Table of contents for September 2023 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 a…

Making its debut after a fresh repaint and period sign-writing in ‘Grants Morella Cherry Brandy,’ a company that was part of owner Will Day’s family decades ago, is Scottish-made 1907 Alley & MacLellan waggon No. 190. It is also the oldest running steam lorry in the world and also the oldest commercial vehicle running in the world today. It was seen out at the 100th anniversary of the Kent Agricultural Society at their Kent County Agricultural Show, Detling, Kent over 7-9 July under the control of owner Will Day and Julian Hooper. The wooden block wheels looked finer than ever that’s for sure and the waggon performed admirably although the steersman’s muscles have somewhat grown!…

Enthusiasts visiting the Bloxham (Banbury) Rally at the end of June were treated to a huge surprise in the shape of a steam roller, the likes of which had never previously been seen in this country, reports Derek Rayner. The roller in question was constructed by J B Aillot in Montceau-les-Mines in the department of Saône-et-Loire, in eastern France, a manufacturer of other road-making machinery such as self-propelled stone-breakers and motor rollers. This example, Works No. 402, had been found by owner Martin Shepherd in an underground bunker in France where it had been squirrelled away for some 55 years and was brought into the country in relatively recent times. It was the first occasion it had been displayed in public at Bloxham and provided much head-scratching amongst people who…

A spate of fuel syphoning incidents targeting heavy goods vehicles on a major Wiltshire road has seen police appeal for witnesses. The incidents are believed to have occurred most likely between the hours of 11am and 6am on the nights between Tuesday 4 July and Thursday 6 July. In A303 laybys between Warminster and Amesbury, a number of HGV vehicles have had fuel syphoned and stolen whilst the drivers were sleeping in the vehicles. In one incident, approximately 270 litres of fuel was stolen from the tank of a tractor parked in a lay by approximately three miles from Solstice Park. Police are now appealing for dash cam footage of the incidents. A Wiltshire Police spokesperson said: “To date, we have had reports of five vehicles being targeted but we…

OXFORD DIECAST A brand-new casting that has just been released in 1/76 scale by Oxford Diecast that is sure to prove popular with steam, truck and OO gauge rail model enthusiasts alike is the Sentinel DG4 flatbed in maroon and black LMS livery [1], with an RRP of £17.95. The firm can trace its roots back to 1875 as Alley & MacLellan of Bridgeton, Glasgow. They acquired another steam vehicle manufacturer, Horsehay Ironworks in Shropshire in 1915. In 1917, Stephen Alley sold his shares in Alley & MacLellan and acquired the Shrewsbury factory for the building of steam lorries and locomotives which he renamed the Sentinel Waggon Works. Sentinel used a double ‘g’ for its steam ‘waggons.’ The DG4 (Double Geared) steam waggon was introduced in 1928, with pneumatic tyres…

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Satinder Pal Singh, the Road Roller Association’s Honorary Member in India, has found another steam roller there which he has persuaded the railway authorities to rescue and bring back to a suitable condition for display purposes. His activities at Ferozpur, where he lived at the time and also at Moradabad, to where he was later posted, have featured in these pages previously (OG 274 and OG 341). The two rollers involved were a 1908 rare ‘sloping cylinder’ Aveling & Porter - No. 6465 - which was lying in a railway yard near the station at Ferozpur and also similarly at Moradabad; this one being a TATA-Marshall steam roller, also close to the station there. These rollers were renovated with the agreement of the appropriate Divisional Railway Managers and were freshly…

It’s been known that there was a Wallis & Steevens steam roller in a park in the suburb of Plumstead in the South African city of Cape Town for some time now. However, its exact location had not been established and in an attempt to discover exactly where it was to be found, the assistance of a railway enthusiast friend of the late Sandy Buchanan, a resident of Johannesburg, was sought. It was Sandy who discovered the whereabouts of the very rare Aveling & Porter portable engine in the grounds of the President’s Park in Springs, a suburb of Jo’burg, which was featured in previous issues of Old Glory not very long ago. So it was that Peter Rogers very kindly started his investigations and found a somewhat angular-looking motor…

Swedish reader Wolf Clarke was on his way back home from Germany earlier in the year and he called in at the Danmarks Tekniske Museum in Helsingør, before crossing the Kattegat into his home country. Unfortunately on this occasion, his timing was somewhat poor since it was only some 15 minutes before the museum was scheduled to close. During the short time he was at the museum, he found something of interest and he was able to take a couple of photos of the rollers concerned which he’s kindly passed to the magazine and which are reproduced here for our enjoyment. The motor roller is a 20hp Munktells model, manufactured at Eskilstuna in Sweden and dates from 1926. Helsingør is the town where Kronberg Slot (Castle) is located, a major…

The off-and-on wet weather took its toll on a number of events over the weekend of 22-23 July with some events cancelled, including Mike Lawrence’s working event at Highbridge, Somerset, the Vauxhall/Bedford rally at Sywell Aerodrome and the excellent Classic & Retro Show at Holdenby House, Northamptonshire. Ironically on the Sunday the weather turned out well as the day went on. I was due to attend the Holdenby House event and ended up being diverted to The Dept, Weeden Bec, Northampton. This former military depot is being turned into mostly light industrial units, antique and memorabilia units plus cafes and a pub, along with a very interesting free museum on the history of the site with helpful guides. At one time thousands of people worked on this site, which features…

With plans underway for the 2023 Bedfordshire Steam & Country Fayre in September, we are pleased to announce a new feature for this year will be a Heritage Tent in partnership with the National Traction Engine Trust. The NTET and Bedford Steam Engine Preservation held their first joint venture back in 1957 when the then NTEC supported the first BSEPS Rally at Woburn Park, organised by John Crawley. In more recent times the BSEPS has hosted the 25th Anniversary of the SAC and the NTET 60th Anniversary Road Run. The Bedfordshire Steam & Country Fayre will again be held at Turvey House in Bedfordshire, alongside the River Great Ouse. After Covid restrictions we finally got to host our first event there last year, our 61st annual event. This years dates…

Papplewick Pumping Station was one of more than 70 cultural organisations across the country this week to be given a financial boost by Arts Council England so they can improve people’s access to arts, and safeguard vital local collections and heritage buildings for future generations to enjoy. The money will come from the Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) which the pumping station applied to in September last year. The application requested financial support to repair and stabilise the 120ft tall chimney, the engine house’s ornate wooden porch and the site’s boundary wall. The total work is projected to cost £580,000 and the pumping station’s landlord, Severn Trent Water, has pledged to contribute a further £58,840. The remaining funds will be matched by the museum. Ashley Smart,…

All eyes in the tractor world were probably on Newby Hall, a stately home situated between Borough bridge and Ripon where ‘Tractor Fest’ was being held on 8-9 June, a two-day gathering of all things agricultural. Here all makes of tractors were displayed with many taking the opportunity to parade around the parade ring in front of expectant crowds. Although as the event’s name suggests, tractors are the main attraction, there are other exhibits to enjoy too, including cars, commercials, military vehicles and not least a superb display of stationary engines, the main interest for readers of this column. The highlight is the many large engines on display, and one not to be missed was a mighty 1938 Yanmar 2DG 50hp engine which is believed to be the only surviving…

James Hamilton writes that late June and early July is a quiet time on the Cornish calendar of public steam events, there is however one excellent event that the engine owners and their crews enjoy. Dean Parkin of Pensilva, near Liskeard, hosts a weekend steam gathering with a road run on Bodmin Moor on the Saturday. The event took place over the first weekend in July this year and a good turnout of eight engines attended, a mixture of agricultural, rollers and road locomotives. The route to the lunchtime destination of the Caradon Inn at Upton was not overly long, but did include plenty of ups and downs to test the engines and their crews. The weekend was a pleasant sociable interlude in the steam season.…

Glasgow’s tall ship Glenlee has been handed a lifeline with a £1.8m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund’s Covid-19 Response Fund, says Hugh Dougherty. The cash will ensure that the 126-year-old Clyde-built cargo sailing ship faces a secure future after doubts were raised about the boat’s viability because of the need for extensive repairs. Fiona Greer, the Tall Ship Glenlee development director, said: “The £1.8m funding is a lifeline for maintaining our beloved Clydebuilt vessel. The tall ship epitomises the last epoch of sailing ships in the world and has become an iconic part of the Glasgow skyline and of the city’s cultural heritage.” Work will be carried out on the ship over the next two years when repairs to the cargo hold, main and mizzen masts and fo’c’sle…

1884 Fowler 8hp convertible PLG/RL No. 4732 or 4733? c1888 Robey 7hp singe-cylinder (trickle) traction engine. 1888 Burrell 7hp single-cylinder TE No. 1332 EW4349, ex-J H Mitchell, Wansford, Huntingdon. 1888 Hornsby 6hp single-cylinder TE No. 6457 FL3899, ex-E Maxwell, Bedfordshire; scrapped by Gibbons. *1889 Hornsby 8hp single-cylinder TE No.6557 FL2598 Maggie, ex Stoke of Peterborough No. 30 in fleet, sold 1919 to Bullock, Kings Cliffe, Northampton then to Gibbons. Sold by them c1960 to Derek C Hackett, Bridstow, Hereford (dealer/collector), the last to leave the yard here. 1890 Allchin 8hp single-cylinder TE No. 720 new to J Smith, Brigg, Lincs, bought from Brooks of an unknown location 1914, sold by Gibbons to REP Palmer, Great Massingham, Buckinghamshire 1925. 1890 Fowler single-cylinder TE No. 5437, no more is known 1890 McLaren 8hp single-cylinder TE…

LITTLE JIM 60 YEARS AGO Dear Editor It was good to see Little Jim featured in the March 2023 issue of Old Glory. This was one of the first engines I photographed on colour slides. It was at the Revesby Rally on 1 June 1963, having travelled from Peterborough to the rally on my Lambretta TV175 with my wife as pillion! I attach a copy of that shot, which I hope is of interest. Philip Gibbs via e-mail RUSTON CARS AND A LANGUISHING PORTABLE Dear Editor Thanks for the latest action-packed Old Glory; this e-mail is to do with the excellent and amazingly information-packed article on the Ruston Hornsby car built in Lincoln from c.1920-24. I can think of no other contemporary author on old vehicle matters, especially commercial vehicles,…

Founded in 1870, Robert Bridson & Co was a well-known steam contracting, road-making and haulage firm, located in Cheshire across the River Mersey from Liverpool on the Wirral at Neston, some ten miles south of Birkenhead. Over the years they operated steam wagons for haulage as well as road locos - and also traction engines for threshing. In addition, they also had a number of steam rollers which were hired out for road-making purposes. In the late 1920s, it was perceived that there was a requirement for another ‘small’ steam roller for the firm’s general use and on the occasion of the Public Works, Roads Transport Congress and Exhibition in London in late November 1929, where John Fowler’s of Leeds were exhibiting some of their contemporary products, a conversation took…

Another report from Phil Barnes concerns the Oamaru Steam & Rail (OS&R) which has three diesel locos of British manufacture on their stock list but have no New Zealand-built motive power in their collection at all! By far the most interesting of this trio at this heritage railway on the South Island has to be the Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns (RS&H)-constructed shunter No. 7908 of 1962, manufactured at Darlington, Co. Durham. This machine is known as Husky (because of its type) and is one of a class of fifteen built by RS&H to various gauges and is the only one exported to New Zealand. It was initially owned by the Wellington Meat Export Company at Ngauranga on the North Island before being sold in June 1975 to the Waitaki Farmers…

The report by Kevin Hoggett on the very successful Maldegem Festival at the end of May (OG 401) referred to the Orenstein & Koppel narrow gauge locomotive Maaike which visited from the 600mm gauge railway at Rijssen in the Netherlands. In the middle of 2022, a steam roller was acquired by this group, having been a long-time Dutch resident. This is 8-ton Aveling & Porter No. 6111, complete with its original Price scarifier No. 1822 and at one time being owned by contractor C G Tholen at Ommen. The roller was supplied to Southampton Corporation in October 1906 and was later owned by other British companies prior to going to the Lancashire Road Roller Company, following which it was exported in around 1946. Around the same time, the Tholen firm…

EDDIE WOOD Sadly we report the passing of Eddie Wood of Thomas Wood, later Thomas Wood & Sons, of Tylers Green Road, Crockenhill, Swanley, Kent. His family were large engine owners (approximately 60) and four of their engines, which come to mind, are preserved; Fowler ploughing engines Nos. 15422 and 15423 which R Lillywhite saved from scrap in 1952; and in March 1964 the late R A Whitehead purchased the unique Fowler ploughing engine No. 1050 and Wallis & Steevens TE No. 7769. The family business was established in 1861 and in 1862 Aveling & Porter No. 41 arrived - a 10hp traction engine. The business went on to own a market garden and a jam factory, of all things, in Swanley. When his time came Eddie preserved all the…