Road Vehicle (Meyrick-Jones/NTEC) 5.45 Savages of Kings Lynn (Braithwaite) 1.95 Military Traction Engines 1.95 Travelling Shows and Roundabouts 1.70 Apprentice at McLarens each 5.95 The Steam Scene, Vols 1 to 5 (Blenkinsop) 2.60 The Australian Steam Engine Listing ..

RLS Catalogue Reprints 3.25 No 20 Burrell 1923 3.45 No 21 Aveling & Porter, Steam Road Rollers ..

NTEC Car Badge - plastic (members only) .

NTEC Members Badge (members only) . .

3.95 Steaming binder (takes 12 issues, Vol 24 un) .

White Metal Kits are listed towards the rear of this issue.

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The Magazine of the National Traction Engine Club Volume 25 Number 1

Winter 1981/82

Editorial

Editor: Roger West, 14 Charles Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 9AB

It is now a full year since what many continue to call the 'new look' Steaming appeared, and maybe time to take stock of the Club's magazine. In truth its style has not altered so very much; although the larger size is obviously a change and the different layout may enable us to portray the excellent pictures there are about at their most suitable size, the subject matter and the format are carrying on a well tried formula built up by successive Editors over the years.

Certain topics are always popular with readers — reminiscences of working days an any type of road steam engine seem to go down well, and so too do old photographs. From the Editorial point of view we are always pleased to have good examples of the latter submitted for consideration and can generally use them quite promptly. We hope there will be around for many years yet, those able to 'tell the tale' of working days, although we confess to having a backlog of such articles at times — apologies here to those with pieces in the pipeline.

Some other popular subjects however are less easy to come by, but are necessary for a balanced diet of reading. Authors of articles of a technical nature or on practical restoration seemed markedly reluctant and there are a multitude of engines, engine types or engine owning firms just waiting to have their histories recorded. If you feel like bursting into print, we can often offer assistance with research and illustrations. Black and white photography of the current scene seems almost dead judged by the few regular contributors we do have. Being unable to satisfactorily use colour prints in Steaming, good monochrome prints are always welcome.

Having set out what we would like but don't get it would be churlish not to acknowledge the great assistance we do receive from many members and friends in providing material for the magazine, from occasional snippets to regular articles. Without that help, a willing Editor or not, there would be no magazine.

Our very best wishes to all members for 1982.

Assistant Editor: Derek Rayner, 'Invicta', 9 Beagle Ridge Drive, Acomb, York Y02 3JH. Display Advertising: to the Editor Small Ads: to the Editor Distribution and Change of Address: Mrs Fay Wood, 'Windrush', Hail Weston, Huntingdon, Cambs PE19 4JY

The Editor will be pleased to consider contributions of suitable articles, shorter items or photographs for inclusion in future issues. All material so submitted is voluntary and payment cannot be made for any material published, although expenses incurred may be met. The opinions expressed in the magazine, with the exception of those printed as Club announcements, are those of the contributors and do not indicate the views of the Club as a whole. All items are held copyright by the contributors and/or the NTEC. Next Issue: Press date for news items, recent photographs and small advertisements is 5th February 1982

This issue 4 9 12 15 19 22 23 28 29 30 43 44 45

Club News The End of an Era The Bridge On Sentinels — The DG8s Our Men Floating Dutchman On Boiler Construction and Repair A Wiltshire Apprentice Stranger on the Shore Steaming Around, compiled by Derek Rayner Round the World Books New Members, Small Ads

Peter Smart 'Willie McGrath' Joe Thomas' Henry Curtis Michael Mason Lionel Grice

ISSN 0260 - 2962 Published by the National Traction Engine Club Ltd at 14 Charles St, Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

Printed by AB Printers Ltd, Leicester.

Cover A popular autumn 'steam up' is the annual gathering at Martin, south west of Salisbury, Hampshire. CHALLENGER, Geoff Hunt's fine 7hp Marshall road locomotive (57304 of 1911) rests in sympathetically coloured surroundings at the 1979 event. (David Milton) 3

Engine Owners Column Engine Owners Committee (Committee meeting report by the Chairman, John Wharton) The committee is continuing to work for the engine owners in many different ways. I feel that the problems of communication between the Committee and the engine owners has resolved itself as my mail bag is continually quite full. The enquiries are diverse and demanding. All enquiries will be answered and those that affect everyone will be publicised In these pages (following consultation with those concerned).

Elsewhere in this issue I have tried to satisfy two frequently asked insurance questions. By next issue we will have a list of coals that are stated by the National Coal Board to be suitable for traction engines, etc, and hopefully where to buy it from.

Engine owners views were voiced at the autumn 1-981 Affiliated Clubs and Rally Organisers Conference.

Safety levelled at rally organisers and

engine owners was discussed.

Although we may think we are safe, accidents and dangerous incidents do nenitr; it is quite obvious that some more thinking needs to be done. The Engine Owners Committee is cooperating with the Rally Organisers Committee on this matter.

Perhaps the most salient item discussed at the Conference to the interest of all engine owners was that of remuneration. The NTEC 'guideline minimum' payment to steam engine exhibitors at events has been raised to £35 per day per engine. I reiterate that this is a guideline and I advise you to read again my comments on remuneration in the article Going to a Rally in the Autumn 1981 Steaming.

An Engine Owners Conference will be held on 24th April 1982 as a part of the NTEC convention in York being held that weekend.

Please continue to send your engine owners problems to the Committee via me by letter or telephone: M. John Wharton, Southerndown, Minster Lovell, Oxford OX8 5RD (Tel 0993- 33361.

Scottish Boiler Inspection Scheme — increase in fees For those members still taking advantage of the Scottish Boiler Inspection Scheme, Tennant Budd advise that as from 1st January 1982 the fee for thorough examination of boiler including issue of Report Ebb, plus supplementary examination under steam and Report F55A, wiii be increased from £50.00 to £55.00 plus VAT at the current rate (at present 15%1.

However, it has been confirmed by Tennant Budd that the hydraulic test fee will remain at £25.00 plus VAT. If examination following repairs is required at any time, the fee for this has been slightly increased from £40.00 to £42.00, once again plus VAT. Any member requiring a special service for supervision of repairs etc, will be quoted for on an individual basis and should apply to Tennant Budd in the usual way.

New Zealand third party policies

From Alan Martin's Collection

15

The crew of this Burrell 7hp single crank compound have paused from oiling up and preparing for their journey to pose for the photographer about 1912.

The engine, 2682 of 1904, was owned by Freeland Selby of Lychett Matravers in Dorset, and is hauling two large Burrell built traction wagons, probably loaded for a local miller.

4

Policyholders of the New Zealand Third Party Boiler Explosion cover are asked to note that Tennant Budd have arranged with the New Zealand Insurance Company to increase the limits of indemnity under the Boiler Explosion Certificate Scheme to £500,000 any one occurrence in respect of Death, Personal Injury or Damage to Property of Third Parties. This will bring the indemnity into line with the Dominion NTEC Policy, where this also applies.

The annual premium on the New Zealand Insurance will be £5.00 per item.

Under the New Zealand Policy, it is possible to cover damage to the Boiler from Explosion whilst in steam, subject to additional premiums as follows: Value of boiler not exceeding £500: premium £2.50; not exceeding £750: premium £3.50; not exceeding £1000: premium £4.00; not exceeding £1250: premium £5.00; not exceeding £1500; premium £6.00.

Tennant Budd will be forwarding a Notice to each individual Policyholder with details of the above and any necessary action can be taken at renewal on application to Tennant Budd.

National Traction Engine Club

CONVENTION Friday 23rd, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th April 1982

Royal Station Hotel, York The third Club convention is planned to take place on the above dates at York.

Full details can be found on the booking slip enclosed with this issue of Steaming. The advantageous terms that have been negotiated are dependent on a minimum of members taking part.

Those members who wish to attend should complete the booking slip and send to me not later than the closing date, 20th February 1982.

Convention Secretary: John Crawley, Field House, Turvey, Bedford MK43 8DU.

Vehicle Registration Marks The Engine Owners Column in the Summer of 1981 issue of Steaming reported proposed alterations in the recording by the Department of Transport of registration numbers, and advised engine owners to ensure unused engines were recorded on the Swansea computer.

It has been reported that some local vehicle licensing offices have declined to accept steam rollers for registration at Swansea as they are exempt from road fund tax. This has left their owners in the unsatisfactory position that their original registration numbers would not be safeguarded for future use.

The problem has been raised with the Department of Transport by Mr James Crocker, chairman of the Historic Vehicle Clubs Joint Committee. In reply the Department say that there should not be any difficulty in a steam roller's registration particulars being transferred to the computer record, and once the details are included they remain on record permanently. If members would let the Department know of individual problems, and which local office has refused registration, they would look into the matter. In applying for the registration of a steam engine (whether currently in use or laid up) on

the Swansea computer record, the form V5 should be used.

In going through this exercise there is no need or obligation to re-licence the machine. Any old style log books sent with applications to register will be returned if requested. (Anthony Heal, NTEC representative, Historic Vehicle Clubs Joint Committee.)

NTEC Sales I should like to apologise to all members who have recently experienced delay in the return of their book or kit orders. The response to the publication of our full sales list as an insert in the last Steaming (in time for Christmas buying) was considerable, and as my club job is entirely voluntary and conducted in my spare time it was at times difficult to maintain a short turn round in processing the orders.

Some customers, however, have been contacting me when their order has not arrived within a week! In general please notify NTEC Sales only after 28 days have elapsed — orders should normally be much quicker than that, but delays do occur.

With the very heavy increase in postal charges it is much regretted

that NTEC Sales can no longer offer entirely post free prices to members. A post and packing charge of 75p should therefore now be added to all orders (not per book) up to £10 value — orders over that amount remain post free. In most cases the charge still does not represent the full cost, and I sincerely hope members will understand and continuo to support NTEC Sales as they have done in the past.

My wife and I are shortly expecting our second child and as I do not wish to cause delay to orders, our Eastern Area representative, Tony Fookes, will undertake the processing of book and kit orders for this issue of Steaming.

His address can be found on the sales list inside the front cover. (Stuart Gray, National Sales Officer)

Traction Engines and the Law With future changes in the Law it is obvious that certain sections of the Club's recently published book Traction Engines and the Law will need updating. David Tew, the author, proposes to set down these alterations as they become evident and the notes will be published in these pages from time to time. This first batch contains some recently adjusted figures for Capital Gains and Capital Transfer taxes, as well as correcting a few printer's and proof reader's errors.

Members may care to annotate their copies of the book accordingly.

Page 5, pare 3. The vertical lines are missing on the relevant pages.

They should appear as follows — on page 15, para 9 at lines 5 to 7; on page 6, para 2 at lines 3 to 8 and para 3 at lines 5 to 11; on page 17, at whole of para 6 (sparks and grit) and para 9 at lines 1 and 2; on page 21, para 6 at lines 7 and 8; on page 26, para 5 at lines 7 and 8.

Page 8, para 3, line 1. The phrase 'city engineers' should read 'city magnates'.

Page 9, para 3, final sentence. The sections mentioned have been rendered inoperative (but not repealed) by the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980, Schedule 7 para 1411). heavy pare 6. A Page 13, locomotive exceeds 111/2 tons in weight, not 11/2 tons as printed. line 5. The para 2, Page 20, regulation mentioned is numbered 107(5), not as printed.

5

Page 21, para 3, line 3. The regulation does not apply to vehicles used before 1st January 1931, not as printed.

Page 23, line 4. The relevant Act is now the Highway Act 1980 s59.

Page 29, para 4, line 6. Capital Gains Tax. At present gains under £3000 are exempt but the reduced rate for amounts up to £5000 has been withdrawn.

Page 29, final paragraph. The quotation should read: '... the reason for this is that the engine would be exempt as a wasting chattel.'

Page 30, para 2, line 3. The limit is now £50000.

Page 30, para 3, item (c). Annual lifetime gifts up to £3000 are now exempt. the small gifts exemption of £100 only applies now where no.one individual receives more than £250 in the year.

Page 30, penultimate line. The booklet is entitled CTT1 not as printed.

Obituaries Charles Aldrich It is with deep regret that I write that my brother Charles Aldrich of Grimston, King Lynn died on 21st September 1981 after a short illness.

Through the kind endeavours of Cliff Aldrich, Bill Whatling and John Aldridge, his favourite engine, Clayton & Shuttleworth 48224 VALIANT led the cortege to the church.

Charles' love of steam was his life and he had done most jobs that could

be done with a road steam engine, he was at home whether steam ploughing, dredging, threshing or rolling. He worked as a lad with his father on timber hauling in World War 1 and later had a spell with Bert Stocks driving a Burrell showmans engine. He kept contact with his ex employers and never had a bad word for them.

Charles was a great character who called a spade a spade and if he had anything to say, offending or not, he said it. He will be sadly missed by all of us. (Jack E. Aldrich)

Willie McConachie The death on 27th October 1981 of Willie McConachie, of Tarland, Aberdeenshire, aged 88, saw the passing of Scotland's longest and best known steam enthusiast.

A farmer, and owner of various engines since 1944, he was a founder member of the Scottish Traction Engine Society and the Bon Accord Steam Engine Club, and partook in many activities with his engines. A particularly noteworthy achievement was his run to a rally at Chester-leStreet, Co Durham in 1957, a round trip of 700 miles.

At the time of his death he was owner of a 1908 8hp Fowler traction, two steam tractors — a 1919 Foster Wellington and a 1925 Tasker — and an 8hp Aveling & Porter traction of 1926. (William McConachie, junior)

Rev. R.C. Stebbing It seems I have always known the Rev. Reuel Stebbing. Long ago, when I thought I knew it all, I expressed sur-

prise in an article in the Road Locomotive Society Journal that Percy Grundy's No 2 Set of Oxford single ploughing engines (converted from early Fowlers) should have their links up for going forward. Then came a letter from a Reverend gentleman surprised at my ignorance: "Did you not know this was to preserve open rods?

And that these gave greater efficiency than the crossed rods which makers of four-shaft engines usually adopted, so as to keep links down when the lever was for'ard — avoiding pushing them up?"

"But", I answered, "altering link strap positions is easy enough on any engine — ! have played with this myself. What difference can this make to steam distribution, one way or another?"

"You are on dangerous ground", he wrote back, and may be an engineman, but you are not an engineer."

When we met, I said, "I would tremble to dispute a theological opinion with you. But traction engines!

Have you ever threshed, or steam ploughed r "No - hm - but - er - I did work my way from shop floor to drawing office." Then from his quick sketches I was soon to see how crossing the rods shortened valve travel; undesirable in theory even if convenience sometimes outweighed it. (This phase of Fowlers was discontinued.)

We inet many times subsequently and in the archives at Reading University would joyfully go through the Fowler section together. At a picture of the collapse of part of the Steam Plough Works from a seeming architectural or building fault, I once said, "I

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think you could be a Fowler man who lost an early life there and been reborn!"

"Maybe," he said, "but you are on dangerous theological ground, now!"

It has been said of Reuel Stebbing that he had no use for an engine without a rope-drum under its belly. In these his knowledge was supreme and what he has said on Fowler ploughing engines will long be remembered.

Friends of Steam miss a friend indeed with his passing. (E.E. Kimbell)

Affiliated Clubs 1708 Locomotive Preservation Trust Ltd

We welcome into affiliation with the NTEC the above group who are involved with the preservation of road steam as well as railway locomotives.

The Chairman is Mr G.S. Mimms, 15 Windsor Road, Barton-le-Clay, Bedford.

Banbridge and District Vintage Vehicle and Engine Club We welcome the above Club into affiliation with the NTEC from the 3rd October 1981. The chairman is H.J. Heslip and secretary W.J. Sloan, 15 Ardaragh Road, Newry, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT34 1NY.

Banbury Steam Society

The Banbury Steam Society ran a successful rally on 27/28th June 1981 at Wroxton, near Banbury. We had a very good turn out of about 20 engines as well as a wide selection of other exhibits, all assembled under supervision of our rally chairman, Robert Herring. Our thanks to everyone who helped and attended.

A rally still being talked about locally is the working event held on 18/19th July 1981 at Chadshunt, near Southam, Warwickshire. All the 'vintage' clubs in the neighbourhood got together to raise money for equipment for microsurgery at Horton General Hospital, Banbury. A sum in excess of £12,000 was raised — enough to buy the microscope and some over to put towards an echo cardiograph. Said to be a most friendly event, the weekend was enjoyed by all. As expenses were not paid to any exhibitors, the organising committee, headed by Tony Robinson, would like to thank everyone who helped in the

success of the event that enabled the medical equipment to be purchased.

(C.F. Burbridgel

London Area Social Meetings

Affiliated Clubs and Rally Organisers Conference The above Conference for Spring 1982 will take place at the Great Western Royal Hotel, London on Saturday, 13th February 1982 at 11am. Formal notices and invitations will be sent to Affiliated Clubs and Rally Organisers in the usual way.

Early Rallies Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month until April in the upstairs room at 'The Cock Tavern', Great Portland Street, London (corner of Margaret Street and adjacent to Oxford Circus). They start about 8pm and all traction enthusiasts — members or friends — are welcome.

TUESDAY, 26th JANUARY 1982 The Club Chairman, Peter Barber, will give an illustrated talk 'Steam Safari in Germany, 1978'.

TUESDAY, 23rd FEBRUARY 1982 The Festiniog Railway will entertain the meeting with films and slides, featuring particularly the extensions and new railway above Ddaullt.

TUESDAY, 30th MARCH 1982 Details to be announced — it will be a traction engine film show.

TUESDAY, 27th APRIL 1982 'Steam in India and East Germany' — a slide show and talk by Charles Roads.

Future Dates

The Rally List 1982 will be published as a supplement to the Spring issue of Steaming and will contain, as usual, details of all the coming season's events approved under the NTEC approved rally scheme. Two early season events during the month of April, however, are mentioned now.

11 and 12th April — Road Rail Steam '82, Quorn and Woodhouse Leicestershire.

(8591), Station Contact — D.G. Pugh, Great Central Station, PO Box 33, Loughborough, Leics LE11 1SS 11 and 12th April — Quainton Road Rail Rally, Quainton Station, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Contact: C. Taylor, 121 Carterhatch Rd, Enfield, Middlesex.

The railway collection at Quainton includes an Aveling & Porter 'traction engine type ' railway loco and the lowest existing standard gauge industrial locomotive — only 6 feet tall. The Great Central Railway currently have two National Railway Museum engines on loan — it is hoped to have GCR 4-4-0 BUTLER HENDERSON and the famous 1871 Stirling single driver in service at the Easter weekend event.

Both are worth a second glance from the most diehard road steam man!

Annual General Meeting 1982

Advance notice is given of the Annual General Meeting of the NTEC which will take place at the Royal Station Hotel, York during the morning of Saturday, 24th April 1982. Formal notice and further details of the AGM will be distributed with the Spring issue of Steaming, which will be published slightly earlier than usual.

The York Convention

Around the AGM, mentioned above, our Vice Chairman John Crawley has arranged the Club's third Convention — a whole weekend of events.

Further details will be found in the advertisement and on the booking slip enclosed with this issue. The previous Conventions at York in 1976 and 1979 proved extremely successful and it is hoped that a large number of members and their wives and friends will support and enjoy this Club venture. York, of course, is a very attractive city and an excellent venue for a weekend out.

Corrections

Alan Duke kindly points out an error on page 160 of our Autumn 1981 issue — the works number of the Burrell pictured at Worthing, Norfolk, was 1461, not 1641.

The right hand engine of the three tractors pictured on page 166 of the Autumn magazine is wrongly identified as a Robey. John Smith of lnworth, Kelvedon considers it 'almost certainly a pre-1918 Garrett', and close scrutiny of the original confirms this. Although the owner's plate on the motion cover plate cannot be deciphered, even under a glass, it does not read Richard Pool, Fleet or the like (indeed, Pool is not recorded as owning a Garrett). Thus it seems the engine was merely posed with the Tasker and the Foster in the course of its everyday work.

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Thomas Aveling Commemorative Plaque — an Appeal Thomas Aveling, the man who is often referred to as 'Father of the Traction Engine', died one hundred years ago on 7th March 1882, aged 58. His work on the development of the steam roller is well known and the Road Roller Association intends to commemorate the centenary of his death by placing a plaque on the former works of Aveling & Porter Ltd, Rochester, where he carried out much of his early work. At prpsent there is no indication on the premises of their historical significance; they are now occupied by Winget Ltd, makers of equipment for the construction industry.

An appeal is being launched by the RRA for contributions towards the commemorative plaque, also for restoring Thomas Aveling's grave which is located in the churchyard of Hoo St Werburgh, some four miles from Rochester. The NTEC, whilst not involved in the organisation of the appeal or other associated events, is supporting the venture by contributing to the appeal from club funds, and encourages individuals to do likewise to ensure the success of this important acknowledgement of a name which appears on virtually every rally field.

Several events are being planned by the RRA for the weekend of 6th and 7th March 1982. The AGM of the Association is to be held at Winget's works nn Saturday Rth, and in cnnection with the unveiling of the plaque by His Worship the Mayor of Rochester on the 7th, a road run with Aveling built machines is being organised from Rochester to Hoe St Werburgh Church. Aveling's funeral procession made this same journey in 1882 from Boley Hill House, Rochester (where he died) to the church, and the road run will emulate this sad journey, pausing at the former works for the unveiling ceremony. A wreath will be carried on a steam roller and laid on the grave, with appropriate prayers, on arrival at Hoo. It is also hoped to have a small exhibition in Rochester Museum on Thomas Aveling and his early work, and other events are planned for the weekend.

All readers of Steaming are invited to contribute to the appeal. Donations from interested parties should be sent to Road Roller Association, 40 Pares Way, Ockbrook, Derby, from where further information can also be obtained in due course.

8

Insurance Problems

John Wharton Over the years various items have been raised on the thorny problems of insurance and Inspection. John Hirons (the Club's Insurance Officer) and the Engine Owners Committee have looked into many aspects. Sometimes it is best for no action to be taken at all, as it could often work to the detriment of the majority of steam engine owners. It does concern me, however, that from the outside of the Engine Owners Committee it may seem the questions have been ignored; in consequence I would like to publicise our discussions and should you have any further comment please contact me: M. John Wharton, Southerndown, Minster Lovell, Oxford 0X8 5RD. (Tel: 0993-33361' (i) Standardisation of Boiler Inspection Standards The fact is that if there was any commonisation, the standard would be much higher. I have been informed by various engine owners of difficulties experienced.

One engine owner told me that his boiler inspector had been instructed to use a thickness tester. This device is quite accurate on new plate, but gives questionable results on pitted old plate. I his particular owner was asking for the standardisation of boiler inspection practises. He reckoned thickness testers should not be used by any ; ibpeuLui , however, if i was to approach the boiler inspection companies and ask them to commonise their practises there is a danger that all boiler inspectors would be issued with thickness testers.

One has to appreciate that each inspection company takes a gamble that is geared to business. About 40% of the surface area of a locomotive type boiler and firebox cannot be physically viewed. In consequence educated judgements are passed on what can be seen. When there is doubt sometimes drilling or thickness tests are recommended.

A time when problems frequently occur is after the purchase of an engine, when boiler conditions do not compare with current boi,ler certificate reports. In this instance the potential purchaser would be well advised to have his intended engine inspected by someone from the company that would also inspect it after the purchase. This action would cost money, but the alternative could prove to be an expensive gamble.

(ii) Comparison of Inspection and Insurance Costs I was hoping that when I became Chairman of the Engine Owners Committee I would devise ways and means of ensuring that the best insurance deal was to be had through Tennant Budd Ltd. Unfortunately I could not persuade Which? magazine to do a report on steam engine inspection and insurance costs, so I set out to do it myself. I could not have forecast the difficulties I experienced. Various people had given the Engine Owners Committee names of insurance companies that issued policies cheaper than those offered through Tennant Budd Ltd; unfortunately when one approaches these companies and starts to ask questions the picture alters. First of all not one had a standard policy for steam engines, so when asked if policies included cover for damage caused by sparks and ashes or cover for vandalism negative or doubtful answers were received. One company asked questions about where the steam engine was kept, and in what county, as this would govern the premiums. My conclusions were clouded as I found it difficult to compare apples with oranges.

There are those under the impression that the NTEC have a rake off from Tennant Budd business. I would like to state that at no time has any benefit been gained, financial' or otherwise, by the NTEC, or any of its members, in connection with the business Tennant Budd Ltd does with its policy-holders.

For every specialised hobby, sport, business or industry you will find specialised insurance brokers who by taking up the majority of the business In that specialised line can offer reasonable premiums. Tennant Budd Ltd have done this.

I still get people saying to me that they can get cheap insurance! But what does it cover? My investigations have led me to believe that for the price you pay to Tennant Budd Ltd, you will get no better cover anywhere.

'The Worcestershire County Council have 19 traction engines licenced in their county, and have Issued day permits for 317 days during the year ending March 31, 1903. There are also 81 engines registered for agricultural purposes in the county. The total revenue to the county funds ... was £260 12s 6d.' (From The Machinery Users Journal, July 1903.)

Wallis' catalogue illustration of their 'Steam Tractor, Patent Compound Pattern' — the famous "Oilbath tractor. The makers explained the patented arrangement: '... the running parts of the engine are encased so as to run in a splash oil bath, thus ensuring the completest lubrication and keeping the parts free from damage by dust and dirt.' (collection Welland Valley Club)

A full history of Wallis & Steevens is being written by R.A. Whitehead and will be published by the Road Locomotive Society in due course.

THE END OF AN ERA On 21st August 1981 the workforce of the North Hants Iron Works, Basingstoke left for the final time; the hundred and twenty five year old business of Wallis & Steevens had closed down, another victim of the current recession. It is worth noting that with the passing of the firm there ends the last of the family businesses of steam engine builders that were once a so common feature of the British engineering and agricultural scenes.

In this article we pay brief tribute to Wallis & Steevens and its products. A good many larger firms may well have envied the high esteem in which the Basingstoke designs were held — the Expansion agricultural engines, the Oilbath motor tractors and the Advance rollers were all well thought of in their respective spheres.

Peter Smart The firm eventually to be well known as Wallis & Steevens was started in 1856 by Arthur Wallis and Charles Richard Haslam who traded as Wallis & Haslam, North Hants Iron Works, Basingstoke. Charles James Steevens joined the firm about 1866 as a third partner and the name changed to Wallis, Haslam & Steevens. Agricultural products predominated and it was not long before the firm was marketing its own design of threshing machine and accompanying horse gear. While never achieving the sales volume of East Anglian or Lincolnshire builders, the firm none the less prospered. However, by the 1860s it was becoming

apparent that to sell threshing machines, it was necessary to offer portable engines to drive them. The partners at Basingstoke initially overcame the problem by selling portables on an agency basis — mostly by Clayton & Shuttleworth but also from Brown & May. Charles Haslam retired in the late 1860s and the firm then became Wallis & Steevens.

Circumstantial evidence suggests that the first portables were built in 1866, both 4 and 8hp versions being shown at the Royal Agricultural Society of England show in 1867.

However, the oldest existing register starts in October 1872, so earlier production is uncertain. William Fletcher joined Wallis & Steevens, it is thought, early in 1872, and became responsible

for designing the engines. Initially, boilers were supplied by Abbots of Newark, but the practice of buying-in was gradually discontinued as boiler making expertise was gained. William Fletcher was to become famous for his traction engine designs and for his authorship of several books on the subject. In 1877 Fletcher designed, and the firm built, their first traction engine, an 8hp single. In his book Steam on Common Roads, Fletcher relates the story of the first test run with this engine.

The traction engines were given works numbers with a T prefix, the first being T250. Some twelve months later, a similar 6hp engine was introduced taking the number T150. The original design was short-lived, a revised version appearing in mid-1879.

This, in its turn, was superseded by a third design starting with works number 2001 of September 1884.

There were 6, 7 and 8hp sizes which, in outline were to remain substantially unchanged until the end of traction engine production.

William Fletcher resigned his post in 1878 and was replaced by Herbert Wallis as head of the drawing office.

Charles Steevens withdrew from the partnership in 1882, though the title remained. In 1893, the firm became a limited company with Arthur Wallis as 9

Chairman and his three sons forming the remainder of the Board.

It is perhaps true to say that Wallis & Steevens will best be remembered for steam rollers, the first built by the firm being a 6hp convertible, number 2149 of 1890. This engine was ordered by Carter Bros of Billingshurst, Sussex and remained in their ownership until 1941. It is still in existence, though not yet restored. Chronologically, the next important innovation was the use of variable expansion gear for road engines. This type of valve gear was extensively used on stationary engines, and indeed Wallis & Steevens had used it themselves on some 20 and 25hp tandem compounds bulk in 1888 and 1889.

The first expansion traction engine was 2303 built in early 1895, a 6hp engine supplied to Mrs E. Austin, Ashill, Somerset. By July 1896, it was owned by Geo. Moores of Castle Cary in whose ownership it remained for over thirty years. At about the same time as the introduction of the expansion engine, the firm made its first road locomotive. This was an 8hp engine and was followed by a similar 10hp version. Both varieties were built in small numbers over the following ten years.

In the closing years of the century, the decision was taken to enter the 'motor' market. The 3 ton limit was introduced in 1898 under the Loco-

'The Expansion Gear Traction Engine' as offered by Wallis & Steevens in their catalogue, about 1920. The makers could boast that customers reported 'the fuel required for a full days work is 3cwt or a little over', and intending purchasers were offered sight of the testimonials to see for themselves. (collection Welland Valley Club)

Probably one of the more well known designs of any steam roller manufacturer was Wallis' Advance. Here, an 8 ton example complete with scarifier (7972 of 1928) is seen in use by Fordyce Bros of Orpington, Kent. (collection Roger West) 10

motive Act. The first 3 ton tractor was number 2410 which was retained by the firm as a yard engine. It had been preceded by several small engines, most of which had been exported but which could all be considered as tractors. Number 2380 should really be viewed as the first home market tractor, but since it was sold in 1897 it was recorded as a 3hp road engine.

There was a fair amount of uncertainty and experiment involved with the tractor design, and it was not until 1901 that production seriously got under way with 2514. The Heavy Motor Car Order of 1904 allowprl an increase in weight of something over a ton, subsequently increased to the familiar 5 ton limit. This legislation rendered the 3 ton motor design obsolete overnight. The reaction at Basingstoke was immediate and the 41/4 ton single cylinder tractor was produced commencing with 2798 delivered on 29th September 1904. By the year's end a further five of the type had been despatched and early in 1905 the well known oil-bath design was introduced in the 4% ton compound tractor. The first was supplied in March 1905 to Ashby's Staines Brewery.

Following in the wake of the various 'Motor Car' legislative orders, there was a rash of steam wagon building by many makers, It was not until 1906 that Wallis & Steevens entered this market with a 5 ton wagon of conventional overtype layout. Included in the design were the boiler and engine from the 41/4 ton compound tractor, complete with oilbath. Much has been written about the

design and its short-comings, suffice it to say that it was slow, noisy and under-boilered. Nevertheless, a total of 107 were built and sold.

No resume of the activities of Wallis & Steevens would be complete without mention of the Advance roller introduced in 1923. Such a radical change from established practice was brought about by a combination of circumstances. There had been a growing acceptance that weight alone was no panacea for effective rolling.

The increasing use of hot mastic surfaces and the concomitant requirements of quick reverse and elimination of 'waves' brought together the design criteria for the roller, It had been accepted in contracting circles that a roller with worn rear wheel bushes produced a more acceptable finish, not leaving grooves. The design ingredients were: equal weight distribution, cambering rear axle, quick reverse, smooth running with reciprocating masses minimised. Evaluation of the 6 ton prototype was carried out in the early months of 1923 and the first production 6 tonner sold to Henry Woodham & Sons of London in early July that year. The first 8 ton roller was sold in February 1924 and in April 1925 the first 10 ton version was exported to Switzerland. Conventional rollers continued but the Advance became the major product. Finally, so far as steam was concerned, the Simplicity was introduced in January 1926. At 2 ton 15 cwt it was the lightest steam roller ever built, but demand was small with only 15 units sold.

Subsequently the development of petrol and diesel engined rollers was actively pursued and the 'Advance' criteria were applied to these products. Many of the parts used in the early diesel rollers were interchangeable with steam Advance items. The patents for the modern range range of diesel rollers have been sold to British Steel Piling of Ipswich. The dispersal sale of the North Hants works machinery and the Company's own preserved rollers took place on 22nd September 1981 — a brief report of the latter is included in 'Steaming Around' elsewhere in this issue.

Production figures for steam engines are as follows: 660 rollers (all types) 706 traction engines 114 road locomotives 436 tractors (all types) 129 wagons (all types) 216 portables 62 fixed and semi-portable 2323

A later Oilbath tractor, number 7529, with pressed on solid rubber tyres, in service with the Bath & Portland Stone Firms Ltd and hauling quarried stone on a suitably heavy trailer. Although seemingly quite new, the driver has already added decorations to the engine including a propeller on the chimney. (collection Wallis & Steevens)

THE SOUTH COAST MUSEUM OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY in steam at weekends

NEVILL ROAD, HOVE, E. SUSSEX TEL: BRIGHTON 559503 open 10am-5pm

Our fully equipped workshops are able to undertake all types of restoration work on stationary engines, traction engines, showmans wagons, vintage vehicles and other mechanical antiquities.

The skills and facilities available include: Firebox and boiler re-building, boiler testing and certification, welding and steel fabrication, pattern making. Most machining processes are available including gear cutting, refitting bearings, reboring and honing cylinders, valve facing, refitting pistons, rings etc, also forging, electrical repairs, coach painting and lining. We are able to provide inspection and estimates on or off site, together with research and documentation if required. We are also able to undertake mechanical design commissions and offer a complete museum design and building service. Get in touch with us and let our team work for you — remember Britain's engineering heritage is in your hands

11

The Bridge a story for a winter night

'Willie McGrath' It seemed as though we had been in the shelter for hours. Over the other side, by the wall, a group were playing cards whilst in the corner, a mother sang softly to her young children as she cradled them in her arms. Presently, the sirens sounded again; this time the all clear. Jock and I hurried towards the small doorway in the other wall, reaching it before the others; they seemed not to be in a hurry but Jock knew that we had important things to do. We had had to leave out charge right there in the middle of the street and hurry below when the warning sounded. I'd not even had time to bank up the fire before I heard the first whine of the bombs. Although I knew that the water level was well up when we left, we had been away for so long a time that it could now be nearing the bottom of the glass, especially with the blow I knew we had from the left hand mud hole.

Before we'd left her, I'd screwed both brakes full on and opened the cylinder cocks almost by second nature. As we rounded the corner, I could hear the hiss of escaping steam from the drains and manhole but because of the intense darkness of the blackout, I could see nothing until we came right up to her.

The oil lamp under the canopy was still burning, it's small slit of light being all we were allowed to carry on the footplate. Extreme care had to be taken when firing up under blackout conditions, otherwise one of our Home Guard colleagues was breathing fire down our necks for contravening the regulations. Clambering quickly up onto the footplate and angling the lamp so I could see, I anxiously peered 12

at the water level. Yes, there it was, just in the bottom nut. I kicked open the fire hole door and looked down at the fire. The rosy glow from the remaining embers cast peculiar shadows on the canopy, around the can and onto the road. The tramlines glinted in the red reflected light off the canopy. A shovelful here, one there, one at the back, one at the front and now wait a little. I started. So intent on what I had been doing, I'd not heard Jock clamber up beside me. He'd been for some water to the bar on the corner and now he was going to boil it for a brew of tea before we got on our way again. It would be light again in a couple of hours and we had to yet our load off these crossroads where Jerry had so kindly timed his arrival and made us leave it. Fortunately there was no other traffic about at that time in the morning but we needed to move as quickly as possible in case the AFS or ambulance wanted to get through to the other side of the city, where the bombs had fallen.

Slowly, slowly the needle rose.

The water in the billy can boiled and Jock made the tea. Thick, strong and black it was. We'd no milk or sugar.

Rationing had made such things very scarce. So we drank it as it was — and enjoyed it. More coal on the fire, or what passed for coal, anyway. After what seemed like an eternity, but in actual fact was no more than three quarters of an hour, we were ready to move on.

Jock checked the load and pronounced it OK. Although it was not very heavy, or bulky, it was long and it was extremely valuable, or so those who had engaged us to do the move had told us. It must be looked after

with great care. The gaffer would not tell us what it was, just 'equipment'.

Whether he knew or not, we didn't know. In these days of continual disruptions of normal life and ever increasing problems with the air raids, we knew better than to ask. We'd been pulling down some warehouses not far from our yard, some of which had been hit a day or two beforehand and the resulting fire had left unsafe.

Then the gaffer had sent wee Georgie, the yard lad, over on his bike with the message — we were wanted that night for a job, a haulage job, but it wouldn't be ready until after 8 o'clock. When we arrived back at the yard, we found our task was to deliver the goods to the docks, intact, as soon after 8 o'clock as possible.

With the present liquid fuel shortage which was hitting the lorries very hard, our 'auld lady' was just the answer.

There was nothing else!

We had plenty of experience of this sort of move, taking the big locos down from the Springburn Road to the quayside for shipping to railways in far distant lands. But these jobs were usually done early morning, when it was light. Not at dead of night, and in the blackout. We'd picked up the trailer and load at the appointed hour and had had an uneventful journey until the sirens went and we were delayed.

I turned her over gently, drains open, allowing her to get rid of the build-up of water in the cylinders. She was a good engine, this; very quiet.

Then, stopping her again, I put her into second gear, took off the brakes and with Jock at the wheel, off we went.

The road, which we both knew well enough in the daylight, assumed an

eerie look at night and with little or no light available, we were having great difficulty in picking out landmarks.

On we rolled, down a hill, very gingerly round the corner at the bottom and past a number of burned out tenements which had been hit by a bomb the previous night and were still smouldering. Thank God no one had been killed — they had all been in the shelter. We were alongside the cemetery now, and as we turned left into Burghouse Road at the crossroads at the top of the rise by the gates, we could see, over the roof tops and away to our right, the fires and smoke coming from where Jerry had completed his recent unwelcome delivery.

I finished another firing up session; with this stuff which was supposed to be coal, you had to be careful. Jock tugged my arm, "There's a red licht aheed" he said, "the main road'll be blocked, Ah reckon." We stopped at the barrier and I jumped down to talk to the Home Guard Sergeant who was standing by. He confirmed Jock's suspicions but because of the length of our load, said we could go through and take the short cut past the railway bridge and canal basin to our destination. This would mean we'd enter the docks at this end instead of at the far end as originally planned. I returned to the engine just as Jock was finishing filling the oil pumper. I told him what the sergeant had said and what we were going to do. He was dubious "Have ye nay forgotten the bridge," he said. The Bridge! I hadn't forgotten it. as our previous experiences there had not been happy ones, but I reassured him "We'll get through alright, if we take it wide and get the 'auld lady' through in the middle."

"It'll be tight," he replied, "especially in the dark, but we've nae ither way noo. Ah reckon Ah'll manage".

-• -

Jock had also been shining the brasses whilst we were standing, using some foul smelling special concoction of his. His father had first made it out of something which Jock would never divulge. But whatever it was and however strange the ingredients, it certainly made a good job of the lagging bands and maker's ring on the smokebox doo►. That really twinkled as the sergeant lifted the barrier and the red lamp with it. So we steamed on, Jock keeping a close lookout for the turning on the right which would take us to our ultimate destination. He was almost too late, or so I thought, when he started spinning the steering wheel, but we turned into the narrow passage between the blocks with inches to spare at the rear of our long load. "Good work," I said, knowing I could rely on Jock's almost sixth sense on an occasion like this. I hoped he could manage as well as that at the bridge.

We squeezed our way down the alleyway, for that was really all it was and stopped on the granite setts at the bottom before venturing onto Craigton Road. I took over the steering at the bottom of the alley so that Jock could check that the road was clear before we drew out. I knew that it would take the whole road to get both us and the trailer round and out into the main road. The 'auld lady', big as she was, went round so far with no problem in bottom gear, but the steel wheels on the trailer squealed as if in agony as it was dragged round. The setts must have been greasy or perhaps wet, probably from where the fire tender had been some hours previously.

With Jock shouting directions, I finished up with her right on the pavement at the far side of the road, chipping stone off the kerb edge in the process. Eventually, we were completely out of the alley and I paused to

change gear and wait for Jock to reboard the engine. "By, that was close," he shouted, as he swung aboard. "Ye just caught the back of the trailer on the Bar wall — took some plaster off as ye pulled roond." But we were away again then and I was more worried about the bridge than what was now behind us. We ran alongside the railway for a few hundred yards and then I knew we would be there. I motioned for Jock to take over and jumped down to walk ahead. Jock stopped, changed gear and then inched his way forward. It was a little lighter now as the searchlights on the docks were still on, probing fingers of light into the air and enabling us to see now and then when they swung in our direction. The double tram track which we had followed down Craigton road had now become one, just before the bridge, to enable the trams to pass beneath the railway line in this most awkward situation. Jock followed the lines almost magnetically under the bridge with the engine right in the centre of the archway. He swung hard to the left on leaving the bridge to go round the corner and clear the arch with the trailer. At that very moment, a passing goods train clanked down the hill towards the docks yard at the bottom. The fireman had just fired up in preparation for the long haul back again, and must have been using the same sort of rubbish as we were trying to burn, for he covered the surrounding area — and us — in a big black cloud of evil smelling dense smoke.

We couldn't see. Jock had no alternative but to stop and let the smoke clear so we could both find out what was happening. Almost immediately there was a bang, the ominous tinkling of broken glass and a sound of splintering wood. The Bridge! My uneasy feeling about it had now been justified.

"What in heaven's name's that?"

Jock shouted. I couldn't see back through the bridge but even to my ears, something was not altogether right.

Then the smoke cleared and we saw what had happened. At the back of the trailer, and somewhat dented, was a tramcar. It was the first one out of the depot that morning and on its way to pick up the night shift from the docks. The driver too had been groping his way along in the darkness and then when the train had gone past, he had lost his vision, could not see us or hear us for the noise of the train and crunch, here he was, damaging our precious load. The driver was a little shaken but fortunately not hurt. Since he was almost fully under the bridge, he decided to switch on his headlamp to see what the damage was. It was 13

then he discovered the lamp was smashed and so he produced a handlight from under the staircase. The tram front was dented, the controls were alright and there were one or two broken windows but that was all. His lamp flashed over our trailer and load.

The trailer was undamaged but the packing case had been smashed where it overhung at the rear. Inside the hole at the end of the case we could see a smooth rounded metal casing.

"It's a bomb," yelled Jock.

"No," I said as I looked a little closer. "Shine your light on here driver," I asked, "it's a small submarine. You," I said to him, "have just had the pleasui e of running into a submarine!"

"Our inspector'll nay believe me when Ah go back n' tell him," he said somewhat woefully, "A caur colliding wi' a submarine!"

"Believe you or not," I retorted, "we'd better get the road clear before something else happens." So he backed up a few feet and we shifted the broken bits to one side of the road.

The wood Jock took and threw in the bunker. He climbed up again onto the 'auld lady' and carefully edged her and the trailer round and out from under the bridge. I'd still got the tram driver's

lamp and so I kept a watchful eye on the rear end of the trailer as it slowly but surely cleared the bridge archway.

It was very tight but we managed it. Fortunately the sub didn't appear to have been damaged and so, once clear of the bridge, I gave the conductress the lamp and it was full speed, as fast as we dare, to the dock gates, leaving the tram driver to wend his way, rather draughtily now, behind us. I often wondei whether he did tell his inspector that he'd run into a submarine, or whether he made up a more credible story for him!

Our job was finished when we'd delivered the trailer and its important contents to the dock gates. The guard on duty was expecting us and signalled us straight through the gates which he opened for us. We left the trailer by the big sheds just on the right hand side, securely chocking it before we uncoupled. Almost before we had done so, a group of ratings appeared with a mobile crane. We told the officer in charge of our difficulties and the damage which had been done. I was worried in case the submarine had been damaged, but he confirmed after inspecting it, that it was alright. By this time, dawn was breaking and our thoughts were now only on returning home to the yard with the 'auld lady',

Rally Plaques our speciality

damping the fire down and getting to sleep in the van, for we had had a hard night. Nevertheless, it was gratifying to have been able to do our part to help the war effort, using that supreme power — steam.

For illustrating our fictional tale thanks are due to member Mick George, who so competently responded to the Editor's absurd suggestion that he might produce sketches of a black old engine per: forming in total blackout! jj

'An engine driver fined. — At Lutterworth Police Court on Thursday, Frank Ellson, engine driver, North Kilworth, was fined 2s6d and 12s6d costs, for unlawfully driving a locomotive on the highways at North Kilworth between the hours of sunset and 12 o'clock at night on July 15th.

— P.C. Tomlin said he found the defendant as bringing his engine into the village, from Bosworth, a full hour after sunset. — Defendant in a reply to the charge, said it was quite as light as at the moment.' (From Kettering Leader & Observer, 2nd August 1895.)

FERROUS AND NON-FERROUS CASTINGS

Name Plates

Ornamental and Engineering Polished brass castings Aveling & Porter — 9in Horse and Invicta £17.70, Rear axle horse shoe both 91n and 7.3/4in inside dia. £27.50 pair, Oval Rochester plate £11.00 (with own no. £13.20). John Fowler — Owls £18.15, Fowler plate with Leeds inset £17.60, Oval with number engraved £16.50, Fowler scroll £12.50, Smokebox door ring £13.75. Marshall — Britannia (4 different fittings) £20.62, Smoke box ring £10.78, Valve cover plate £19.80.

Sentinel — Knight £6.05, number plate with Knight £13.20. Foden — Diesel £19.00 per set, Foden by Royal Letters Patent £30.80, Foden Diesel chassis plate £2.75, Foden smokebox door wheel £12.10, Six tonner plate £22.00. Burrell — Works plate £9.35, Burrell scroll £18.70, Dynamo bracket plate £30.80, and Burrell star. Field Marshall — Diesel radiator plate £3.85, Field Marshall concave radiator plate £3.85, Field Marshall baton £7.15.

Water Level £2.86, Thomeycroft £2.20, Mammoth £4.40, Oil Engine £3.00, Gardner £3.30, Gardner 120 and 150 £4.18, Gardner 180 and 240 £5.33, Tax disc holder £5.22. Albion small £7.50, large with sunrays £20.35, Garrett Ring. Blackstone — Oil Engine £3.13, Patent Plate £2.20.

Foden, Fowler and Sentinel Fire Bars.

Many more plates on request

G.M.S. (Wirksworth) Ltd, Yokecliffe House, West End, Wirksworth, Derbyshire DE4 4EG. VAT Included but add postage and packing — on items up to £1000 add £1.50, £10-£20 add £1.95 and over £20.00 add £2.50.

Tel: 062-982-2805 Engineering work from your patterns, or we can produce patterns from your drawings 14

On Sentinels The DG8s Joe Thomas 'The Sentinel', as the Shrewsbury premises of The Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was lovingly called by all who worked there, produced the world's first eight-wheeled rigid frame motor vehicle when it's DG8 model was launched. The new steamer was introduced to the press on 5th September 1930.

In their review the commercial vehicle trade magazine The World's Carriers indulged in some personal flagwaving. They recalled being the first journal to approve the construction of rigid six wheel vehicles, having championed the design between 1924 and 1927, and in August of the latter year they had forecast: "The next step is, of course, a four wheel bogie for the front axle for certain types of heavier carrying capacity vehicles." And so in the issue of 15th September 1930 the magazine boasted "Needless to say we are gratified to find our forecast of this development realised in the new Sentinel DG8 (rigid eight wheeler) which we saw demonstrated on the 5th inst... at Shrewsbury."

The four wheel steering arrangement was on the Ackermann principle and had been patented under the name of Sentinel's chief designer A.G. Hutt (number 306733, dated 22nd March 1928). The distribution of the load over the four axles of the DG8 was a very practical advantage and loads could be carried of such a weight that other contemporary vehicles could not compete. Yet all this was done without increasing the normal axle weight of 8 tons.

If one takes the 8 ton axle load as the maximum permissable, it would have been quite feasible to have had a gross weight of 32 tons, representing

It is quite A DG8 painted up for demonstration purposes by the makers. with other tally not do body the to sides drop the although 8002, probably known photographs. (collection J.L. Thomas)

di adverts.

A well loaded Sentinel 8120 as it appeared in the maker's press (collection ✓.L. Thomas)

it 8130 was fitted with pneumatics when new; the author considers looking Sentinel out of 9000 built. (collection J.L. Thomas)

the best

15

Plan of the Sentinel DG8 patent front axle bogie. A — Oscillating bogie arms on front axle. B — Fixed front axle. C — Steering pivots with levers to which coupling links are connected. D — Coupling link from steering spindle weighshaft to nearside leading wheel. E — Draglink connecting front and rear steering pivots on nearside wheel. F — Coupling links connecting opposite pairs of steering pivots on near and offside wheels.

A shorter wheelbase and a modified cab feature on tipper 8420. (collection J.L. Thomas)

8568, the final DG8 built new, poses in Sentinel's own housing estate when new late in 1931. Sam Nove was a stone factor and the wagon presumably delivered roadstone and the like in the Manchester area. (collection J.L. Thomas) 16

The patent front bogie of the Sentinel DG8 which gave a turning radius of 33 feet.

a useful load of 20 tons. This at a speed of 12mph — which is what the designer had in mind. However, Government restrictions being what they were at the time, the maximum load allowable was only 12 tons. The brakes on the new vehicle could bring it to a dead stop from 12mph in 22 feet on a wet road. Average fuel consumption, which could be coal or coke, was 14 miles per cwt. Inside dimensions of the body were 22ft 9in by 6ft 9in.

The Commercial Motor road tested the DG8 in April 1931 and was very enthusiastic about it, although displeased that the law only allowed them a load of 12 tons instead of the 20 for which the makers guaranteed it.

The testers emphasised that there appeared to be ample power to deal with a 20 ton pay load, as the vehicle had coped with the 12 ton burden in high gear up a gradient of 1 in 10. The steamer was successfully driven over railway sleepers, across very rough ground and through mud, and up a slope. of 1 in 6. On this gradient the outfit was stopped and held by the steam operated brakes acting on the four wheels of the rear bogie. The main frame had been strengthened from the construction used on the DG6 introduced some two years earlier.

The engine lubricator and lighting dynamo were now both totally

Sentinel DG8 steam wagons works number 8002

registration

date new

tyres

delivered new to

UX5291

about Sep 1929

solids

Dudley & Blowers Green Transport Co Ltd, No 16

Was apparently demonstrator model. Flat body with sides. Later converted to

8120

VK2573

pneumatics

17th June 1930

solids

John Baxter & Co (Hauliers) Ltd, Newcastle-on-Tyne, No 43

December 1929

pneumatics

P. Harries, Oakfield Mews, Pontardulais, Swansea

December 1930

solids

George Phillipson & Sons, Cox Green, Bolton, No 3

Flat platform body

8130

?

Flat body with sides

8420

?

Tipper

8512

UT9078

Forest Rock Granite Co Ltd, Whitwick, Leicestershire

1st June 1931

No known photograph, tipper

8514 8515 8568

VU4473 ? ?

? ? ?

solids solids solids

Sam Nove Ltd, Manchester, No 7 Sam Nove Ltd, Manchester, No 8 Sam Nove Ltd, Manchester, No 9

All 3 way tipper; delivered about September-November 1931

Sam Nove's first DG8, number 8514, showing off a left hand lock. The livery appears to be a very light colour. (collection J.L. Thomas)

enclosed in an aluminium housing on the offside of the engine unit.

Increased comfort was a characteristic of the riding qualities of the new model. This smoothness of riding, of course, also had a beneficial effect on loads in cases where more fragile goods were being carried.

The Sentinel DG8 was, unfortunately, a vehicle before its time both in conception and from the legal point of view; there was little demand for them and only eight examples were built. The details of owners and dates etc are listed in the accompanying tables. Those operators who did use the eight-wheelers wrote highly of them in letters to the works, but most commercial vehicle users had not even attuned themselves to the idea of a rigid six-wheeler — still a comparatively rare breed. The DG8 was entirely new and, to the average businessman, untried — something to be steered clear of until someone else had found it successful.

Sentinel 7789 was rebuilt from a DG6; it worked from Rye in Sussex on sand haulage. (collection J.L. Thomas)

17

Sentinel conversions from DG6 to DG8 (all pneumatic tyres) works

date

number

registration

new

converted

rebuilt for

7516

PK2605

31st July 1928

1935

— — W.H. Gaze & Sons, Kingston upon Thames

Tipper; originally on solids

7789

PN3179

1929

?

3 way tipper; originally on solids

8016 8018

E.A. Simpson, Battle, Sussex 2

UX5355 UX5356 Tippers; originally on solids

24th August 1929 24th August 1929

June 1933 July 1933

Tarmac Ltd, Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, 10 Tarmac Ltd, Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, ?

8363

11th Sept 1930

May 1933

Lewis, Rugg & Co, Olveston, Gloucs.

FH6944

Three way tipper; originally on solids

8503

FH7330

16th July 1931

?

Wm. Bater & Sons, Skewen,Glamorgan, No 74. (new to Priday, Metford & Co, minors r=1^ --ter)

Originally on solids; burnt out 1942 when owned by Longton Transport,

8603

TG2431

12th Nov 1931

Originally on pneumatics

We have already seen that although designed and guaranteed for a payload of 20 tons, the law restricted the DG8 to one of 12 tons, and this was exactly the same load as the DG6 could take. The eight wheeler's price, as a platform wagon, was £1800 and it certainly did not make sense to buy a vehicle at that price when annual running costs would inevitably have been higher., with no financial advant-

?

Stoke on Trent.

Wm Bater & Sons, Skewen, Glamorgan, No 20

age from greater payload.

The eight DG8s constructed new were added to by a further eight examples converted by Sentinels from DG6 models, again, details are in the accompanying tables, The 1930 Road Traffic Act similarly enabled DG4 wagons to be converted to DG6s to take advantage of the increased gross weight allowed. Although Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd carried out a very

large number of these conversions they were at the same time really cutting the potential sales of new DG6 and DG8 models.

A full chapter with dozens of more salient points about Shrewsbury's first eight wheel design will be found in part 2 of my book The Sentinel (covering the years 1930-1957) — when I can find a publisher to take it onl

Another rebuild from a DG6 was 8016, shown here demonstrating one of the three way rips and bearing Tarmac's well known black and gold livery. (collection J.L. Thomas)

Calling Burrell 'Gold Medal' tractor owners September 1982 will see the 75th anniversary of the Royal Automobile Club's Commercial Vehicle Trials in which entry 58, a Burrell 5 ton steam tractor, won its class and was awarded a gold medal. From that time the model was familiar as the 'Gold Medal' tractor.

Ron Walker, being owner of one of the thirty or so engines still existing, would like to encourage sponsorship to make funds available for some celebrations to commemorate the anniversary. To enable discussions to take place with potential sponsors on a variety of possibilities it is necessary to make contact with all interested owners in plenty of time. Would all owners please contact — Mr Ron Walker, Lower Priory Farm, Clamp Hill, Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 3JJ. 18

Our men Henry Curtis recalls the men, the machines and the incidents of his family's haulage firm at Oxford.

Viv Kirk, for long indefatigable recorder of the days of steam haulage on the roads around Oxford has recently suggested that I put onto paper my memories of the men, and the engines and steam wagons which my family's haulage firm — J. Curtis & Sons of Oxford — possessed in the heyday of steam. It is a saga which commenced in the early 1890s and continued right through into the 1930s, an era which, of course, will never be experienced again. To get down to this task and bring to mind again some of the trials and tribulations which would occasionally upset all the carefully pre-arranged plans and decisions has involved no small amount of endeavour and research. Nevertheless it has given me much pleasure to go back over the years.

In actual fact, it was not so very often that problems did occur; perhaps that is why one can so vividly remember those hectic occasions which did upset our calculations. I shall always contend that the chief reason for this comparatively smooth running of our business over the years was that we had an incredibly loyal and dedicated staff who simply lived for their beloved engines and the journeys they undertook; also, perhaps, because every one of those steamers — different from the lorries of today — had a personality of its own. This also seemed to be the case with the drivers! And surely it helped that in those days the management of the firm from the chairman down, was always prepared to do it's share to help keep the machines on the road, at any time of day or night.

It gives me great personal pleasure to recall and to write down some of these names — a sort of Roll of Honour of these stalwart men.

There was:— George Ellis — incredible driver of great renown who came to us at the beginning of the century; Newton Lightfoot — craftsman extraordinary who could, and

would, drive anything; Blossom Trinder — a tremendous personality who lived for steam; Jim Shorter — unbeatable behind an engine or when it came to doing the impossible; Bert Hill — a little cautious but one who got there just the same; Bill Peart — one of the very early engine drivers and utterly reliable; George Baggot — craftsman and engineer, skilled in every way or for any journey as well as unbeatable and unflappable.

These are the names of just a few of those magnificent men with their steam engines. They were always ready and willing to get out of a warm bed at 4am on a cold winter's morning and walk or cycle to the works, there to unsheet a frozen machine, clamber into an icy tender, open up the fire box door, struggle with the kindling wood and coax a fire into being, shovel on just enough coal (not too much) to get some steam in a couple of hours or so.

Then back home to a well deserved breakfast, and to pack sufficient victuals to last for the day. By 6am the head of steam would be sufficient to get the old girl and her trucks, or timber carriage, on the road for whatever destination was planned for the day.

As far as I can remember most of these intrepid individuals had wives (except Blossom who married very late in life), but this fact did not seem of much consequence, or at any rate not when there was work to be done. All that really mattered in those days was the Burrell, the Fowler, the Allchin or Tasker, or whichever they happened to be driving at the time.

Furthermore, in those early days, before or just after the turn of the century there was no crazy demarcation of jobs which so bedevils businesses these days. Added to this many steam engine drivers seemed to be quite skilled in other work and if a steamer was not available or there were no journeys to be made, he would cheerfully undertake anything that needed doing or was urgently

required.

This was the state of affairs just before World War 1, but incidents did occur, for example....

Down Cumnor Hill Newton Lightfoot was engaged in repairing a threshing machine for a farmer when a message came through — not by the telephone in those days — that the Fowler we owned at the time had trouble with the motion gear coming out of mesh. It was late in the afternoon and the engine was at West Hanney, down towards Wantage.

By six in the morning, Newton, a young man at the time, was half way up Cumnor Hill with his bicycle laden with tools. These consisted mainly of a hammer, a chisel and adjustable foot-prints — a great deal could somehow be accomplished with such equipment at that time.

The story goes that after, of course, lighting up in order to get steam, he sorted out what appeared to be the trouble with the gearing, and then when he had enough steam, started for home. He had no trucks, only the Fowler. There followed a fairly uneventful journey — at all of three miles per hour — until he reached the top of Cumnor Hill. Then a couple of hundred yards down the hill, the motion gearing slipped out of cog and away the Fowler went, in free wheel.

Brakes in those days were crude in the extreme — a block of wood which should press on the inside of the driving wheel. This seldom worked or was even there, because steam pressure fed to the engine with the valves in the reverse position was invariably adequate — but certainly not in a case like this, with all the gearing out of mesh!

The road speed must have built up with great rapidity; we are talking in terms of, I suppose, some twelve tons on a fairly steep slope.

The machine was rapidly getting beyond control. With Newton Light19

foot on the footplate, however, there was no panic. Travelling at 20 to 30 miles per hour, he steered to the right — the higher side of the road — and straight through the hedge bordering the field alongside. Luckily there was no ditch to worry about, but he did leave a huge gap in the hedge behind him. The engine kept up a frightening speed over the grass field parallel with the hill for some distance, then the speed of the machine diminished and it came to a halt — after which Newton was able to re-engage the gearing!

As this was half a mile further down the hill and it was geting late there was only one thing to do; go back through the hedge near where he was onto Cumnor Hill again. As you may guess those two gaps, temporarily fenced with barbed wire, remained for many months as a reminder of what could have been a very serious accident had the wrong man been driving. As a matter of interest, if the same incident could possibly happen again today, at least twelve houses or front gardens would be wrecked.

Spoiling the High On one occasion Bert Hill left his mark as an engine driver in no uncertain manner, and in a no uncertain place.

This incident was in the summer of, I think, 1920. He was driving the small Burrell up Oxford's land one of the world's) most famous streets — The High. It so happened that in preparation for the University's annual Encaenia Celebrations the main routes through the city had as usual been smartened up, and the High Street had, at great expense, received a layer of new tarmacadam the previous day the very latest in road surfacing material at that time.

That afternoon before the festival Bert Hill, with his steel wheeled and straked Burrell steamed over Magdalen Bridge complete with heavily laden timber carriage — quite oblivious to what was going to happen. After he had passed Longwell, he realised to his horror that his rear wheels were picking up the soft newly laid tarmacadam — leaving two wide furrows in his wake!

There was just nothing he could do about it. He could not reverse with a loaded timber carriage; it was just a matter of literally ploughing on up the High until he reached a surface hard enough to support the steel wheels — this was more than a quarter of a mile further along towards Carfax.

The consternation caused by this horrific deed was out of this world and 20

workmen were brought in by the council from all over the place to work all night, by gas lamp, repairing the surface as best they could.

It was very worrying for the firm as well — but in some incredible way we were not eventually held responsible.

The Skating Burrell Only a few years later George Ellis created no small amount of confusion on the same route.

It was a winter morning of icy roads and it was freezing hard. George was driving the big Burrell towing three trucks loaded with bricks — all of fifty tons; with these he had left Wheatley very early in the morning in order to avoid the city traffic.

Part of the way down Headington Hill the heavily laden trucks became too much for the Burrell and the prevailing conditions, and the cavalcade began to slide on the ioy surface.

George tried every trick he knew but it was no good, the trucks jack-knifed and the Burrell slid sideways — completely blocking the roadway by the entrance to Cheney Lane. As a result of this, Headington Hill and the lane were completely impassable all that day and until the middle of the next morning. And so, on a bitterly cold winter's day and night we blocked what was perhaps at that time the most important main road in Oxford.

Fortunately nobody was injured,

but the incident was not forgotten for a very long time.

Catching the tram There was an occasion at a much earlier period when Bill Peart — who really was much happier with horses and a wagon and not very used to his engine — in some incredible way got one of the front wheels of the small Burrell he was driving onto the rear steps of an Oxford horse tram in Holywell.

The trouble was that this, not surprisingly, tilted up the front of the tram, frightening the passengers and horses alike, although none, apparently, were hurt. Fortunately the wheel of the Burrell stayed firmly on the back of the tram and the passengers were able to scramble out.

Blocking and jacks were quickly found to put under the front of the tram, the horses were released from their awkward predicament and the tram let gently down.

As I have said nobody was injured, but a very stiff letter of reprimand was received from the Oxford council.

Dangerous games More unfortunate accidents did happen, of course, even though the speed of the vehicles was very slow compared with that of today. In fact this latter aspect created a very worrying problem that was always with us.

Curtis' owned several Tasker tractors over the years. In 1913 they purchased new number 1557, a gear drive 5 tonner (4A5117), and it is seen here in the mid 1920s, engaged on brick carting at the old LMS station goods yard. (collection H. Curtis)

The Botley Road yard, Oxford, in 1926. Tasker tractor 1677 of 1915 (AA57311 was a chain drive machine and lasted until 1951; in the background is Foden wagon 5532 (M74631, purchased secondhand from the Reading brewers H. G. Simmonds. (collection H. Curtis)

The slow speed of the engine and trucks made it possible for young children (nearly always boys) to run into the road and perch on the drawbars between the trucks, and it was quite easy for the driver to miss them doing it.

The drawbars were narrow and sometimes wet and greasy which made it only too easy for a child to slip off and be run over by the following truck. Unfortunately this did happen on one or two occasions in spite of all possible precautions being taken.

A long move Nowadays a customer begins to get worried or impatient if there happens to be a few hours delay in the delivery of a load, whatever it may be.

Matters could be — and sometimes were — much worse in earlier days.

Such an occasion occurred in a winter of the early nineteen twenties.

About the middle of January Newton Lightfoot loaded up a Foden steam wagon and furniture van for Hungerford some 30 miles away. They started off from Botley very early the following morning, long, long before daylight, with the idea of reaching their destination that afternoon, because the owners of the house were moving in immediately and consequently needed their furniture that night. However, before reaching the top of Cumnor Hill it began to snow.

By the time Newton Lightfoot and his mate reached Wantage they were becoming really worried — two inches of snow had fallen and no sign of thawing. They knew the job was urgent, however, and on they went.

As they struggled up the hill out of Wantage, the going became worse.

Every possible artifice was tried; they put ashes and bits of tarpaulin under the driving wheels but grip became quite impossible by the time they were half way up the hill, with the wheels spinning on the frozen snow, and it was still snowing!

That icy spell persisted and it was actually eighteen days before the conditions improved, the journey completed and the furniture unloaded.

A night out It so happened that I was personally involved in one of my stories in the same part of the world. Jim Shorter, a grand person to be with, had to make a journey with a Tasker tractor and trucks down to the little village of lnkpen, just beyond Hungerford, there to collect and bring back some equipment. His mate was sick and I was terribly excited, for, it being during the school holidays, I was allowed to go with him to steer, or anyway, to help.

The trouble started at Hungerford, we were stopped by a policeman because we had two trucks and no third man behind. Further, Jim, for

some reason, did not have a licence.

At that time they were not very important if you did not get stopped.

Luckily, I had one, although as I was only sixteen it was probably only for a motorcycle — at any rate we got away with that one and made all sorts of excuses about not having a third man.

I assumed the position of engine driver — which meant I was eventually fined £4 for being a man short. Following on from this we had endless injector trouble and reached our destination — another new house — only just in time to be loaded up.

By this time it was getting dark and there was no hope of getting home that night. We could not find accommodation anywhere, but I have never known Jim Shorter to be at a loss. We carefully inspected the new house — it was a very large one — and found a partly open window, so we clambered in, hoping to find some blankets. There was nothing of that nature, but we did find rolls of carpet so all we could do was to roll ourselves up in carpeting as best we could and hope for a reasonable sleep. To this day I shall never forget that uncomfortable night and how, at about two o'clock in the morning, I could hear Jim wriggling about. I called out "how are you getting on Jim?" and his classic reply was "I don't know about you, but I'm bloody coldl" And so was I! Soon after this we got up, got the fire going and when there was enough steam started off for home — hoping for a cup of tea or something in Hungerford — although I believe it was Wantage before we were able to get anything.

But then that is what driving steam engines was all about!

Amongst many other necessary abilities, to be a traction engine driver you had to be a master of resource and ready for any emergency. For instance when meeting a lighter vehicle on a narrow road, you had to use the greatest tact to coQvince the driver of the other vehicle that you, with the heavier machine, must stay on the road and it was up to them to go onto the verge. After all you could pull them if they sank in!

There was always the problem of finding the right sort of coal for the firebox — just where there was not any coal at all. Then there was the injector, the apparatus which injects cold water into the boiler by means of steam pressure; it is a well know fact that there has never been a girl born who was ever anything like as tern21

peramental as an injector could be when it was really in a bad mood.

Added to this was the knowledge that, after a certain number of miles it was absolutely vital that a fresh supply of water was available, and drivers would resort to every conceivable trick and connivance to replenish their tanks with the precious fluid.

One of the greatest difficulties in earlier days was that the average person knew little about engines and perhaps feared the water source would be polluted or poisoned by being used by engines. The idea was, therefore, for the crew to put the engine as close to the water as possible, get the hosepipe into the ditch or pond when nobody was around, and then cover it up and hide it somehow. We maybe created a distraction by setting up an elaborate facade of repair work, or a

Floating Dutchman This photograph recently appeared as a mystery picture in Op Stoom, magazine of the Stoomwalsenclub Nederland. It was found by editor Rob Gebhard amongst old pictures at N.V. Verschure & Co's 'scheepwerf en machinefabriek' (shipyard and engine works) in Amsterdam.

Our Dutch friend's information on the roller was limited to what could be seen in the photograph — it is in the course of shipment on a pontoon (having been swung aboard by a crane, if we judge by the chains and beam on the canopy roof) and it bears several brass plates_ The smallest of the latter probably registers boiler working pressure and inspection details; that on the motion covers records the machine's title and owner, or one time owner, as 'Stoomwals Maastricht No1' — City of Maastricht steamroller No1. The large curved top plate detailing Verschure, however, appears not to be fixed but merely resting on the toolbox and this may indicate the roller was only in their hands for repair or resale. The firm apparently tried to market rollers in the 1920s but with little success as they could be bought easily at that time from Britain and Germany.

To British eyes the engine's maker is fairly readily apparent — Wallis & Steevens of Basingstoke. Quite a few continental-built steam rollers were virtual copies of English designs but most had some alien feature to give the game away — our subject seems pure Wallis and not from a design by a concessionaire or simply pirated. Bob Whitehead comments that the roller is what Wallis & Steevens sold as a 22

faked argument. On one never to be forgotten occasion, it was desperately necessary to fill up from a horse trough right in the middle of Aylesbury. Joe Knibbs, George's mate on the Burrell on that occasion, was no mean athlete and he was a bit of a clown as well.

The story goes that he put on an incredible acrobatic display for the quarter of an hour that the pipe had to be in the trough. He kept the onlookers amused — the tank was full, the trough was empty, the Burrell was on its way and nobody was any the wiser!

So much also could be written regarding the drivers — each one of them, as I have said, being a great character and having a tremendous sense of humour.

George Ellis — a big man — would consume vast quantities of beer, but it never seemed to affect him when his

hand was on the regulator and his famous saying when referring to coaling the fire was always the same — "little and often, little and often; feed her just like a baby and she won't let you down". That is only a fraction of his repertoire.

The stories that could be told about Blossom, who incidentally, was an incredibly capable tree feller, are legion, but the one memory that comes most easily to mind, was that he had a marvellous voice. In the very early morning, with the sun shining and a full head of steam as he passed through the local villages, he could be heard singing at the top of his voice to the great amusement and often the great pleasure of the many who heard him. But then, that was Blossom Trinder — a steam engine man!

4 tonner, or occasionally as a 5 tonner. He says that most exports to Europe from their North Hants Ironworks (except those to Strassenwalzer Betrieb of Niederlahnstein, or Theodor Ohl of Limburg) were done through agents in London, not quoting ulitmate customers. Possible candidates can only be suggested therefore, and no positive answer given; the favourites are 7004 125th February 19081; 7170 or 7171 (25th November 1909) or 7172 (20th December 1909), all sold to Selig Sonnethal & Co of London, who are believed to have

shipped to the Netherlands. Wallis' engine book notes against 7170 "our name stopped off everywhere" and this may provide the biggest clue, for the wheel hubs on our mystery roller bear none of the raised lettering which was so often (but not always!) incorporated by the Basingstoke works.

Might the archives of the city of Maastricht — if they survive — confirm our guesses?

We are grateful to Rob Gebhard for loan of the photograph and to Bob Whitehead for information from the records of Wallis & Steevens.

Michael Mason

(drawings, and photographs unless otherwise noted, by the author)

Preservation or Restoration?

When in commercial use, many engines were ill-used and badly maintained by owners who had scarcely any engineering knowledge, and little money or time to spare for proper maintenance. Some have not fared much better in preservation when their new owners 'restored' them to former glory with paint and metal polish and ignored the condition of the boiler and other large components which they were unable to repair or renew.

The high cost of boiler repairs, when related to the average purchase of engines has been the prime cause of this state of affairs. In recent years, potential engine owners have tended to be the more wealthy collectors or dealers. Purchase prices at private or auction sales have been grossly inflated to a ridiculous level. It is to be sincerely hoped that this trend will cease and that genuine enthusiasts will be able to purchase engines at

ON 'BOELER'l CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR It is hoped that this-will be the first of a series of articles Which are technically biased and which will outline repair procedures and standards of workmanship consistent with good engineering practice and good locomotive boiler operation and maintenance. The author does not claim to be the ultimate expert but draws upon experience gained during an engineering apprenticeship at Derby Locomotive Works and subsequent service at various locomotive depots of British Rail during the days of steam traction.

He has also spent six years as an Engineer Surveyor for a large insurance company and over the past few years has been self employed, specialising in industrial and locomotive boiler repair work. He is firmly of the opinion that the future survival of many engines currently preserved ultimately depends upon boiler and mechanical condition and is not convinced that the problems associated with maintenance and repair have been fully appreciated by owners, clubs or insurers.

prices which will in future reflect the general mechanical condition and state of the boiler. I for one would view the prospect of an agricultural engine selling for a price in excess of £20,000 with grave misgivings. Yet in recent years, we have seen prices

Fig 1 — Pneumatic percussion hammers and hydro-pneumatic squeeze rivetirtg machine with snaps and caulking tools.

climbing towards this figure for engines with boilers in very poor condition.

Whilst it is true that many engine boilers have received major repairs, the author is deeply concerned over the poor standard of workmanship and

Fig 2 — Twin station electric rivet heater.

23

a b c d e f g h

Fig 3 — locomotive boiler nomenclature unsound repair procedures sometimes adopted. These standards certainly would not have been acceptable in the former manufacturer's works and railway repair workshops. The main reason for this situation is that the firms or individuals carrying out boiler repair work rarely have the necessary boiler trade skills, design knowledge, or correct equipment for the job (see Figs 1 and 2). Regrettably, insurance companies face similar difficulties, as very few surveyors and head office staff are now familiar with riveted construction or repair techniques, and do not always supervise major repair work adequately.

The time has now come for NTEC, the insurance companies and other interested parties to draw up a Repair Code of Prattice which will help owners, repairers and insurers to prolong the life of engines with safety.

If this is not done, then in my opinion a serious accident will ultimately cause panic reaction resulting in astronomic insurance premiums and possible severe legal restrictions on the operation of traction engines.

Riveted boilers — construction and repair The construction of steam pressure vessels from shaped iron and steel plates joined together by means of rivets was introduced during the Industrial Revolution. Designers and draughtsmen at the major manufacturers and railway companies gradually established recognised practices which were ultimately combined in British Standard 931 Locomotive Type Multitubular Boilers of Riveted Construction 1951 (first published in 24

1936). This Standard has, unfortunately, now been withdrawn as new boilers of this type are no longer manufactured. The technical information is, however, extremely useful and the author is indebted to British Standards Institution for permission to reproduce parts of this document. Fig 3 illustrates the principal names referred to in the Standard and usually applied by most manufacturers to the various sections of locomotive boilers.

The basic principles of design and construction of the riveted joint may appear to be elementary, but many enthusiasts attempting to repair boilers often produce poor standard and potentially hazardous repair work because they fail to appreciate these princip1Pc. A typical riveted joint is illustrated in Fig 4. For the joint to be of adequate strength, the following conditions must exist. (a) The plates must be in contact prior to riveting. (b) The holes should be in correct alignment and reamed to size after temporary bolts are removed. The size of the hole must be large enough to allow rapid insertion of the hot rivet, but not too large to prevent the rivet material completely filling the hole. (c) The riveting operation must be

firehole ring firebox stay firehole casing plate firebox firehole plate firebox wrapper plate foundation ring mudhole firebox tubeplates throatp/ate palm stay k firebox casing crown plate crown stay (other designs have girder stays or pressed crowns) m firebox casing wrapper plate (homplatel n manhole or inspection door 0 plain/stay tube p barrel longitudinal stay r smokebox, or hunt, lubeplate smokebox

completed whilst the rivet is at the correct temperature; continued hammering at low temperature may weaken the finished joint. (d) After placement, the heads should be of the correct shape and be concentric with the shank. (e) The underside of the heads and shank should finish in close contact with the surface of the plates and most importantly, the sides of the holes (as shown by small arrows in the illustrations).

If these conditions do not exist, the joint may fail under load, or leakage may occur under pressure. Bad workmanship will undoubtedly cause problems and some of the more common defects are diagramatically illustrated in Fig 5. If the plates are not carefully fitted up, clamped and the rivet holes finally reamed in position, it is virtually impossible to achieve maximum joint strength. Local heating, hammering and taper drifting of holes can be extremely dangerous practices and have been the cause of boiler explosions. A point to bear in mind is that joint failure or severe leakage may not be detected until a hydraulic test can be applied, often after much further expensive and laborious work — retubing, renewing screwed stays etc — has been carried out.

Load

Fig 4 — double riveted lap joint

BS 931, Section 3, clauses 22 and 23 give procedures for riveting: Rivet holes '22. Rivet holes shall not be punched but they shall be drilled full size from the solid plate.

Wherever possible, rivet holes shall be drilled in place, in plates, straps and ends, bolted in position. After drilling, the plates shall be separated, the burrs and the sharp edges of the holes shall be removed and the contact surfaces of the plate shall be cleaned. All tacking holes shall be drilled to a size which will allow the holes to be enlarged to the required rivet size by drilling or reaming. All rivet holes shall he not more than grin larger than the standard diameter of the cold rivet as manufactured (see Clause 231.'

Rivets and riveting '23. The rivets used shall comply with B.S. 425.* Rivets shall be closed by hydraulic machinery wherever the design of the boiler permits, but rivets may be closed by hand or pneumatic hammer in positions where hydraulic riveting is impracticable.

Rivets shall be of sufficient length to fill the rivet holes and form sound and substantial heads.

The heads shall be finished concentrically with the rivet shanks.

Rivets shall be heated uniformly throughout their full length.

Drift pins shall not be used with such force as to distort the rivet holes. If the rivet holes are not fair when the plates are bolted up for riveting, the holes shall be reamed fair before the riveting is commenced. For hydraulic riveting the pressure shall be the least necessary to ensure a tight joint and only sufficient pressure shall be used to close the rivets property and securely without indenting, buckling or otherwise damaging the plate. The rivets shall be allowed to cool while under pressure from the riveting machine.'

holes misaligned

head not concentric with shank

incomplete head

ho/es distorted by 'drifting'

plates not in contact

rivet snap damage to plate

Fig 5 — common defects in riveting

secured to the tube plate. In determining the strength of the joint, the designer has to consider the two basic types of failure shown in Fig 6. In practice, however, if sudden failure occurs, both rivet and plate may fail due to rapid transfer of loading.

Although not usually as dangerous as sudden mechanical failure, steam or water leakage from rivets or plates can cause corrosion and subsequently weaken the joint.

Joint strength can be assessed by calculation but it is important to remember that the five conditions previously listed are assumed to aoolv.

Formulae to determine the allowable working pressure of a boiler are given in BS 931, section 4, Rules for Scantlings. Repair work to riveted joints may well necessitate calculation of joint efficiencies to ensure that any modification does not affect the allowable safe working pressure. For various reasons, the repair may not be

identical to the original design. It is not always possible to remove the old rivets without some elongation or damage to the holes. It is often difficult to obtain boiler rivets of correct diameter to suit the existing holes as manufacturers have now rationalised their stock sizes. Despite very careful marking out, new platework holes will never exactly match those existing. Indeed, it is advisable to drill holes undersize in new plates and to ream the holes in both plates when they are bolted in position for riveting. It is therefore often necessary to increase the diameter, to 'clean up' holes to take the next available size of rivet.

All calculations are made on the assumption that boiler quality rivets are used. There are important differences in specification when compared with hot forged rivets for structural or general engineering. Fig 7 illustrates the more common forms used in boiler

plate failure

rivet failure

Fig 4 shows the load on a riveted joint as a shearing force which is trying to move the plates horizontally in opposite directions. Almost all riveted joints are designed to act 'in shear'. In locomotive boilers probably the only riveted joints 'in tension' are those where internal stay brackets are * BS 425. 'Forms and dimensions of boiler rivets (as manufactured) (Vain to tin diameter)'.

Fig 6 — basic types of failure 25

From BS 931: 1951 — Table 2. Types of, and formulae for, riveted joints Single riveted lap joint Max. pitch = 1.31T + 1.625 in.

Plate % — Rivet % —

100 (p — d)

p

100 x S, x at SxpxT

snap head

a,= 0.78d2

E = 1.5d

le riveted lap joint Max. pitch = 2.62T -I- 1.625 in.

Plate % — Rivet 1

100 (p — d) countersunk head type 2

100 xSi xa1 SxpxT

E = 1.5d

a, = 1.57d2

Fig 7 — dimensions of boiler rivets

V = 0.33p ± 0.67d Vi= 2d

- 411.1w,

27. Calculated Efficiency of Riveted Joints The calculated percentage strength of a riveted joint shall be determined by the following formulae:— NOTE: Equations 2 and 3 are applicable to any type of joint. The lowest value given by the application of these formulae shall be taken as the calculated percentage of strength of the joint.

Percentage strength of plate at joint as compared with the solid plate 100 (p-d) Equation 2 p Percentage strength of rivets as compared with the solid plate 100 S, 11.875 a, + a 2)

Equation 3

SpT where a, a2 p S, d S •

= aggregate sectional area of the rivet holes in pitch p having rivets in single shear. = aggregate section area of the rivet holes in pitch p having rivets in double shear. pitch of rivets at outer row in inches Shear stress of rivets, i.e. 23 tons/sq.in. diameter of rivet holes in inches. minimum tensile stress of plate, tons per square inch. thickness of plate in inches.

: r.

Fig 8 — New front tubeplate with extended flange fitted to Garrett boiler.

Fig 9 — Countersunk rivets securing doubling plates to

Fig 10 — Inside view of riveting operation shown in Fig 9,

firehole casing plate.

showing method of holding up using percussion type 'holder on'.

26

Fig 11 — Riveting detail on new barrel for Fowler compound engine. (courtesy Cambridge Evening News)

repair work. Snap head rivets are formed with a fillet under the head to prevent leakage. This feature is particularly important when rivets are located on flanged plates where subsequent internal caulking may be difficult, i.e. front tube plate, Fig 8.

Rivets with countersunk heads at one or both ends are commonly found on firehole and foundation rings, doubling plates and stay .brackets, Figs 9 and 10.

A typical repair problem occurred when the author was fitting a new barrel to a Fowler class A8 compound engine, Fig 11. The Fowler works drawing indicated that the rivets at the joint of the barrel and firebox casing were %in diameter. However, when the old barrel was removed, it was found that many of the holes were poorly aligned and were well over size.

It was therefore decided to use din diameter rivets when fitting the new barrel. The joint efficiency was checked in accordance with the formula for a single riveted lap joint, given in BS 931, table 2. Based on the original design and sizes, the joint efficiency was 51.7%. The hnla ci7 e proposed was }fin to take in diameter rivets and this would result in a decrease in joint efficiency due to loss of plate material. The new calculations indicated that the efficiency would be 50.2%. This figure is acceptable as it is in excess of the minimum quoted in BS 931, section 4, clause 32: '32. End and Circumferential Joints The calculated efficiencies of circumferential joints, based on the thickness of plate determined by Equation 1, shall be not less than 38 per cent for joints connecting end plates with cylindrical shells, or 42 per cent for intermediate joints.

In no case, however, shall the efficiency of an intermediate joint be less than 50 per cent of that of the longitudinal joints. Where the shell plate thickness exceeds -Fin the intermediate circumferential joints shall be double riveted.'

(to be continued)

Among surviving correspondence of the erstwhile Avonside Engine Co of Fishponds, Bristol (a firm which specialised in building steam locomotives for industrial use) is a letter from Deakin & Sons, Amusement Caterers. Writing from the fair ground at Blaenavon, Monmouthshire on 3rd July 1934 they ordererd a set of fire bars for a 7hp Burrell. Attached was a sketch drawing of the firebox to provide sizes and the letter requested 'as our bars are very bad we would like you to send so that we can have them this weekend.'

Present day owners may wonder at such speedy service, which presumably had to include pattern making — regrettably Avonside are no longer in business! (K.P. Plant)

'A short time ago the Natal Government [South Africa] purchased some steam ploughs at a cost of £7000 for the purpose of assisting those farmers who had either lost their cattle and mules through East Coast fever or who had not sufficient capital to develop their lands. Recent trials of these ploughs however, have, it is said, left much to be desired. The country as a whole is, it is stated, unsuited to the working of steam ploughs. Morever, the working cost makes their use prohibitive, while the number of farms large enough agriculturally to use the ploughs successfully is proportionally small in comparision with other countries where steam ploughing pays.' (From The Engineer, 1st May 1908.)

27

A Wiltshire Apprenticeship Lionel Grice I started my engineering apprenticeship at the works of William Rawlings of The Foundry, Chiseldon, Wilts, on 3rd June 1920 at seven o'clock in the morning. We worked then from seven till six — quarter of an hour for breakfast, with dinner from twelve till one. The Foundry bell was rung at one and Chiseldon folk set their clocks by it.

The next five years turned out to be very happy ones. There were eight of us — a very good boilermaker and his mate; a carpenter and mate who made wooden cart wheels and patterns for the foundry; a blacksmith; a farrier (whose calling was a trade of its own) and Walter Taylor, the foreman, who was a fitter and turner, and in fact could turn his hand to anything.

I was with him, but also had to help everyone else when necessary.

The morning I started I was given a tin of paraffin with a brush and some waste, and told to clean about 15 or 20 Bamford and Albion mowing machines before they were repaired.

Later on I made the cores for castings in the foundry. Once a fortnight the furnace had to be re-fireclayed. Cast day kept most of us busy.

The firm took in boilers for repair — we could do it all except flange plates.

We made new fireboxes, and all the rivets were knocked down by hand — held up with the dolly, knocked down and snapped. Drilling was done with a post and ratchet drill. We hand-tapped stays, descaled tubes, bored out traction engine wheels on a wheel lathe, and we even had a hand machine to reface steam-chest ports. I think the hardest job was striking at the anvil, drawing out scarifier tines.

Outside what we called 'Webbs Yard' we had two sets of threshing tackle — both had Marshall threshers, the first with a 7hp Burrell, the second with a 7hp Marshall traction engine.

We were always in trouble with the Burrell through dirty water, as it only had the two injectors, no pump. The spare engines were both Wallis & Steevens — one a 7hp and the other a high wheel expansion engine. I did some road hauling with the expansion.

We also had an unsprung Tasker which no-one liked; too much vibration. Standing in Webbs Yard was a set of very old Fowler ploughing engines, singles with Salter safety valves and direct steering. The steers28

man stood at the side of the tender with a three foot diameter steering wheel and it was not unknown for him to be thrown off if a front wheel hit a boulder. I only saw these engines work once.

When Chiseldon Feast came around it was mostly run by Edwards

or Jennings of Swindon, and sometimes their Burrell showmans engines came in to have jobs done at the Foundry. Then there was the repair of farm implements; engines which wouldn't start — Listers, Petters, Amancos, Blackstones etc; binders for attention to their knotters, canvasses, fingers and blades; even windmill pumps down wells. I used to go out to some farms to do repairs in a pony and trap, or using my Triumph belt-drive motor cycle. And I must have mixed hundreds of gallons of 'Implement Red' paint.

During the threshing season two

T• • o•-SA

Rawlings' premises at Collingbourne, Wilts about 1950. Garrett roller (29031 of 1910) CLACTON BELLE returns to the yard one Saturday morning. (Gordon Howell)

Rollers and a traction engine lined up at Collingboume, about 1950. (Gordon Howell)

temporary men would be taken on to steer and do other work, and on Mondays Mr Culverwell, the manager, would go to Swindon market to meet farmers and accept work. Two or three times a year we would see William Rawlings and his son down from Collingbourne, the main works.

Everything had to be cleaned up for the occasion. We didn't go to Coilingbourne very often, hut I saw many engines there.

I could say a lot more about turning and screw cutting, also scraping in new and old slide valves, but my apprenticeship came lo an end on the 11th June 1925 and I was presented with my indentures. I was the last apprentice at Chiseldon and I can honestly say I enjoyed every moment of those five years.

(Alan Duke, Records Officer, is not able to positively identify the engines mentioned from the details available.

This is not surprising for William Rawlings of Bourne Ironworks, Coilingbourne, near Devizes, Wilts, as well as Chiseldon, had some seventy engines over the years from the 1890s to the 1950s. He was also the local agent for Garretts and a number of rollers and tractors of their make were supplied to him.

The Marshall referred to in the article may have been 29956 (HR 3860) an 8hp single, obtained secondhand before 1921. The high-wheel Wallis was probably number 2508 (HR 3862), an 8hp road locomotive new in 1901 to Wm Smith of Norton Wanborough, Wilts. There is no record of Tasker traction engines in Rawlings' ownership but a number of these locally built engines were supplied to nearby owners in the period 18801900. Several old Fowler ploughing sets passed through Rawlings' hands.

Thanks are also due to Gordon Howell for providing suitable photographs.

We regret to record that Lionel Grice died in 1978. This article, submitted by him for publication some time ago, will therefore form a memento for his numerous friends on the rally fields, both in his native county and in North East England where he lived in more recent years.)

Stranger on the Shore On 28th February 1914 the good people of Skelmorlie on the Firth of Clyde found an unannounced visitor on their beach. There, stranded on the sands, was HMS LAVEROCK a 260 foot L class torpedo boat destroyer.

The vessel was ono of four built by Yarrow under HM Navy's 1912/13 programme and it had been launched at Scotstown in November 1913.

Earlier in the morning of the 28th the completed ship had sailed down the Clyde to begin her trials. Having con-Ipieted the downward speed run in Wemyss Bay the vessel started to make a complete turn for the upward run. The turn was taken at high speed and to landward; the result was that LAVEROCK piled through the sandy gravel beach and finished up at the high water mark opposite the present Manor Park Hotel. Misjudgement of space and speed seem to have been the cause of the gounding — no official reasons were ever given, hut the makers emphatically denied rudder failure.

When the tide ebbed full realisation of the accident was revealed. The damage was considerable (bottom plating torn and the boiler room flooded), but not as much as it might have been had a rockier part of the shoreline been struck.

The salvaging of the LAVEROCK took several weeks. Farmers in the area found ready employment for their horses, carts and workers in handdigging out and removing the sand from around the boat — prescribed Admiralty practice at the time for such events. By these efforts the boat could

be slewed round by four steam tugs so that its stern was in deeper water. To help in all this the boat also pulled herself around with her winches through pulling-lines to shore anchors.

Which is, at last, where our picture comes in.

The Aveling tractor is thought to be engaged in rigging these pulling-lines to the shore anchors with its winching rope. The tractor, maker's number 6712, was built in March 1909 (registration D4275) and was owned at the time of the incident by J. Hidden & Co. of Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire — another local concern benefitting from the Admiralty's misfortune.

Eventually, in early April 1914, LAVEROCKwas pulled clear. During her month ashore she drew great crowds from all parts — by rail, motor omnibus and foot, and according to the papers 'even on Sundays'! The vessel returned to Scotstown yard and, repaired, was recommissioned six weeks later.

To complete our tale we might add that the destroyer was powered by Brown-Curtis turbines, had the latest oil-fired Yarrow superheated boilers and attained 32 knots on her repeat trials. She served throughout World War 1 though with no particular distinction and was broken up by Wards at Grays, Essex, in May 1921.

We are grateful to Mr J. Cumming of Largs (who has personal memories of the incident) and the Largs & Millport Weekly News for most of the details in the account; and to Alan Duke for identifying the Aveling.

'For disposal, late type 6-ton Foden steam wagon, No. 11286, in thoroughly good working order, open to any inspection or trial. Apply, Knee Bros., Bristol.' (A small advertisement in Commercial Motor, 5th July 1927.

The 1924 built wagon, registered M85339, was with G. Stewart in Oxfordshire by 1929.)

29

Mi@momLnE, EpommaL Compiled by Derek Rayner

From the brief note and caption to the photograph which appeared in these pages in the last issue, readers will know that I have returned to my native county after some two and a half years in Norwich. Another promotion within British Rail was the reason and I am now renewing old acquaintances in Yorkshire and looking forward to rallying WHITE ROSE, rny Aveling roller, in the county once more. During the time I spent in Norwich I made many new friends and received a great deal of assistance from many quarters. I should like to

take this opportunity of thanking all those fellow enthusiasts I met, who helped to make the stay of both myself and my family land also that of WHITE ROSE), a happy one. We will all certainly miss them — and the different scene which is Norfolk.

At this time of the year it is customary to thank all those who have contributed to Steaming Around, during the past twelve months. My grateful thanks, on behalf of all members, is therefore extended to all regular contributors and to others who have written with information for these

BEDFORDSHIRE

Shuttleworth agricultural 48154 (NM 1161). Despite their fair share of rain, the group nevertheless managed to stage an enjoyable show, and although there was plenty of mud about at the end, everyone went home happy.

Engines galore were present at the Bedford SEPS rally at Roxton Park, the total almost reached 60 and included two which hailed from Kent — the much travelled Burrells of Thomas Wood & Sons, 3931 (WY1563) built 1922 and originally a roller in Yorkshire, and 3586 (BP5921) TAM, built in 1914. Also present was 1903 Aveling road loco 5293 (IB1726) FIREFLY owned by Pentelow and Skinner; Lance Statham's Fowler showmans engine 14425 (DP4418) CARRY ON; Ian Bennett's 1916 Robey tractor 33957 (FE5043) VILLAGE QUEEN and Dr J. Middlemiss' 1914 Burrell showmans 3555 (A06262) BUSY BEE. The local group of the NVTEC staged an end of season event near Ampthill in early October. In addition to the range of tractors and stationary engines exhibited, one local owner brought along his traction engine as an added attraction — David Philpot attended with his 1917 Clayton & 30

BERKSHIRE Knowl Hill Rally was plagued by the British Summer weather at the beginning of August when rain during the previous week caused many of the engines to remain static. Almost 50 steam exhibits were present and although too numerous to mention all, attention should be drawn to P. Whyatt's 1914 Wallis & Steevens showmans tractor 7482 (AA5459) ROYAL STAR which was previously with Goodey's of Twyford, Peter Barber's 1912 Fowler traction engine 13140 (Y9955) VOLUNTEER and Jim Hutchens' 1918 Garrett tractor 33284 (DX3099) PRINCESS MAUD, this latter attending Knowl Hill for the first time. Another first timer was Jeff

columns from time to time. I would add in this context that there is still room for improvement in the section and it can only be done with your help.

If your particular area is lacking in representation or you, your club or engine are never mentioned and you feel they should be, you've only yourself to blame! Contributions are always welcomed, be it full rally reports, marked up programmes or a short note about Joe Blogg's engine attending a local gala. Every effort is made to use material supplied (preferably typed and double spaced, but it is not essential). Acknowledgement of receipt cannot be guaranteed unless an SAE is enclosed.

More material is required from Affiliated Clubs to increase the coverage of this widely read section of Steaming. Information has been gleaned from journals etc contributed by the following: Road Roller Association; Sheffield & District Society; Leeds & District TEC; Notts & District Club; West of England SES; Southern Counties HVPT; Scottish TES; Banbury Steam Society and North Staffs & Cheshire TEC. Press date for the next issue is the last day of January 1982. Information, news, letters etc by then to D.A. hayner, 'Invicta', 9 Beagle Ridge Drive, Acomb, York Y023JH. Press dates for future issues are the end of the months of April, July and October 1982.

Shackell with his 1894 Aveling roller 3430 (PB9801) SARAH. This engine, together with Jack Wharton's Burrell showmans KING GEORGE VI took part in a sponsored road run for a collection being organised in memory of a local girl, Sarah Clapton, who died from leukemia. The engines carried suitable wording on their canopy sides — 'Full Steam Ahead Against Leukemia'.

From the run and some associated fairground organ recitals, a worthwhile sum of money was handed over to the Royal Marsden Hospital. Jeff Shackell's Aveling has subsequently been offered for sale.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Your assistant editor inadvertently managed to move the site of the Coleshill rally, reported in the last issue, into the wrong county. It appeared under the Berkshire heading and should, of course, have been in Bucks. Apologies for this.

Peter Symes has made rapid strides in the last year on his 1899

Aveling roller 4463 (BY2196) with the help of Alec and Bob Bicknell. This roller is an overhead slide valve model and a cursory inspection by the partlyinformed has resulted in at least one report of its being a Fowler, so similar were the cylinder blocks of this period.

A new front tube plate, smokebox and door have been fitted and the boiler has received an hydraulic test. The construction of a practically new tender is at an advanced stage and Peter hopes to be in steam next year.

A very good turnout of exhibits in extremely kind weather drew a good attendance at the Brill Vintage and Working Steam Rally. There were several first time attendances, including Aveling roller 3430 of 1894 (PB9801) SARAH owned by J. Shackell; Lance Statham's 1902 Garrett traction engine 23992 (CF3473) KELLY and Robert Green's Fowler 7769 (HC2431) built in 1898 which was having its first trip out in preservation. The Fowler looked very fine with its light and dark green paint.

Some ten years have been taken on its restoration, a major job, including a new boiler barrel and inner firebox. The judges did not have an easy task in deciding which of the engines was the best restored but the final decision was Lance Statham's Garrett. Other engines present included Statham's Fowler showmans CARRY ON; Boughton's Fowler conversion 17290 (AV1045) JUBILEE; V. Mitchell's 1929 Aveling roller 12442 (MY102) and Anthony Wallington's 1928 Aveling roller 12074 (YV826). Two engines listed in the programme did not appear but Jack 'Wharton's Fowler showmans SUPREME was a late entrant and an added bonus.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE Three steam entries took part in this year's Enfield to Cambridge vintage vehicle run. All were wagons — being John Harrison's 1926 Sentinel 6504 (NT8347), Edgar Shone's 1928 Foden tractor 13068 (EU3764) and also his 1930 Sentinel DG6 8213 (GF8655).

There was another high turnout of engines at the Expo event at Peterborough in August, over sixty being present this year and although this is not as high as numbers registered in some previous years, the standard was as excellent as ever. As usual, Torn Varley was present in force, with his collection of wagons and these were supplemented by British Leyland Heritage Ltd's own Leyland and the 1902 Thornycroft 115 (EL3908) which is also in their care. An older Thornycroft was also present, this being the 1899 model, number 39 (AD115)

Lofty and Pete head south from Peterborough after the 1977 Expo event, destination the Bedford club's September rally at Roxton. The Foster 7hp traction (14422 of 1924), owned by Mrs Ruth Watts of Hannington, Northants, is to enjoy a repaint in its original colours this winter. (Robin Walker)

owned by R.H. Crawford & Sons. The 1926 Foden wagon 12364 (TW4207) belonging to Parkins of Castleford was also there. One of Tom Varley's other exhibits really made the show for local enthusiasts and this was the reappearance, in steam, of the Burrell ploughing engine 777 of 1879, obtained by Tom along with its sister engine from the Paisley sale less than twelve months ago. The other engine of the pair which needed the most work carried out on it has been promised for next year, so the sight of the pair of them together, fully restored. is going to be worth waiting for. Another ex-Paisley engine to be seen at Peterborough was 1907 Davey Paxman agricultural 13073 (NK967) owned by Jack Aldrich.

Jack's engine also attended Haddenham rally for the first time in his ownership. This September event was the third and final event of the year organised by the East Anglian TEC and some thirty engines were present.

Another first timer was Sid Vale of Biggleswade with Fowler roller 16485 (WU2071) THE IRON LADY newly purchased from Yorkshire where it once worked for the West Riding County Council. Other engines present included Terry Young's 1913 Garrett

tractor 31633 (BJ1696) MR POTTER; Stan Burgess's magnificent 1924 Burrell showmans engine 3979 (YA9138) EARL HAIG and Barry Peacock's 1920 Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies agricultural engine 31298 (SA4253) GARIOCH QUEEN. David Harrower's 1908 Foster general purpose 3682 (CT3896) also attended.

This latter engine went on to a new event held at Kings Ripton, near St Ives, under the auspices of the Church of England Children's Society. Here it was joined by another 1908 Foster, that of Simon Bath, 3710 ICJ4222) PHOENIX. In addition• there was the first appearance in the area of an engine which has been under restoration for some time, Ted Middlemiss' 1920 Foster 14418 (LVN891) and among others, Geoff Gilbert's 1924 Burrell agricultural 3984 (NU4495).

CHESHIRE A steam party was held in late September by the North Staffordshire & Cheshire TEC at a new venue — Swettenham water mill near Holmes Chapel. There was unfortunately some bad weather on the Saturday and although this resulted in a bonus in another respect — plenty of water to 31

turn the water wheel — it did have an adverse effect on attendance. Steam exhibits present included George Lea's 1928 Foden wagon 13222 (FK3925) CHESHIRE MAID, Alan Williamson's 1933 S type Sentinel 8884 (TJ3319) and Phil Swindlehurst's 1913 Burrell showmans engine 3509 (G6469) RAJAH. The 1886 Humphries portable 1663 belonging to Bill Dakin was also present. Steam exhibits were supported by a number of vintage tractors, lorries and barn engines. All participants enjoyed the first club event in Cheshire for a number of years and plans are in hand for a similar party in 1982.

The following weekend at the Holly Bush, enthusiasts were treated to the right sort of end of season weather — bright sun and a dampness in the air which gave interesting pictorial effects for those with cameras.

Several engines were present including the rollers belonging to Peter Walton — Aveling 5199 (NX369) built in 1903 and 1927 Burrell 4067 (WW1556) HERO. These two arrived late on the Saturday afternoon and made a fine sight as they steamed along the adjacent road. A derelict and apparently uncared for Aveling roller was to be seen at the side of the field whilst others present in steam included the two engines owned by the Merseyside County Museum — Wallis & , Steevens roller 7815 (H06380) and the ex-Bridson 1909 Burrell road loco 3098 (MA5657). Two other Burrells there were 1912 tractor 3397 (AH095) COCK 0' THE NORTH being driven by Geoff Moss and Alan Porter's 1913 roller 3535 (TB2710) OLD ERNIE. On the river not far away was steam in another form — steam tug KERNE giving trips (on the Sunday) from Acton Bridge to Dutton Lock.

Alan Porter's Burrell was put to good use in late August rolling wetstone mix into patches which had been worn in a 200 yard long farm drive at Marton, six miles from Astle Park, Chelford. The holes were the result of some six years hard use by farm and private traffic since Alan, with his previous roller Aveling 6544 of 1908, had rolled in some 150 tons of stone when the road was resurfaced in 1975. Also at work during August was the 10 ton Fowler compound roller 16007 (NW4058) built in 1923 and owned by Dennis Priestner which rolled in a quantity of hardcore at one of Dennis's farms.

A welcome visitor at the Holly Bush was Jim Stevenson who is out and about again with his well travelled 1924 Aveling & Porter E type roller 10906 (MB5846). Jim was severely incapacitated following a fall in April 32

and it was good to see him back in circulation once more.

CORNWALL A fine selection of exhibits and superb weather at the fifth Morval exhibition near Looe assured the organisers of a good public attendance. Engines present included Steve Veal's Fowler roller 18070 (YC8375) built in 1929; Dr Dyke's S6 Sentinel 8928 of 1934 (UJT333) and the 1902 Marshall agricultural 38024 (TA629) owned by R. Gillbard.

Another Sentinel to grace the county for the first time was Edgar Shone's 1930 DG6 Sentinel 8213 (GF8655) which steamed to the St Agnes Rally of the West of England SES in August in the capable hands of Dan Doncaster and Nigel Underwood, the journey occupying some 17 hours of travelling time. These intrepid travellers had trouble with one of the wagon's tyres (she is on solids) on the way home and had to make an enforced stop of some two weeks whilst repairs were effected near Exeter. Accommodation for this period was provided by Jeff and John Horrell who also exhibited their 1929 Foden wagon 13316 (UU1283) — now in tanker form — at St Agnes. A working demonstration of steam ploughing was staged for the first time locally using the tackle owned by Charles and Robin Daniel of Nanstallon. The two engines, Fowler BB1 15163 (WR7151 and McLaren 1552 (BD5504) HERO, were making their first rally appearances for several years, following heavy boiler repairs. Another engine from out of the county and appearing at St Agnes for the first time was Roy West's 1928 Wallis & Steevens

Advance roller 7962 (0T8117). The oldest engine on show was William Danning's 1901 Aveling roller 4747 (NX371) whilst standing next to her, by coincidence or design, was the youngest — Vic Carveth's 1948 AH162 roller Aveling-Barford (JXH174) OMEGA. Also attending were Dave Antell's 1936 Wallis Advance 8100 IBAA432) PRIDE OF THE HILLS, the rare 1920 Devon County Council owned Green's roller 1968 ITA2431) crewed by Fred Manning, and David Solomon's Clayton & Shuttleworth traction 48279 (TA4561) PHOENIX, built in 1919. A successful Saturday night entertainment session was organised at which Bernard Broad's 1918 Garrett tractor 33353 (BJ4236) THE CHOUGH provided power for his Marenghi organ; Bill Lobb's Aveling 8432 (NM244) MENDIP STAR ran its lights. Several rollers stayed in steam to make an enjoyable evening for engine owners and enthusiasts alike.

The Liskeard rally was also blessed with fine weather this year and over 20 engines turned up at the event. An interesting comparison could be made between two Wallis & Steevens agriculturals — John Dyke's 1903 Expansion engine 2672 (AF4740) and Jim Snell's 1930 single 8052 (0U7435) EAST LOTHIAN STAR which was reputedly the last traction built by the Basingstoke firm and not sold until 1936. Two Devon County Council rollers attending were Marshall S type 78153 of 1925 ITT1855) and 1927 Wallis Advance 7904 (0T3167) with Clarence de la Cour and Eric Sims respectively in charge. An engine to change hands at this rally was Dennis Warren's 1922 Aveling roller 10190

Dorothea Restoration Engineers Limited Specialists in the restoration of exhibits and machinery of all types, on site or at our workshops in Buxton or Bristol. Steam vehicles a particular speciality. Contractors to most major national and local museums.

Please contact in the first instance our Head Office —

Pearl Assurance House, Hardwick Street, (0298 - 3438 or 77115) Buxton, Derbyshire.

The end of World War 1 resulted in a great number of overtype steam wagons being available from the Disposal Boards, including many Clayton & Shuttleworth examples. Nuneaton Borough Council however chose to purchase new; their No 5, Clayton 48608 of 1920 (FE 3725), is seen here on refuse collection duties, thought to be about 1925. Buying new probably paid off, for the wagon served them until 1938, after which it was doubtless sold for scrap. (collection R.A. Fox)

(FX8654) TOMMY which has been sold to Brian Manning of Chepstow, Gwent. Brian is perhaps better known as steersman on the Devon CC Green's roller, accompanied by his father, Fred, and the Aveling has found a good home. She will be stabled in North Devon for the time being so has not moved from the West Country entirely. Dennis apparently intends to replace the roller with something a little more enterprising as soon as the right engine comes along.

Marshall portable 3255 of 1874 and Aveling roller 5853 of 1905 (N03326) both of which have been on show at Wendron Forge for several years have now been moved to Tolgus Tin Mine near Redruth, for display there. Both can now be described as rough and one hopes they will receive some much needed attention before long.

Geoff Westlake has completed the

re-staying of the firebox on his Fowler ploughing engine 14694 (MA5128) built in 1917 and has now commenced re-assembly of the motion. He hopes the hydraulic test will be carried out shortly and thereafter he will have a live steam boiler to play with. At his place of work, Roger Pridham's works at Lamerton, Geoff and his workmates are being kept busy with a number of engines coming in for attention.

Recent jobs include an Aveling convertible from Shropshire; a Ransomes traction from West Wales and a Hertfordshire Aveling roller. Jobs lined up include a Worcestershire portable, Ge van der Pol's Burrell showmans from Holland and the Fowler showmans 11108 DREADNOUGHT (YA 92).

Engines have also attended small events held in their localities, for example, at St Buryan, St Erth and Mawla Well. Local carnivals have also seen representation by several steam

engines including Brian Sanders 1925 Burrell roller 3999 (RL74) and Willy Alford's 1911 Fowler road loco 12693 (FJ1850). Burrell showmans 3159 (C03823) THE GLADIATOR owned by The Gladiator Cluh has also done its usual to.., of the Cornish peninsula, having spent a week each at Falmouth and Perranporth entertaining the holiday crowds, much to their delight, during its travels.

A buyer has not yet been found for the 1923 Amstrong Whitworth roller 10R19 (FJ2795) which is currently situated at the Age of Steam, Crowlas, Penzance. Around £5,000 is the asking price for this relatively rare machine.

DERBYSHIRE Bernard Bartram's 1922 Aveling roller 10235 (N04558) ELY is progressing satisfactorily. The tender has been replated in the bunker area to make good wastage and whilst it has been removed from the rest of the engine, the opportunity has been taken to make the tender floor into a removable unit to facilitate access to the tender each year for cleaning and re-painting. The water tank has had three coats of red oxide and four coats of yellow gloss paint. It is hoped this will reduce scale build up and the colour makes it light and bright inside.

33

The mud lids have now been completed and the gauge frame removed prior to inspection and hydraulic boiler test. It is known that some stays have to be replaced but until the hydraulic has taken place, the exact number will not be known. Other work still required is a new ashpan, new pipework and boiler cladding.

It is reported that Steve Durance and his Marshall roller 57168 (NN950) BLODWEN were involved in an accident whilst travelling to Kegworth rally. A car driver, who was young and inexperienced, crashed into the back of the road train causing extensive damage to the rear end vehicle. Steve was on a dual carriageway at the time and driving along normally when the accident happened.

As with other similar previous accidents of this kind, the engine owner's only 'fault' was merely being there. The one thing we can do to try and prevent such accidents is to make the rear of our outfits as conspicious as possible.

The Kirk Hallam Steam Gala in September was another fine show and was well supported although the weather and ground conditions were not good. There were two ploughing engines present, Lionel Fryer's 1918 Fowler 15207 (CE7899) and Nottingham Industrial Museum's 1933 Fowler K7 17757 (V08987). Another Fowler was that of Tim Moore; convertible 14211 (EL1428) built in 1914. Aveling roller 9103 (N01218) built in 1920 and owned by Bull and Repton was also in attendance as were the rollers of P. Baker — Aveling 11308 of 1926 (PU9964); D. Waters — Marshall 81427 of 1926 (PY6079) and M. Baines — Wallis & Steevens 2524 of 1900 (BP8585). On the Saturday morning there was a parade of engines through Kirk Hallam. Whilst taking part in this, David Eansworth with the 1901 Fowler single agricultural 9230 (NP3049) had a slight mishap — the regulator rod jumped out of its stirrup, leaving the steam port wide open. A Fowler single on 140Ibs can be a lively beast especially whilst going downhill!

As a result of this, David spent most of Saturday afternoon repairing the offending article. Rain during late Saturday afternoon and into the night made the field into a quagmire which resulted in most of the Sunday customers (and the exhibits) going home somewhat muddy.

Several of the engines noted above also attended a new event which was held on an all-weather site at the racing circuit at Donington Park.

Among those present were two Burrell showmans — Dan Shorey's 3836 of 1920 (BH8020) STARLIGHT and 34

Teddy Eansworth's 2894 of 1907 (FK1463) PRIDE OF WORCESTER. Three Sentinel wagons attended — Arnold Brook's 1925 Super 6327 (NE4770); the 1917 Standard 1488 (AW3407) owned by Bass and Hughie Winterbottom's 1934 S4 9086 (SE4013). Rollers included the Marshall ANNE owned by Denis Waters, Barry Johnson's 1923 Wallis and Steevens 7784 (XP2338) and Dave Reeder's 1930 Fowler 18651 (VF9312). Others present included the Museum of Lincolnshire Life's 1913 Ruston Proctor 46596 ISFE5190 SYLVIE and Teddy Eansworth's 1920 Aveling tractor 9179 (CJ4158).

agricultural 1160 (H05570) THE FAVOURITE owned by M. and J. Hillary; D. Culley's 1908 Fowell 97 (CE7893) now named THE BLACK PRINCE and A. Thompson's 1912 Foden 3384 (SN1646) WATTIE POLLOCK. Mark Abbott's 1905 Aveling & Porter convertible traction engine 5800 (BP6043) provided a water service to other engines.

David Corbin has recently 'borrowed' the Fowler showmans engine 15657 (FX6661) THE IRON MAIDEN and is using it as a pattern to convert one of his Russian type Fowler road locomotives to showmans type.

DEVON

The seventeenth Annual Rally staged by the Irish Steam Preservation Society was held in early August in the grounds of Stradbally Hall, Co Laois.

The weather was excellent and large crowds attended on both days. Ireland's native fuel, turf, of good quality was again used this year to steam all the engines. An extensive selection of engines was present and these included Osmond Bennett's 1911 Burrell showmans 3295 (1C1240) ERINS PRIDE; the ex-Tipperary County Council 1921 Fowler compound traction engine 15659 (F12085) owned

by J. Crowley & Sons, Fenor, Co Wexford and J. Rochford's Marshall single agricultural 17287 (M11954) built in 1889 and also from Co Wexfo►d. Grant Bros had their 1905 Ransomes single traction engine 18277 (reg unknown) on display together with the two engines of J. Glynn, Nurney, Co Carlow — 1917 Burrell single crank compound 3771 (MI1207) and Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies general purpose 11412 (F11407) built in 1894.

Leo Tector's 1923 Fowler traction 15786 (M12229) was also in attendance.

Two engines belonging to S. Lordan and Sons of Bandon, Co Cork exhibited were the recent showmans conversion of 1910 Clayton & Shuttleworth 43173 (HCI129), and Marshall agricultural 83953 (IH2530) built in 1928. A pair of unusual tractions were those owned by A. Cross of Co Tipperary: the 1909 Fowell 98 (CE7858) and his 1905 Allchin 1311 (HR5059). Two engines were also shown by B. O'Gorman — his 1920 Ransomes traction engine 31100 (1P711 I, and Foden wagon 6350 (M8681) of 1916.

Others present were: Clayton 34060 (1P1529) built 1900 — J. Tynan, Co Carlow; 1916 Mann's steam tractor 1216 (U4249) driven by Jack Tynan; L. Murphy's 1934 Ransomes traction 43014 (IC1892); Fleming's Marshall single 33199 (C1929/ and Aveling & Porter roller

The friendly rally at Honiton Hill attracted a good crowd this year and among the many vintage and veteran exhibits were Horrell Bros 1929 Foden tanker wagon 13316 (UU12831; Roy West's 1928 Wallis Advance roller 7962 (0T8117) and a 1901 Aveling roller from the Devon County Council fleet, 4873 (TA 6120), in the care of Roy West. Another event the same weekend at Chapleton Barton near Barnstaple also had a good selection of exhibits and included a class for lawnmowers — which attracted 15 entries.

The eleven steam exhibits included John Woodley's Rpbey tri-tandem roller 45655 (VL2773) built in 1930; G. Lynch's 1929 Foden timber tractor 13454 (KX33401 and the 1924 Burrell road loco 3996 (E95971 CONQUEROR owned by Richard Sandercock.

A Clayton & Shuttleworth agricultural engine has come into the county.

Mr Marsh of Tiverton has acquired the ex-Isle of Man engine 41601 (MN9014), built in 1909. An engine noted for sale is G. Redwood's 1923 Aveling roller 10460 (H06161) on which Simon Caudwell has done a great deal of restoration work.

DORSET Stourpaine and mud have become synonymous in recent years and this year was no exception. Once again it was a magnificent show despite the weather and a fine selection of engines was brought together including many old favourites and, as always, some new ones. Among the latter were the Clayton & Shuttleworth showmans conversion OLD ENGLAND brought down from Northern England by Bob Oliver, Frank Holl's 1932 Fowler road loco 19338 (RX8106) MONTY and R. Sandercock's 1924 Burrell road loco 3996 (E9597) CONQUEROR. Also present were R. Edwards' 1915 Burrell showmans engine 3651 (1-1133964) EARL KITCHENER, 1912 McLaren

EIRE

8088 (ZA1454) of 1913; the 1914 Robey traction 33348 (Z200) of E. Fox; Kilkenny County Council's 1937 Fowler traction 21649 (KI 1973); Grant Bros 1907 Ransomes agricultural 19609' (reg. unknown) and Ken Graham's 1915 Aveling roller 8563 (IY1682). A new exhibit was shown by E.J. Harty from Tralee, this being a Marshall stationary engine 77849 mounted on a chassis along with a boiler. Also new was a miniature traction engine built by Luke Byrne, Gorey, Co Wexford using a Tidman centre engine and various other parts.

In July, the 1918 Garrett tractor 33374 (CE6250) owned by Paddy Mallon, Dundalk, drove a Clayton threshing mill at the Shelagh Field Day outside Dundalk. At a similar event held at Moynalty, Co Meath, in August, the same Garrett as well as McLaren single 1447 (AI3164), owned

by M. Rowntree, Kingscourt, Co Cavan and a 1933 Marshall traction owned by P. King, Navan, Co Meath, were present. The latter is 86780 (SL1623) and was originally a roller.

A roller which has become somewhat derelict in Co Limerick has been identified as Fowler 15938 of 1923

(A12981). This recent discovery is situated at Birdhill. It is not listed in the Traction Engine Register; details of the owner are awaited.

ESSEX An event was staged by the South Essex Traction Engine Owners Group at South Woodham Ferrers as their contribution towards the Year of the Disabled. Wally Hicks' Foster showmans tractor 13036 (FE1079) PRIDE OF ESSEX, built in 1913, made a rare appearance whilst a first time attender was the 1907 Clayton & Shuttleworth engine 39400 (CF3365) owned by Dave Dale. Another engine by this Lincoln builder, 32900 (HK9836) built in 1899 and owned by C. Philp, was also

present. Two rollers were Mike Retman's 1930 Aveling 14064 (VF9350) KATIE and Burrell 3973 of 1924 (BJ9516) owned by Brian Bourn, the latter still under restoration and exhibited on a low-loader.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Another vintage rally was held at Stonehouse under the auspices of Stroud Vintage Transport and Engine Club at which some ten engines were present. These included the ex-Portuguese roller of Richard Willcox, Fowler 18659 of 1930 (DG3969), and another roller from the same origin, 1931 Avelino 14107 (41 19nr;) owned

by J. Slade. From South Wales came the 1935 S4 Sentinel 9192 (CML781)

A fine period scene. Posing outside Castle Moreton village school near Worcester is Alfred Betteridge's steam tractor and its wagon load of building bricks. The Wallis & Steevens 'Patent Motor' was 7177 of 1910 (AA 2358), new to Betteridge because it is lettered with his name by Wallis' paintshop.

The date of the picture is unknown, but by 1915 the engine was owned by Mark Round & Son of Old Hill, Staffordshire. Note the wagon's handbrake wheel, jointed so as to be operable from the footplate by leaning out over the coal bunker,. it is seen swung onto its parking hook but in use worked through the cast fitting fixed on the rear offside canopy support. (collectio n J.L. Thomas)

35

of G.D. King and other engines were C. Waite's 1916 Fowler K7 ploughing engine 14256 (KE3135) and 1927 11880 (DW5598) roller Aveling belonging to Nigel Partridge.

HAMPSHIRE A good turn out of both engines and visitors was a feature of the Rushmoor Steam and Vintage Rally in late July. The event was again sponsored by the local paper at Aldershot and a free bus service helped to bring the crowds from the town. The forty plus engines attending included virtually all types. Among the rollers present were 1927 Wallis & Steevens 7932 (Y(39972) owned by Jenny KnowlesSeale; Ken Hicks 1904 Marshall 40047 (8E8186) and Martin Fagg's 1921 Aveling 10048 (FX8307); this latter was on its rally debut. Another Marshall, traction engine 70321 of 1916 (UR9369) FIREFLY, along with Foden D type tractor 13266 (VJ1476) built in 1928 and owned by John Poritten, and HMS SULTAN'S 1924 Super Sentinel 5509 (PD1701) were also present.

Bill Targett's 1912 Aveling roller 7771 (PC9014), a 12 ton machine, is beginning to take shape. Bill purchased it in 1976 as a derelict from Owermoigne in Dorset and the work so far undertaken embraces major repairs to the firebox including 51 new stays and 18 crown stays. The tender has been rebuilt and the cylinder block replaced.

The next job will be a new smokebox and then a re-tube. Bill hopes to have her ready for the 1982 rally season.

The auction of Wallis & Steevens' preserved rollers took place on 22nd September 1981 at their Basingstoke works, and the three steamers found new homes. The trio comprised Simplicity 7940 (0T8512) built 1927; Advance 7788 (H06284) built 1923 and the 1922 conventional three point roller 7730 (H06037). The new owner of 7940 is the firm of Dudley Machine Tools in the West Midlands, that of 7730 — Norman Ball of Ryde, Isle of Wight and 7788 has gone to Surrey but the owners name is not yet available.

HERTFORDSHIRE Engines exhibited at the small rally held at Totternhoe over August Bank Holiday were Betty Vickery's 1907 Aveling roller 6319 (BP7501) QUEEN OF HERTS, the Vickery family's Aveling roller 11493 (MK4299) built in 1926 and P. Williams' 1920 Aveling tractor 9225 (CJ4160).

A new site, at Bovingdon Airfield, was the venue of this year's Dacorum Steam which turned out to be a sound financial venture. Amongst engines 36

present were Albert Fensome's 1921 Garrett tractor 33991 IFK1300) PATRICIA; Burrell tractor 3554 of 1914 (AH0181) KING GEORGE V owned by David Wren Davis, and another Burrell tractor, this one a showmans, and belonging to E. Choake, 2876 of 1907 (P89615) RELIANCE. The ex-McGivern Fowler showmans engine CARRY ON now owned by Lance Statham, was also present.

ISLE OF WIGHT Several engines made the journey across the Solent in August to take

part in the Isle of Wight's Havenstreet Rally staged by the loW Steam Railway. Included in those which 'took to the water' were the Marshall roller of

White Metal Model Kits

Approx. 4mm scale non-members members NEW Sentinel S4 6.00 6.75 undertype 6.00 6.75 NEW Marshall traction 5.65 NEW Burrell 5 ton tractor 6.40 NEW Foden showmans wagon 7.75 8.50 7,00 Burrell showmans engine 7.75 7.50 Fowler showmans engine 8.25 Aveling roller/van/ 7,95 8.70 water cart 3.75 4.50 Portable engine Fowler ploughing engine 6.00 6.75 lone) Fowler ploughing engines 11.50 12.25 (pair) 4.75 5.50 Plough 6.30 7.05 Fowler road locomotive Available from NTEC Sales (see inside front cover). Remember to add for postage and packing.

Uphill and Hunt, 71833 (ER697) built in 1919; Len Crane's Fowler crane engine; the two Burrells from Kent owned by Thomas Wood & Sons, 3931 (WY1563) and 3586 (BP5921) and Don Culley's 1917 Burrell 3746 (MA5733). These engines joined the island residents which included Michael Reed's 1914 Aveling roller 8394 (FX7034) and Aveling 10626 of 1923 (DL3128) owned by the Westridge Construction Co.

showmans engine 4885 of 1901 (ME6052) SAMSON was noted with its tubes out, whilst nothing appeared to have been done recently on the 1902 Fowler road loco 9381 (WR6770) LADY BETTY. A 1914 Aveling roller, single 8361 (PC91511, has been offered for sale by Doug Hacking of Bolton.

KENT

LEICESTERSHIRE

A collection of some 20 engines was exhibitied in Quex Park, Birchington at August Bank Holiday at the event known as Quexpo. One of the two surviving Wantage traction engines, 1522 (BW4415) PIONEER, built in 1905 and owned by A. Brett was on show as was George Marsh's 1914 Foden road loco 4752 ISN1647) SANDY McNAB, albeit now in showmans guise. Les Birch exhibited two

engines — 1921 Marshall road loco 74871 (6E9002) LION and Zettelmeyer roller 553 of 1930 whilst other rollers present included Smudger Smith's 1922 Aveling 10271 (ME2103) and Brian Hope's 1902 Aveling 5156 1TU874), this tatter

A change round at Kegworth rally, with the engines moving from their normal place by the river to where the fair was previously located, brought several comments from the engine owners but did not bring detriment to the rally. A newcomer to the event was local man Barry Johnson's 1923 Wallis & Steevens Advance roller 7784 (XP2338), rebuilt since its purchase at the Paisley sale. Dave

Reeder's 1930 Fowler roller 18651 (VF9312) SUSAN MARY was all dressed up for the Royal Wedding as was Ernie Bull's 1920 Aveling roller 9103 (N01218) ANNETTE. On the

LANCASHIRE

Friday night at the local hostelry, 'The Foster Arms', Jess Swingler's Foster 14564 (FE8055( was generating for the Howard brothers Dutch street organ; also in attendance was Rogers and Bosworth's 1928 Marshall roller GOOLIE, 82842 (WW3643). With a barbecue as well as the local brew, a good night was enjoyed by everyone.

Some nineteen engines took part in the Market Bosworth rally in mid

A visit to Tom Varley's premises in early October revealed a surprise, for in addition to his well known collection of nine wagons, Burrell showmans engine HIS LORDSHIP and the pair of Burrell ploughing engines, a Marshall tractor was seen. Previously with N.P. Lee at Exmouth it is the 1910 compound 56187 (TA2438). Aveling

engine 15171 (NR79) owned by Andrew Fisher. There were two tractors present, Garrett 33986 of 1920 (BJ5601), presented by Mark Tingay and A. Henton's 1921 Aveling conversion 9267 (KE1290). Other

being a comparative newcomer to the area. Les Birch's Aveling roller noted in the last issue of Steaming as being withdrawn from the auction at Sellindge rally has subsequently been sold to Alan Steevens of Banbury; it is 8752 of 1916 ITA2662).

August. These included two former children's playground rollers (see RRA notes) and 1918 Fowler BB1 ploughing

rollers included Peter Wood's Marshall 78572 of 1925 (NR6296) and 1929 Aveling F-type 12342 (UT4405) belonging to the Hinckley Steam Appreciation Society. A Marshall portable — 79936 of 1925 owned by G.E. Jones of Shrewsbury — also attended.

In early September, most of the above engines made the trip to Hinckley rally. Some good weather and organisation made this another first class event which drew large crowds. Some nineteen engines were present including D. Eastwood's Allchin 1105 of 1899 (FP1024) ELLEN, John Mayes 1882 McLaren 127 (H05618) and Foster agricultural 14593 of 1927 (FE91 /9) owned by the Rev Teddy Boston. In addition, several rollers attended including the 1930 Fowler 18867 (AFW301) owned

by D. Macdonald. There was one wagon present, the 1934 Sentinel S4 9074 (BEV466) of Roger Hickman.

Denis Waters' 1926 built Fowler roller 16523 (EL1228) retrieved from Portugal is under restoration by Jack Beeby and John Ketteringham. Attention is being given to the flywheel, front steering unit, bearings, top motion, chimney and other items. It is hoped she will be making the rounds of the East Midlands rallies this year.

LINCOLNSHIRE Despite some poor weather on the Saturday, a record Sunday attendance was attained at the Lincolnshire Steam Spectacular on the County Showground. Engines present included W. Kitchen's 1918 Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies agricultural 27512 (R6244); 1917 Clayton & Shuttleworth 48162 (CT8260) owned by Jim Hebden, and Jack Aldrich's 1907 Davey Paxman.

Don Robinson's 1921 Foster showmans engine 14502 (XC9862) VICTORY, as usual, powered his wife Dorothy's 89 key Gavioli organ. A visitor from Yorkshire was Keith Collins' 1937 Sentinel S4 model 9308 (DDC838). An engine noted for sale in the county is P.J. Auger's 8 ton Marshall roller 86104 of 1931 (FW2355), which was offered in rally condition complete with boiler certificate.

Much interest was generated amongst local enthusiasts by the announcement of another sale — that by auction of the Fowler showmans engine 11108 (YA92), DREADNOUGHT built in 1908. This engine was mentioned in these pages not very long ago as standing somewhat forlornly at the side of a garage. It had apparently been at Quadring for more than ten years and although substantially complete, it was in need of a new firebox. Several other miscellaneous items from Mr A.S. Leverton's

collection were also auctioned but the engine, the star item, was eventually knocked down for £36,000, plus the seemingly inevitable premiums and taxes, to Duncan Price of Pershore.

The engine has subsequently gone to Cornwall for 'mechanical attention'.

By way of redressing the balance in this type of engine, 1917 Fowler showmans 14862 (DW2235) EVENING STAR, owned by Billy Hammond in Norfolk for only a short time, has been purchased by Fred Coupland, and has come into Lincolnshire. This engine was previously with Thackray's of Old Melton, Yorkshire.

NORFOLK Burrell enthusiasts may be interested to learn that the former home of Robert Burrell, adjacent to the old works in Thetford, has been converted into a restaurant. The new owners are hoping to renovate the front of the building and uncover the carved stone name which was originally to be found there. 'St Nicholas House', as it was once known, is now renamed 'The President' after a Burrell engine of that name and the interior has many drawings and photographs of Burrell engines on the walls. Steam, in the form of local engine owner Richard Parrott's machines, has visited the restaurant for publicity purposes.

Although essentially a show by the National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club, the Hillington event organised near Kings Lynn in early September nevertheless had some steam presence. Richard Parrott's 1904 Burrell single crank compound engine 2626 (TB3717) was there as was J. Reed's pleasant little 1920 Tasker showmans tractor 1822 (H02930) and, among other items, the Tidman centre engine from Dick Joice's collection at Holkham Hall.

Although another clash of dates with a similar style event only some 12 miles away on the same weekend was apparently unavoidable, a very agreeable little event entitled 'Back to the Olde Tymes' was staged by the Norfolk Internal Combustion Engine Society (NICE) at Tunstead near Wroxham in mid September. Although essentially an internal combustion show, the number of steam engines increased this year under Bill Bird's auspices. His own roller, Aveling WHITE HEATHER, was present, it being the only representative present of this type of engine. Burrell agriculturals were exhibited by J. and H. Bunn — 8hp 1563 of 1891 (AH7350) — and Jimmy Nicholson's 2963 (AH7450) PRINCE CHARLES built in 1908, whilst R.G. Wyand's 1916 Marshall 69254 (D01948) was also in attendance. Billy Hammond's Fowler

Fowler 6hp single cylinder agricultural 11554 of 1908 pictured at We/ford Rally during Silver Jubilee weekend in June 1977. (0. Brooks) 37

A good turn up of engines at the Tyne & Wear Steam Rally at Whitley Bay in September was not matched by the public, only some 5000 people attending. The date chosen was towards the end of the holiday season and 1982's event may therefore be staged earlier in an attempt to gain more custom. Robert Oliver's rebuild of 1922 Clayton & Shuttleworth 48656 (AF3573) OLD ENGLAND was undoubtedly the star attraction of the engine line - up; a couple of other engines present were the Tyne & Wear Museum's 1875 Hornsby portable 2958 and their 1887 Merryweather steam fire engine.

organs, barn engines and veteran cars in addition to the many small engines which were proudly exhibited by their owners. One full size engine attended, H. Palmer's 1915 Ruston Proctor roller 50735 (8E9143). An excellent event and one to be recommended for a visit this year.

Regarding engine news, work is going ahead on Pete Gull's 1928 Aveling roller 12079 (PH9633). The tender is now in place, as are the second and third shafts plus the axle.

It is hoped during November to get the crankshaft and the top motion reassembled and also to fit the front rolls. Spring has been mentioned as a likely time for a first steaming after reassembly. Paul Scholey has rebuilt the tender of his 1900 Fowler road loco 8712 (DE2439) and has now started putting the boiler and firebox together.

Paul's 1908 Aveling tandem roller 6530 (NM291), after attending the Expo rally at Peterborough, made an appearance at a local gala in mid September.

NORTHERN IRELAND

OXFORDSHIRE

showmans engine EVENING STAR attracted a great deal of attention as did T. and P. Randell's interesting 1900 Davey Paxman portable 11692.

The latter was one of two Paisley sale engines exhibited here, the other being J.E. Green's 1913 Fowell 103 (AH 5456).

NORTHUMBERLAND

An engine noted recently for sale in Randalstown, Co Antrim, was Donald O'Mullan's 1912 three speed Burrell traction 3368 (TA18491. This has subsequently been offered for sale, by auction, in Derbyshire.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Steam ploughing was featured at an October tractor working at Bothamsall where Beeby's 1875 Fowler single ploughing engine 2479 (NR1213) was paired with the compound of Mike Hammond. Located in the threshing area were John Blagg's 1902 Marshall agricultural 36575 (BT3667) and Paul Scholey's Foster 2775 (FW3333) JANE built in 1903. The latter was being looked after by the Plant family and Tiny Flinton, as Paul had gone off to South America — not for the reason most people go to South America, but in search of Sentinels! (What do most people go to South America for — am I missing out? — Ed) Paul's engine won the working exhibit trophy.

Two other steam engines present were Doug Ragsdale's 1927 Burrell conversion 4073 (VF5265) NELL GWYNN, which was generating for Pete Barlow's Chiappa organ, and Wallis & Steevens roller 2524 of 1900 (BP 8585) CAROLINE owned by Mike and Les Baines, the latter machine rolling some of the farm roads.

A late season event for miniatures was organised as an extra attraction at the Papplewick pumping station near Nottingham, where the superbly ornate Watt beam engines can be seen. The occasion also attracted 38

Fairford rally was an unqualified success last year and steam exhibits included the showmans engines of Jack Wharton — SUPREME and KING GEORGE VI; J.N. Gilbey's ST BERNARD; P. Whyatt's Wallis ROYAL STAR and Dan Shorey's Burrell STARLIGHT. Joe Powell showed his 1919 Garrett tractor 33738 (BJ4791) LORD RAGLAN whilst another tractor was Bob Whitfield's 1921 Marshall convertible 74962 (YA2197). Mike Deering's 1932 Fowler roller 19481 (MAN57) was among other engines present.

At the beginning of last year, Ted Freeman fitted new piston rings to his 1912 Burrell single 3391 (N0404) WEE LASS. Denis Smith's efforts of the previous twelve months were rewarded when he was able to rally his rebuilt Fowler agricultural for the full season: repairs consisted of a new firebox, tubes, front tube plate and backhead.

The engine, 8282 of 1899 (AC9321), has been named BERKSWELL after its previous home in Warwickshire. At Chipping Norton, Anthony Wallington has retubed his 1928 Aveling roller 12074 (YV826) and at the same time, fitted new piston rings.

Bill Faulkner hopes to rally his 1917 Garrett showmans tractor 33091 (BP6077) MARGARET next year. Bill has done a tremendous amount of work on this engine, which has never been shown in preservation; it originally belonged to Fred Harris and travelled his Gallopers in Sussex.

Whilst mentioning the fairground, an unusual but nevertheless welcome

sight in Banbury in mid October was Dan Shorey's Burrell showmans STARLIGHT driving Noyce's Golden Gallopers at the Mop Fair. This she did for some five hours, and with a load of over 250 amps with the lights, surprised many of the more knowledgeable onlookers with her ability — STARLIGHT is rated as a 5hp engine!

The last time a showmans engine worked at this fair was in 1939 and the lessees, Bob Wilson & Sons are to be congratulated for allowing the necessary arrangements to be made for this to happen again. Hopefully it will become a yearly occurrence.

A recent newcomer to the area is Aveling & Porter roller 8752 (TA2662), built in 1916. It was purchased by Alan Steevens from Les Birch in Kent and is an ex-Devon C.C. engine that spent a short time in the Edwards' yard at Swindon.

Activity at Bob Markham's works at Charlton-on-Otmoor has been considerable this year with the first steaming of David Last's Tasker tractor 1666 (AA5639) built in 1915.

Now work is nearing completion on Robinson & Auden portable 1038 of 1892, recently acquired by Bob Markham from Ted Evans. Reconstruction has been underway for a long time and has included a new firebox, retubing etc; Bob has really speeded up operations. In addition, his now unique 1889 Richard Hornsby agricultural engine 6557 (FL2598) MAGGIE has also been in steam frequently this season.

Some pieces of Peter Symes' Aveling roller 4463 are also to be found at Charlton, whilst a further Aveling, single cylinder roller 4872 of 1901 IBW6965), owned by Nigel Heath, has seen some considerable renovation work undertaken on the premises. A new boiler barrel, front tube plate and smokebox have been fitted and Nigel hopes to be in steam for the first time this year.

SHROPSHIRE A new site at Bishops Castle was the venue for the County of Salop SES's August Bank Holiday rally, and over 40 engines appeared. It was a fine weekend with an exceptionally good crowd to see the engines, many of which had travelled great distances to attend. Included among the latter were Denis Brandt's 1929 Foden wagon 13488 (R06330); Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies traction 15609 (CJ4220) built in 1904 and now named LADY DIANA, owned by D. Prout; J. Miles' 1909 Burrell showmans 3090 (0H5022) FERMOY and Arnold Brook's 1925 Super Sentinel 6327 (NE4770). Rather

unusually there were three Clayton & Shuttleworth rollers present — Liz Mason's 1924 example 48944 (EP25741; Tarmac Roadstone's 48835 of 1923 (YA7417) and an older 1913 model, 46688 (EP31371, owned by G. Minshall. Another roller present was the very smart looking 1927 Wallis Advance 7933 (0T53261 now owned

by Les Bishop. This came from the Millward brothels who, it is understood, have taken Fowler roller 18507 of 1930 ISM88321, back in return. The Wallis was making its first appearance at this event as was Frank Lythgoe's 1914 Burrell Scenic WILLIAM V 3610 (J68571. One exhibit worthy of note, and which created much interest, was the boiler, including inner firebox and cylinder block, from an Aveling convertible engine owned by S. Milns. It showed the uninitiated how much work is involved in the restoration of an engine. The engine is 9264 of 1920 (EJ9661.

An Anglian Armstrong The Ipswich Dock Commissioners were one of the few concerns successfully persuaded to buy Armstrong Whitworth rollers in the 1920s. These two photographs, taken by R.G. Pratt, show the now preserved machine in its early years.

The compound 10 ton roller, new in September 1923, works number 10R22, was registered locally DX4602: the first illustration shows it on New Cut East, Ipswich in (presumably) its original condition with an Armstrong brass or copper capped chimney. The second picture was taken on New Cut West in March 1936, by which time the engine had various alterations — retyred front rolls, an Aveling type cast chimney rim and a lengthened canopy of exactly the original profile.

SOMERSET The Somerset TE Club's rally at Langport had a new exhibit last year in the shape of the Allchin engine 1173 (KE 19841 AQUARIUS recently acquired from Kent by D. Maidmont. It joined regular attenders — K. Miles' 1909 Burrell showmans FERMOY and J. Gilbey's Burrell tractor ST BERNARD — for an interesting week-

end. Also in attendance was Ron Bond's 1908 Marshall portable 50595 TAPHOUSE QUEEN. A ploughing engine has come into the area. The late Bill Tame's 1870 Fowler single 1368 (AL8468) has been purchased by Andrew Melrose from Oxfordshire and it will make an interesting addition to the ranks of the local engines.

STAFFORDSHIRE The 1981 rally season has been, in part, the year of the one time Staffordshire engine returning to its native heath, In May, Richard Sandercock travelled from Cornwall to Birmingham with his 1924 Burrell road locomotive 3996 (E9597) CONQUEROR, an engine once worked in the Tamworth area. Later, in October, Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies traction engines 26475 (E5122) and 27524 (E5123), built in 1914 and 1918 respectively journeyed from Lincolnshire to attend the Bass Museum rally in Burton-onTrent. Richard Jones, a local vet and grandson of the original owner, J. Jones of Fradley, spent some time with the engines and their present owners, the Madison brothers and Michael Halliday respectively. (Nice touches these. Despite the obviously

39

high costs involved it is to be hoped that more returns such as these can be arranged at various rallies this summer. Surely there is some prepublicity value to organisers? — Ed.)

SUFFOLK Two new engines to appear at the Henham Rally were the East Anglian Transport Museum's 1923 Armstrong Whitworth roller 10R22 (DX4602) and 1917 Fowler showmans engine 14862 (DW2235) EVENING STAR owned by Billy Hammond. Also present was Bill Bird's 1916 Aveling roller 8766 (MNG259V); Russell Hannant's Aveling tractor 8384 (KT2937), new in 1914, and Wesley Key's 1918 Burrell engine 3789 (SW742) PRINCESS ROYAL, a recent showmans conversion. Marshall portables present were Ted Mack's 82916 of 1928 and M.G. Mitchell Rowland's, 27649. A Ransomes portable, 27271 of 1918, has been sold by Michael Bryant to Derek Marder of Andover.

SURREY Having brought together a whole host of exhibits, the organisers of the Egham and Thorpe Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Association's show decided that in 1981, the event would be of two days duration, which proved a very successful decision. Ivan Fear again organised the steam display for which some twelve engines were present. A noteable prizewinner was M. Fagg's 1921 Aveling roller 10048 (FX8307) which was previously 'parked up' at RaVenglass, Cumbria.

Another first time attender was the 1926 Wallis Advance roller 7848 (H06438) owned by Brian Luck. Two road locomotives were present, both

Burrells, one being Martin Saunders' 1909 ex-Australian engine 3131 (FX872), the other, Jim Sarney's LORD ROBERTS. Rollers in attendance were K. Hicks' 1904 Marshall 40047 (8E8186) and Aveling 12103 of 1928 (SM7013) owned by P. Lyons.

There were 28 engines at the Charity Ploughing Match held at the Manor Farm, Seale in aid of the Woodlarks Workshops. The list was virtually the same as in 1980 with the addition of a pair of Fowler ploughing engines, 1918 BB1's 15226 and 15227 (NR77 and 76) presented by Vic Mitchell of Midhurst, having been (then) very recently purchased from Tom Varley.

New fireboxes and tubes were fitted last year in Northern Ireland and it is intended to to use the engines commercially for dredging silt from ponds and lakes. Among the other engines at Woodlarks were A.E. Mills' 1914 Burrell tractor 3545 (AH0173); F.J. Darnell's 1910 Marshall general purpose 54587 (AJ5781); Jim Hampshire's 1935 Marshall portable 87866 and 1934 Aveling roller 14179 (BKX861) owned by M. Freemantle.

Two engines owned by Charles Russell were also present — 1907 Burrell agricultural 2933 (CF3507), a 'Devonshire' engine, and the venerable 1890 Allchin 669 (AP9081), a 7hp traction engine. Tim Beavan has recently purchased 1911 Wallis & Steevens general purpose engine 7227 (HR3577) INVINCIBLE and this also attended the event.

SUSSEX John Baldock's send-off for his Hollycombe Steam Fair activities was in grand style. In addition to his usual attractions, a large fair had been assembled together with showmans

road locos and fair organs from a wide area. Included among the visiting showmans engines were Derek Trice's 1909 Burrell 3118 (AH5305) DREADNOUGHT, the National Motor Museum's LORD NELSON and a further Burrell, that of Les Searle, 3887 (HR6658) PRINCE OF WALES. Goff Radcliffe's 1902 Fowler 9394 (YA44) SIR JOHN FOWLER and James Gilbey's Burrell showmans tractor ST BERNARD also attended.

Although the resident pair of ploughing engines were inactive awaiting repairs, Vic Mitchell of Midhurst had his newly acquired Fowler BB1s' TINY TIM and OLD JUMBO present and in steam. Two more visitors were J.K. Leadbeater's 1914 Tasker tractor 1625 (BP5833) and 1928 Aveling roller 12103 (SM7103) DUMPY owned by Pete and Sue Lyons.

The following 'residents' were working — McLaren 112 of 1881 EMPRESS OF INDIA on the roundabout ploughing demonstration; 1934 Marshall traction 87087 (P07927) DOROTHY on the threshing tackle; Marshall portable 72531 of 1920 on the stone crusher and the ever impressive Robey semi-portable 33810 powering the sawmill. In the fairground the power units were Burrell centre engine 3356 (the boiler and top works of a former roller) in the single steam yacht; Robey portable 37958 of 1918 in the Cakewalk; Brown & May portable 6691 of 1900 on the steam swing boats; the 1923 Savage centre engine 899 and the Walker centre engine. Taken altogether, a veritable galaxy of steam stars.

The week prior to the big 'send off' event, an inspection in the yard

cast brass for that extra quality and weight — our average Brass plaques... in solidplaque, 2Y2 in by 3Y2 in oval, weighs about half a pound.

Our unique patternmaking process gives fine, distinct lettering, and a good individual motif of your own exclusive design — no motif is ever used twice.

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RAJ 40

for enquiries and free samples write or phone — R & J CASTINGS, UNIT 69, ST MARY'S MILLS INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, EVELYN DRIVE, LEICESTER. Phone 0533 824587 day, 864935 evenings.

in use there. Further details and good black and white photographs would be appreciated from any reader who sees them working.

WARWICKSHIRE

Burrell 3655, 6hp double crank compound of 1915, set to a Clayton & Shuttleworth chaff cutter at 1979 Weeting event. (Bob Payne)

revealed a number of the above and also the 1925 Sentinel 5778 ISF1345); 1920 Ransomes, Sims & Jeff eries crane engine 31066 (PV4943); Aveling & Porter roller 10050 of 1921 (XM4037); Burrell crane engine 1876 (AH5366) EMPEROR, new in 1895 land since its purchase at the Paisley sale. minus its jib and canopy); a Wallis Simplicity roller and 1914 Burrell tractor 3626 (AH221) SUNSET II which under normal circumstances gives trailer rides in the Hollycombe grounds.

It is a pity that the collection of fairground rides has had to be sold but it is understood that John Baldock is hoping to develop the estate's steam railway and agricultural interests and may even have a Bioscope show running next year.

Two engines noted as being for sale in the area have been Fowler 14925 of 1917 (YKJ381), a Russian type engine fitted with a winding drum, and 1914 Wallis & Steevens 7411 (AP9261). The asking price for either was £25,000. The first belonged to Mr C. Jacques of Cuckfield whilst the second was noted as being for sale as long ago as the Winter 19800 issue of this magazine.

It is always pleasant to he Ale to report a wedding and especially so when steam is very much involved.

Many preparations had obviously gone into the escorting of Gerald Whittaker

and Julie Mellersh from Northchapel Church to their reception at the village hall. The happy couple travelled on a trailer behind Gerald's own 1924 Aveling roller 10994 (WT6042) driven

by Dave Dicknell; the wedding guests followed behind on another trailer pulled in style by Derek Trice's Burrell showmans DREADNOUGHT. Along the route to the hall, other engines joined the procession until it became some seven strong — the two leaders, C. Russell's 1920 Foden traction engine 9052 (SN1607) ROB ROY, and four Aveling rollers — Martin Fagg's 10048 (FX8307), Peter Lyon's 1928 piston valve single, Dick Martino's 1931 compound 14147 (YD4470) and George Freemantle's 1934 AvelingBarford 14179 (BKX861).

WALES Work continues on the 1919 Mann tractor 1325 (U4748). A new belly tank has been made by John Philip and delivered to E. Lloyd Jones' yard at Llanf air; it will be fitted when the boiler lagging has been completed. The 1937 Fowler roller belonging to E. Lloyd Jones, 21628 (FF4912), is at present on blocks having some stays renewed and the differential overhauled.

Following the successful use of Jim Lowther's ploughing tackle in North Yorkshire during last year (see Steaming, Spring 19811, it is reported that they left for Wales and have been

At Avon Dassett, Michael Davies and Bob Griffin have made and fitted new connecting rods and piston rings to their Fowler ploughing engines 15182 and 15183 (H05869/68). At the same time the winding drums were removed and the drum pins metal sprayed to bring them back to size.

Over the weekend of 18th and 19th July, members of the Banbury Steam Society staged a rally at Chadshunt in support of an appeal to raise money to purchase a surgical microscope for the Horton General Hospital, Banbury. Engines attending Included Aveling roller 9903 (PU58941 out for the first time in the hands of its new owner Peter Shadbolt; it was purchased earlier in the year from Folkestone. Demonstrations of rack sawing and steam cultivation took place, ploughing engines in attendance being the Fowler BB1s noted above, the Fowler Z7 owned by David Adkins and Eric Fillmore's 1873 Fowler single 2013 (AL8463).

The site was ideal with a panoramic view of the South Warwickshire countryside and sufficient money was raised to enable the equipment to be purchased, much to the relief of the organisers.

YORKSHIRE Castle Howard rally in early August was marred both by rain and the death, only a week or so previously, of the well known local enthusiast Dick Preston, whose 1913 Burrell showmans engine 3526 LIGHTNING II was a regular attender at the event. Dick, aged 78, was highly respected by a large circle of friends over a very wide area. He was ever willing to help anyone and will be sadly missed in the steam engine world of which he had a very long experience; our sympathy goes out to his wife and family. Dick had just bought George Flynn's unusual Foster electric light set, number 3643 of 1908 and unfortunately did not live sufficiently long to appreciate fully the ownership of this interesting machine.

The weather was so poor at Castle Howard on the Saturday that it was said there were more exhibitors present than spectators. Showmans engines there included John Connor's 1932 Fowler 19783 (E1-4883) KING CARNIVAL II and Tom Varley's Burrell HIS LORDSHIP. Robert Oliver's Clayton & Shuttleworth rebuild OLD ENGLAND was powering Charlie 41

Byass's Gavioli organ. Two other large exhibits were one of Mike Middlewood's Fowler ploughing engines and John Stephenson's Fowler BB1 15452 of 1920 (SD9377) DREADNOUGHT. Tom Varley's 1918 Atkinson wagon 72 (CK209) and J. Machin's 1910 Fowler agricultural 12170 (WY5321) were among other entrants at this rain soaked show.

At the end of August, another first class show was staged at Bramham Park by the Leeds & District Traction Engine Club and despite some doubts about the weather, all was well on the day and some good crowds attended.

There was a degree of sadness attached to the appearance of the late Anthony Myers' two engines, Burrell 3220 OUTLAW and Aveling & Porter roller 2481 PRIDE OF CAM. It was learned that they were to be auctioned in late September and Bramham would probably be their last local appearance. A new exhibit was the old Brown & May portable owned by Lyndon Shearman. It was good to see the re-appearance of 1934 Sentinel S4 wagon 8992 (TJ4148), now belonging to Howard Snowden and Jack Bradley. Although not in steam on Saturday due to Howard's heavy commitments in the organisation of the event, the look of pleasure on his face on Sunday afternoon when he took the wagon for a 'victory' drive around the arena was a sight to behold. It has been a long hard slog to get this wagon back on the road, with several disappointments along the way, and the joint owners are to be commended for their efforts.

A roller making its first appearance at a rally was W. Robinson's Fowler 16436 (SA8439), previously owned

by Aussie Windle and ex-Aberdeen.

There were ten other steam rollers present at Bramham and a selection of motor rollers was also exhibited, these under the auspices of the Road Roller Association. Included in the latter was Peter Lorimer's 1911 vintage Barford & Perkins Type D3, which is believed to be unique and has an extremely interesting water cooling system.

Ken Ellwood's 1922 Burrell single crank compound traction 3918 (PU578) DEBORAH attended the Gargrave Show in late August, steaming the five miles or so along the lanes to get there. It was very much a last minute appearance — the organisers didn't know the engine was coming but nevertheless awarded Ken a prize for attending. The engine created a lot of interest at this typical Yorkshire Dales agricultural show.

Mrs Arthur Fearnley, a very well known figure at rallies over many years, died of cancer last autumn. She 42

Stocksbridge UDC purchased this Class DNA Fowler roller new in January 1927 (works number 16934). It is seen here in the Council's yard in April 1959, awaiting a further call of duty. (Roger West)

had been ill for some time and had gone into hospital just before her death. Mrs Fearnley often crewed for Arthur on their 1916 Fowler Tiger tractor 14406 (CJ4338) PANDORA. She was a true steam enthusiast, and at many events operated the controls on 'Pandy's Pram', the Crossley bus chassis on which Arthur had cleverly constructed a turntable with lowering ramps to carry the Fowler to distant events. Our condolences are extended to Arthur and his sons Lister, Ron and Maurice, a family whose name has been carried far and wide on- steam engines since the outset of the rally movement.

An engine to come back into Yorkshire, having been removed by the stroke of a pen in the county boundary changes in the mid 1970s, is Sentinel DG6 8562 (FD6603) of 1931 which has been purchased from Tom Varley of Gisburn by John Harrison from near Pontefract. At the Central Motor Auction's September sale held at Rothwell, Leeds, the two engines previously owned by Anthony Myers were sold — PRIDE OF CAM going to Stan Hartley of Preston and OUTLAW to Ashfordby Storage, Melton Mowbray, Leics. Stan Hartley also owns 1895 Fowler roller 7446 ICK3584).

As previously reported in these columns, the new family entertain-

ment centre at Lightwater Valley near Ripon staged its late season event in mid-September. It took the form of a steam working and We S a very successful first time venture. One of the chief organisers was Jack Whitwell, whose Clayton & Shuttleworth showmans conversion 48385 (BP5463) WOLD RANGER was joined

by Robert Oliver's similar OLD ENGLAND. Power for the Mammoth Gavioli was provided by Jack Hardy's 1920 Fowler showmans 15117 (8E8558) HEADWAY, whilst Harry Parkin's 1926 Foden wagon 12364 (TW4207) delivered coal. Other engines present included David Mitchell's 1920 Fowler tractor 15625 (U7148) CRIMSON RAMBLER; Tom Varley's Burrell showmans HIS LORDSHIP and Chris Rockcliff's 1934 Marshall agricultural 87003 ITL3612) SURPRISE. Two engines which have been kept on display at Lightwater for more or less the whole summer period were also there — Peter Rhodes' 1909 Garrett road loco 27946 (016818), previously with Harkness' of Belfast, and Frank Pennett's Burrell single crank engine 3218 (TB3959) built in 1910. Other steam exhibits to be seen were a miniature railway, a steam launch and Screeton brothers' gallopers.

A small event organised by the Wright brothers of Scawsby, near

Doncaster was held at Scawthorpe in late September. Unfortunately the weather was somewhat unkind and there were few spectators. One engine which attended was Fred Jackson's 1898 Wallis & Steevens agricultural 2489 (AD8906) VICTORIA. The restoration of Stuart Harrison's 1912 Fowler road locomotive 12899 (BX1937), which he bought in 1979, is nearing completion.

It is a type D2 and believed to be one of only three of its kind which has survived. Stuart is hoping to have it back on the road by the New Year. The engine has had a new boiler manufactured, new gearing and shafts and many other r raw parts. As far as can be ascertained, the engine was new to a quarry in South Wales and was used

for hauling stone slabs. It was commandeered for war service in 1916 but later returned to its original owners who subsequently sold it to a Carmarthen haulier. In 1939 it was bought by a North Wales timber firm and used for hauling logs until withdrawn from service in 1944; for some 20 years it lay abandoned in a forest near Ruthin before being rescued. The amount of work necessary on the engine deterred the first preservation owner who sold it to the Bournemouth area to someone who also was unable to undertake the restoration work. Stuart has spent well over £10,000 on the necessary repairs so far and it will be an unusual and wuriliwiiiie addition to the ranks of rally engines in Yorkshire, its native county, when completed.

ROAD ROLLER ASSOCIATION The opportunity was taken at the Holly Bush Steam Party in October to hold a Committee Meeting at which arrangements for the Thomas Aveling Centenary Weekend in Rochester on 6th and 7th March were discussed.

Details of the proposed events and the Plaque Appeal will be found elsewhere in this issue.

The revised edition of the Association's booklet Parked Up Pullers will shortly be available from the Sales Officer, Ian Hutchinson. Two rollers which featured in the first edition of the booklet were to he found on exhibition in a fully restored condition at last year's Market Bosworth rally; Aveling 7798 of 1912 (R74971 was extracted from a park at Hinckley, Leics (featured in Steaming for December 1977) by David Corbett, and Steve Hayes' 1917 Aveling 8815

(RF2731) came from Beacon Park in Lichfield, Staffs, The Association has made a point of publicising the whereabouts of all known playground rollers — many of which have been 'rescued' and put back into working order since the booklet was first published. Any would be roller owner is reminded that several are still to be found, uncared for, in various locations up and down the country and perhaps 'gentle' persuasion is all that is needed of the owners or custodians to allow them to he released. (And then, subsequently, a lot of money and determination! — Ed.) The booklet is priced 35p plus 15p postage from I.K. Hutchinson. 2 The Limes, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK11 1ET.

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WooK NETHERLANDS The Automuseum at Assen had this year a steam exhibition, and as a result of this they organised a run for steam rollers over 18 kilometres (about 12 miles). It was divided into four parts, the finishes of every part were some local pubs where the drivers took water for the engines, and something else for themselves. During these stops spectators had the chance for a detailed look at the engines and have a chat with the drivers.

On the photograph you can see the winning roller, a 12 ton Chataignier of 1913, named BELLO, directly followed by my 1926 10 ton Wallis 8, Steevens Advance 7909, named DOLLE MINA. The first prize was a barrel of beer.

(Jan Brinksma, Meppel)

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Moving house in the early 1900s, Canadian style. The photograph, submitted by member Neil Macleod, shows four unidentified Canadian traction engines steadily transferring a timber framed dwelling to a new site near Stratford, Ontario. Journeys such as these were relatively commonplace at the time.

A Flaeyel-Feest (threshing party) was held at Nieuwehorne in the county of Friesland, northern Holland at the end of September. On this occasion, the tenth, there was a big parade of old horse drawn carriages and wagons, old tractors, two steam ploughing engines and a steam roller.

Some 7,000 people turned out to see the show.

The roller, named GERBISLOZE and owned by Gerrit Ooms, was built by Wallis & Steevens — an Advance type. Threshing was undertaken by a 1919 German built Lanz portable engine named INGRID-MARIA, number 38532 and owned by Frans Pellikaan of Nieuwehorne. The threshing drum used was also a Lanz, built in 1930 at the Heinrich Lanz works at Mannheim.

A 1928 Dutch built baler, by Borga of Appingendam completed the set.

Ploughing was by the pair of 1918 Fowler ploughing engines brought over from England a few years ago by Nanne Bekkema of Epe. They are BB1s 15202 JANNIE and 15203 ROELOF; an 1892 Fowler anti-balance plough effected the ploughing. Mr Bekkema also owns a Garrett showmans engine, a Stanley steam bus and a Lanz portable engine, a sister engine to the one used in the threshing demonstration. (Henk van der Wall

throughout the world. May we appeal to those living in or visiting lands not often mentioned in Steaming to send in pictures and information on any local engines? They may be lying derelict, preserved in public places or in private ownership. Historical photographs would also be welcome — any original prints submitted will be taken great care of and returned after processing.

TRACTION ENGINE LOCOMOTIVES by Ian K. Hutchinson. 64 pages plus card covers, 8Y x 6in.

Published by The Road Locomotive Society, price £2,00 (available to club members at £1.60. plus postage from NTEC Sales) During the first 30 years of this century a steam enthusiast in Kent would have had good opportunity to study an odd hybrid in the development of the steam engine — the 'traction tram', a traction engine based railway locomotive that as well as performing haulage tasks could also do occasional duty on the belt.

Pioneered by Aveling & Porter in the 1860s these unlikely machines found surprising acceptance on the industrial tramways serving Kent's chalk and cement industry, but limited appeal in other industries. (Lever Bros. are said to have refused delivery of one because it was 'too ugly'!) Built around the boiler, cylinders and motion and tender of the road engine of the day they were chain or gear driven and either mounted on four equal-sized railway wheels, or, making them visually very like their progenitors, five foot or so diameter rear wheels and smaller front ones. Six examples survive in preservation.

Ian Hutchinson's treatise on this slow but reasonably powerful breed of engine covers the history of Aveling's products, and then goes on to describe

An Appeal The NTEC membership lists contain the names of road steam enthusiasts in many countries 44

One of Aveling & Porter's gear driven traction engine type railway locomotives — ERIC (Aveling 8372 of 1914) poses among the coke stockpile at Grimesthorpe Gasworks, Sheffield. (F. Jones)

the limited output from other traction engine builders — Fowler were the most prolific of these. A record of railway locomotives constructed out of road engines completes the text, whilst appendices list all Aveling and Fowler built machines.

The coverage is good and the book will probably be regarded as the definitive history of this type of steam engine. It would have been nice to know more of the engines' characteristics in use but those who worked them and could have told us are for the most part long departed. A criticism of the book lies in tho rather restricted number 125) of illustrations — a definitive ctudy sii rh as this should have included far more when covering a subject where few of the 170 or so examples were alike. (REW)

STEAM ROLLERS AND STEAM WAGGONS OF THE WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, by John I Rhead. 102 pages, 12in x 8Y4in, 51 illustrations, card covers. Published September 1981 by the Road Locomotive Society. Price £5.95 (available from NTEC Sales).

'I never meant to write a book. I merely wanted to find out what sort of steam rollers Worcestershire County Council had used.' Thus John Rhead

(?\1©

confesses to us in his foreword. But from this modest desire and his painstaking researches from official records and past employees he has-produced a most worthy and scholarly work.

The book is divided into ten sections. The opening one deals with Surveyor Garrett's bid in the closing years of the nineteenth century to introduce steam rolling onto the county's roads — against initial committee resistance. The first three Avelings appeared in 1897; these were followed by twenty other varied rollers up to 1919, including two of the delightful Mann's patching rollers.

Eighteen steam wagons were purchased by the County from 1917. when private contractors became reluctant to provide team labour for delivering roadstone — war contracts were more remunerative!

The Local Government reorganisation of 1930 brought a further twelve varied steamers into the County fold from the rural districts. Passages on the fleet in its Indian summer, when new replacements were inevitably petrol driven machines, record neglected maintenance and mechanical abuse; no doubt the tale could be repeated all over the country and it makes one wonder at the large number of engines surviving in preservation. (A mere two Worcester CC engines remain► . There are interesting insights

September Novemiser an

Wntlaeo M. Laffont, Route de Laujol, 82 200 Moissac, France.

R. Lewis, 26 Vale Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

A. Findlow, 17 Fordson Road, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex.

S.J. Martin, 84 Spring Lane, Bassingbourne, Cambridgeshire.

D.R. Beal, 7 Balmoral Avenue, off Giffords Cross Avenue, Corringham, Essex. Family members — Margaret, Gregory and Robert.

R. Wakefield, Lower Yewards, Prestbury, near Macclesfield, Cheshire.

F.B. Hennecke, Wilhemstrasse 23, D 351 Muenden, Germany.

Miss J.M. Hann, 516 Gloucester Road, Horfield, Bristol.

J. Blackwell, 3 The Bury, Shillington, near Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

R. Myatt, The Oaks, Lichfield Road, Hopwas, Tamworth, Staffordshire.

M.J. Gallagher, Coulee Ridge, Whatlington Road, Battle, Sussex.

Family members — Rose, David, Mark and Michelle.

B.J. Webber, 100 Divinity Road, Cowley, Oxford.

S.J. Vale, 72 Lond Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

A.J. Hopper, 1 Benhams Road, Townhill Park, Southampton.

J.P. Montague, 35 Cannonbury Avenue, Pinner, Middlesex.

into the Road Traffic Act of 1930 and the effect it had on steamers on the road.

Further chapters include a discourse on living vans used by the Highways Department, notes on bridge testing by steam and a short piece on the County Council's occasional involvement with other's steam engines — licensing, byelaws and damage to the highway. A very full set of Appendices illustrate the raw material of Mr Rhead's research and a competent index completes the volume.

The production of the hook is gond.

Many of the interesting illustrations no doubt come from snapshots and popular cameras of the day; although their reproduction can therefore never be first class they are completely valid in such a history, but I feel art paper would have enhanced all the illustrations. Proof reading could have been better — a corrigenda sheet is available but additionally on page 10 Mr Garrett is confusingly referred to several times as Mr Gettings, his successor of a decade later.

This book is probably the first really detailed account of one owner's steam fleet, but it is a book which should become a model of its kind. Your reviewer looks forward to seeing others emulating John Rhead's excellent volume. (Roger West)

G.W.A. Jackson, 19 Merridale Road, Bitterne, Southampton. Family members — Mary, Daphne and Valerie.

CA. Jones, 21 Keyco! Hill , Bobbing, Sittingbourne, Kent.

E. Starkey, 1 Yew Tree Drive, Baystonhill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

J. Allwood, Old School House, Acton Burnell, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Family members — Barbara and Gemma.

Z. Elrington, (Bygones Collection), 14 Chapel Yard, Holkham, Wellsnext-the-Sea, Norfolk.

E.A. Hollis, 129 Acre Lane, Kingsthorpe, Northampton.

T. Bradbury, 13 Gail Avenue, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire.

R.J. Deakin, 32 Cwmclais Road, Cwmavon, Port Talbot, Glamorgan.

I.J. Bezema, Post Box 580, Industrie Straat 125, Hengelo 7550 AN, Holland. Family members — Jacco and Ans. P.R. Jury, Whelpley View, Newton Lane, Whiteparish, Wiltshire.

K. Race, 13 Neptune Street, Cleethorpes, South Humberside.

R. Carlson, 17 Frederick Street, Newington, Conn. 06111, USA. K. Brooking, Sundene, Brentmoor Road, West End, Woking, Surrey.

D.J. Ellis, Rose Bower, Brailesford, Derbyshire.

J.W. Wagstaff, 1 Ryshworth Avenue, Bingley, West Yorks. Family member — Kathleen.

H.A. Robinson, Robinson's Garage, Station Road, Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire.

D. Harnaman, 9 Bod Glanmor, Denbigh, Clwyd.

Mrs E.F. Ellis, Smiddy House, Aros, Isle of Mull, Argyll. Family members — Graham and Gavin.

Mrs Eileen Fisher, 9 Park Lane, Hazlemere, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

T.M. Eden, 40 Parade Mansions, Watford Way, Hendon, London.

W.E. Van Gulik, Ahuislanden 70, 7542 Am Enschede, Holland.

P. Peyman, 45 Hasker Street, London.

D.A. Moth, 9 Burford Road, Camberley, Surrey.

S.H. Warren, 12 Byron Close, Hampton, Middlesex. Family member — Joyce.

45

f—Th

TEN For further details contact

We specialise in the construction and repair of locomotive type boilers.

Firebox construction can be of the traditional flanged and rivetted design, or flanged and welded.

Construction is to the appropriate British Standard Specification and all welding is by coded welders to BS 4870.

Work being done is approved at all stages by an engineering surveyor from your boiler insurance company.

Construction of tubeplates, smokeboxes, tenders etc, also undertaken.

Roger Pridham, Hollybank, Chilsworthy Beam, Gunnislake, Cornwall.

Telephone Tavistock (0822) 5276 Daytime, 832945 Evenings

R.M. Smith, Hamgate Farm, Sturminster Newton, Dorset.

Ms C.D. Cowley, 104 Milner Road, Selly Park, Birmingham.

G. Crosse, Donaskeigh, Tipperary Town, Eire. Family member — Kay. M.H. Clarke, 62 Burlington Road, Southampton.

B.J. Read, B & C Reconditioning Gears Ltd, 6 Bear Court, Daneshill East, Basingstoke, Hampshire.

R.L.D. Dean, 81 St Georges Crescent, Slough, Berkshire. Family member — Betty.

P. Mo!cher, 24 Spring Gardens, Earls Barton, Northamptonshire.

Family member — Joanne.

W.J. Cleal, The Cottage, High Street, Keinton Mandeville, Somerton, Somerset.

C.H. Maxey, 27 Tower Avenue, Lincoln.

I. Walker, 3 Glen House, Swanwick, Hampshire.

H.H. Gurnhill, 102 Wragby Road East, North Greetwell, Lincoln.

F.C. Head, 28 Wellington Cottages, Hawkhurst, Kent.

M.P. Osborne, 13 Greenfields Estate, Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire.

E.J. Goodchild, 1 The Bower, Alvestone Road, Newchurch, Isle of Wight. Family members — Maisie and Stuart.

T.R. Acock, The Grange, 47 Ashcombe Road, Weston-super-Mare, Avon.

J.H.C. Buckle, The Highlands, Selsley1-101, near Stroud, Gloucestershire.

T.J. Harvey, c/o PO Box 2799, Jakarta, Indonesia.

A.J. Brock, 3 Warren Lane, Long Ashton, Bristol.

P. Walker, Anthonys Well, Chew Stoke, near Bristol.

K.P. Hayward, Trinovantes, Princess Margaret Road, East Tilbury, Essex.

J. Reeves, The Weathervane, West Monkton, Taunton, Somerset.

W.K. Kirby, Western Farm, Pestling Magna, Leicester. (transfer of membership from the late A.E. Sage.)

R.J. Smith, 100 Avenue Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire. Family member — Julian.

N. Marshall, Rectory House, Upton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

J. Pearce, 60 Delavale Road, Winchcombe, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Family members — Pauline, David, Tamsin and Erin.

D. Cave, 307 Dorchester Road, Weymouth, Dorset.

H.M. Brodie, The Glade, Park Avenue, Farnborough Park, Orpington, Kent.

B.P. Leavis, New Paddock, Wainfleet Road, Irby-in-the-Marsh, Skegness, Lincs.

T.P. Beaven, 34 Camelsdale Road, Haslemere, Sussex. Family members — Rachel, Patrick and Audrey.

R. Orem, Diplands Court, St Mary Bourne, Andover, Hampshire.

P.G.R. Gore, 17 Upland Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Family member — Jane.

A.D. Dee, 25 Inskip Terrace, Gateshead, Co Durham.

H.S.J. Jordan, 31 Walcot Avenue, Luton, Bedfordshire.

R. Dixon, 51 Brighton Avenue, Morley, Leeds.

G.R. Pope, 48 Troutbeck Walk, Heatherside, Camberley, Surrey.

46

Small advertisements for bona fide SALES and WANTS, and appertaining to steam engines or associated items, are free of charge to National Traction Engine Club members. Advertisements should be in block capitals or typed, and to ensure publication must be accompanied by the advertisers NTEC membership number.

Non-members rates for small adverts are 5p per word, with a minimum charge of £1.00, payable in advance.

The publishers retain the right to refuse or withdraw advertisements at their discretion and do not accept liability for clerical or printers errors although every care is taken to avoid mistakes.

ALL SMALL ADVERTISEMENTS TO BE SENT TO THE EDITOR. SEE TITLE PAGE FOR PRESS DATE.

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS. The Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977 is now in force. This states that persons seeking to sell goods in the course of a business should indicate this clearly in the advertisement.

Thomas Aveling Centenary Appeal — Please send donations towards erection of plaque on his works and restoration of his headstone to — RRA, 40 Pares Way, Ockbrook, Derby. Further details elsewhere in this issue.

Wanted — for amateur workshop maintaining 21 steam road and rail locomotives. Countershafts, pulleys and general flat belt drive equipment, also machines including hacksaw. Foundry equipment also needed. Maxwell, 33 Stocksfierd Ave. Newcastle NE5 2DX (Tel Newcastle 742002).

For sale — Back numbers of Steaming Vols 14, No 1 and Vols 15 to 24 inclusive. — P.R. Barker, 18 Reigate Drive, Derby DE3 4EN. Fo► sale — Vertical stationary steam engine, approx 5ft high, £300. Mechanical cylinder lubricator £35. — Tel 01-857 3586 (South east London).

Wanted — Steaming Vols 1 to 6 in good condition for binding. Also books — Steam Engine Builders of Lincolnshire (Clark), Modern Manual for Drivers of Steam Road Vehicles (Salmon), Fowler Spare Parts list and Fowler handbook (reprints, Turntable, Leeds), Savage catalogue, Portable Agricultural Engines and Hindley catalogue reprint by TEEnterprises. — G. Crook. 9 Sparrows Herne, Basildon, Essex SS16 5JH (Tel 0268-22076).

For sale - Vertical boiler made by W. Coltman. 3hp, working pressure 100Ibs. Approx 7ft high, 3ft diameter. No fire bars but in quite good condition. £180 or near offer. - R. Smith, Sturminster Newton, Dorset (Tel 723381.

For sale - Back numbers of Steaming, 1957 to 1980 complete. Offers - I el Newark 892206.

For sale - One pair 81/2 in diameter compression piston rings, steam gauges, bronze and brass bearings, hand operated steam pump for boiler testing. Open to offers for lot to clear, or exchange for old makers name plates - iron or brass. - P.M. Reynolds, Kent Cottage, Eltisley, St Neots, Huntingdon, Cambs.

For sale - Low loader used for Fowler roller. 1970 Foden unit, tested to March 1982, Gardner 180. 1969 Tasker trailer, 10 ton, 19ft well, knock out axle, complete with ianips, jacks, chains, winch etc. £1700 o.n.o. - Tel 0492 81093 (North Wales) after 6pm.

For sale - 1917 Aveling & Porter 12 ton single slide valve roller. Fully restored August 1981 including new smokebox, tubes, front axle and many other parts. Boilts use fivatu, can be seen in steam by serious applicants. For further details contact S.D. Hayes, 75 Teign Rank Fkleri, Hinckley, Leios 1.E10 OED ITel 0455 6320181.

For sale - Pair of box type gauge glass protectors, 10in long.

Armoured suction hose, 2%in diameter, 13 feet long. Pair of side lights and temperature gauge to suit paraffin Fordson Major tractor.

Steam whistle 9in long x %in pipe thread. Crankshaft complete with eccentrics, straps and gears to suit Ruston Hornsby engine, 5ft x 3in diameter. Coal trailer built to tow behind living van.

Pressure gauge. 6in diameter, by Mather & Platt. Also several different types of magnetos. Any sensible offers for above to P.W. White, 48 Sheldon Rd, lckford. near Aylesbury, Bucks HP18 9HT. Wanted - Chimney top for 7hp Foster traction engine - brass or copper. - J.L. Middlemiss, Godmanchester, Huntingdon.

For sale - Aveling & Porter 4 wheeled living van. Very good condition. £350 ono. - Tel 045 15 317 (Gloucestershire).

Wanted - Towbar for showmans living wagon, circa 38in between arms, 36in length, preferably spring loaded. Tube brush 2Y 1n diameter. - N.P. Barker, 44A Ainger Road, London NW3 (Tel 01-586 46331.

Wanted - Rally programmes and any odd copies of Steaming.

- D. Roseaman, 10 Grimshaw Close, North Road, London N6 48H. Wanted - to assist in restoration of Clayton & Shuttleworth steam wagon 47838 (the world's oldest) - smokebox door ring.

Either buy or obtain copy. - John Norris, Box 21, PO Walkerville, South Australia 5081.

Registration and Licensing - I am researching the history of road vehicle (steam and motor) registration and licensing. Any help or information on tax discs, old registration documents, pre 1920 licensing systems, trade iicences etc would be very welcome. Brian Johnson, 2 Ivy Lane, Westergate, Chichester, Sussex (Tel long; 1in 13ft D3890, off 2 belts. vee Fenner Large For sale Eastergate 2617).

2 off D8460, 27ft 7in long. All are brand new. Any offers please. For sale - 1918 Tidman centre engine, ex 3 abreast. Believed Tel 0623 640179 evenings. less than 10 still existing. Mechanically sound and complete but For sale - South Tyne Traction Society has for sale surplus needs firebox and possibly some boiler work. Known history. No copies of programmes from its first five events plus some time wasters please. Viewing by appointment only. Offers to John programmes from older rallies (one of which will be sent free with Smith, Columbyne Cottage, lnworth, Kelvedon, near Colchester, your order). Interested programme collectors should send 50p Essex (Tel Kelvedon 704381.

PO/cheque (payable SITES) plus 934in x 6yzin SAE to C.R. Kilgour, For sale - Solid rubber tyres suitable for sticking onto steel 7 Sunderland Road, Easington Village, Co Durham SR8 3TP. or steel wheels. Approx 5in wide, 2in thick, 2ft 6in diameter. bands built engine, traction compound crank single Burrell sale For Brand new, never used. 17 available at £5 each or £80 the lot. Also 1901. Good mechanical condition, considerable recent work on two earthmover tyres suitable for cutting down to fabricate engine boiler, new firebox etc. Send SAE for further details or ring tyres. Approx 7ft dia x 2ft wide, and 5ft dia x 1ft 6in wide. £15 Dodwell, The Elms, 102 High Street, Chobham, Surrey (Tel 09905and £20 respectively. Buyer collects. - John Smith, address as 74201. above.

For sale - Garrett No4 steam tractor. No 33374 of 1918.

Rally outings - Couple living in St Nevis, Cambs, area seek Three quarter canopy, rubbers on front, current boiler certificate spare car seats with fellow enthusiasts visiting traction engine 1801bs. Rally condition. - G. Doherty, Artoney, Louth Village, rallies. Willing to help with petrol costs. Please contact - Smith, 6 Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland.

The Cottages, Little Barford, Huntingdon. Cambs PE19 4YD (Tel Fowler & unused 5 Price Sons; Charles by Scarifier sale For 0480 2141311. mould boards; 3 Fowler cultivator tines and 14 cultivator shears; 1 Wanted - to purchase or borrow, patterns for big end brasses set John Allen safety valves to fit Fowler ploughing engine; 1 water for Fowler TE2 (as R3) road locomotive. - S.J. Gray, 60 Harbour gauge fitting to fit ditto; 2 17in steering wheels: rear axle, springs Ave, Comberton, Cambridge CB3 7DD (Tel 022 026 36621. and wooden spoked wheels, radiator and steering box for 30cwt For sale - Aveling & Porter iron wheel wagon metalwork, 1928 Chevrolet; Ford 3 ton rear axle with 5 x 5 stud wheels; 1950 wheels, axles, springs, brake gear, turntable, drawbar etc. Needs David Brown Super Cropmaster (runner). - Robert G. Green, Fort restoration, would suit roller or steam tractor. Offers - S.J. Gray, End Iron Works, Haddenham, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire address as above.

(0844-2913301.

Whistles for sale - A4 chime whistle, as new, with specially made valve for traction engine, £250. LNWR standard, £30. GWR small, f30. LMS hooter, £50. - J.L. Crowther, The Riddings, Long Preston, near Skipton, North Yorks.

For sale - Twin cylinder stationary steam engine make unknown, originally used in pumping station as starter engine. 3ft 6in long x 1ft 9in wide x 4ft high. Offer around £300. Also Marshall low pressure boiler, built 1942, approx 4ft 6in high, with hand feed pump. Offers around £40. Also Worthington Simpson 514 in and 3SSin x 5in steam pump. Offers around £100. - J.E. Brice. 37 Swan Lane, Sellindge, near Ashford, Kent (Sellindge 3394).

For sale - Rivets; the following are available at approx 30% reduction on normal price. Packing and postage extra. Steel (round) snap head - i" dla x 1" long; IV' die x i" or 3"; 3" din x 1" or 3"; die x 1" or 1"; 3" dia x 1" or 3"; Steel countersunk head - 1" dia x 13", 3" or 3"; 1" dia x dia x 11"; 1" dia x 11', 1" or 3 "; dia x 11" or 3"; 3" dia x 3" 1". Steel flat head - i" dia x 3"; or 3"; 14" die x 3". Aluminium snap head - 3" dia x 1" or 3"; 31," dia x 3" or 3"; 3" dia x 3". Aluminium countersunk head - 1" dia x dia x 1". Copper snap 1", 3" or 3". Aluminium flat head dia x 3"; W' dia x 1", 3" or 3". Copper head - 3" dia x 1"; dia x 1' , 3" ur countersunk head - sr3" dia x 1" or 1'; dia x 1". - Phone Copper flat head - 3" dia x 1", 3"; Waterlooville (Hants) 07014 56804, weekday evenings only.

For sale - two Sissons vertical single cylinder steam engines.

Built c1948. Designed to run 24 hours per day, weight approx 30cwt each. Price £85 and £65 lone has piston rod acid dugs missing) - Tel Luton 505434.

Wanted - A small pair of steam roller front oil lamps. Must be left and right handed, preferably by Eli Griffiths of Birmingham. A.J. Ross, 65 Attimore Road, Welwyn Garden City, Harts (Tel Welwyn Garden 248661.

For sale - Firebars; 22 off 2in x 41in long; 22 off 2in x 35in; 11 off 2in x 33%in. Also one portable pipe vice to 2in. Buyer collects. - P. Dabbs, Kimberley Villas, Newton-le-Willows, Bedale, N. Yorks (Tel Bedale 504891.

Road Roller Association - For all those interested in steam and motor rollers, road making machines, practices and history.

Quarterly journal Rolling. Subscription £4.50 per year. - A.E. Hatfield, 535 London Road. Stratton, Warrington, Cheshire.

For sale - Brass plate off Marshall roller - PERTH COUNTY COUNCIL, CENTRAL DISTRICT ROADS. CRIEFF. Any offers. - A. Gray, Collonach, Huntly, Aberdeenshire - (Tel. 2587 evenings).

Wanted - Water pump for Clayton & Shuttleworth 7hp traction engine 47048 of 1914. - A. Gray, Collonach, Huntly, Aberdeenshire (Tel 2857 evenings).

Wanted - Super Sentinel wagon, complete nr dismantled. A.J. Barringham, 24 Cockshutt Ave, qheffield SB 71111.

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insurance for steam vehicles and traction engine rallies As Insurance Brokers to the National Traction Engine Club for many years, we have arranged insurances especially suited to owners of steam vehicles or engines, and to organisers of steam rallies. Wide cover and competitive terms are available with special terms for club members.

For any further information you may require please do not hesitate to contact any of the following:Ton bridge Office Non-Marine General Department, Hildenbrook House, The Slade, Tonbridge, Kent Telephone: 0732 357011 Head Office 9 Harp Lane, Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6DT Telephone: 01-626 9721

If this happens, are you covered?

Tennant Budd Ltd