Table of contents for July 2022 in Old Glory

Including the three road train steam vehicles, seven steam vehicles took part in the run. Of the other four, two of them are L-B ‘regulars’, being Malcolm Rogers’ Super Sentinel steam waggon No. 7954 of 1929 and Foden C Type steam wagon No. 13138 of 1928 and now in Sussex with Jimmer and Sarah Marsh since 2019. No stranger to roading long distances, Malcolm’s Sentinel completed the John O’Groats to Land’s End run in 1999 and the Glasgow to Shrewsbury Sentinel Centenary run. Following two rebuilds in its 36-year ownership with Malcolm, it is still in its Crown Steam Haulage Co dark blue livery worn under its famous first owner in preservation, Edgar Shone of Cricklewood. Jimmer’s Foden wagon London Pride remains in its well-known livery of Fuller, Smith &…

On Tuesday 17 May Brooklands Museum celebrated the fact that Kenelm Lee Guinness used the works Sunbeam V-12 350hp car on the very same day a century go to create a new land speed world record of 133.75mph. It was the last time that the circuit played host to land speed record attempts on the outer circuit and the record was recorded by famous motor race artist F Gordon Crosby, who depicted Guinness racing against a steam train above the motor circuit. This whole scene was recreated a century on with the National Motor Museum’s very same Sunbeam 350hp in fine order with Lee Guinness’s namesake grandson aboard and on the railway line was none other than LNER Thompson B1 4-6-0 locomotive No. 61306 Mayflower and her full load of…

PART ONE In the summer of 2016 Douglas Corporation made the decision to dispose of six out-of-service original horse-drawn trams, all in need of serious repairs. In the past many of these were either scrapped or left to rot away in a field or somebody’s garden. My youngest son Scott and I made the decision to save one tram from disappearing for good, so off we went to the auction and made a successful bid for Tram 34 a G F Milnes & Co Ltd of Birkenhead horse tram built in 1896. We excitedly arranged delivery to our home in Peel and began the task of completely dismantling 34 and assessing what could be saved and restored. The obvious parts that where beyond saving were the complete roof, tram decking,…

Gordon Carson is to be congratulated for all his hard work in making the 44th Stradsett Park Vintage Rally happen on 1-2 May with the help of a number of fellow East Anglia NVTEC members. Situated at Stradsett Park, Downham Market on the estate of Alfred Bagge and family, there was something for everyone and the show had the best content of any all-round rally held so far in the UK this year. The weather was all sorts, overcast, light rain and some sunshine and it was similar on the Monday of the show. As for the crowd, that was record-breaking, making this one of the largest East Anglian rallies these days. The number of steamers at this show has grown over the last few years, which is good to…

Making its first appearance since a complete restoration was Burrell showman’s engine No. 3910 Wait & See owned by Jack Thwaites and family from Warrington, reports Anne Bates. The compound 7hp engine was manufactured in July 1921 and supplied to original owners Joseph Crowther and Herbert Johnson for the princely sum of £2,500. They had requested the unusual paint scheme of canary yellow with cream wheels. It then passed through several owners including Pat Collins before being preserved so well by the Hunts of Oldbury. It was put up for sale at a Kivells sale in 2017 after over 60 years in their ownership. After it failed to sell at the top bid of £400,000 it was purchased a few days later by the present owners. The boiler assembly visited…

PART ONE You don’t drive them, you manage them,” smiles Les Cummings. He emphasises he is merely reciting the words of a fellow traction enthusiast, but for those in this wonderful world of model and, indeed, full-size steam, those are words that often ring true and to which many can relate. Any form of engineering can be temperamental, but steam is in a league of its own and there are many conditions, such as the weather, that can impact on whether the engine is willing to play or not. Yet, I suspect, the challenging nature of this hobby is part of the appeal – along with the satisfaction for those who, like Les, have painstakingly built their own. Before me stands several years of combined commitment and dedication in the…

It was sixty years ago that the first Historic Commercial Vehicle Run took place on Sunday 13 May, 1962. Founded in 1958 as the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club following a rally the previous year at Lord Montagu’s Beaulieu, the early runs started from the former Transport Museum at Clapham. A change of date from the first Sunday in May to the second Sunday has proved the right decision, following the bad year when entrants were stuck in traffic queues for a giant car boot sale just south of Crawley and fighting with bank holiday weekend traffic to the coast. The only negative now is the smaller amount of available space when hiring Madeira Drive for the day due to the city’s council inaction over restoring the famous arches, a long-time…

On Friday 3 June 2022 Managing Director of the Great Dorset Steam Fair Ltd, Martin Oliver, unveiled a commemorative plaque at the Royal Oak, Okeford Fitzpaine to mark the site where the GDSF concept first evolved. The plaque was one of four unveiled as part of North Dorset village Okeford Fitzpaine’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Martin Oliver said: “The idea came about when the Somerset & Dorset Railway closed. My father, Michael Oliver OBE and friends gathered here, and the idea started here on 20 January 1968, with the inauguration of the Dorset Steam & Historic Vehicle Club, the forerunner of the Great Dorset Steam Fair. Although we are the world’s largest heritage fair, this is home.” Three of the original participants of the 1968 meeting were present for the unveiling,…

On Saturday 14 May the family run business Berrybrook Motors Ltd. of Exminster, Devon celebrated 21 years as a Morgan cars dealership with a party says James Hamilton. It was not just about the cars though; at around about the same time as becoming a Morgan dealer company director Sean Anthony acquired his first miniature steam engine, a 4in Foster. Before long he had started to deal in miniature steam, using a corner of the garage to prepare engines for sale. The business flourished and quickly out grew the available space. A purpose built extension to the premises was built for a showroom and workshop and BerryBrook Steam was founded. Before long they began also trading in full size steam. Matt Anthony, Sean’s eldest son was appointed director after he…

Sherborne Steam and Water Wheel Centre in Dorset held an open day on April 24, writes Joseph Lewis. Located off Oborne Road, near Sherborne Old Castle, the site is run by a dedicated team of volunteers and provides a fascinating insight into local industrial history. The site has its origins in providing clean water during the mid nineteenth century cholera outbreaks. Volunteers rescued the buildings in the 1980s after a new pumping station was built nearby. At this time only the 26-foot diameter water wheel remained. With donations and grants this was restored by the well-known Somerset-based Ford tractor collector, Richard ‘Turbo’ Vincent. The wheel itself is said to be unique, being of triple breast shot design with ventilated buckets. Tom Stewart gifted the Hindley steam engine. With an 11ft…

If you have something for this column please send it to: colinjtyson@hotmail.com ‘SCOTTISH GALA’ BREAKS SPA VALLEY VISITOR RECORDS The visit of Caledonian Railway locomotives Nos. 828 and 419 into deep Southern territory in April helped to secure the biggest and busiest enthusiast event in the Kent heritage line’s history with 2,700 visitors. The Scottish Steam-Up on 2-3 April was followed by a Caledonian Steam Weekend on 9-10 April. No. 419 returned to its Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway base after the event whilst the Strathspey Railway’s No. 828 will take its turn on the Spa Valley roster until October. The spring weather was kind and all trains were full. Running-in boards at stations were given the light blue ‘Scottish treatment’ and Groombridge signalman Tom Waghorn even sported a kilt to…

The Austin K2 was introduced in January 1939 as a two-axle normal control truck with a 2-ton payload, built at Longbridge. At the same time, a 30cwt truck, the K30, and a 3-ton truck, the K3, were also introduced, all with the same engine. The K30 had single rear wheels whilst the K2 and K3 had twin rear wheels. The 4/5-ton Austin K4 followed in 1941. The standardised engine was an Austin six-cylinder 3459cc, 70bhp overhead valve petrol unit with a bore of 3.35in and stroke of 4in. It had a four-speed gearbox, a single dry-plate clutch and a fully floating rear axle with spiral bevel final drive. Lockheed hydraulic brakes operated on all four wheels. Austin K2s had six wheel nuts on the front wheels, distinguishing them from the…

Having watched Les and Dee Searle and the team complete the HCVS London to Brighton Run in 2011 with the now-familiar three engines and transformer on low-loader, it had always been the dream of Horsham Traction Co’s younger generation, affectionately known as the ‘creche,’ to take the run on themselves as their biggest challenge to date…and to raise money for charity, writes Colin Tyson. So with the blessing of their elders, it was down to Dorset in late January to once again collect the Great Dorset Steam Fair’s 28-ton Pickford’s trailer and the transformer load, courtesy of Martin Oliver. Martin had agreed that it would be nice to return the trailer to its original Pickford’s blue livery, having been painted War Dept drab green when it took part in the…

Hugh Dougherty reports that an Irish Government ban on burning smoky coal will not affect heritage steam train or traction engine operations in the Republic of Ireland. The new regulations, which apply nationwide, say that any coal burned must not produce more than ten grams of smoke per hour, with the figure being halved to just five grams by 2025. Asked if the ban, which comes into full force in September, would affect heritage steam operations, including the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s Dublin-based steam trains and society steam trips originating in Northern Ireland, as well as the narrow gauge Cavan & Leitrim Railway, the Irish Steam Preservation Society at Stradbally which includes road steam, the West Clare Railway, all 3ft gauge lines, and the 15in gauge Difflin Lake Railway…

Got a story? Contact Old Glory • Email: peterlove@madasafish.com• Tel: 01323 833125 Plans are underway for the return of the Vale Vintage Machinery Show after a two-year gap due to the Covid pandemic. As the world returns back to normality and restrictions are lifted it was decided by a small committee of volunteers that the Vale Vintage Machinery Show would return even bigger and better in 2022. The event will return to Ty Uchaf Farm Caerwys by kind permission of Elfed and Nerys Thomas and family, who have kindly allowed the use of their land for the two-day event. The show is promised to be a traditional fun-filled family event hosting a vast array of vintage vehicles from the early days of steam to the internal combustion engine-powered cars, motorcycles,…

Got a story? Contact Old Glory • Email: peterlove@madasafish.com• Tel: 01323 833125 Joseph Lewis reports from the 2022 Abbey Hill Steam Rally held at Yeovil Showground, Somerset from 29 April to 2 May after a two-year absence. Significant interest was found in the steam, tractor and commercial vehicle sections. Making its ‘official’ debut was 1914 Aveling & Porter YLD 6hp compound road locomotive No. 8471, AF 4478 Clyde. It spent the whole of the First World War hauling three road wagons, three times a day from the horse lines at Aldershot to Hale, loaded with stable manure. Circa 1920, it is believed that it hauled loads of bricks twice a week from Oxfordshire for the building of old Basingstoke. After that, the engine went to Cornwall and received the AF 4478 registration.…

For anybody looking for a suitable period location to photograph traction engines and early commercials, Beamish has to be the place. This worldfamous open-air museum, which is situated near Stanley in County Durham, just south of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, hosted its first Steam Gala for a couple of years, where visiting engines and commercials complemented the museum’s other attractions. It was a slightly smaller show than those held before the lockdowns, with the original four-day event now taking place over two days. Around 20 steam vehicles were on site and another 25 that were powered by the internal combustion engine on view. This was not a static show, with exhibits running around the museum’s 1½ mile road system, competing for space with the trams in the impressive town street, all adding to…

The White Horse public house in the centre of Stourpaine village in Dorset returned to it’s usual month of May to hold its annual gathering of engines. Covid restrictions had meant that events had not been able to be held in 2020 or 2021 in the month of May. Paul Ritchie went along to visit. Held over the weekend of 7-8 May the car park of the pub was packed with full-sized engines and four miniatures making the most of the spring weather and an early season get together. Engines roaded in from their various nearby yards to join the event. One of the engines that travelled the furthest to attend was Richard Pocock’s Foster 5nhp No. 14638 The Little Gem which was built in 1933, making it one of…

David Hilditch has had an avid fascination with vehicles all of his life, and has been the proud owner of OF 5783, his 1929 Sentinel DG4 tar waggon No. 8122 since 2002. It is a unique vehicle and reputedly has the honour of being the last working steam vehicle in the UK, carrying on until 1984. Having a Birmingham registration, the Sentinel was supplied new to William Nock on 18 December 1929, who were trading as Erdington Haulage Ltd from Holly Lane Brickworks in the city’s suburb of Erdington. It was originally a flatbed body, being used to deliver bricks throughout the Midlands, and seemingly was fitted with pneumatic tyres in 1933. The DG4 looks to have passed into the ownership of Ernest B Ward of Bowden’s Garage, Orchard Street,…

PART ONE In 1968, White Motor Corporation announced it had purchased the off highway hauler product line from General Motors’ Euclid Division, and a new company, Euclid, Inc. would be established. General Motors (GM) had owned Euclid since 1953, and for several years had been pestered by the US Department of Justice to discontinue manufacturing off-highway trucks because it believed GM posed too great a threat to competition in this market. GM fought the case but eventually lost. Included in the sale to White Motor were Euclid’s original manufacturing plants in Euclid, Ohio, and the Euclid name. Also, under the terms of the Agreement, GM was not allowed to manufacture or market off-highway haul trucks in the United States for a period of four years from mid-1968 to mid-1972. It…