Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Old Glory

It was also a case of Daisy the steam roller meets Jack the 11-year-old Shire horse all in front of the magnificent 1683-built Ragley Hall on a balmy warm September day to celebrate the estate’s new road system, which will certainly help as it expands the corporate events on this stunning 6,500-acre estate. Here we were on the day, it had finally came to fruition after months of planning for S E Davis & Son Ltd of Astwood Bank, Redditch to celebrate working for the Marquess of Hertford for over 50 years. An added bonus was the fact that Bob Davis had purchased 1932 Aveling & Porter AB type 8 ton compound No. 14150 DW7867 some 50 years ago from Mr Stacey, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Stacey had bought the engine from…

After Allison Engineering had fitted a new set of final drive and differential gears, on Saturday 18 September the Goddards took Burrell No. 2512 to Cruckton Ploughing Match to bed the gears in carefully. The engine was caught on Ben Matthews’ camera and perhaps looks better without its Isaac Ball canopy than with, what do you think?…

Got a story? Contact Old Glory • Email: peterlove@madasafish.com • Tel: 01323 833125 Held in excellent weather, the first Villa Wrea Autumn Steam Fair organised by Paul Quigley and Sentinel S4 waggon owner Peter Waring along with The Rotary Club of Kirkham & Rural Fylde, was an outstanding success, raising some £22,000 for local charities, says Sue Ogden. Besides the 12 engines that were here, some 60 tractors, commercials and so much more were seen at this great well-organised event. The major feature was ‘Wurzel’ Mike Wilkinson’s belated 60th birthday celebrations and the debut of his 1914 Foden No. 4752 6hp road locomotive Sandy Macnab and the recently finished unique 1910 Foden No. 2104 showman’s Prospector. Mike also had his two Foden steam wagons here, including George No.13266 which worked…

Letterkenny’s Station House Hotel has put the late-lamented Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension Railway on its wall, thanks to a mural showing the line’s Barclay 4-6-0 tank No 3 hauling a goods train crossing the bridge that survives beside the hotel, reports Hugh Dougherty. Hotel boss Brian Gallagher unveiled the mural on Monday 31 August, to celebrate the railway history of the area and to recall that the hotel is built on the site of Oldtown Station, the first out of Letterkenny on the Burtonport line, and where the station house was home to the Gallagher family. The mural is the work of father and son artist duo Kevin Gallagher and Kevin Junior, and is based on a painting by Donegal artists and railway heritage supporter John Baird. It is an…

Although the weather was overcast earlier on, by noon the sun was out at the 55th East Sussex Ploughing Match Society held at the excellent Priesthawes Farm, Drocmill, Pevensey, East Sussex on Saturday 25 September. The vintage ploughing had a good turnout, the oldest was the Pragnell’s black International 10/20 and RSJ Motac two-furrow plough behind. It was touch and go if Fred would finish the plot as he was short of petrol after all the panic buying at the petrol stations that was going on as the tractor was reluctant to run on paraffin, but it all came good in the end! Steam ploughing has been a feature of this match for some years and this year the Wade/Watts 1914 Fowler BB No. 14213 Bob with its two-speed ploughing…

Two Aveling & Porter engines, each unique in their own ways, were on show at the Yorkshire Traction Engine Rally held near Malton, North Yorkshire, in early September, reports Derek Rayner. A post on social media by the show organiser, Richard Ashworth (outdoorshows.co.uk) on the Thursday evening prior to the event was said to have gone viral and, as a result of it being seen by very many enthusiasts, they came along in large numbers on the Saturday. There, they were treated to a first sight for many a long year of Samson - the sole surviving genuine Aveling showman’s engine - No. 4885 of 1901. Now in the ownership of the Webster family from North Yorkshire, this remarkable engine was on display and generated for the first time in…

The organiser of the Weald of Kent Steam rally, Bill Giles, took the bold decision to stage his rally at the excellent Woodchurch site, near Ashford, when it has been so difficult to plan ahead with the ever-changing pandemic situation. One of the problems experienced by organisers this year is that many engines are out of a boiler ticket, as to reduce costs owners have not bothered to renew them because there is little sign of there being many events to attend, says Bob Moorman. Bill originally had 34 road steam entries booked for the rally to be held on 7-8 August. Unfortunately he was foiled by the English weather; the grass fields of the site had an inch of rain on the Tuesday before the rally, which made them…

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After reopening for the 2021 season the Vale of Rheidol Railway is delighted with the number of passengers enjoying a scenic journey up the valley from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge behind its historic steam locomotives. Traffic at the May half-term and through June, July and August has been good with the railway financially secure through the winter. The railway did not operate passenger trains during 2020 amid the Coronavirus pandemic, with workshop activity also curtailed due to national lockdowns and priority being given to ensuring the health of its staff. Since reopening passenger services on May 24 with social distancing arrangements and other appropriate safety measures in place many trains have been sold out. Although ‘walk up’ passengers can be accepted if space is available, advance booking is recommended to…

Nottingham Trams Limited, operators of Nottingham Express Transit (NET), has donated some tram buffers and old tram signs to Crich Tramway Village, home to the National Tramway Museum. Trevor Stocker, Operations Manager at Nottingham Trams, said that passing on the signage to Crich has also strengthened links between Nottingham’s state-of-the-art tram network and the historic tramway. “We’ve donated buffers that were originally installed at the Old Station Street tram stop and these are now in operation at the Glory Mine end of the preserved tram line,” he explained. “The fact we have a number of employees volunteering at the museum in their spare time also reflects NET’s commitment to preserving our transport heritage, while delivering the best possible service to customers, both now and in the future.” In addition, Ryan…

Despite the wet weather in the days leading up to the 50th Anniversary Cromford Steam Rally, a number of miniature engines were to be seen at the show, and were popular exhibits says David Reed. Due to the hard work of the organisers, the rally did go ahead, although the ground conditions were so bad in places that traditional ring parades were severely restricted. As for the miniatures themselves, there was very little movement on day one, but they were able to visit the ring on the second day when the ground dried up a bit, although to be honest it didn’t really matter, people were just pleased to be at a major rally once again. The miniatures always get a lot of interest, with this event being no exception.…

The founder of the company, Charles H Pugh, was born on 6 June 1840. The second son of Richard Pugh of Newtown, Montgomery, Charles was schooled at Welshpool Grammar. On leaving school he travelled by steamship to Canada to earn his fortune, but by the time he was eighteen he was back in Montgomery and working in his father’s ironmongery business. By 1860 he had moved, becoming the manager of Messrs Mellard of Uttoxeter, manufacturers of dairy equipment, where he had his first patent, in the improvement of cheese making machinery. The patent proved very successful. By 1867 he was married to Elizabeth Vernon of Uttoxeter and had purchased his first business, Messrs Brooks of Rotherham in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This was a jewellery business but also an…

Thanks to Andy Knight’s team effort the 2021 Longstock Rally just outside Stockbridge was a great success. Held in good weather, it featured an excellent selection of autojumble and so much more, including a fine timber section featuring a hand-driven Allchin saw bench. A superb selection of tractors ploughed and rolled in the other field. In the static field Chipperfield’s dodgem cars were enjoyed by everyone, as was the fine ‘100 Years of Ford & Fordson Tractors’ featuring the collections of Hartwright, Dyer, Hiscock and Woods. It was wonderful to see the Hiscock family here with their late father’s superb John Deere classic collection, The tractors looking just as fresh as when they came on the scene over 20 years ago now. There were a dozen steamers here, including the…

Bryn Kemp says the Steam Plough Club held its 17th ‘Hands On’ weekend on 4-5 September at Beaumont Chase Farm, Uppingham, Rutland. The course was attended by 12 students of which two were sponsored by the National Traction Engine Trust Steam Apprentices scheme. There were six engines for the students to gain experience on, which operated two ploughs and a cultivator. Paired engines were 1918 Fowler Nos. 15182/3 BB1 Ajax and Achilles, and 1925 Fowler 15451/2 BB1 Victory and Dreadnought. The oldest here was 1875 Fowler 14hp No. 2528 The Chief, which was joined by 1919 Fowler BB1 No. 15337 Louisa. There was a keen start each morning with the fires alight by 7.30, with the students partaking in oiling up and management of the engine before commencing work on the…

MATRIX SCALE MODELS Matrix have produced a 1/43 scale resin model of a 1958 Land Rover 109” Series II Cuthbertson in grey or light blue [7]. RRP is £114.99. These were built by Cuthbertson & Sons of Biggar, Scotland, who dropped a standard Series II LWB Land Rover body onto a special subframe with tracks fixed around bogeys at each corner instead of conventional wheels. They were particularly well suited for use on marshy ground. The RAF used the shorter 88” version for ordnance clearance at places like Orford Ness. The track units could be removed and wheels fitted to turn them back into a standard Land Rover. DIECAST MASTERS New from Diecast Masters in 1/50 scale is a CAT CB13 Tandem Vibratory Roller – ROPS configuration (Rollover Protection System)…

David Reed travelled to the 50th Anniversary Cromford Steam Rally, where a strong line-up of machinery was exhibited in the Peak District on 31 July – 1 August despite conditions being very wet underfoot. The event was eagerly anticipated as last year’s event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. The first Cromford rally took place back in 1970, and over the years it has attracted numerous vintage machines to this part of Derbyshire, making this event the main rally in this area of England. As it turned out though, it could easily have been cancelled again this year, with torrential rain leaving the ground waterlogged in places just days before the event was due to take place. The organisers persisted though, and although the ground conditions were extremely poor…

The fourth Whitby Traction Engine Rally took place over August 6-8 and attracted a good selection of entrants in all classes. Organised by Outdoor Shows, this three-day event was located on the cliffs high above the North Sea in the shadow of historic Whitby Abbey, and really drew in the crowds writes David Reed. First up were a couple of Mark Ellis’ Allchin engines that dated from 1904, both of which came from Australia. The first returned as a boiler with no wheels, although the cylinder block had been found in Australia, “The rest of the parts were gathered together with a set of wheels coming from Australia,” Mark said, “While a new crankshaft was made in the UK,” Mark bought the Allchin six years ago, with 2021 being its…

Apetition has been launched seeking to reopen the Douglas to Peel line of the Isle of Man Railway. The first part of the Manx system to be built in 1873, the 11.5-mile long Peel route was closed, along with the 16.5-mile long Ramsey line, in 1968 following a short-lived revival by the Marquis of Ailsa. The closures left only the 15.3-mile southern route to Port Erin that still runs today. Most of the Peel line has since been turned into a heritage trail for walkers and cyclists, while the first section out of Douglas also serves as emergency access during the TT motorcycle races held each June. According to the instigators of the petition, Peel would benefit from a direct rail link to Douglas, bringing in tourism and increased visitors.…

The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway celebrated sixty years since the formation of the line’s preservation society by holding a two-day gala on July 10-11. In 1960 the railway was sold at auction for £12,000 to the fledgling Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society, which contributed £5,000 raised from the general public; the balance being provided by stockbroker Colin Gilbert with additional support from Sir Wavell, later Lord Wakefield. The Lake District line featured recently-restored loco River Mite and Bassett-Lowke built locomotive Synolda, which was rebuilt by Windscale apprentices in 1980.…

Browning In 1899, Victor R and Earl H Browning established the Browning Engineering Company in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. From the outset, this industrial company manufactured locomotive cranes as well as coal and ore handling equipment for use on the shores of the Great Lakes. By 1908, the company was offering two sizes of rail-mounted fully-revolving steam shovels in ½ and 1 cubic yard sizes, and by 1910 two sizes of heavy duty railroad (half swing) steam shovels appeared. The 1½-yard size weighed 45 tons in operation and carried a 50in x 10ft long boiler; the 2½-yard size weighed 75 tons and carried a 48in x 18ft long boiler. About this time the company introduced “Scraper Bucket Excavators” (Draglines) in sizes from 1 to 3½ cubic yards, mounted on skids and…

Bring back the sights and sounds of yesteryear Old Glory delivers a spectacle of immaculately restored, magnificent steam engines that once powered the nation. This perfect Christmas gift includes a 12 issue subscription to Old Glory magazine, the 2022 Old Glory calendar plus a bonus Old Glory Collection Special Edition. Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/OLGIFT The perfect gift for all seafarers The definitive guide to the world of ships and shipping; ferries, cruise ships, warships, tugs, tankers and cargo, Ships Monthly covers it all. Our Christmas gift pack includes 12 issues of Ships Monthly, plus the 2022 Ships Monthly calendar and our Ocean Liners to Cruise ships Special Edition. Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/SMGIFT Give a trip down memory lane this Christmas Packed full of stories of beautifully restored vehicles of a bygone age, Heritage Commercials…

Old Glory’s Queensland correspondent, Andy Plunkett, continues his extended tour of around 3000km (over 1850 miles) into the outback exploring the far north-west of Queensland. Following the previously mentioned isolated community of Gregory Downs, his next sighting of steam relics was at Boulia, a small town located some 300km south of Mount Isa and not far from the eastern border of the Northern Territory. Here he discovered that there were three Australian-made portables on display, one being a Comet, the other two by Southern Cross. Comet portables were built by S Williams & Co of Rockhampton and Brisbane prior to WW1. This company was better known for its manufacture of large direct-drive windmills. Fortunately a number of their portables have survived into preservation. Twenty-five Southern Cross portables in both 4hp…

OCTOBER 29 – Wessex Machinery Sale. Southern Counties Auctioneers, tel: Simon Whaley 07971 571612. 29 - Cornwall Online Machinery Collective Auction. Edward Buckland www.edwardbuckland.co.uk 29 - Kidderminster Machinery Sale. The Gallops, Stanklyn Lane, Stone, Kidderminster DY10 4AR. Halls, tel: 01562 820880. 29 - Online Barn Sale. Wellers Auctions, www.wellersauctions.com 29 to 8 Nov – Timed Auction of Machinery, Straw & Forage. Brown & Co, www.brown-co.com 29 - Cornwall Online Machinery Collective Auction. Edward Buckland www.edwardbuckland.co.uk 30 – Autumn Collective Sale. Chepstow Racecourse Car Park, Chepstow, Monmouthshire NP16 6BE. Gwilym Richards, tel: 01600 860300.  30 – Sale of Vintage & Classic Tractors, Tractor Spares, Stationary Engines, Seats, Enamel & Tin Signs & Other Collectables. Hazle Meadows Auction Centre, Ledbury HR8 2LP. H J Pugh & Co 01531 631122. 30 – Collective…

The Sussex Steam Engine Club’s annual road run to The Star Inn, Waldron, East Sussex took place in dry conditions on Sunday 26 September. Thanks to Brian and Sean Tompsett the 16 engines fitted in the centre of Waldron by the war memorial well, the 70 vintage, post vintage and classic cars were placed in the grass field behind The Star Inn and the 57 classic and vintage bikes were placed just about everywhere! It was estimated there were over 1,000 people at the event, which started at 11am and finished just after 4pm, as the exhibitors meandered away to pastures new. SAD NEWS Just as Old Glory is going to press it has come to our attention that vehicle preservationist Alan Mitchell has tragically died on Monday 11 October,…

Once again the Statfold Barn Railway held its annual road and rail weekend over 11-12 September, writes Simon Colbeck. This event goes from strength to strength, hosting a wide range of classic vehicles and road steam to compliment the railway’s extensive collection of locomotives. The undoubted steam highlight of the weekend was the welcome return to the rally field of Marshall 8nhp traction engine No. 37823 Old Ned. Built in 1902 and exported to Australia with a long firebox for wood firing, the engine was brought back to the UK in the 1990s by Richard Pocock in pieces. Now owned by Chris Bowman, the Marshall was making its first public appearance in 10 years after the completion of an extensive restoration. Another interesting visitor was Mann steam wagon No. 1365 of…

Campbeltown’s ‘Wee Train’, as the 2ft 3in gauge Campbeltown & Machrihanish Light Railway was affectionately known locally, has been recalled in good time to mark the 90th anniversary of the line’s closure, which falls in 2022. Heritage Centre volunteers have erected an interpretation board on the Kintyre town’s Hall Street, where trains on Scotland’s only public, steam-worked, narrow gauge railway terminated, writes Hugh Dougherty. They picked up steamer passengers keen to make the six-mile narrow gauge trip to view the mighty rollers on the Atlantic coast at Machrihanish’s superb sandy beach. Showing one of the line’s two Andrew Barclay 0-6-2t locomotives, the board includes a map of the line and tells how its origins lay in a four-mile line, dating from 1876, linking Campbeltown with Kilkivan Pit to bring coal…

In very hard ground conditions the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match Association held its annual ploughing match on Saturday 18 September at Honey Farm, Pluckley, near Ashford in Kent. As usual with this match a huge crowd came to the event, which is by far the largest seen in southern England this year. Beside the excellent vintage ploughing that was taking place it was pleasing to see the Pierce’s ex-John Collins 1876/7 Fowler 8hp singles Nos. 2861/3195 working well under the direction of Peter Denham. As always Paul Ransley was a master of the controls, making it look easy on No. 2861. He is hoping to have his 1873 12hp example No. 1908 here next year. At the other end of the rope was No. 3195, with the driver attempting…

OCTOBER 30 Deeping & District Agricultural Association - Deeping St James, Peterborough. Further details: Philip Garford, tel: 07860797887 or Edward Whitfield, tel: 07977360508 Samuel Legend Society Transport Fair, Pudsey Civic Hall, Cote Lane, Pudsey Nr Leeds, Yorkshire LS28 5TA 30-31 Bolton Steam Museum Steaming, Mornington Road, Chorley Old Road, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 4EU. Further details, tel: 01204 846490 Heckington Windmill – Hale Road, Heckington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 9JW. Further details, tel: 01526 833167 31 Malvern 4x4, Land Rover & Vintage Spares Day - Wye Halls, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, WR13 6NW. Lots of drive in indoor plots from £40, outdoors from £30. Further details: www.4x4sparesday.co.uk Halloween Night, Amberley Museum, New Barn Road, Amberley Nr Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9LT Halloween Spooktacular - Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway, The Warren, Swanton…

The annual Classic & Vintage Commercials show for pre-2000 commercial vehicles was held at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August, supported by Kelsey Media. Mike Neale went along and saw some fine vehicles on display. Numbers were up on last year, which had obviously been limited due to Covid restrictions, but it was one of the few commercial vehicle events to actually go ahead in 2020. The more relaxed guidelines of August 2021 allowed for a bigger show, with around 450 vehicles compared to 250 in 2020. There should have been a few more, but the current “Covid Pingdemic” driver shortages affected things slightly, as some of the heritage fleets had the lorries loaded but no one to drive the transporter!…

With the sub-continent hit hard by the Covid pandemic, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was closed from March 22, 2020, finally reopening from Wednesday August 25 after a gap of more than a year. Up and down trains were expected to resume with 17 first class and 29 general class seats for passengers with mandatory mask wearing and social distancing in place. By July this year, almost 3,000 Indian Railways staff had died from Covid but Indian Railways has a long-standing policy of granting compassionate employment to the dependents of staff who die in the line of duty or are medically incapacitated. There has been a steady footfall of tourists to the mountain region and a spokesman said that further services will gradually resume when justified by demand. The Taj Mahal…

The results of the delayed public inquiry (due to Covid-19) to extend the Rother Valley Railway’s route from between the national railway system at Robertsbridge, East Sussex, to the Kent & East Sussex Railway’s station at Bodiam on the original trackbed, is not now expected until 2022. The railway has cited improved public transport links from passengers on the main-line Charing Cross to Hastings route to access the heritage route to Tenterden, currently the largest town in Kent without a railway connected to the main line. Access to the current KESR is largely made by private car or coach, so the railway would help reduce traffic movements on local rural roads. A mile of new track has already been laid one mile west of Bodiam station to the site of…

As I am sure you all know, Carters Steam Fair is a unique traditional English travelling funfair with rides dating from the 1890s to the 1960s says Peter Love. As Joby Carter the boss says, “We are a unique piece of living history. Over the past 44 years we have been rescuing and restoring vintage fairground rides and attractions taking them on tour around London and the south-east for everyone to enjoy.” One of the features which makes Carters Vintage Fair so special is the decoration of its rides and transport with consistently superb signwriting, lining and traditional fairground decoration created by Joby Carter and his team. Joby is a leading expert on the traditional craft of signwriting and fairground art and hosts training courses at Carters Yard, particularly in…

I am not a reader of Old Glory but someone gave me a copy of the September 2020 issue with the article about Motor Rail dumpers, with the comment, ‘How could they have got it so wrong?” How indeed? So I had a moan to the editor who put me on the spot by suggesting that I should write a piece saying how it really was. In other words, ‘Put your money where your mouth is!’ One has to start with a history of Motor Rail which goes back much further than is often imagined and starts with East India Tramways Ltd, an initiallly steam and later horse-operated 4ft gauge street tramway operation in Karachi, then India, and now Pakistan. After various reincarnations this settled down under the chairmanship of…

Got a fisherman friend? Sea Angler is the perfect companion for every sea fishing enthusiast. As well as receiving 13 issues of the UK’s best-selling fishing mag, we’ve thrown in Shore Fishing Special Edition and a Sea Angler beanie hat to complete the gift – what a catch! Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/SAGIFT The perfect subscription for photography lovers. Amateur Photographer Premium is the perfect gift for photography lovers who want to improve their technique. Gift a subscription today and they will receive 13 issues across the year. We’ll also include three Special Editions as an extra gift that will get them off to a flying start.  Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/APGIFT Get your footy-mad youngsters reading with Match! A Match! subscription is the perfect gift to help your kids and keep them up to speed…

Whilst on holiday earlier in the year, Belgian reader Stefaan Balyu visited the Ardennes and the town of Rochehaut in the Walloon area of the country and close to the French border. He went to the Agri-musée there and inside, he found a collection of various agricultural-related items, including a French-made Vendeuvre portable engine dating from 1907, displayed in a similar manner to those in the country’s national railway museum at Schaarbeek in Brussels - mainly in the dark. This seemingly modern trait made it extremely difficult to adequately photograph them. Another engine is an American-built Pitts Agricultural Works traction engine manufactured in 1882 and previously incorrectly described as a Buffalo-Pitts. This revelation also indicates that an 1893 American-built engine which was previously at De Bakkersmolen near Wildert and now…

No - not a new sweet confectionery concoction from Switzerland but the result of a huge storm which hit the Zürich area in mid-July. The oldest steam roller in Switzerland is to be found in the Spielplatz (a playground area) of the Gemeinschaftszentrum in the Zürich suburb of Bachwiesen. This is Aveling & Porter No. 2786 which is a 15-ton single, built in 1891. It was used in the Zürich area from 1920 onwards, having previously been in service in Dresden, Germany. Ernst Huwyler, the Archivist to the DampfWalzen Club Schweiz (DWCS) - the Swiss Steam Roller Club - visited the park there just after the storm and took these photos of its aftermath. The wind and torrential rain had resulted in thousands of damaged and up-rooted trees in parks,…