Innehållsförteckning för June 2021 från Old Glory

As the situation with coronavirus continued to take its grip on both the nation and worldwide in the Spring of 2020, it took the innovation and creativity of a then 14-year-old Charlie Coulls, a member of the Steam Apprentice Club, to capture the imagination of the steam world and create a “virtual” online steam rally. On seeing the decimation of the steam rally events that she so loved to attend and looked forward to, she came up with the idea of running an event, on Twitter initially, along the lines of the #TwitterModelTrainShow at the end of March 2020. Charlie’s achievement in 2020 was recognised by the National Traction Engine Trust who awarded her the Steam Apprentice of the Year trophy – the only award in fact to be given…

Got a story? Contact Old Glory • Email: peterlove@madasafish.com • Tel: 01323 833125 David Vaughan reports on why a 100-year-old traction engine is linked up to a laptop computer for a Cambridge University project. In late March 2021 picture the scene, at a yard in East Sussex Wallis & Steevens compound light tractor No. 7641 of 1920 Gunner is standing ticking over in light steam whilst a student from Clare College Cambridge is sitting on an upturned beer crate staring attentively into a laptop computer screen that is connected to the cylinder drain cocks of the engine. A series of graphs is running along the computer screen and the student is taking notes. A traction engine connected to a computer! What is going on here? Well, the answer is that…

INTRODUCTION The Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd patented the idea of a small-wheeled rubber-tyred tractor for trailer and timber towing purposes on 3 April 1923, using the engine and boiler from the new Super Sentinel which was announced to the press just three months later, this was detailed in Patent 218376 3-4-1923. This was a single-speed tractor with the engine mounted between the frames and a direct chain drive from the engine to both rear wheels. This was possible because of the patented engine crankshaft which contained a built-in differential. The first tractor built to this design was No. 5044, built in August 1923 and subsequently sold to Skoda in Czechoslovakia in 1924. The first works demonstrator was announced to the press in October 1923, this was No. 5122 which had…

PART 6 VULCAN The Vulcan Iron Works was established at Toledo, Ohio, in 1870 and began building excavating equipment in 1872. The company’s ‘Giant’ line of steam shovels appeared in 1886 and was moderately successful, with the line expanding to include some of the largest excavators at the time. A primitive form of backhoe based on a Vulcan Giant railroad shovel was produced in 1896. The forward-looking company also produced small wheel-mounted excavators, pioneered electric drive on a mining shovel in 1899, and built a number of long-boom, railroad-type stripping shovels for surface mining. Another notable achievement by Vulcan was its pioneering work in developing fully revolving shovels beginning in 1908, a type that eventually superseded all other types of singlebucket excavators. Vulcan produced three sizes of fully revolving shovels…

The 15-inch gauge Thorpe Light Railway in County Durham owns Bossall station, the last remaining building from the 18in gauge incarnation of the Sand Hutton Light Railway near York. The latter line closed nearly 90 years ago, but Bossall station building survived as a garden shed, then was stored on a farm with the Wicks family until around five years ago when it was acquired for the Thorpe line via the good offices of Old Glory’s Derek Rayner. The Friends of the Railway have decided that it is time that it was restored. Sadly the building isn’t any more than a set of walls needing a lot of love and a roof now, but is very original and bears much graffiti scratched into its framework from former passengers. One set…

The Churchward County Trust (CCT) has placed the order for the four 6ft 8.5in coupled wheels for newbuild GWR ‘County’ Class 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery. The wheels are to be cast by Trefoil Steel in Sheffield using the pattern generously loaned by the GWS at Didcot, which has previously been used to cast the wheels for ‘Saint’ 4-6-0 No. 2999 Lady of Legend - these being identical to those of the Churchward ‘Counties’. Meanwhile, Tyseley Locomotive Works has completed the assembly of the main frame components for the locomotive, following an order placed with the works last July.…

Besides their big brothers there were a raft of miniature engines on site here, starting with William Price’s 4.5in 2009 Wallis & Steevens Simplicity roller No. 7936 Pepperpot. William had only owned the roller for a week before its appearance at Blists Hill, “It was fitted with a new boiler in 2016,” he said. Four-inch miniatures included Albert Stephenson’s Ruston Proctor tractor that was built in 2012 on the Wirral, Albert said, “It was bought by my grandfather to give me an interest in engineering.” The engine has since been retubed and a canopy built for it, “It has also been fitted with new tyres as well as having a repaint,” he added. Then came David Staton’s Suffolk Steam Tractor that was built in 1987. It was partly completed when…

TOITU Otago Settlers Museum (originally Otago Early Settlers Hall – OESH) was rejuvenated through 2010/2012 and is where one can learn much about the many aspects of the people of Dunedin, New Zealand, writes Phil Barnes. However only their public transport is highlighted here and it concentrates on two trams and a trolleybus. The trolleybus, Dunedin City Council Transport No. 10, was built in 1950 and utilised a Leyland chassis plus bodywork by New Zealand Motor Bodies of Christchurch. This was one of 79 trolleybuses which operated in Dunedin between 1950 and March 1982 when the system was closed - by which time it had recorded the highest mileage of any of the city’s trolleybuses. It received its distinctive ‘Tiger Tea’ livery in 1976 and carried this until the system’s…

PART 2 From the same year came Burrell 4hp roller No 4062 Lorna Doone that was with F A Hollis on the Isle of Wight before passing into the Epton fleet. “We exchanged it for one of our rollers,” Herbert said, that was 1927 Fowler 5hp ten-ton roller No. 17287 which was converted to tractor form from original road roller specification. She eventually moved on though, Lorna Doone passed to the Bermingham family of Rathcoole, Dublin. Another roller with North Yorkshire connections was 1926 Fowler T3B No.16851 that had worked for Whitby Council. “We bought it in 1964 from H Walker of Darlington,” Herbert said. Then came 1927 Aveling & Porter 3hp roller No. 11969 Elsie that Herbert described as being in good order when bought from J Whitwell of…

In the early 1960s I visited the Commercial Motor Show as a young lad with my father, who worked for Land Rover. Studying the beautifully painted lorries in famous liveries and the shining bare chassis, I was particularly intrigued by the 4x4 Unipower exhibit. A placard told of its awesome capabilities and I wondered how it achieved this from 75bhp when the Land Rover boasted 77bhp. My father explained that it was down to gearing, weight, low speed, tyres and the massive torque at low revs of its legendary Gardner. I had read how a Unipower had dragged buses and lorries up Lynton Hill after the Lynmouth flood disaster, and had seen what they could do with their winches in timber haulage so, naturally, I was hooked! Years later, when…

If you have something for this column please send it to: colin.tyson@kelsey.co.uk The recent take-over of the North Bay Railway in Scarborough by the owners of the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway has prompted the discovery of two historic postcards from the Yorkshire seaside line’s earliest days, as well as a booklet commemorating its Golden Jubilee – published 40 years ago. The lovely old postcards with their evocative scenes of pre-war holiday crowds enjoying a ride on this famous miniature line have been unearthed by Mike Swift of Huddersfield – a former secretary of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society and a founder shareholder in the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway, which now runs in the Skegness Water Leisure Park. He in turn had been prompted by the owners of the Cleethorpes Coast…

As advertised in Old Glory, Dreweatts held their annual ‘Transport Sale’, the first of its type after lock down, on Tuesday 20 April at Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire. The highlight for us was the 12 superb fine scale models of the late Russ Titford of Essex featuring stationary and road steam (lots 85-96), but there was more as well! Throughout the United Kingdom, Russ Titford was well-known in model engineering circles for his building of exhibition standard stationary engines and other scale models. He was a winner at the London Model Engineering Exhibition, the oldest and most prestigious show for its time. Many of these models were built from drawings and castings supplied by Anthony Mount, one of Russ’ closest friends. The collection here included a model of the 1862…

ORDER YOUR COPY NOW, OUT: July issue out 25 June! Tel: 01959 541444 – shop.kelsey.co.uk MORE TIMBER MACHINES Andrew Hall gives us the basic history on a well-loved West Country company, Automower, who specialised in winches and timber tractor units. RSJ IN IRELAND P2 We conclude our feature on Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies traction engines in Ireland. ELECTRIC HAULERS Keith Haddock with a feature on some fascinating dump trucks that were ahead of their time. PAUL BROWN STORY We talk to a man who always likes to use his machines, particularly in the woods, as he did from the early 60s onwards. RANSOMES REBUILT Colin Tyson looks at RSJ No. 26995 which has been recently rebuilt to perfection and carries a new name STEAM TIMBER Bob Moorman looks at Foden…

All the photos accompanying this article are from the Thompson family collection unless otherwise stated. Cestria is a name derived from Ancient Greek and a town in Epirus situated in the south of Chaonia. It has also become associated with Chester-le-Street in Co. Durham where the history of that town goes back to the construction there of a Roman fort called Concangis. This Roman fort is the ‘Chester’ of the town’s name; the ‘Street’ refers to the paved Roman road that ran through it - in a north–south direction - now called Front Street. Chester-le-Street, on the River Wear, is located some seven miles south of Newcastle upon Tyne and eight miles west of Sunderland. The town’s name eventually evolved with a sprinkling of French, courtesy of the Normans. There…

Nick Frank took his lovely ex County Meath, Republic of Ireland 1927 Fowler No. 17289 DNB compound 10 ton roller out on the FBHVC ‘Drive It Day’ he steamed the engine to the well liked Crathorne Arms near Yarm, North Yorkshire. The FBHVC ‘Drive It Day’ was classed as a great success throughout the UK with 1,000 of machines of all types getting out on the road. The late April Drive It Day’ was created by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs in 2005. It is the occasion when historic vehicle enthusiasts and the public at large have the opportunity to celebrate the ‘One Thousand Mile Trial’ organised in 1900 to prove the viability of the new invention. It’s also a chance to raise awareness and support amongst the…

The opening of Blists Hill Victorian Town near Telford, Shropshire after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions was a welcome return to some sort of normality. This renowned attraction, which is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums, recreates streets lined with shops and industrial buildings that recall life from over a century ago, on what in itself is an historic site. And what better way to get the new season underway, than to have a steam-themed weekend, with a series of traction engines, both full-sized and miniatures, steaming around the streets to the delight of the visiting public. It wasn’t just visiting engines that were in steam over the weekend. Getting a lot of attention was the replica of Richard Trevithick’s Coalbrookdale locomotive. The construction of the replica began in 1969.…

Situated in the heart of West Yorkshire between the towns of Huddersfield and Wakefield, the Kirklees Light Railway transports visitors between the railway’s main station at Clayton West to Shelley, some 3½ miles away. The railway is built on the track bed of a branch line that was closed by British Rail to passengers in 1983 and to goods traffic a year later. The line served an area rich in coal reserves, and with a number of textile mills also in the region, what the area needed was a railway. The line itself can trace its history back to 1846 when the first line through the area was proposed, although this failed to get approval by Parliament. The following twenty years saw no less than 28 proposals, but it was…

The Apedale Valley Light Railway re-opened for the 2021 season on Saturday April 17. Enthusiast-focussed events are currently planned to be following – all subject, of course, to any changes in the Covid guidance. May 8 – running day for War Department Hunslet 4-6-0 No. 303 (Hunslet 1215) May 29, 30, 31 – ‘Welcome Back Stanhope’ event – after a couple of years under overhaul, we welcome the return to operation of Kerr, Stuart No. 2395 of 1917 Stanhope. July 10, 11 - Classic Diesels and Steam weekend, when we will operate some of the huge fleet of internal combustion locos in addition to the steam service. August 7, 8 - Military Trains weekend. Apedale is home to the UK’s best collection of WW1 military railway equipment, which will be…

A grant of £5,000 to help the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway recover from the effects of the Covid pandemic has been made by Lincolnshire County Council’s Business Recovery Fund. The line was unable to celebrate or to operate any passenger services during what would have been its 60th anniversary year – and so lost a whole summer season’s income from fares and from a planned series of special events. Instead, those of its volunteers who were able to access the site concentrated on repairs, renovation and improving facilities. The LCLR Company Secretary, John Chappell, said: “The grant from Lincolnshire County Council will be particularly helpful in covering the cost of our new station building under construction at a time when the railway has lost all its income. “We are working…

Browsing the internet sometimes brings its rewards such as this image of a very interestingly painted 8hp Aveling traction engine. Later investigations have revealed that it’s located in a remote community in the Northern Territory of Australia. A report by the local Roper Gulf Regional Council indicated that it’s a 1904 Avery [?] steam tractor which was re-positioned to its current location in Barunga (NT) at the end of March 2017, having been in the local Heritage Park for more than four decades. This move was initiated at the start of a project associated with a Community Development Program. The engine was previously used at a nearby tin mine at Maranboy which closed in 1946, following which it was abandoned there. Some 30 years later it was dragged a distance…

Got a story?: Contributions welcomed by Derek Rayner, email: derekinvicta1915@gmail.com Old Glory’s German friend, Busso Hennecke, was following a lead he found in a German museum guide book which pictured a steam roller at a museum at Bad Oeynhausen which was visited by an Old Glory group in May 1999. He wanted to establish whether the roller was still there. However, he discovered that the museum was closed and this led him to a director of another museum who was unable to help with his initial query but from this new contact, Busso discovered that he was aware of a steam roller close to Berlin. He therefore passed on that information which led Busso to carry out further investigations. Since Berlin, the country’s capital, is some 400 miles and five…

Although Euro Auctions has sold tens of thousands of items at their Leeds base, steam-powered machinery hasn’t been amongst them. But there was something of a surprise on Wednesday 28 April when after a series of John Deere, Massey Ferguson and Case tractors were sold, a Case 65 steam traction engine came under the hammer. Although stated as 1918, Old Glory reckons it could be a 1915 engine. Case only made four steam rollers in 1918 owing to war production (not a commonly-known fact) and the company picked up production again in 1919 when they made 346 engines. They went on to make a further 1,018 engines between 1920-24, after which they gave up making steam engines and concentrated on i/c tractors having initially started on this road in 1894…