Past local Steam Engine and Vintage Vehicle Rallies.


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As it's that time of the year again and our local event is taking place this weekend at Aldham, just a few miles from here, I wondered whether any of you had memories of rallies in the past.

This is a gem of a programme that I found in the great loft clearance at mothers, it may be in Lincolnshire, but it's East Midlands and no doubt will appeal to Plantfitt.

Heres the front and back cover:-

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Some of the adverts are really fascinating:-

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Especially when combined with the traction engine pics:-

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Of course the real star of the show was 'Our Elsie':-

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We used to have a Wallis and Steevens 1922 Road Roller which we rescued from a field near Luton, where it had stood for many years, totally covered and hidden by weeds and bushes.  We had  to take the

All tractors are large these days, other than those used in yards or paddocks. It’s no longer economical to farm with smaller machines. The problem is when these gargantuans drive on the narrow countr

My little contribution to the vintage engine scene Before After   Petter   Rog

We went there from Nottingham with the Trolleybus Group in our preserved Barton double decker, I recall an altercation on the way back when we stopped off for a pee on the Fosse Way and left one of the kids behind, who was promptly rescued by the police, pre war double decker subsequently persude in high speed police chase along A47.

The really big rally in Nottinghamshire was at Rempstone, courtesy of the Beeby Brothers, heres a couple of my brothers pics from 1960:-

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Thats just a sample, I have many more if anyone is interested, including colour pics from Wollaton Park in the 70's.

Sorry, but trains, planes and such stuff hasn't featured for a few days, I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

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Now this is interesting stuff Pete, North Hykeham is about 6 miles from my place, a bit built up now so they hold the steam fair on the Lincs Showground, plenty of smaller fairs about though the best being Heckington just off the A17 near Sleaford if anyone interested, packed full of steam, vintage vehicles, tractors etc also plenty of livestock a good day out for everyone including those with camper vans as there is a good selection of locally brewed beers in the beer tents.

I will fish out some of my old pictures of the rallies and post them but be patient as the computers out here in the sticks are very slow

Rog

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I shall look forward to that Rog.

Our local rally is held in a most stunning place, it's on water meadows next to the River Colne, the land is actually used to grow cricket bat willows for Stuart Surridge, or it was. I don't know who actually came up with the idea of holding an event in such a place, it's totally unsuitable, but thats the beauty of it.

It's quite small and low key, but good fun and it coincides with a cyder festival at the adjacent East Anglian Railway Museum at Wakes Colne, so most entrants tend to have hangovers on the day.

What is amusing is that the beer tent is always situated next to the WW2 re-enactment mob, who like to fire off their 25 pounder field gun on the hour, you can be assured of dropping your pint when this happens.

Another odd thing, the beer is of course Greene King, but proper stuff, served out of an oak barrell tasting like it used to be, we tentatively gave it a chance and tried it the last time we went and it was fantastic, if they're doing the same thing this year, it will put me in a terrible dilema.

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Wollaton park steam rally about 1998, seen this showmans road loco at plenty of rally's even out here in Lincolnshire, it started life off as a road roller and Swinglers had it converted, alright a bit small for a showmans road loco but a good job non the less

Rog

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Thanks for that Rog, I gather that so-called showman engine conversions from rollers are not popular with the keen traction engine fraternity, but they're old and steamable, so what.

I haven't yet found my pics from that Hykeham Rally, but keeping on the theme, heres a few from Wollaton Park Rally in 1971, my Zenit E was in for repair and I took these with my dads Instamatic:-

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What I like about these events is the overpowering smell of coal smoke, the really keen enthusiasts who drive them covered with grime and oil, I'm lucky enough to have done it myself in the past, there's such an atmosphere of 'Old England' about these places and the people taking part are usually such lovely folk.

We have a big secret around here, there's an eccentric old farmer living in a derelict farmhouse, and I mean derelict, only a few miles from here. In one of his open farm shelters he has two original Fowler ploughing engines, they've been in the family for years and have never been seen publicly. I've managed to see them, they are fantastic, complete with nameplates and greased up to protect them, I'm sure that they are called Samson and Delilah, they look as if they were last used yesterday, but in reality, probably not for at least half a century.

I know that the traction engine fraternity know of their existance, but it's kept quiet as to where they are, I just worry that the pykie scum will find out and strip them of their nameplates and other non ferrous metals, thats what happened to Dibnahs gear. To go on an innocent walk and come across these magnificent beasts was an amazing experience, something you don't expect to come across in our times.

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Can't get enough of them old traction engine pictures, thanks for them Pete.

Try this one, American Case at the Lincolnshire steam fair a few years ago, a rare beast indeed

Rog

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Rural scene from our part of the world, last year at Bicker near Boston, live steam threshing in Dawsons yard, Dawson engineers still make traction engines and while I was there I had a look inside the workshop (open to the public) and he had three traction engines in there in various stages of the build, really interesting place, not sure though if he's opening to the public this year, I will try to find out

Rog

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Nice pics Planfitt

Do Dawsons build new engines from scratch or simply restore old ones.

I was hoping to get over to Aldham Rally today but the weather is so atrocious I would imagine that it's been abandoned. Being next to the river, the site is quite damp at the driest of times, we've been stuck in the mud there before, I can't imagine what it's like at the moment, we've had continuous heavy rain for the past 3 hours and it doesn't look like stopping, it's bloody freezing as well. Oddly enough, the sun always shines on Aldham, but not today, I feel sorry for all the exhibitors who've been polishing up their vintage vehicles and in particular the many stall holders, lets hope things improve over the next hour or so.

Meanwhile, a couple more pics from Wollaton Park 1971:-

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On these 'do's' we're always in the hands of the English weather...Terrible for the enthusiasts who mostly give their time for free,they can finish up with a ruined day.

But my thoughts go out to the traders, many who have paid high rents months in advance and seldom get anything back.....Been there ...got the T-shirt.

Cracking looking engines on here...Aint it a shame that we don't see more on TV?...Sport galore, but hardly any visits to the hundreds of shows countrywide,attended by tens of thousands.

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Dawson's engines are built from scratch, I have some pictures of the finished thing at home, I will post them tonight

Rog

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Poohbear

My brother lives in the old station at Denby near Ripley and there was a massive rally planned for the weekend on a farm just up the road from him. They wandered up there on saturday and it was pretty much a wash out, things were stuck in the mud, he said that two old Midland General buses turned up and had to turn round and go away because they couldn't even get on the site. He said that yesterday morning there was a stream of vehicles and steam engines leaving early and passing his house because they couldn't carry on. What a bloody shame.

He reckoned that the only place on the site doing business on saturday was the beer tent because it was the only dry spot on the field, sadly, they happened to be selling Greene Bloody King.

In the end, sadly I didn't go to our local event, although the rain eased off at lunchtime we were subjected to very heavy showers all afternoon, then later on, probably when people were packing up to leave, we got the torrential rain again, it must have been a nightmare.

Next weekend the in laws village are holding a huge village garage sale and fete, lets hope that things improve, at least we have a large marquee to put up in their front garden, but if the weather is bad, no one will turn up anyway.

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As promised, two of Dawson's road loco's, built in his workshop at Bicker near Boston Lincs, I should imagine they are probably 2/3rd full size but perfect in every way

Rog

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Oops I posted the wrong pics, these are the original engines from the early 1900s but they have been converted to look like road loco's

Rog

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Mini showmans engines more like, looking at the dynamos on the front, Fosters aren't they.

Never mind, they look nice.

Here's a few more from Rempstone, July 1961:-

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Does anyone remember a scrapyard on the left hand side of Mansfield Road just before you got to Red Hill, I recall it being full of old traction engines and steam rollers, as I recall still being cut up about the time these pictures were taken.

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  • 8 years later...

A couple of small showmans road loco's built by Dawsons of Bicker Lincolnshire, I posted these before but PB put paid to those pictures

 

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Rog

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Traction engine doing what it was built for,operating farm machinery,in this case a Foster threshing machine

 

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Rog

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Rog

 

The J Swingler road loco started off life as a road roller and was later converted to a small road loco

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And a couple for NBL

 

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Both took at the Heckington steam and country show a few years ago

 

Rog

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These steam and country shows aren't all about steam and old vehicles,theres plenty of attractions for everyone

 

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Rog

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I wonder how much shunting those tractions engines have to do before they get the belts to line up.

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