Indice dei contenuti per August 2025 in Old Glory

You are ALL welcome to join in, please do! If you have a story or pictures no matter what, do get in touch peterlove@madasafish.com Tel: 01323 833125. David Reed Editor-at-large - Former York school teacher who has worked with the editor since 1995 and has a wealth of knowledge on steam, commercials and tractors. Derek Rayner Technical and Vintage World Editor - Derek’s knowledge is extensive, a steam roller owner since the 1960s and a world traveller in search of nothing but the best. Bob Moorman Rally Archive Editor - This former engineering inspector is a fount of knowledge and has been rallying since the 70s. His own restos are award winners, as his ex-Kings 1927 Foden will be now that it’s finished! Mike Neale Diecast Models Editor – It’s…

AUGUST 2025 4, 11, 18 Vintage Diecast, Tin plate & Model Trains – www.britishtoyauctions.co.uk, tel: 01928 579032. 5 Specialist Diecast and Tinplate, Vectis Auctions - www.vectis.co.uk, tel: 01642 750616. 7, 21, 27 Modern Diecast, Vectis Auctions - www.vectis.co.uk, tel: 01642 750616. 7, 8 Toys – www.wessexauctionrooms.co.uk, tel: 01249 720888. 14 Modern Diecast, Games & General collectables Auction - www.vectis.co.uk, tel: 01642 750616. 22 Toys & Models, https://www.tennants.co.uk/, tel: 01969 623780. TOYFAIRS AUGUST 2025 2 Southampton Toy Fair, St James Road Methodist Church, St James Rd., Shirley, Southampton SO15 5HE. 10am-1.30pm. https://www.ronlines.com/southampton-toy-fair.html, tel: 02380 772 681. 3 Buxton Toyfair, The Pavilion Gardens, St. John’s Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6XN. 10.30am-3pm. https://www.bpfairs.com/, tel: 01604 846688. 3 Musselburgh Toy, Train & Sci-Fi Fair, Musselburgh Sports Centre, Newbigging, Musselburgh, Edinburgh EH21 7AS. 10.30am-3pm. https://northerntoyfairs.com,…

Len Watts, from Dorchester, Dorset, a highly regarded and respected vintage lorry owner and steam enthusiast, passed away on 21 April 2025 shortly before the 45th Abbey Hill Rally. Len’s last journey was on Monday 12 May when his son, Martin accompanied by Barry Watts (grandson) drove his father on Len’s 1947 Austin K4 around Brewery Square (Eldridge Pope’s brewery site) in Dorchester between 12-12.30 and up to the Trumpet Major pub, an original Eldridge Pope’s establishment and Len’s local pub for 1pm. Len is known as their local hero with his own board stating this, along with photographs and “Echo” write ups. They left the Trumpet at 1.30 to go to Weymouth Crematorium. Len was well known on the south-west rally circuit, especially at Abbey Hill and the Three…

Medway Queen returned from her ‘summer holidays’ in Ramsgate on Saturday 31 May and resumed her normal Saturday opening routine from 7 June. Moving PS Medway Queen to Ramsgate for the Dunkirk 85th commemoration and then back to Gillingham was a complex, and expensive, operation involving the Board, the Saturday team, workshop team, events sub-committee and many others. The Medway Queen was due to leave Gillingham Pier for Ramsgate on Wednesday 14 May, but, due to high winds, the tow was delayed. The ship didn’t get away until 03:20 on Saturday 17th and arrived at the Royal Harbour, Ramsgate, at 13:00 on Sunday 18th. The journeys, in both directions, were made by the tug Coastrunner, belonging to Knighton Towing & Salvage Ltd, from Richborough. They stepped in after our previous…

Grateful thanks are extended to Rob Dickinson - the UK steam enthusiast who runs the ‘International Steam’ website - www.internationalsteam.co.uk — and who has recently discovered a Youtube video of major interest. For those readers who are able to access such videos on the internet, this shows French-built Albaret steam roller (works number 1954) in Bangkok in operation. It’s jacked up at the back, presumably beneath the water tank and is being put through its paces, apparently under steam, with the engine turning - at one time somewhat furiously - and with the back rolls rotating!! At the same location there is a Fowler tractor – No. 17294 of 1928 - and also a Garrett 8-ton roller No. 33021 from 1917 - and Rob has kindly sent photos of these…

I am writing this near the end of June and we have had two very successful events happen in the world of steam and vehicle preservation recently. We start with the High Weald Steam Rally & Working at Scaynes Hill, near Haywards Heath, Sussex. This is the third site that Ian Langley and Dave Mansi and their team of many helpers have come up with and it was enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. If it had rained heavily, that could have been a problem, but the sun shone on this rolling site with a large parade ring, which people just drove around making it like a mini GDSF and the show was a big hit. Many people supported this event, with 42 engines on display, with Peter Lyon’s daughter’s 1909…

Chichester Fire Station in West Sussex Isorganisingan Emergency Services Day on Sunday 24 August in Oaklands Park, behind the Chichester Festival Theatre. There will be classic fire, police, ambulance and military vehicles, as well as more modern emergency vehicles, displays, stalls and family events such as bouncy castles, and the event is free to enter. So far they have about 40 vehicles attending, but are keen for more, so if any readers own a suitable vehicle, they would be welcome to bring it along, and of course anyone is welcome to attend. If bringing a classic police, fire, ambulance or military vehicle, please contact Anton Mezzone at Chichester Fire Station on anton.mezzone@westsussex.gov.uk so that space can be reserved for it.…

David Vaughan writes that the Tinkers Park steam engine rally is, as its title suggests, primarily an event centred around steam road vehicles, however it often features some fine examples of diesel or petrol-powered commercial vehicles. This year’s rally was no exception and one such lorry was as fine an example of a Scammell highwayman ballast box fitted tractor unit as you are likely to see on any rally field. The vehicle was delivered in 1964 to United Dairies in whose orange livery it was displayed. It might have originally been delivered as a tractor unit for use with an articulated milk tanker. Although made to a traditional normal control (bonneted) design the Highwayman was still popular with many large fleet operators as it was a reliable and tested design.…

OH DEAR DEPARTMENT! Dear Editor I’ve just been reading the November issue and it is as ever a joy! Zack Stiling’s article about the VCR is excellent, especially as my little Gladiator is included in the photographs - thank you. I would just mention that the article has the wrong photograph for the Fisson. It is featured twice and on both occasions it is the 1897 Daimler, owned by Bob Smith (past VCC President) and driven by Stephen Curry (VCC Secretary), featured. It is a very easy mistake to make as they are both bright yellow and black and both similar in design with a Wagonette body. The Daimler is a recent addition to the Brighton event, having been on the 2023 Run for the first time in many years,…

There were a series of level sections, including tight curves, which were connected to each other by nine inclined planes. Over the years, various segments of the line were closed but fortunately, on the formation of British Railways in 1948, the remaining portion continued to operate. The Middleton Incline steam winder was operated by a couple of single-cylinder rotative beam engines driving a common crankshaft which, along with other similar engines of different sizes also made for the line, was manufactured nearby by the Butterley Company of Ripley. The winding engine hauled wagons up a 1 in 8.25 slope and, conversely, let them down the same. Approximately a mile to the west of the engine house was the steepest gradient on any of British Railway’s lines - at 1 in…

There was a record attendance at the steam festival at the Maldegem Stoomcentrum, between Bruges and Ghent, in early May with around 3,500 visitors to the show on this occasion, reports Kevin Hoggett. Of major interest at the show were the various buses which were celebrating the centenary of public service bus use in Belgium. There were also two Burrell miniature engines, both of which were owned by Chris Demedts, the grandson of Frans Demedts who founded and constructed the well-known Bakkersmolen at Wildert, to the north of Antwerp, back in the late 1970s. The 6in tractor, with the name of Lizzy was built in Holland in1994 and has been in their family since then. The 3in crane engine, which was driving a small organ of uncertain origin, was bought…

The city of Rostock in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has an extensive tramway system, today largely operated by a fleet of modern low-floor articulated cars, reports Belgian reader Kevin Hoggett. During their way motoring north in order to tour Denmark, Kevin and his wife Rika visited the city so they could sample the tram system. Prior to the trip, his thoughtful research had determined that the city’s transport undertaking had retained and preserved a small collection of four historic cars in working order. They therefore were considerably surprised when one of this quartet appeared in the city centre just at the time they happened to be there on their sightseeing visit. The vehicle was car number 26, built by Waggonfabrik Wismar, in Wismar itself, in 1926 and is the…

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) is delighted with enthusiasts’ responses to the National Historic Vehicle Survey. Chairman David Whale had previously said this survey was “incredibly important as this research is the first to capture the mood of the whole market post-pandemic.” New Federation research partner Turquoise and the Classic Motor Show organiser have provided immense support. Enthusiasts have responded to the extent that 17,546 people expressed their opinions and details of their historic vehicles and ‘future classics’; more than ever before. Also, 501 vehicle clubs (from a total FBHVC membership of 528 clubs), responded to the survey! The survey phase is now complete and has closed and the work for Turquoise really begins, in analysing your opinions and statistics. The full report will be published in…

Iconic steamship SS Sir Walter Scott marked 125 years of sailing on Loch Katrine when she set sail from Trossachs Pier on Friday 6 June, carrying 125 pupils from Port of Menteith, Aberfoyle and Callander Primary Schools, to mark the 125th anniversary of the ship’s maiden voyage on 6 June 1900. An actor, dressed as Sir Walter Scott himself, accompanied the children on the historic cruise, the centre piece of a two-day celebration, which included a steam boat festival on the Loch and a special Saturday evening cruise for civic dignitaries and supporters of the steamer’s restoration and on-going maintenance. During the cruise, National Historic Ships UK presented the ship’s captain and crew with a special flag, marking Sir Walter’s crowning as Flagship of the Year 2025. Built in 1899…

Perhaps an item which came as something of a surprise to Michael Ward when he visited the Polish museum at Tarnowski Gory (OG 415) was this apparently Belgian-built steam crane in the large collection of steam-related machinery on display there. The crane’s local description indicated that it had been manufactured by the firm of Usines Emile Duray and was said to have been constructed in 1940. However, Rob Dickinson’s International Steam website includes a comment about it from Chris Capewell in that the boiler presently fitted may well be by Duray since the firm were certainly boiler makers. However, Chris has pointed towards it being a ‘bitsa’, in that the appearance of the superstructure seems to be Taylor Hubbard of Leicester in looks - and it’s suspected that it may…

COMMENT Time is moving on as I write this in the middle of June, but you will be reading this near the end of July! It only seems like yesterday when I had a meeting in early 2007 with the chairman of the YVA Richard Sturdy regarding staging the Ford and Fordson Expo at the very first Tractor Fest at Newby Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire. The Expo and the show went well and the weather that year was good. That was of course 18 years ago now, and, compared to the good selection of engines that were there then, who would have thought that, like the show, the stationary engine selection would grow as big as it has? I had a marvellous time at the event this year and spent…