Innehållsförteckning för May 2023 från Old Glory

It was sad news when agricultural preservationist Richard Vernon (80) from Hall Farm, Cotesbach, Lutterworth passed away on 17 December 2021. Old Glory was recently invited by the Vernon family to look over the lots in the forthcoming Cheffins disposal sale of much of the collection, which will take place on Saturday 3 June. Richard was just 19 when he came to Hall Farm just by St Mary’s Church with his wife Hazel, what a challenge for them to take on a 350-acre mixed farm in 1960, having come from Market Drayton, Shropshire. He brought with him his ‘beloved’ Fordson E1A Major which amazingly is still used on the farm today. In fact Fordson and Fords and New Hollands are very much part of the farm today with a mint…

Visit Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in Sheffield, and make your way to the Corner Forge in the remarkable complex of 18th century iron-working buildings, and you’ll hear the melodic ring of hammer on anvil thanks to blacksmith Ian Jones, who keeps the craft alive there, reports Hugh Dougherty. Ian, who started to serve his time in 1980 at the age of 16 in a traditional industrial forge in Sheffield, making large steel rings out of heavy, hot metal, handled by him and his fellow workmates, rents the forge at the hamlet to turn out a variety of iron objects, including his trademark Celtic knives. “The forge is as old as the village complex, “said Ian. “I’m passionate about keeping the craft of blacksmithing alive and that’s why I provide courses for…

Transport Museum Wythall is proud to announce the return of the Harrington Gathering, iconic events for iconic vehicles, with a call to all Harrington coach and car owners to come and join us on 21 May 2023. The 2023 Gathering (for decades a five-yearly event) is the first since 2016 and sees a move to the centre of England to ensure a wide variety of vehicles attending, along with enthusiasts who remember the golden age of coaching. Starting in Brighton in 1897, Thomas Harrington was a highly-respected coachbuilder who’s designs rose to fame when the art-deco style Sackville Works opened in Hove in 1930. Always a family firm, its legacy started with then unique dorsal-finned bodies and subsequently the Cavalier and Grenadier, two closely related models that helped revolutionise coach…

It’s taken 95 years, but finally the unique railway carriage on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway known as the Queen Mary has got her nameplates! The carriage was built in 1927 on the Nocton Estates Railway, which ran for 23 miles on narrow gauge tracks around Nocton Fen from the former Nocton & Dunston station on the Lincoln to Sleaford line and the west bank of the River Witham, opposite Bardney, from where a conveyor bridge took its deliveries of sugar beet for processing at the erstwhile Bardney sugar factory. The carriage’s frames came from First World War bogie wagons used to take soldiers and supplies to the fighting in the front line trenches and some components are thought to have come from ambulance vans built to transport wounded soldiers…

The venue for the Road Roller Association’s 2023 AGM was Northallerton in North Yorkshire, where around 40 members made The Golden Lion Hotel their base for a weekend of visits around the local area. After the social gathering on Friday evening, the following day saw members travel to an extremely interesting private collection of fairground related items including a varied selection of fairground organs. Also on display were a couple of electric light engines, the first being a Savage dating from 1900 that was new to Anderton & Rowlands, it was one of the first that they acquired, while the other a similar Foster engine now powers an 1886 65-key Gavioli barrel organ. Somewhat bigger was 1914 Burrell Gold Medal tractor No. 3618 that was new to Isaac Balls as…

Full terms and conditions can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. Offer applies to UK subscribers only when paying by direct debit. Overseas and other offers available at shop.kelsey.co.uk/OGL23. A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Delighted to boast that this is Britain’s best-selling magazine for steam and vintage machinery enthusiasts. If you have enjoyed this issue of Old Glory and love original style or gleaming restored machinery especially road steam, or are fascinated by Britain’s rich industrial and transport heritage then why not subscribe? You will save money on the shop price and receive every issue direct to your door. Whether you’re interested in the latest news, places to visit or black and white photography of these wonderful machines in working times, featured by top writers and photographers you’ll find it all in…

The railway first came to Quainton in 1868 in the form of the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway. In 1870 construction of the Wotton Tramway began, to link the nearby Wotton estate to the railway. Carrying agricultural produce and construction materials, it was horse-drawn initially but with expansion to Brill the line was re-laid for locomotives and became known as the Brill Tramway using two Aveling & Porter rail locomotives. The expanding Great Central Railway arrived in 1899 and built the present brick station in a joint venture with the Metropolitan Railway, successors to the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway, and at the same time took over the Brill Tramway. The London Transport Passenger Board was formed in 1933, encompassing the Metropolitan Railway, and closed the Brill Tramway in 1935. Passenger services…

The Scout company’s origins date back to the 1880s when the Burden Brothers (William and Albert) built church and turret clocks at premises in Wilton Road, later moving to Tollgate Road where commercial and domestic clocks were added to their portfolio. By 1904, now occupying a garage in Friary Road and with additional finance provided by Percy Dean, a local landowner, the company became Dean & Burden Bros – Motor Engineers. The premises included a foundry where cast iron, bronze and aluminium castings were produced. A range of single, twin and four-cylinder marine engines were built, and paraffin stationery engines were produced. A single-cylinder air-cooled 2.5hp engine was developed for their next venture, a motor bicycle, but output was modest. Their first car built in September 1905 was fitted with…

This was the society’s first year of holding the event at its new home in the beautiful grounds of Turvey House in the village of Turvey, North Bedfordshire. The new venue provided ample room to space out the show around broad avenues enabling engines and vehicles to move around the site, something for which the Bedford shows have always been known for. There was continuous movement of exhibits around the site all day with a large gathering in the afternoons outside the refreshment tent. The small ‘playpen’ proved very popular with a constant stream of exhibits showing off their capabilities to the sizeable crowd of visitors who had turned out for a ‘fresh’ but dry weekend. After being show organiser for nearly 40 years, Bedford Steam Engine Preservation Society’s Paul…

THE CELEBRATORY 400TH ISSUE IS OUT ON FRIDAY 26 MAY - ORDER YOUR COPY NOW! Tel: 01959 541444 – shop.kelsey.co.uk HOW IT ALL STARTED We look back at how Old Glory started with its former publisher Paul Appleton. ANNIVERSARY ISSUES We look back at the first, and the following 100th, 200th and 300th issues and see how things have changed over the years! SIGNIFICANT MEMORIES Our rally archive editor Bob Moorman presents his highlights of the year that Old Glory started and when the 100th, 200th, 300th and 400th issues came out. ROAD LOCOMOTIVES Part 1 & 2 We look at the latest two Old Glory bookazines which feature ROAD LOCOMOTIVES - As they worked, rusted away, and found their way into preservation. STEAM PRESERVATION’S FUTURE We conclude our visit…

It was good to see OG reporter Joseph Lewis’s pictures taken on New Year’s Day at Sedgemoor Market, showing Mendip Steam’s just-completed Yorkshire 3-ton boiler for top-class restorer Gilbert Armour of Ladyhill, Northern Ireland. The week after the pictures were taken the boiler was pumped up to over 300psi, passed the test with flying colours and is now back in Northern Ireland. It all started many decades ago in the 60s when Tom Varley retrieved from the Robinson & Birdsell scrapyard in Leeds all the hordes of Yorkshire steam wagon parts that were lying there, including a brand new boiler that had laid outside for many decades. Many of these went into the recreation of No. 940 Pendle Queen, No. 2108 Yorkshire Lad and others which Tom got together so…

It was back in 1991 that a small number of local men from the Braid district decided to bring together some old equipment that they owned and put on a threshing demonstration in a local field. Word soon spread around the local community of the upcoming demonstration and a large number turned up to watch on the day. Although this was intended as a one-off event, the success and level of encouragement from the assembled crowd motivated the men to do it again the following year. The men decided to form a club and The Braid Valley Vintage Enthusiasts was formed. A suitable site to hold the event was sought, and the Hamill family in the townland known as 'The Sheddings' kindly donated the use of their land and facilities…

Dick Bodily reports that a feature of this year’s Enthusiasts’ Day at Statfold Barn on 18 March was the opening of the Mease Valley Light Railway which, judging by the number of people queuing in the rain for a ride, will become a popular attraction. It runs for about half a mile across fields to Mallard Halt where there is a runaround loop and includes a challenging little climb at one point. Motive power consisted of Exmoor Steam Railway-built 0-4-0T Victoria. The terminus near to the Roundhouse Museum also has an impressive workshop-cum-carriage shed. On static display at the main entrance now stands the standard gauge Barclay 0-4-0 crane tank Glenfield No 1. Fourteen steam locomotives were running an intensive service on the main 2ft gauge lines, joined by a…

The Masham Steam Rally is a well-established event that has been on the calendar since 1965. As the name of the event suggests, steam is the main attraction although vintage commercials, tractors and cars also play their part in attracting visitors. Staying with the steam side of the show, as well as the full-sized steam engines, there is a healthy selection of miniatures on display too. So concentrating on these, it is always great to come across some engines that are new to the rally scene, and that is exactly what happened at Masham. The first was David Foster’s 4in Burrell single-cylinder tractor Guardian that was built from a Steam Traction World kit, it took three years to build, “It was completed in December last year,” David said, “It had…

Passions have a strange way of suddenly taking hold of people. Six years ago, the Johnson family – Adam, wife Camilla and son Ethan – had never had anything to do with old lorries and now they own three Scammells, which they love. There’s no particular reason as to why it came to be so. Adam simply went to an auction one day and bought one on a whim, and so it began. There has been a historic family connection with lorries as Adam’s great-grandfather, Archer Johnson, established a haulage firm in Sydenham, south-east London. By the 1970s, A Johnson & Sons had a proud fleet of Bedford TKs and Kew-built Dodges, but Adam hasn’t been involved with haulage himself, instead working in farming and green waste recycling. His first…

Trawling the internet sometimes brings to light some very interesting discoveries. A recent one of these is a very rare model of an Aveling & Porter steam roller located at the Engineering School at Lopburi. This is a ‘V type,’ built only between 1926 and 1932, of which only 28 were produced. Just one of the ‘V-type’ rollers remains in Britain, this being in Scotland. Records show that about half of these relatively lightweight rollers of around six tons were supplied to the Far East, including Burma, India and the Dutch East Indies. As a result of this, without further details possibly obtainable from the roller itself, it’s not possible to ascertain its Royalty Number. Some time ago, the roller was re-allocated from the Department of Highways to the Lopburi…

During a recent visit to Amman, Kevin Hoggett and his wife, Rika, visited the Jordanian Royal Automobile Museum which is basically the collection of the late King Hussein. This contains very many British-manufactured vehicles, including Land Rovers and Rolls-Royces. Perhaps the most interesting of these is a fine replica (built 2006) of a 1915 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost armoured car as was used by Lawrence of Arabia. The original was the first motor vehicle used in the area. Whilst in the middle east, they also went to Riyadh, capital of neighbouring Saudi Arabia which, up to WW1, was all the same country! There is a single route, 10 km long trolleybus line there on which rides are free. The operating voltage is at 750v dc. The service opened in 2013 and…

Even though the weather hasn’t been at its best, the rally season is now in full swing again and the 64-page Old Glory Heritage Events Guide P2 (July-December) is enclosed with this issue of the magazine. This is issue No. 399 of Old Glory and we will of course be celebrating our 400th issue in next month’s magazine. In the meantime, as always, this issue is packed with all that’s going on, so enjoy. I’m just in from a successful cardiology stress test at Eastbourne Hospital, which the DVLA insisted on as I wanted to retain my HGV licence on turning 70. However, unfortunately it seems that various hurdles are placed in front of you if you try to hold on to your licence. Perhaps my experience here will help…

Plans for a pedestrian, cycling and riding greenway, using much of the trackbed of the former County Donegal Railways mainline through the scenic Barnesmore Gap between Ballybofey and Donegal Town, could block future plans to re-open part of the route as a heritage railway. Public consultation on the proposal has elicited a large number of responses, including from Donegal Railway Heritage Centre, its members and supporters. The centre has been in talks with Donegal County Council about the possibility of including a narrow gauge railway track with the greenway, much in the same way that Northumberland’s Aln Valley Railway has been able to do along its route between Alnwick and Alnmouth. The former South Donegal Railway Restoration Society pressed ahead in 1991 with a scheme to restore just over ten…

The Berwick St John Country Fayre took place in September 2022, and was a well-enjoyed event with a very traditional rally feel to the whole weekend whilst raising funds for Salisbury District Hospital Stars Appeal. Paul Ritchie reports that the organisers announced the total raised and presented the funds at a special presentation event which took place at the packed-out Berwick St John Village Hall. They revealed a whopping £63,117.18 had been raised for the Stars Appeal. The two-day event, which took place on September 17 and 18 and featured rural crafts, tractors, full-size and miniature steam engines, classic cars, horses, the famous beer and tea tents, along with many other attractions was attended by thousands of people. Present at the presentation were two engines in steam, one being Richard…

This traditional season-opener is an event that everyone looks forward to over the winter months, particularly in the South West. They weren’t disappointed with what was here as the site was packed with tractors, implements, trade stands and the major feature was John Deere. This is a make that, thanks to the late Don Macmillan and later Ticknells, was long perpetuated in these parts before they became second nature in the rest of the UK and Ireland. There were over 40 of them to look at in the building and just like the last time this make was featured here the quality and selection was second to none. In addition it’s always good to observe the constant progress the excellent miniature railway is making on site here. The crowd on…

With the weather forecast as it was, the 2023 Kelsey Publishing Tractor World Show over 11-12 March didn’t stand a chance of being a success. However it didn’t turn out like that, as punters came from all over the UK, Ireland, France and The Netherlands to make the show a big hit. OK, there were over a hundred tractors missing and some steam miniatures, as people could not get them out the sheds, especially from parts of Wales, Midlands and parts of Northern England, however a number of Scottish entries did get here and were not to be disappointed as they picked up some awards along the way. A very large selection of preservation trade stands was seen where people spent money and traders were very satisfied with what they…

In 2008 the TMR opened a Heritage Centre museum in Toowoomba and they were keen to fundraise to purchase this renowned B6 Fowler, but this never happened and on 1 October 2022 the Heritage Centre was closed to the public until further notice. By 2009, Des has built a functional roof for the Fowler that was back in Toowoomba, housed under the trees in his suburban back yard, where he still ran the engine from time to time. In 2010, the B6 Big Lion looked like going to a private owner at Geelong, Victoria which was not the first preference for Des who wanted it to stay local at the TMR Heritage Centre museum, but there wasn’t the interest to keep it there. Unfortunately the owner became ill and he…

Exhibitors and rally enthusiasts headed to west Wales for the LDME 15th Anniversary Steam Rally at Pembrey Country Park on 24-25 September. After a break due to Covid, the club were determined to bring this popular rally in the steam calendar back with something for all ages. This miniature event has grown massively over the years and now includes the involvement of other local vintage clubs and craft groups to make it like a traditional rally whilst maintaining the miniature theme at its forefront. Engines from all over the UK and Ireland steamed up over the two days. The road section, which had 54 exhibits, have the roam of this beautiful park with its extensive road network and green fields. For this special rally, it was decided that there would…

There is another set of gallopers in the museum’s collection too, but at present these are in store waiting for possible restoration in the future. This ride was also operated by Robert Edwards & Sons, and was bought by them in 1916 from Halsteads, roundabout manufacturers and brokers of Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire for the sum of eighty sovereigns. It has been established that the ride was built by Savages of Kings Lynn, probably well before the turn of the century. Although the previous owners of the ride are unknown, it may have originally been made as a four-abreast machine with 48 mounts. Later though, it carried 36 carved wooden mounts, fixed three-abreast, made up of 24 horses and 12 double-seater cockerels which were carved by Andersons of Bristol. With the…

CLIFF & BUNTING This business in North Melbourne, Australia acquired an agency in around 1900 for O S Kelly Mfg Co traction engines made in Springfield, Ohio. Around 1908, Cliff & Bunting introduced their own machines described as “the first manufactured in the Commonwealth and combining the best points of English and American patterns.” Features were described as heavy boiler plates, 8hp centre crank, two-speed all-steel gearing, through-axle replaceable bearings, large water tank and a winding drum on the rear axle. They were listed up to about 1912 and there seems to be one survivor in Australia. CLOUGHLEY Robert H Cloughley of Cherryvale, Kansas made a steam taxi in 1896. Having plied it for hire, he formed Cloughley Automobile Manufacturing in 1901 but built few vehicles in the course of…