Innehållsförteckning för June 2024 från Old Glory

Wow, what a sight! Caught on Ben Matthew’s camera in late April is 1903 Burrell 8hp No. 2547 DCC road locomotive BL8368 Endurance owned by Edward Goddard and under restoration with Allison Engineering of Wem, Shropshire. The engine will not be staying long as a road locomotive, which it was until 1933 when it was new to J K Cooper & Sons Brickworks, Maidenhead, Berkshire. We see the engine on its first foray back on the road with James Allison at the controls. The engine was purchased for £60 in 1933 by J M and R Stokes of Basingstoke and Southampton and was converted by Wallis & Steevens, who looked after the Stokes fleet of engines. They did not sell this engine for scrap and it was preserved by David…

The name of Derek Marder will always be fondly remembered by members of the road steam community as the owner of one of the last authentic steam contractor’s yards in the country. Sadly, Derek passed away in October 2023 and, whilst the details of his estate are being resolved, recently a significant attempt at clearing some of the site that surrounds the workshop and engine sheds has been made. From the undergrowth have emerged all sorts of treasures which are now accessible for photography for the first time in many years. A real highlight was the line up of 5 motor rollers which were once part of the Marder fleet. One of these is a Thomas Green of Leeds DRM class roller. This design was launched in 1937 and was…

Located in the picturesque grounds of Wollaton Park is the Nottingham Industrial Museum which is housed in part of the 17th-century stable block of Wollaton Hall itself. Many of the exhibits are a reminder of the numerous local companies whose roots can be traced back to the city, a number of which are household names to this day. Nottingham certainly has a rich industrial heritage that was initially based on textiles. This can be traced back to the 16th century when inventor William Lee developed a framework knitting machine that resulted in the manufacture of large volumes of stocking hosiery. Then in 1808 John Heathcoat developed a hand-operated lace-making machine, enabling lace to be made in the same manner as it had been by hand, although he moved to Devon…

It’s now 60 years ago to the time when the well-known Wakefield family at Hetton-le-Hole in Co Durham achieved something which had not previously been done by a road steam engine. Back then, amongst other engines, they owned two steam tractors, Burrell No. 3397 of 1912 Cock o’ the North and a Garrett by the name of Popeye – No. 35225 - built in September 1929. They decided to attempt a road run from John o’Groats to Lands End and by doing so, they paved the way for others to later follow in their ‘footsteps’. They knew the Burrell was a fast machine, so that was the chosen steed on which to make the attempt. Some meticulous planning then went into this ambition and, to their credit, it was satisfactorily…

Eagle-eyed Polish reader, Marek Ciesielski, spotted an advert locally for a Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies portable engine for sale in Toruń at 95 000 złoty - a figure which equates to £19,000. At that figure, for an unrestored portable, even in apparently good external condition, he felt it was somewhat overpriced! The engine’s origins are presently unknown and a specific identity is unclear since the accompanying photographs are taken provide the possibility that it could be either No. 13233 or even 13288. In either case, the date of manufacture would have been around 1900. There is an unreadable agent’s plate on the smokebox door which suggests perhaps that it was exported to South America. Any further details would be welcomed.…

Just a couple months ago I wrote in the editorial about the National Trust high-mindedly disposing of a British historical artefact with the sale of the 3ft narrow gauge 1885 Black Hawthorn 0-4-0 Kettering Furnaces No.3 locomotive to the Waterford & Suir Valley Railway. It had been housed peacefully at Penrhyn Castle Museum since 1963. Well, Stephen Seale took it much further and wrote to the press, he’s made a complaint to the Charity Commission and has started a petition which you can sign on-line. Something that has come very clear over all this the National Trust did not make any proper effort to find a home for the engine in the UK from what we can see. Stephen contacted Statfold Barn and the Irchester Narrow Gauge Museum - neither…

Staged by the KAS Heritage committee and the full-time staff here, the vehicles were slow to arrive, but by 8.45am they were pouring in like no tomorrow with over 1,000 on site by 10am. By the time the gates opened at 10am there was a long queue of people wanting to get in. The car parks held up well in the soft ground conditions and no vehicle got stuck either. Besides the 700-plus vintage and classic cars there was a good selection of classic and vintage commercials, military vehicles, tractors, miniature steamers and motor-cycles. Not forgetting the stationary engines which became part of the Young Farmers Show here in 1966 and have been a feature ever since, but not in such large numbers as back then, as the county of…

Down a long driveway and through a triumphal arch, visitors to the home of Les and Dee Searle can be in no doubt that they’ve found the right place. This is not your usual country estate – the triumphal arch is made not from stone, but from the outstretched arm of a tracked excavator; where other families make a display of hanging baskets, the Searles have suspended a wartime Ford GPW from an old Foden crane. The Searles have occupied their beautiful Sussex farmhouse for more than a century. After establishing themselves as threshing contractors early in the reign of George V, they branched into earthmoving in the 1940s. Instead of fields, the homestead is now surrounded by large industrial sheds containing all sorts of heavy machinery, but for all…

At the beginning of April, the world-famous open-air museum near Stanley in County Durham was the place to be for any steam enthusiast, where around 15 engines took the opportunity to travel around the museum’s 1½ mile road system. Steam wasn’t only restricted to the roads though, also on view were a selection of railway locomotives that were to be seen on various shunting duties around the colliery area of the museum. Here Beamish’s resident locomotives were in operation, including the replica Lewin 0-4-0 engine Samson, the original of which spent all its working life in a Durham Dales mine until being scrapped in 1904, and 1931 Andrew Barclay No. 1994 Glydor, a standard class E Class 2ft gauge 0-4-0 locomotive. This locomotive worked for Durham County Water Board on…

FRONTENAC This name is normally associated with the sporting cars designed by former racing driver Louis Chevrolet, whose popular Chevrolet car had already become a cornerstone of the infant General Motors Corp. However, before this business came Adendroth & Root Mfg founded in Newburgh, New York in the 1870s and soon well known for boilers and tubes. Not surprisingly, its first foray into automobiles around 1904 was with steam though it soon settled on expensive Continental gasoline-powered Frontenacs of which few were built up to the end in 1913. The Frontenac name, based on that of a French count and then a North American river, briefly appeared in the early 1930s on a Canadian brand that attempted to revive the Durant factory. FRYE Jesse Frye invented a 4x4 machine in…

With a supporting cast of Land Army girls and Squaddies the fields around Fengate Farm in Norfolk were transported back to the 1940s for a day of photography trying to capture the essence of farming with steam during the darkest days of the Second World War. Richard Parrott’s superb collection of Burrell traction engines along with a of pair of BB1 ploughing engines provided the steam interest for the day. The Women’s Land Army (WLA) were an important part of boosting Britain’s food production during the Second World War. Before the war, Britain had imported much of its food but when the war broke out, it was necessary to grow more food at home and increase the amount of land in cultivation. With many male agricultural workers joining the armed…

Bodle Street Green saw an incredible 342 vehicles of all types come to this little village in East Sussex on Sunday 21 April for the charity FBHVC ‘Drive It Day.’ They were made welcome by Peter Love and his helpers and besides vintage and classic cars, motor-cycles, commercial vehicles, military, steam cars, road steamers, stationary engines and agricultural displays, the event saw 72 antique tractors and some Model T Fords take part in the 17-mile road run around the area, with vehicles ranging in ages from 1913-1992. This included the Jardine family from Faversham, Kent. In fact it was reported in the August 1968 Motor Sport that father Robbie took part in the June Oulton Park historic races with his 1921 16-valve Bugatti, those were the days! Jamie Croft brought…

No. 1713 will be pulling the Dave Mansi owned Tasker pneumatic tyred 30 ton heavy duty trailer with the boiler assembly of November 1948 Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 pacific No. 35025 Brocklebank Line on top! This engine is currently undergoing a prolonged restoration project by Southern Locomotives Limited. ROAD RUN ROUTE The route the load will be taking and the timings may be subject to change, if circumstances on the day dictate that. However, the plan is it will be leaving Isaac’s Lane, Burgess Hill at 11am approximately on Wednesday 12 June. It will be travelling through Haywards Heath on the B2272 and then via the A272 Lewes Road. From there it will join the A275 all the way to Wych Cross and then on to the A22 to the…

A MESSAGE FROM THEEDITOR 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 pages of Old Glory.…

In the world of wheeled loaders names such as Case, Hough, Michigan and Yale all made their mark in the 1940s and were soon joined by the likes of Caterpillar and Euclid but, in a collection of pictures recently discovered, two companies whose names have disappeared from most memories were featured in an album compiled by a dealer of construction plant for publicity purposes. One in particular, Merton Engineering, came up with some interesting and innovative designs whist the other, Tractomotive, featured a range of rear-steer tractor loaders that was soon absorbed into the Allis-Chalmers stable. Whilst carrying the Allis-Chalmers logo the range was still in production until the mid 1960s. Here then is a brief history of the two companies together with some rare and interesting pictures of their…

The Georgian engineer is remembered for pioneering the use of high pressure steam and producing the first rail steam locomotive, amongst many other achievements. That first year a parade was lead by dancers; local dignitaries were followed by David Solomon & Son’s 1919 Clayton & Shuttleworth compound traction engine No. 48279 Phoenix; those were the days. The event has grown considerably in the intervening years with many streets closed to allow for entertainment throughout the day and Basset Road is filled with steam engines. The highlight of the day is in the afternoon when the engines parade through the town, progressing slowly through the thronging crowds. Being an early event on the south west steam calendar it is eagerly anticipated by the steam fraternity. It’s the first opportunity to catch…