Vol 9: The mono Files Traction by Frankio

■ LAST DAYS AT LEISTON ■ THE LAST SHOWMAN’S AT WORK ■ CONVERSIONS IN THE 1930s RECALLING THE EARLY DAYS OF STEAM ON THE ROAD Traction SteamPloughingEnginesEnginesRollers Vol 9 : THE MONO FILES £8.99

ORDER ONLINE: shop.kelsey.co.uk/OG OR CALL: 01959 543747 (Lines open 8.30am-5.30pm Monday to Friday) *see website for overseas rates ALSO AVAILABLE BY POST IN THE OLD GLORY ARCHIVE SERIES AFLOAT Vol 7 : ON THE WATER £8.99 THEENDOF Vol5: THECOLOURFILES Mike Swift&R Mill £8.99 OG Colour Files 05 200x270.indd 1 Nick Baldwin Vol 6 £8.99 Nick Baldwin P t 2 Vol 8 £8.99 Ralliesinthe1950sand1960s The making of the famous ﬁlm THE IRON MAIDEN Vol1:COLOURFILES JohnCrawley £8.99 STEAMWAGONS Undertypes and Overtypes Allchin ★ Clayton ★ Foden ★ Garrett ★ Hindley ★ Mann ★ Sentinel ★ Straker ★ Tasker ★ Thornycroft ★ Yorkshire Vol2: THEMONOFILES JohnCrawley£8.99 OG Colour Files 02.indd 12/11/2020 09:11 TRACTION ENGINES INTROUBLE “ROLLUP, ROLL UP” FAIRS &FAIRGROUNDS ON THE ROAD WHEN FOWLER’S HAD A FIELD DAY TractionEngineRarities andOddities John Crawley Vol3: THEMONOFILES £8.99 OG Colour Files 03 200x270.indd 1 12/02/2021 15:41 £8.99 each inc p&p UK only*

A er John died, another of our regular correspondents, Mike Dyson, who had already produced the popular ‘Road Test’ articles, where he was invited to drive other people’s engines, kindly oﬀered to ﬁll the gap le by John by running a series of archive features for the magazine drawn from his own collection.

Editor Fysons of Soham 4 London Haulage Contractors 8 Tasker Steam Wagons 12 Conversions in the 1930s 16 Savage Traction Engines 20 Wallis & Steevens Road Engines 24 Wallis & Steevens Steam Tractors 28 Wallis & Steevens Advance Rollers 32 Bernard Fielding Showman’s 36 e Last Days at Leiston 40 Single Cylinder Ploughing Engines 44 Merseyside Showman’s Engines 48 McLarens of Leeds 52 Burrell Single Crank Compounds 56 Showman’s built in 1920 60 Fowells of St. Ives 64 e Last Showman’s at Work 68 Tasker ‘Little Giants’ 72 Round Timber Haulage 76 Late Design Aveling Rollers 80 Lancashire Showman’s Engines 84 Showman’s Engines Li ing 88 John Crawley’s Traction Engines 92 Rollers with Scariﬁers 96 3 OLD GLORY ARCHIVE

We were also fortunate that during that time our Senior Correspondent and eminent early steam preservationist John Crawley provided a host of features drawn from his own incredible photo archive. e auction of material a er his passing also enabled the magazine to purchase several volumes of photographs from engine manufacturers that were ‘thin on the ground’ in our own archive.

Mike owns a Garrett tractor and invited me aboard at an Old Warden rally –steering between trees and picnicking families certainly concentrated the mind! is volume is therefore a tribute to Mike’s eﬀorts, before we return once again to our own archive and that of John Crawley’s. I hope you enjoy the issue. Tyson Series

Welcome to Old Glory Archive Volume 9 Front Cover: Various images from the Old Glory Archive. Series Editor: Colin Tyson Designer: Anita Waters, Publishing Works Managing Director: Phil Weeden Publisher: Paul Appleton Advertisement Sales: Sue Fixter, Publishing Works Tel: 01507 sue@publishing-works.com499081 Published by: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, e Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL. Telephone 01959 541444, Fax 01959 541400, www.kelsey.co.uk The archive of photographic images lodged with Old Glory magazine built up considerably over the three decades between 1990 and 2020 and it was always a pleasure to help enginemen by locating images of their engines from their commercial past. Contents Distributed by: Marketforce (UK) Ltd., 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Tel: 020 3787 9001 Printed by: Pensord, Blackwood, South Wales © Kelsey Media 2022 all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. e views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Media accepts no liability for products and services oﬀered by third parties. ISBN: 26347458 First Published August 2022

Colin

A TRACTION ENGINE BUILDER

The first traction engine built was T1, seen here with Charles Fyson standing on a stepladder holding his son.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 4 THE MONO FILES

FENLAND

Cambridgeshire millwrights and general engineers C J R Fyson & Son of the Mount Works, Soham built just 17 traction engines between 1894 and 1924 and sadly none have survived into preservation, says Mike Dyson R ichard Fyson the founder of the business, started as a millwright repairing and later building windmills and wind-pumps. As windpumps were quickly becoming obsolete and being replaced by steam engines, so Fysons moved with the times and became involved in the installation and maintenance of steam pumps – so essential for keeping the Fenland free from ﬂoods. At the same time, he became an agent for several agricultural machinery manufacturers. In 1891 a portable engine was completed with varying reports as to its size but probably an 8nhp. e boiler was hand rivetted, but the cylinder came from a scrapped engine. It was used by a local farmer for threshing and it was last heard of driving a stone crusher in the 1920s. Encouraged by the success of the portable and the increasing demand for engine repairs, it was decided to enlarge the premises to include a foundry. Most of the engines when completed were used by Fysons in their own contract threshing business, some hired out and some later sold. Eventually buyers would be

C J R Fyson of The Mount Works, Soham

found but they were all in the immediate area with one engine escaping over the border into Norfolk and another into Suffolk.In1894 the first traction engine, T1, was completed. is was remarkably like a Burrell with a three-sha layout and two speeds with the gears outside the hornplate. e boiler, cylinder casting and motion were supplied by Burrells. Although the boiler for the portable had been built by Fysons, they were not confident they could provide one that would stand the stresses of a traction engine. e cranksha , countersha and back axle were provided by Robeys with the gears coming from Fowells. e rest of the engine including the wheels and tender were made by Fysons. e arrangement of buying in all the major components continued with the later engines. Most of the boilers came from Dodman of Kings Lynn with some from the Grantham Boiler & Crank Co. Cylinders were supplied by Burrells with gears usually sourced from Fowells of St Ives. Clarke’s Crank & Forge Co of Lincoln supplied a number of cranksha s. No T1 was used by Fysons in their own threshing business and was later sold to Summerlees of nearby Littleport – probably during WW1 where it was worked until the business closed in 1947. It was sold at auction complete with thrashing tackle to a local scrap merchant and cut up. T2 followed the next year and like all their engines was to be an 8nhp, 3-sha single cylinder engine. As they were designed to work in the fens, brakes were considered unnecessary but when parking it was essential to remember to chock the wheels. A pump was fitted but an injector was thought to be an unnecessary expense. e engine was used by Fysons and then annually hired out for the threshing season to Josiah Aves, a miller at nearby Isleham. At the end of the season, usually June, it would be back at Soham for an overhaul. It was later sold to Lewis Pate of Little Downham, eight miles north of Soham. In 1922 it was sold back at Fysons who then fitted a new firebox and used it in their own threshing business until it sold in 1926 to J W Brooks of Little Downham where it worked until 1945 when it was scrapped. Eight miles to the west of Soham at T2 in the ownership of Fysons setting out at the beginning of the threshing season under hire to J Aves. The engine appears to have received a fresh coat of paint.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE5

HUGH DYSON COLLECTION

Note the curved ﬂywheel spokes of T3 that were a feature of the early Fyson engines. It would be easy to mistake the layout of the motion for a Burrell. This 1940 photograph shows T4 positioning the threshing machine alongside a corn stack in readiness for a day’s threshing. HUGH DYSON COLLECTION

Fysons used T9 for over 35 years. The poor quality photograph shows ten men at work.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 6 THE MONO FILES

HUGH DYSON COLLECTION Haddenham, William Burkitt ran his threshing business using a portable engine. Both he and Charles Fyson were friends and members of the Baptist church. In 1898 T3 replaced the portable and many years later it passed into the ownership of William’s son, Percy Burkitt. When the business closed in 1939 T3 was purchased by Frederick Peacock & Sons of Haddenham and continued in work but was out of use by the early 1950s, then sold for scrap in 1953. Fysons were usually busy on general engineering work but when times were slack progress could be made on building an engine. is ensured the skilled workforce would not be laid off when there was little regular work. In 1900 a er a gap of two years T4 was finished and put to work. Some years later it was sold to the Summerlee brothers at Littleport joining T1. It was probably out of use by the end of WW2 and sold for scrap. T5 was finished in 1901, T6 in 1905, T7 in 1905 and T8 in 1907. Two engines were to be used by Fysons and there were customers for the other two. eir design was in many ways a hybrid of a Burrell and a Fowler. One conspicuous difference was the rear wheel spokes which were not rivetted to the rim but held in place by three taper bolts. It is claimed in the 1960s by one member of the Fyson family that they never had any problems with loose spokes! In 1908 T9 was completed and was hired out to Josiah Aves to replace T2. is was the first engine to be fitted with Pickering governors. It remained with Fysons until the end of the war and then scrapped. It was another two years before T10 was finished. From 1910 to 1944 it worked for Fysons until it was sold by auction in July 1944. e catalogue described it as “Boiler fully insured and recently inspected”. e accompanying equipment included a Clayton threshing machine and a Fyson built elevator. omas Read & Son bought the engine for use on their farm at March. It was out of use a er the war and then scrapped. e only compound engine to be built was T11 which was constructed from the remains of Fowler No 11276. is was a class B6 which was built in 1908 and whilst en route to its new owners it was lost at sea. e remains consisting of the boiler and top works which were salvaged and purchased by Fysons. e rebuilding was finished in 1911 and used by Fysons. For some unknown reason it was not a popular engine with its drivers. Later, it was sold to Baldocks of Haverhill and soon returned to Soham. It was out of use in the yard but was not included in the 1944 auction and was later scrapped. By 1914 T14 was under construction and later exhibited at the local Ely County Show presumably with the intention of finding a buyer. However, the engine was put to work in the firm’s own fleet of threshing engines and continued in use until 1948 when it was sold to Peacocks of Haddenham. It is possible this was used to replace T3 which required a new firebox. By the early 1950s it was out of use and in 1954 sold for scrap. In 1915 another boiler arrived from Dodmans and work started on the construction of T15 which was completed the following year. It was used by Fysons but by 1945 a crack had developed in the firebox and thought too expensive to repair. It was purchased by Peacocks of Haddenham as a source of spare parts for their other Fyson engines. It was finally scrapped in 1953. e boiler for T16 was completed by Dodmans in June 1921 and ready for an

The annual Soham Baptist Church Sunday School outing on its six-mile trip around the area hauled by T10. The engine is displaying its new registration number – CE 7801 which was issued in 1921 so by this time the engine will have been at least 10 years old.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE7

T15 threshing at Wicken with perhaps the farmer’s wife standing on the footplate. She is certainly not dressed for work! HUGH DYSON COLLECTION

The rather poor-quality photograph of T17 shows it on the belt but with no sign of a driver! Notice this engine, like other later engines, has the usual straight spokes for the ﬂywheel. HUGH DYSON COLLECTION

Almost certainly, the only part of a Fyson engine to survive is this nameplate. hydraulic inspection by Fysons. Work on this engine did not start immediately as it took some time to order the many components. By September John Browns of Sheffield were supplying the T-rings and spokes for the wheels. Clarke’s of Lincoln were not able to have “the axle forging and single bent cranksha ” ready until the end of the year and Penney & Porter also of Lincoln did not have the gears ready until early December. e engine was finally finished in April 1922 and joined the firm’s own fleet. At the 1944 auction, T16 was described as “Boiler fully insured and recently inspected” and sold to Arthur Goodman of Ramsey. It was still in use in 1950 and later scrapped. e final engine built at Soham was T17 which emerged in 1924 and joined the fleet of Fyson’s threshing engines which did include Burrells, Fowlers, a Garrett, and an Allchin. However, T17 was not included in their 1944 auction and is believed to have finished work in 1951. supply almost everything to the local farming community. No job was too small –even a couple of hen coups were supplied to a customer. e vast amount of paperwork generated before the introduction of the telephone is unbelievable. Letters, postcards and telegrams arrived each day in large numbers. Keeping control of finances must have been a nightmare with many farmers for months on end and then o en only paying off part of their debt. It was vitally important that Fyson representatives were at Ely’s ursday market to meet farmers and remind them how much money they owed.Post war, Fyson continued as general and agricultural engineers eventually specialising in the building of elevators for agriculture and the bulk loading and unloading of ships. In 1991 the business finally closed and the works were demolished. e site is now a housing estate but a little further down the street is the house that was lived in by Charles Fyson and his family. Fysons could never be regarded as traction engine builders. eir engines, although well made, appeared on the market too late to compete with the established manufacturers. With major components being supplied by established builders, I am sure there was an understanding that if they sold their engines, they would not try to sell them cheaper. Only five of the 17 engines were sold directly to customers. I am indebted to the late Tony Brown and his father Reg for giving me copies of their research into Fysons. Without their timely intervention many of the records of this small company would not have survived. Currently a 4in scale model of a Fyson engine is being built but I am assured this is a long-term project and will not be completed for some time. ■

Although only a small business when compared with other traction builders, they employed a large number of people. In addition to the repair of farm machinery, they were agents for Clayton & Shuttleworth selling a number of their threshing machines and also agents for Ruston & Hornsby oil engines. ey could

T14 parked in Peacock’s yard at Haddenham. The ashpan lays underneath the engine and the smokebox door is open. Note the Cambridgeshire licence plate No 278 attached to the hornplate.

A big load for Ward’s Garrett tractor No 3270 which is ﬁtted with wood-block wheels. The economy boiler weighs around 25 tons!

There were a number of steam haulage contractors in and around London capable of moving large loads such as boilers and transformers around the capital, says Mike Dyson Names such as Rudd, Hickey, Coulson and Ward worked around the city demonstrating their skills and expertise in managing large engines and sometimes not such

SOME LONDON HAULAGE CONTRACTORS

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 8 THE MONO FILES

LEFT: Burrell No 2701 Black Prince is fitted with rubber tyres and has electric lighting supplied by a steam turbo-alternator mounted on its nearside belly tank. A view of Hickey’s yard in 1920 showing Burrell No 3829 His Majesty when fitted with a swan-necked jib which was later replaced with a straight jib.

ADAM BROWN COLLECTION

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE9

In 1914 Hickeys purchased a secondhand Burrell engine. is was 8nhp No 2701 named Black Prince which had been supplied to timber merchant James Harris of Hook Norton, Oxfordshire. A er an overhaul it was to put to work and in the 1920s the engine was ﬁtted with rubber tyres and new wheels supplied by Burrells. In the early 1930s it was sold to Fred Gray, the well-known showman based at Hampstead in North London. e engine was converted to fairground use and a er the war was sold for scrap but not cut up. In 1962 it was rescued by Alan Bloom, the founder of Bressingham Steam Museum and is now preserved in Scotland.In1919 Hickeys purchased another second-hand Burrell No 3489. is was a 6nhp road engine built in 1913 for Ponsford of Topsham, Devon. It had an overhaul and was named City of London In October 1923 new wheels complete with endless rubber tyres were supplied

RIGHT: Hickey’s Burrell No 3489 City of London is returning to Richmond with a boiler weighing around 15 tons. The engine was photographed before 1923 as it still on steel wheels. Note the large acetylene generator mounted on the belly tank and the three acetylene lamps on the front. large engines with heavy loads. Perhaps the best-known London haulage contractors were Hickeys who were based in Richmond, Surrey. ey were established in 1881 as boiler repairers. ey soon became boiler makers and machinery dealers and were involved in the haulage of machinery using teams of horses which later gave way to steam power. eir ﬁrst large haulage engine was a Clayton & Shuttleworth compound road engine named Goliath of which little is known.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 10 THE MONO FILES

Again the same long beam with Fowler No 14861 moved to the front. Note the steel strakes on the rear wheels and rubber tyres on the front. Crossing one of the London bridges with a heavy load is Garrett tractor No 33380 owned by Coulsons.

Two policeman are required to assist in the haulage of this very long beam. Coulson’s Fowler No 9904 heads up the road train with Fowler No 14861 at the rear. by Burrells and fitted to the engine. e engine was regularly used for the haulage of boilers and other loads, ranging from barges to ship’s propellers. By 1931 steam haulage was no longer economic and the engine was put up for sale but did not find a buyer until 1935. e new owner was Dagenham showman Swales Bolesworth who converted it to a showman’s engine. Two years later it was sold to Teddy Andrews of Tunbridge Wells who renamed it George VI and it retired from the fairgrounds in 1948. It is now preserved in Oxfordshire. A useful engine for a boiler maker is a crane engine. Hickeys purchased Burrell 6nhp crane engine No 3829 from Hoopers of Liskeard, Cornwall, which had been delivered in March, 1920 and named Mount McKay F W C. a er a Canadian mountain. By October of that year it had been purchased by Hickeys, complete with its swan-necked jib. e engine was lettered with Hickey’s name and the engine renamed His Majesty. It was not long before the jib was found to be unsatisfactory and it was replaced with a straight jib. Unlike the other engines it continued to be in use a er the other steam engines had been sold. It continued in use until 1950 and was later restored by the firm. It is now preserved in West Sussex.

Another haulage contractor operating in the London area were Coulsons based at Park Royal in West London. ey had started in business near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, specialising in the haulage of gravel pit barges. By 1925 they had relocated to London moving and erecting heavy machinery. One of their biggest contracts was moving two 75-ton transformers to a hydro-electric power station in Scotland from the local railway station. ere were no proper roads across the open moorland and it took three weeks to cover just twelve miles!

Coulsons purchased Fowler class R3 No 14861 in 1925. It had been built for the War Dept in 1917 and was bought in 1920 by Edgar G Edgar. For some unknown reason the engine was repossessed by the War Dept in 1923 and two years later was with Coulsons. e business was taken over by Pickfords in 1941 and the Fowler went out of use.

omas Ward of Silvertown in the east end of the capital were machinery merchants specialising in the supply and erection of boilers. eir main business had been established in Sheffield in 1877 as coal, coke and iron merchants later moving in to the scrap metal business. ey did not have any big road locos but a small fleet of overworked Garrett tractors.Garrett 4CD tractor No 32740 was purchased in 1915 and was fitted with Bauly Tangent wheels which had a composite wood and rubber tread, noted for their quiet running and nonslip properties. By the 1930s Ward’s Silvertown operation was concentrating more and more on scrap metal with less work for the tractor and in 1937 it was scrapped.Forashort time between the two world wars steam was the ideal method for the haulage of large loads –particularly heavy bulky items such as boilers and transformers. By the 1930s steam was slowly giving way to the likes of Scammell and Albion and a er the war steam was no longer being used for heavy haulage.

In 1933 Rudds had the contract to move a 120-ton transformer from Hackbridge near Croydon to the new Barking Power Station in Essex. To help with the work Hickeys assisted with their Burrells No 3489 City of London and No 3829 His Majesty. e load was too heavy to travel over any of the ames bridges. It was unloaded at Rotherhithe and li ed onto a barge with a 200-ton ﬂoating crane. e barge with the transformer was then taken across to the north side of the ames where it was re-loaded on to its trailer for the ﬁnal stage of the journey.

Part of a crane is being hauled through Ipswich by Rudd’s Fowler No 14921. Although fleet No 147, this was the only large engine operated by Rudds. In 1946 it was sold to Allan Knight of Huddersﬁeld and scrapped. Another big engine owned by Coulsons was Fowler class B5 No 9904 which was supplied to E.W Wright of Alton in 1904. Although an old engine, it was purchased in 1929 for the Scottish contract and was used throughout the 1930s. In 1943 it was purchased by Samuel White of Owlesbury, Hampshire, for use as a threshing engine and then sold to a Norfolk nursery for soil sterilisation. It is now preserved in Yorkshire.Inaddition to the Fowlers, Coulsons owned a number of steam wagons and steam tractors. Garrett 4CD tractor No 33380 was part of a large order by the Ministry of Munitions which le Leiston in 1918. A er the war it was purchased by Coulsons initially working in Lincolnshire and later in London. By 1945 it was in the ownership of Hickeys who appear to have had little use for the tractor. It was sold in 1953 for preservation and has now been converted to a showman’s tractor. e Rudd haulage business was started in 1889 with premises in Westminster. It was not long before they made the move to Bow where they were near engineering works, shipbuilders and the docks. Edward Rudd was a great friend of Frank Garrett and it is not surprising he owned a number of Garrett wagons but he was also an agent for Couthard and Sentinel.

■ OLD GLORY ARCHIVE11

In 1921 Rudds wanted a large engine and purchased Fowler class TE2 No 14921 which had been built for the War Dept in 1917. It was converted to a crane engine and used frequently for delivering boilers to the docks. It had little use a er the war and in 1950 went to Goodmans of Tottenham to be scrapped.

TASKERWAGONSSTEAM

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 12 THE MONO FILES

Between 1910 and 1924 Taskers of Andover produced 121 wagons with the majority being 5-tonners, says Mike Dyson From the early 1900s Taskers developed their ‘Little Giant’ steam tractors which became one of the most successful on the market. e tractor formed the basis for a 5-ton wagon overtype wagon with the first one completed in 1910 in time to be exhibited at the Gloucester Royal Show. However a er the First World War the Tasker wagon design was somewhat dated and sales declined rapidly. e business went into decline and in 1932 the company was saved when it was reorganised as a builder of trailers for commercial vehicles. In 1938 the Air Ministry required a recovery trailer to carry an entire fighter aircra . On receipt of the tender it took just 10 days for Taskers to not only produce a written and costed proposal, but they also built a prototype trailer. Could a British company respond in a similar way today? Like the steam tractors, much of the design work of the steam wagon was The wagon supplied to Southend-on-Sea Corporation No 1430 was fitted with a firehole door on the side of the boiler, similar to those of Mann wagons.

TEAM ARCHIVE

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took delivery of No 1722 in 1917 and it last worked for Arthur T Booth (Manchester) Ltd in the early 1930s. PETER LOVE COLLECTION carried out by George Hoare. It was a typical overtype wagon with a Belpaire boiler and like those fitted to the B2 tractors. However, the boiler was shorter and of greater diameter, so it had a greater heating surface. Some of the boilers had the firehole door at the side, similar to the Mann wagons but this feature was discontinued a er 1911 apart from one built in 1922. However, this may have fallen foul of Mann’s patent. e boiler was fitted with 48 1½in tubes and operated at 200psi. It was usual to fit two injectors but a pump could be supplied. e compound engine had cylinders of 4½in and 6½in with a 7in stroke for the 5-tonners but the bore and steam pressure were increased for the four larger wagons that were built. e engine had valves operated by Stephenson link motion but utilised a proper double high system so that high pressure steam could be admitted simultaneously into both cylinders. Like the tractors, the wagons had fast-revving engines and was claimed to produce almost 30bhp at 340rpm.

The tipping gear fitted to No 1454 was manually operated although some of the later wagons were fitted with an arrangement driven off the flywheel. Notice the absence of the flywheel at the end of the

crankshaft.Wort&Way

Experiments were conducted to do away with a single flywheel and use four small 15in flywheels instead in an attempt to have a better-balanced engine. However few wagons were produced with this arrangement as it was a lot cheaper to fit a single flywheel. Most wagons had twospeeds but if solid rubber tyres were fitted a third speed was an optional extra. e Commercial Motor was impressed with the differential locking gear which could be operated from the footplate but this was only available as an optional extra. Chain steering was used apart from two which had Ackerman steering. e first wagon to be completed was No 1418 which was dispatched in February 1910. e fourth wagon No 1430 le the works in July 1910 and was described as a “steam watering van” – used for spraying water on dusty roads. To achieve a shorter wheelbase, the wagon was fitted with a side-fired boiler. It was thought the fireman’s perch was rather dangerous and later wagons beginning with No

Perhaps the beer drinkers around Bishop’s Waltham had immense thirsts so that a small brewery would require a steam wagon such as No 1616 to make regular deliveries to its 11 pubs. By this time the design had reverted to a standard flywheel. 1475 had the firehole door fitted in the normal position so the fireman could have a safer seat beside the driver. No 1418 was supplied to Southend-on-Sea Corporation which used it up until 1930 by which time most roads had been tarmacked and the wagon was no longer required for spraying dusty roads. It was later sold for scrap.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 14 THE MONO FILES

In 1911 the Enderby & Stony Stanton Granite Co Ltd, south-west of Leicester, took delivery of two wagons. Both Nos 1554 and 1455 were tippers and the shorter wheelbase for the tipping gear was achieved by again using a firehole door on the side of the boiler. Wagons working in quarries would have been hard work with excessive strains and wear on all the components. Both wagons were used until 1929 when they were sold for scrap. No 1616 was a more orthodox design with a single flywheel. e 3-ton wagon was supplied in 1914 to Edwards’ Brewery of Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire, to supply its 11 pubs. In 1923 the Winchester Brewery purchased the business and no doubt cost saving and rationalisation was the order of the day with the wagon scrapped the following year. H & G Dutfield, the heavy haulage contractors of Smithfield purchased five Foden wagons in 1914 and 1915 but at the end of 1915 purchased two 5-ton wagons from Taskers, Nos 1678 and 1681. Taskers did not receive any further orders from Dutfields who went on to purchase 26 Sentinels and a further six Fodens. No 1678 was sold in 1921 to Charles Walker of Canning Town and by 1923 was with J.A King of Hayes, Middlesex, and was eventually scrapped. Tasker’s best customer for steam wagons was the public works contractors Wort & Way of Salisbury who purchased a total of twelve wagons. e first was ordered in 1915 but in 1920 eight were delivered. In 1923 the business together with the fleet of around 50 steam wagons was taken over by Hodgson Road Contractors Ltd of Manchester. roughout the 1920s many of the wagons were sold but the Tasker wagons continued in use. ere were further changes in 1930 when the business became Arthur T Booth (Manchester) Ltd. It was not long before all the steam wagons were scrapped. e Hampshire millers, J.H Bradfield &

No 1678 might have been the first of a large number of wagons supplied to Dutfields but instead they chose to purchase Sentinels in large numbers.

Son of Stockbridge owned a Tasker Little Giant tractor and two Foden wagons. In 1918 they added to their ﬂeet with the purchase of Tasker 5-ton wagon No 1749. e Fodens were scrapped by the late 1920s but the Tasker continued to work into the 1930s. In 1934 the wagon was sold to the Chichester showman, James Cole who also operated a scrap metal business.Forfarshire

The ﬁrst of the Forfarshire wagons No 1849 was based at Dundee. The chain drive to the tipping gear can be seen below the motion cover.

County Council purchased two 5-ton tippers in 1921 (Nos 1849 and 1850) to add to their fleet of four Tasker Little Giant tractors. e following year a further order followed for another two 5-ton tippers (Nos 1908 and 1922). All four wagons continued in use until 1932 when they were sold for scrap. When Taskers launched their wagon in 1910 it was similar to many others on the market. e use of the four small flywheels and the placing of the firehole door at the side of the boiler were good features but they were soon discontinued in an attempt to make the wagon cheaper and more competitively priced. ey had a reputation as good steamers and were frequently overloaded without causing any problems. e war years limited the scope for improvements to the design but a er the war this was vitally important. By this stage other manufacturers had updated their designs and overtypes built by Sentinel, Garrett and Yorkshire were setting new standards in speed and efficiency. Taskers were a small company and did not have the capital to invest in new models.

Although built in wartime, there is little sign that No 1749 was painted with economy in mind.

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LEFT: Mrs Symonds’ Burrell No 3979 Earl Haig was photographed at one of the London fairs. Notice the canopy stays have not been fitted with twisted brass.

ABOVE RIGHT: Burrell No 3836 Starlight at Wormwood Scrubs Easter Fair in 1939. After dark it was generating for the Dodgems although it says ‘Light’ning Skid’ on the canopy.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 16 THE MONO FILES

CONVERSIONSINTHE1930s

ABOVE: To supply power to even a small Ark a 6nhp engine such as Burrell No 3489 King George VI has to be worked hard.

RIGHT: Heal’s engines and rides were always well turned-out and Burrell No 3980 Her Majesty was no exception. The ‘Broadcast Show’ may refer to a radio broadcast from Heal’s fairground.

The conversion of traction engines is not a modern phenomenon. In commercial days it was not unusual to convert an engine for a diﬀerent purpose if it was ﬁnancially worthwhile, says Mike Dyson

A er the First World War there was a great increase in road traffic. Large numbers of internal combustion engine lorries became available at war surplus sales. Petrol lorries were ideal for light haulage but the heavier work was more suited to steam. e cost of haulage by road became so much cheaper than sending it by rail. e railway companies argued this competition was unfair. In 1900 the annual cost of roads was £12 million but by 1932 the cost had risen to £61 million. e cost was in effect paid for by taxpayers. e cost of maintaining the railway network was £64 million, paid for by the railway companies. e Salter Report dated July 29, 1932, proposed that mechanically propelled vehicles should contribute the whole of the £61 million with £23½ million coming from commercial road vehicles and £36½ million from other road users. What made matters worse for steam operators was the Report noted that there was a duty of 8d duty on a gallon of petrol but there was no duty to be paid on coal, so there was therefore a hidden subsidy for steam vehicles. e vehicle licence fee was the same for all types of vehicle and this was thought to be unfair as heavy vehicles did more damage to the roads. e Report recommended the licence duty for commercial vehicles should to be based on weight and the findings of the Report formed the basis of an Act of Parliament - ‘ e Road and Rail Act 1933’. However, agricultural engines and showmen’s engines were treated less severely and were not subjected to the same increases in duty. e effects of the changes in legislation are well known with steam wagons some almost new being withdrawn from service as the cost of taxation made them uneconomic to operate. Road locos fared little better especially as solid rubber tyres attracted additional costs to the vehicle duty.

Showmen realised that good road locos could be purchased very cheaply and once converted with the addition of a dynamo were ideal for hauling and generating for their rides. A converted Burrell engine was a good economic proposition when compared with an Armstrong-Saurer ‘oiler’ which were available a er 1930. ese were hard times as the country was going through a terrible economic depression with large numbers of people unemployed. e fairground business was obviously affected as people without jobs were not going to have any spare cash to spend at a fair. Many of the conversions were therefore carried out by the showmen themselves utilising old equipment where possible such as the dynamo bracket, dynamo, canopy and supports. Many of these conversions replaced existing engines which needed major repairs. Buying a cheap road loco was preferable to paying to have a new firebox fitted to an existing engine. Burrell No 3489 is an unusual looking 6nhp engine as it was supplied with the usual 6 6in rear wheels but had smaller 4 1½in ones on the front. It was built in 1913 for Ponsfords of Topsham, Devon, but by 1921 was with Hickeys, the well-known London boilermakers. It was named City of London and in 1923 it had replacement wheels of the same size supplied by Burrells and was fitted with solid rubber tyres. It was converted in 1935 for Swales Bolesworth of Dagenham for use with his new Lakin Ben Hur Speedway. Two years later it was sold to Teddy Andrews of Tunbridge Wells who renamed it King George VI in honour of the new king. e engine went to work with an Orton & Spooner Ark known as the ‘Jungle riller’ which is now owned by the Carter family. King George VI was retired in 1948 and soon a erwards purchased for preservation and has now been owned by the Wharton family for over 70 years.

Noah Judd of Chackmore in Buckinghamshire took delivery in 1920 of a Burrell 6nhp road loco No 3836 which was named Starlight. e engine was used for timber haulage, passing to new

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OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 18 THE MONO FILES

Many of the engines converted in the 1930s spent only a short time on the fairgrounds. Fowler No 13468 Queen Mary was only used for three seasons. owners in 1923 and was finally used by Gloucestershire timber haulier Charles Butler of Blockley. He had two Burrell road engines for sale. In 1934 Bob Edwards the well-known Swindon showman bought both engines selling No 2759 to showman H Jones of St Blazey, Cornwall. Starlight was immediately put to work hauling the Dodgem loads. It was later converted to full showman’s specifications and the canopy lettered ‘Light’ning Skid’ in anticipation of buying a Skid. However, the ride was not purchased. Starlight was the last steamer to be used by the firm. It remained in use up to 1939 when it was retained as back-up for the diesels which by now had replaced the otherEdwardsteamers.Symonds used a Burrell showman’s tractor and a er his death his widow, Flo, carried on the business with her sons. She sold the tractor and in 1937 purchased Burrell 6nhp road engine No 3979 from Taylors of Midsomer Norton, Somerset. is had been new in 1924 and had been worked hard on timber haulage. Over the winter of 1937 the family carried out the conversion and named the engine Earl Haig. It was then put to work with Burrell No 3833 Queen Mary with their Lakin Ark which they had purchased new in 1934. e ride called ‘ e Jungle Speedway’ was jointly owned with Mrs Symonds brother-in-law, James Cook. e engine was only used for four seasons and in 1943 sold to Darby’s of Sutton in the Isle of Ely to be used for driving a thrashing machine. It was dismantled and remained derelict in the open for more than 20 years when it was purchased for preservation by the late Stan Burgess. Haulage out of the Bath & Portland Stone Firms Ltd quarries was exacting work and required large engines. e headstones for all the war cemeteries across France and Belgium were supplied by these quarries. Burrell 8nhp No 3980 was delivered in 1924. A er eight years it must have done some hard work hauling blocks of stone but was purchased by the famous West Country showman Charles Heal to replace Fowler No 9383. e engine was overhauled, converted and repainted and named Her Majesty. e engine was used with a Swirl. In 1941 the engine was sold to Mrs Amy Lock of Plymouth for use with a Noah’s Ark and the following year both ride and engine were sold to William

By 1941 Burrell No 4042 Robin Hood was looking a little tired. The canopy reads ‘Robinson’s Tower Speedway’ – an unusual description for an Ark

Another engine that entered showland service a er working in the Portland quarries was Fowler class R3 road engine No 15319 which was supplied to the War Dept in 1918. It had two commercial owners in Newbury and by 1921 was hauling stone out of the quarries for Frederick Barnes of Easton, Dorset, and named Nellie. By 1936 the engine was out of use and it is claimed the showman, Richard Townsend of Weymouth, purchased the engine plus another for just £25. e engine was converted and named Queen Mary which seems to have been a popular name at that time. Later the brass fittings were chrome plated but this was soon changed back to plain brass! At first the engine worked a set of Gallopers and later with a Lakin Ark. By 1948 Queen Mary was retired and was purchased in 1950 for Twentypreservation.McLarenroad engines were converted for use by showmen. In 1923 McLarens exhibited 8nhp road engine No 1716 at the Newcastle Royal Show. It was purchased by Stubleys of Batley, Yorkshire, for the transportation of goods in connection with their woollen mill. By 1933 it had been bought by Christopher ompson of Keighley to replace 6nhp Aveling road engine No 8336. e McLaren was converted for fairground use possibly using parts from the Aveling. e engine was now named H.R.H Christina Rose but this was soon changed to Miracle. By 1942 it was no longer working on the Yorkshire fairgrounds but was being used for heavy haulage by Bentleys of Bradford. ree years later it was with Allan Knight of Huddersfield who sold it on to Tom Harniess, the Doncaster showman. However, it was scrapped soon a erwards. e 1930s was the last decade of steam on the fairgrounds. Diesel generating sets such as the Fowler-Sanders were more convenient, with no waiting time for raising steam or the need for an engine driver in constant attendance. With the end of the war in 1945 and the availability of large heavy diesel ex-military tractors that were cheap to buy, it was the end of steam. A few traditionalists hung on to their steam engines but they were soon set aside with the march of progress. ■

Townsend’s Fowler No 15319 Queen Mary is well-polished and looking very smart. Note the size of the dynamo.Forsucha large engine, McLaren No 1716 Miracle appears to have very small wheels.

Another engine purchased from the Bath & Portland Stone Firms Ltd was Burrell 8nhp No 4042. It was purchased new in 1926 and worked on stone haulage for ten years when it was sold to Ernest Robinson of Barnsley. He converted the engine and named it Robin Hood. e family had purchased a Lakin Noah’s Ark and this was their first traction engine. A er the war Robin Hood laid out of use until purchased by the Sheffield Model Engineering Society and later scrapped. In 1914 Fowler class R3 road engine No 13468 was delivered to Kent Haulage at Hoo Street, Weyburgh. ey named the engine My Lady of Kent. A er the war it was sold and a er another three owners was purchased at auction by showman George Rogers of Chipping Sodbury in 1932. It had little use and was sold again in 1936 to Bristol showman, Sam Smart. e engine was now converted with the addition of a full-length canopy and a dynamo unlike their other Fowler road engine No 12702 which was acquired in 1938 and never fitted with a dynamo. No 13468 was named Queen Mary but by 1939 it was all change again as the engine was sold to W.E Chivers for road haulage and later in the war was scrapped.

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Armstrong of Long Eaton, Derbyshire. Her Majesty was out of use at the end of the 1945 season and was later scrapped.

Samuel Wright, the owner of the chain drive engine, is standing on the footplate. The mounting on the crankshaft next to the chimney was to give sufficient space for the chain drive to the second shaft and rear wheels.

SAVAGE TRACTION ENGINES

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 20 THE MONO FILES

Towards the end of the 19th century there were a number of builders such as Dodman, Tuxford and Holmes who built a few traction engines and then quietly disappeared. However, Savages did fare be er as they gradually concentrated on producing fairground rides, writes Mike Dyson

Savage’s are best known for the many sets of Gallopers that have survived into preservation. However, Frederick Savage started his business manufacturing agricultural machinery in King’s Lynn in1853. Repair work dominated the order books a er the Second World War and the company finally closed in 1973. e business started as a small workshop repairing and making simple farm tools. It was not long before small steam engines were built, with many being supplied for marine purposes. By the end of the 1850s the first portable engines were being built which were soon followed by traction engines. As the popularity of Savage’s products increased, larger premises were needed and in 1873 a large site was acquired whereupon the St Nicholas Ironworks was built, complete with its own foundry.Typical of the early period of traction engine development, the drive from the cranksha to the rear wheels was via a chain. Various refinements were made to the design but the biggest improvement was the adoption of all gear transmission. By the 1870s two distinct types of traction engine were being produced: the ‘Agriculturist’ and the ‘Sandringham’. e ‘Agriculturist’ could be used as a ploughing engine using the annular space around each of the rear wheels as a winding drum and as a general purpose traction engine. e rear of the engine had to be jacked up so the winding drums could operate using a system of anchors and a plough. It continued in production until 1884. Other attempts at cultivation equipment were the Darby Digger but the successes of Fowler’s double engine system were well established by this time. e ‘Sandringham’ class was a more conventional general-purpose engine and was their most successful design. Various modifications were made including the use of a very slow speed gear. is might not seem important but manoeuvring a thrashing machine in the confined space of a farmyard with a single cylinder engine is very difficult and the extra slow speed gave the driver so much more control. e demand for fairground equipment was so great that the company started to move away from producing agricultural equipment with traction engine

DAVID BLISS COLLECTION

No 364 is shown when out of use. The valve chest on this engine is on the flywheel side but there are examples with it on the gear side. A pause in thrashing for the photographer to record No 138 at work with a thrashing machine. Note the drive chain has been disconnected and annular gear on the inside of the rear wheel which is driven by a cog on the end of the second shaft.

JOHN SPARROW COLLECTION

No doubt this photograph of No 291 was taken after the day’s thrashing. Notice the heavy type of governor has been replaced with a Pickering.

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No 157 at work at Cottenham in 1905. The engine is fitted with an ‘inching gear’, which is a toothed gear on the inside of the flywheel. What appears to be the end of a long working life of over 50 years for No 388. Looking behind the flywheel can be seen the two sections of the hornplate rivetted together. production gradually coming to an end. e identity of the first photograph is somewhat problematic. It could be either No 124, 129, 143 or 149 as all four of these engines were 8nhp chain drive engines supplied to Barford & Perkins of Peterborough. Most of these engines were re-sold to customers who not only bought the engine but also Barford & Perkins ploughing equipment. e engine in the photograph was re-sold to Samuel Wright of Barrowden, Rutland, who was already an established thrashing contractor using portable engines but there is no record of him owning ploughing equipment. Whilst Wright and some of his men were pushing a thrashing machine into a barn, it rolled backwards crushing Wright against the front of the engine and he later died of his injuries.Another chain drive engine but with steering from the footplate is 8nhp No 138 which was purchased by omas Martin of Littleport near Ely in 1875. ere was an overlap in production of the steering position in front of the smokebox to that of the usual arrangement with steering from the footplate and both types were available in 1875. e general arrangement is much the same with the cranksha placed next to the chimney although the flywheel is now on the nearside. e wheels are made of wrought iron with spokes rivetted to a T-ring, an improvement on the earlier cast ironJohnwheels.Maskell of Cottenham near Cambridge took delivery of No 157 in 1876. Again, this is an 8nhp engine but it is fitted with cast iron wheels and the steering is in front of the smokebox. ese early designs were all single speed and when driving a thrashing machine, the drive chain had to be disconnected. e final drive from a cog on the end of the second sha to an annular gear inside the rear wheel must have caused problems with mud and stones being regularly caught in the gears. When on the road sharp corners had to be negotiated by taking one of the driving wheels out of gear. Most engines supplied by Savages were 8nhp. No 291 le the works in 1883 for omas Emblin under steam to be driven the 15 miles to Tydd St Giles.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 22 THE MONO FILES

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e engine eventually passed to omas Emblin’s son Ernest and worked for the family until it was joined by a Clayton & Shuttleworth which was purchased new in 1907. Both engines were sold in 1947 to Eric Ladbrook, a scrap metal dealer of Holbeach, Lincolnshire. Although many engines were being scrapped at this time, there was little profit to be made when cutting up an engine. When the cost of gas, wages and transport are taken into consideration, the scrap metal dealer would be lucky to make a profit of £5. No 364 was delivered to Frederick Stratton of Swaffam, Norfolk in 1885 and named Perfection. is was a ‘Sandringham’ class rated at 8nhp with a cylinder of eight and five-eighths inch bore with a 12 inch stroke and is described as having a ‘light pattern’ cylinder which is the same size as the 7nhp engines. e boiler pressure was limited to 120psi with the hornplates made in four pieces, no doubt to avoid infringing the Aveling Patent. By the early 1920s the engine had been sold to Herbert Loveday of Old Buckenham, Norfolk. For some years it was out of use and early in the 1950s it was scrapped.In1886William Rust of Buxton Lamas, Norfolk, took delivery of No 388, a 7nhp engine. By 1902 the business was being run by sons, James and Robert Rust. Over the years a number of Savage engines were owned. No 528 a 7nhp engine was purchased new in 1891, No 808 another 7nhp was new in 1903 with No 728 built in 1898 named Enterprise purchased secondhand in 1914 and finally 7nhp No 463 built in 1889 was acquired in 1944. A er the war the traction engines were replaced with Field Marshall tractors which in 1947 were used to tow the now redundant engines to John Slender’s yard at North Walsham where they were eventually scrapped. Savage No 614 was supplied new to the well-known South Wales showman John Studt. It was a 7nhp single crank compound named Shamrock and had an annular compound cylinder. ree piston rods were fitted - two for the low-pressure cylinder and one for the high pressure - all working on a common crosshead. is was a very complicated arrangement and only three engines of this type were built. No 614 was not a success and was soon sold. e new owner was also dissatisfied and the engine was returned to King’s Lynn where the compound cylinder was removed and replaced with a conventional single cylinder. e engine was purchased by Richard Drake of Sutton near Ely for use in his contract thrashing and forage business, already the owner of five Savage engines. In 1935 the engine was purchased by Fred Darby & Sons, also of Sutton and worked for them into the 1940s and was scrapped in 1954. Towards the end of the nineteenth century there were a number of traction engine builders such as Dodman, Tuxford and Holmes who built a few engines and then quietly disappeared. However, Savages did fare better as they gradually concentrated their business on the production of fairground rides. For a short time they produced a few steam tractors and steam wagons but these were little more than experiments. ree Savage traction engines survive: a 7nhp ‘Sandringham’ and two replica chain engines which were built in 1975 ■ This photograph of No 614 clearly shows Savage’s patent slow-speed third gear. When the lever is raised vertically and locked into position, the lowspeed gear is engaged.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 24 THE MONO FILES WALLIS & STEEVENS ROAD ENGINES Road engines are not bathrollers,Steevens.withassociatedusuallyWallis&TheyarefamousfortheirAdvancetheiroil-tractorsandtheirexpansiontractionenginesbutnotroadengines,saysMikeDyson

BELOW: An 8nhp engine such as No 2452 owned by Oakhill Brewery would have had no trouble hauling these two trailers loaded with beer – even in the hilly area in this part of Somerset. the cylinder had a central steam chest with inclined valve faces – similar to the Fowler design. It is not surprising to learn that Alfred Robinson, the chief draughtsman at Wallis & Steevens had worked at Fowlers! Later designs had a more orthodox cylinder design with outsideWallisvalves.&Steevens road engines were rather basic when compared with other makers and any unnecessary brasswork was not included. Boiler work was of a high standard with most of the plates being hand flanged and they did not have the problems associated with hydraulic flanging. However, when compared with other makes the sha s and bearings were not as substantial. As an example the Burrell main bearings were almost double in size to those fitted to a EdwinWallis.Burt of Holt, Dorset purchased No 2437 in 1898 in part exchange for an 1882 Wallis traction engine. e new engine was an 8nhp single cylinder, sprung with a plated flywheel and belly tanks. By 1907 it had been sold to its final owner, omas Scutt of Blandford. As it was not registered for road use in 1921 it is assumed that it was out of use by that date.Another 8nhp single cylinder road engine was No 2452 which was supplied in 1899 to the Oakhill Brewery Co Ltd, Somerset, who produced a very popular stout. Much of their production was

RIGHT: A works photograph of No 2600 prior to delivery to Neaves of Fordingbridge. Notice the Salter safety valves which appear to have been phased out with the introduction of compound engines.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE25

LEFT: No 2437 is a large engine and curiously ﬁtted with a governor so it could be used for agricultural work. Most of the men in front of the engine are holding the tools of their trade such as the young man on the left holding a BELOWspanner.LEFT: No 2505 looks quite magniﬁcent when new and over the years was to have six different owners.

Like other traction engine builders, W&S produced road engines but unfortunately most have been scrapped. I understand there is one survivor but it has not been seen for manyWallisyears.&Steevens built less than 100 road engines with a substantial number of the smaller sizes being exported. Production was really quite insignificant when compared with Burrell and Fowler. e traction engines built by Wallis & Steevens were popular with estates and large farmers where a er the threshing season was completed the engine could be put to work on local haulage such as delivering roadstone to the side of the road in preparation for road improvements. A road engine was a logical development. e first road engines had a single cylinder and were fitted with motion covers, a plated flywheel and belly tanks. Later road engines were substantially built and used compound cylinders. ese engines were intended for local haulage and shorter distance work or the haulage of heavy indivisible loads. Significantly many of the Wallis road engines ended up in the latter days of steam being used for agricultural work. Two road engines built in 1903 were 4-sha (Nos 2643 and 2645) but all subsequent engines used 3-sha s. Initially

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 26 THE MONO FILES

No 2728 was photographed at Basingstoke before dispatch. It shows a very compact engine but without a belly tank. Note the cylinder has a central steam chest with inclined valve faces – similar to the Fowler design.

The photograph of No 2644 shows a very well-built engine with ﬁve rivets for each spoke in the rear wheels. Note the change to Ramsbottom safety valves. transported by the Somerset & Dorset Railway but more local deliveries were hauled by the Wallis. It was later sold to Bushby & Son of Headingley, Leeds, and was soon resold to Holme & King Ltd in Montgomeryshire until it went out of use sometime in the 1920s.

In 1902 5nhp compound road engine No 2505 was delivered to George Hickson of Grimsby. is was a fully sprung single cylinder engine with motion covers and a plated flywheel but without belly tanks so obviously long journeys were not planned.efollowing year it was sold to John Drury of Laceby, Lincolnshire, and by 1921 had been sold to Birmingham showman James Shepherd. e engine was fitted with twisted brass to the canopy but it seems most unlikely that it was fitted with a dynamo. In 1925 it was sold to contractors W.A Bishop & Sons of Burley, Shropshire, sold again in 1928 to E Davies of Shrewsbury and yet again in 1929 to J.L Jones of Adfe, Montgomeryshire. Perhaps the large number of owners might indicate that it was not a good engine. Neave & Co Ltd of Fordingbridge, Hampshire, purchased No 2600 in 1903 which they named Lawrence. is was a 7nhp engine but again only fitted with a single cylinder. It was sold in the 1920s to William Everitt of Gussage All Saints in Dorset and used as part of his contract threshing business. In 1903 10nhp 3-speed compound engine No 2644 was sold to George Carlyon, a haulage contractor at Kenwyn, near Truro in Cornwall. e engine was named General Buller a er the famous Boer War general. In 1909 it was sold to another Cornish haulage contractor, Hosken, Trevithick & Polkinghorn of Truro. e loads that were hauled would have included heavy mining equipment for the tin and china clay industry. It would be interesting to know how the engine compared with other makers operating with such heavy loads in a very hilly district. In 1911 General Buller was returned to Wallis & Steevens in part exchange for a new wagon. It was immediately sold to William Flanagan of Belfast where it worked until around 1940. e next owner was James Brogan of Dunloy, Antrim, where it was used on agricultural work. By 1945 it had been sold to J.B Warke & Co of Castlerock, Londonderry, and was later scrapped. Few 5nhp road engines were built because they were so similar in size to steam tractors which had the advantage of being subject to less stringent legislation. A steam tractor could be operated by one man and could travel at up to 12 mph. 5nhp compound No 2728 was built in 1904 for A.W Smith of Feltham, Middlesex. By 1916 it had been sold to E.W Chapman of Great Bardfield, Essex, for driving a threshing machine. By 1921 it had been sold to its final buyer, George Smith of Great Canfield, Essex, where it

LEFT: The last road engine, 5nhp compound No 7881, to be built at Basingstoke closely resembles one of the 7¼ ton tractors built by Burrell or Aveling & Porter. continued to work up until the war when it was Henryscrapped.ompson of Holbeach, Lincolnshire, purchased 8nhp compound road engine No 2866 in 1904. is seems a curious choice of engine for a small contractor who operated two threshing sets and a pair of ploughing engines. Its next owner was Ewan Macdonald of Louth, who operated an engineering and contracting business which is still in operation today and Glyn Macdonald is chairman of the very successful Lincolnshire Steam Rally. By 1923 the engine had been sold to George Copping of Cabourne, Lincolnshire. It then had three owners in Wales with its ﬁnal owner being Owen Jones of Aberfan, Glamorgan, who bought the engine in 1939.Production of road engines almost stopped a er the First World War with resources concentrated on building rollers including the very successful Advance rollers. However, in 1926 work started on building three 5nhp road engines. Two were exported and the third, No 7881 was completed in 1927 for the Kinson Pottery at Parkstone, Dorset. A 7nhp traction engine, No 7681, was taken in part exchange for the new engine. e engine was named Little Atom and used for the haulage of clay and coal continuing to work up to the war. It was eventually sold in 1950 to Mark Loader & Sons of Bournemouth for just £10! A er many years it was restored and is now back in the ownership of the family that purchased it in 1927. e limited success of Wallis & Steevens road engines almost certainly held back further development of these designs. e Basingstoke builders were slow to adopt compound cylinders but the cheaper single cylinder arrangement was no doubt attractive to many potential buyers. e engines that were built were ideal for short distance road haulage and as most were ﬁtted with governors, were easily put to use for driving a threshing machine. Many of these engines were impressive machines but sadly none have survived into preservation. A while ago there were plans to build a replica but unfortunately I understand this will not happen. ■

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE27

Henry Thompson must have been very pleased when he took delivery of No 2866. As the engine is ﬁtted with governors, it could have been used for driving a threshing machine as well as for haulage.

Although Wallis & Steevens were one of the smaller traction engine builders, they were a very innovative company, says Mike Dyson

ABOVE: On the motion cover of No 2410 is the name of the owners, Wallis & Steevens Ltd but why it should be hauling barrels of beer seems curious. However, it seems a considerable load for such a small engine! Can a beer expert calculate the LEFT:weight?Theload being hauled by Richard Drake’s No 2742 looks impressive but these are bags of chaff which are not heavy. The engine is ﬁtted with auxiliary water tanks mounted high on the side of the RIGHT:boiler.Acarefully posed photograph of 4¼ -ton tractor No 2890 prior to delivery in March 1906.

WALLIS & STEEVENS STEAM TRACTORS

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A works photograph of No 2514 Pioneer prior to delivery in March 1901. being restructured. In the summer of 1899 further tractors were built with some experimentation with variation in the size of the cylinder and boiler pressure. By 1901 the cylinder bore standardised at 5¼ in with a 9in stroke and boiler pressure raised to 150psi. However, it seems there was no standard design with modifications being constantly made. No 2514 was dispatched in March 1901 to the South Western Mineral Water Co at Wimborne, Dorset, which they named Pioneer. An appropriate name as this was their first venture into steam traction. One can only assume the tractor did not meet their requirements as it was sold to Sidney Munkton of Bournemouth in 1904. It was sold again in 1910 to showman George Coneley of Liss, Hampshire, presumably for the haulage of his equipment with no suggestion of the fitting of a dynamo. Its final owner was another showman, J Whitelegg of Bristol who named the engine Mount Everest. It was offered for sale in 1926 and appears to have been out of use a er that. In April 1904 George Gildea, the owner of the Rhee Valley Portland Cement Co at Shepreth in south Cambridgeshire took delivery of No 2742. By 1914 the engine had been sold to Richard Drake of OLD

E arly successes with their expansion engines were followed by some of the first steam tractors to appear, the first of these being the 3-ton tractors. A er 1896 new legislation removed many of the restrictions on the use of traction engines. Light traction engines that could be operated by one man but weighing less than 3-tons were allowed. Wallis & Steevens were the only manufacturers that were able to produce a credible design in this very limiting field. e first of these tractors - No 2380 - which was virtually two-thirds of the size of a traction engine, appeared in the summer of 1897. It was a single cylinder engine fitted with their patent expansion gear. e cylinder was 6in by 10in stroke with a working pressure of 120psi. e second 3-ton tractor to be built was No 2410 and was completed in 1898 for use as a yard engine at the North Hants Ironworks, a job it did for the next 17 years. It was used for shunting dead engines around the works and short trips to the station goods yard and around Basingstoke. It was the last 3-ton tractor to be sold and it clearly never worked hard. In 1915 it was sold to G.W Jones of Newbury and within a year he had sold it to omas Clark of Culkerton, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire. It is assumed that it was eventually scrapped. e building of tractors stagnated for a time, partly because the company was

There can be little doubt about the power of 4¾-ton tractor No 7266 as it transports a tank engine to one of the ironstone quarries in the Kettering area.

The unladen weight displayed on the side of No 2929 clearly shows 4-tons 9-cwt which is 4-cwt over 4¼ tons. Notice the mechanism for the damper on the side of the smokebox.

Garden. Between March 1901 and June 1906 some 97 of these tractors were built for the home market. A small number were exported but it is believed these did not strictly adhere to the 3-ton weight limit.Only one compound 3-ton tractor was built; No 2756 which was completed in 1904. It had cylinders of 3¾ in and 6½ in with a 9in stroke working with the motion totally enclosed in a cast steel oil bath. With the extra weight of the cylinder casting and the oil bath it seems unlikely the 3-ton weight limit could have been met. e oil bath was made as light as possible with very thin walls which made casting diﬃcult. With age it was not uncommon for the casting to develop minor cracks which led to a loss of oil.

Sutton in the Isle of Ely. Drake was a very successful forage merchant who supplied a patent horse feed to the London market through his premises at Bow in the East End. At that time vast numbers of horses were used in the capital. It is believed the engine was out of use by the 1920s and laterescrapped.3-tontractors were ideal for light loads over fairly ﬂat terrain. ey were popular with the Middlesex market gardeners taking vegetables into Covent

e 1904 Heavy Motor Car Order allowed the weight of the engine to be increased from three to ﬁve tons. Wallis & Steevens were quick to develop their oil-bath compound design known as the 4-¼ ton motor with the ﬁrst appearing in March 1905 – less than four months a er the new legislation. e compound engine had cylinders of 4¾ in and 8¼ in

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 30 THE MONO FILES

John Apps’ No 7324 has the safety valves lifting. Note the contorted blast pipe on this 4¾-ton tractor unlike the better direct free flowing exhaust fitted to the 4¼ -ton tractors.

with a 9in stroke and the boiler pressure was increased from 150 psi to 170 psi. In March 1906 4¼ -ton oil bath tractor No 2890 was dispatched from Basingstoke to Duke & Co Ltd of Plymouth. By 1915 it had been sold to W.J Johns of Penzance. It was later purchased by George Lawton of Macclesfield and in 1921 was sold to Jacob Jewell who was a showman. Unfortunately, I have been unable to discover anything about Jewell and his use of the tractor. e following year it was bought by Manders Bros of Wrexham who used it up to the end of 1926 and was later scrapped. Another 4¼ -ton oil bath tractor No 2929 was delivered to J J Prior Ltd of Limehouse, London. Priors were hauliers working in the docks and a steam tractor was no doubt a good substitute for horses which were widely used up until the late 1920s. e tractor was eventually sold to the Earl of Home for use on his Scottish estates. Wallis & Steevens sold 27 single cylinder and 75 compound 4¼ -ton tractors but they were aware that other manufacturers of steam tractors did not adhere to the regulations on weight with most exceeding the 5-ton limit. is put them at a disadvantage as other makers were able to produce more powerful engines without the problems encountered in building smaller engines. is problem was addressed in 1909 with the introduction of the 4¾-ton tractor. e oil bath motion remained the same but a larger boiler was now fitted with slightly heavier wheels. e first to be sold was No 7082 which le the works in March 1909. It should be noted that when the Wallis & Steevens numbering system reached 2999 they jumped to 7000, no doubt to impress customers on the number of engines they hadAlbertbuilt.Wardle of Kettering took delivery of his 4¾-ton tractor in March 1912. A er the Great War it was sold to omas and Reginald Le Sueur who farmed at Headley in Hampshire. Its final owner was Sir Jeremy Colman, a member of the famous mustard family for use on his farm at Oakley near Basingstoke. In January 1913 4¾-ton tractor No 7324 was dispatched to John Apps of Bracknell, Berkshire. e engine was sold in 1922 to Richard Sanders of Kensington and within a few months had been bought by showman John Biddall of Hounslow, Middlesex. e engine was converted for fairground use and named Little Mary. It worked up until the war years when it was escrapped.4¾-tontractors sold well with 178 being sold on to the home market by 1919. e following year a larger firebox and solid rubber tyres were available at an extra cost. e last two tractors sold were Nos 7871 and 7872 which le the works in 1926 and 1930. Unlike most steam tractor manufacturers, they kept close to the 5-ton limit to the end of production. ere were few changes to the design apart from an increase in size to the access holes at the sides of the oil bath to facilitate easier adjustment of the gland packing.

■ OLD GLORY ARCHIVE31

No 7782 was photographed in the station yard at Basingstoke prior to delivery to the Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co. The canopy of corrugated iron was a cheap feature on what was otherwise a well-made roller.

innovativecompanysmallwithanumberofideas.TheydesignedtheAdvancerollersforaspeciﬁcpurpose-rollingasphalt-anditwasaverysuccessfulmachine,saysMikeDyson

Wallis & Steevens were a

Looking at the rolls of No 7812 it appears to have been rolling chippings. The bevel gears for the steering can clearly be seen in front of the chimney. The chimney top does not appear to be of the usual Wallis design.

WALLIS & ADVANCESTEEVENSROLLERS

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 32 THE MONO FILES

It is claimed that Francis Wallis attended a conference for road surveyors and heard about the problems of laying the new road materials such as asphalt, using conventional rollers. ese machines were quite unsatisfactory as most of the weight was on the rear rolls and the rolls ran parallel with the axle causing the inner edges of the rolls to leave wheel marks. Tandem rollers had been used but were unpopular as they could not be used for consolidating base materials and had a reputation for turning over as they were top meeting Francis Wallis sketched his thoughts on the back of an envelope, later turning them into sketches which were given to the drawing office staff with instructions to produce something along those lines. In July 1923, less than 12 months from the original sketches being produced, the first roller, No 7773, was delivered to Henry Woodham & Sons of Catford, London. He was asked to evaluate the machine and apart from a few teething problems, the reports were very good. ❱ e boiler is a standard locomotive type operating at just 140 psi but the hornplates are extended backwards to support the coal boxes so that a tender is unnecessary. e cylinders are double high pressure with piston valves side by side between the cylinders. e connecting rods drive disc cranks on the end of the cranksha set at 90˚ for easy starting. e arrangement does away with a flywheel and makes instant reversing possible. Instead of the usual push or pull type regulator, the Advance has a wheel valve which gives fine adjustment to the speed of the roller. When rolling asphalt it is important the roller makes only a momentary stop or the roller sinks to form a hollow in the new road surface. e rear rolls camber to fit the shape of the road. is is achieved by dividing the back axle so that each half pivots in a bracket attached to the hornplate. Where the two half-axles meet in the centre is a large helical spring which allows the rear rolls to flex with the camber of the road. Steering is by worm and quadrant which gives accurate control when rolling close to kerb stones and other items of street furniture. is eliminated the slack associated with chain and bobbin steering.Instead of spokes, the rolls are constructed of steel plates with large holes

Duringheavy.the

Another photograph taken in the station yard at Basingstoke, this time showing No 7863. This was an 8-ton machine which is easily identified by the heavy cast iron tyres on the rolls. By the 1950s No 7962 was not looking its best as can be seen by the bent scraper on the front roll. Being a 10-ton roller it was suitable for rolling base materials such as this hardcore. Note the locking pins in the front fork are not fitted allowing the front roll to pivot either side.

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OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 34 THE MONO FILES

Clearly No 7967 was photographed after council ownership as the council’s brass plate has been removed from the motion cover. in them. e rear rolls are much wider than usual and the front roll is somewhat narrower. e difference in sizes between the front and rear rolls is greatly reduced on the Advance although they are not the same size. To create as near equal weight distribution as possible, pannier water tanks are mounted on the side. Advance rollers were produced three sizes: 6, 8 and 10 tons. e 6-ton has a smaller boiler with cylinders of 4½in diameter with a 9in stroke but the weight can be increased to 8 tons by the addition of cast iron tyres on the rolls. e 8-ton machines had a larger boiler and cylinders of 5in diameter and 10in stroke and again the weight could be increased using cast iron tyres to produce the 10-ton roller. Later models could be fitted with water ballast rolls so again the weight could be varied to suit the task in hand.edesign was far ahead of any of its competitors and it is not surprising that they were built in large numbers at a time when most roller sales were in decline. ey continued to build Advance rollers in the 1930s at a time when diesel rollers were fast appearing on the market. e last two, Nos 8114 and 8114, were supplied to the War Dept in 1940. Of the 272 Advance rollers built, it is not surprising there are now 77 in preservation.No7782,a 6-ton machine, was completed in July 1923 for stock and did not have a buyer until September when it was purchased by the Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co. e company was founded in 1881 with the objective of undertaking road contracting using high quality asphalt from Limmer, near Hanover in Germany and from the Pitch Lake in Trinidad, the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world. e company was based in Fulham and secured major contracts for surfacing the roads of London. ey operated a large fleet of rollers, many of which were tandems and by the early 1920s they had purchased 18 Robey tandem rollers. Surprisingly they only purchased three Advance rollers which all worked into the 1950s. No 7782 was finally scrapped in 1954, unlike the Robeys which were scrapped much earlier. Another 6-ton roller was No 7812 which was supplied to the Western Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co Ltd in November 1924. e company was based at Grangetown near Cardiff. Although they owned a number of rollers, they were to purchase only one Advance roller. By 1945 No 7782 had been sold to Davies Bros of Barmouth and sold again in 1963 to J C Wilkins of Dolgellau who owned the Fairbourne miniature steam railway. Two other 6-ton Advance rollers were purchased but No 7782 was eventually scrapped.InMarch 1926 the Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co took delivery of its third Advance roller. is was No 7863, an 8-ton roller which was only used for about a year and then sold to the ree Hills Sand & Gravel Co of Codicote, Hertfordshire. In 1947 it was sold to Wirksworth Quarries Ltd of Woolmer Green, Hertfordshire. No 7863 was used on the many road upgrading projects

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE35

Another Advance purchased by Alfred Ward was 8-ton No 8033 which le the works at Basingstoke in April 1930. By this time Ward was operating six Advance rollers. In July 1960 the roller was sold at auction to Hardwicks of West Ewell to be scrapped but was rescued the following year and is now preserved in Kent. In May 1932 Wards took delivery of another Advance, this time a 6-ton machine No 8050. However, it was returned to Wallis & Steevens a year later. is might suggest there were problems with the roller. For the four years it was out on hire but sold in December 1937 to Wirksworth Quarries Ltd to work alongside their Robey tri-tandem rollers. When the rollers were being sold oﬀ in the early 1960s, No 8050 went for scrap. e Advance rollers were a great success but unfortunately the design appeared at a time when i/c powered rollers were beginning to come onto the market. e quick reverse, the cambered rolls, the positive steering and the equal weight distribution made this one of the best rollers produced. ■

10-ton Advance No 7987 was fitted with a scarifier which could be moved left or right to work in any position.

LEFT: The 8-ton roller No 8033 has the smaller boiler and engine of the 6-ton design but is fitted with heavier rolls to make it an 8-ton machine. The tyres of No 8050 do not appear to match. Those on the rear are much thicker than those on the front. Note also the fitting of an additional scraper on the front roll. north of London such as the A1 and the M1 but by the early 1960s was out of use and later sold for preservation. It is now to be found in the Buckinghamshire area. e local council at Crayford in Kent purchased 10-ton Advance No 7962 in May 1928. By 1952 it had been sold to Sparkes Bros of West Drayton, Middlesex and again in 1958 to F E Greasley of Darenth, Kent. In 1963 it was sold for preservation and named Smokey. Another local council to purchase an Advance roller was Eastleigh and Bishopstoke UDC. In February 1928 they took delivery of No 7967, a 6-ton machine but fitted with cast iron tyres, increasing it to make it an 8-tonner. A er many years use with the council it was sold to the Bournemouth construction company, Mark Loader & Sons. In 1957 it was sold to another Bournemouth construction company, Grounds & Newton Ltd. Ten years later it was sold for preservation.AlfredWard of Egham, Surrey, were one of Wallis & Steevens’ best customershaving purchased large numbers of rollers from them over the years. In 1930 Wallis & Steevens supplied 10-ton Advance No 7987 which had been completed in July 1928. Previously the roller had been on hire to Nottingham Corporation, no doubt in the hope of securing a sale but it was returned to Basingstoke. 1930 was a difficult year financially for Wallis & Steevens and no doubt the roller was sold at a very reduced price to maintain their cash flow. It worked for Wards for almost 30 years and was then scrapped.

SOME SHOWMAN’SNOTEWORTHYENGINES A tribute to Bernard Fielding Burrell No 1470 Pride of the South stands in front of the Gallopers. Just visible is the spectacle plate which has two glazed apertures. The engine behind is Burrell No 1909 of 1896 Majestic. A number enginesTheenginesshowman’sofhaveaclaimtofame.lateBernardFieldingofLiverpoolmadealistofthesethathaveaspecialclaimtodistinction,particularlywith‘ﬁrsts’and‘lasts’,writesMikeDyson OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 36 THE MONO FILES

Bernard was born in 1913 and grew up at a time when steam was a regular feature of the fairground. He developed an interest in fairgrounds and the engines that hauled and powered them from an early age – an interest that lasted all his life. Bernard grew up in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire and remembers how news of ‘the fair’s coming’ was passed along the grapevine. e engines and their loads passed close to where he lived and stopped to draw water from a horse trough – I wonder if that was legal? He remembers the curious names of the engines, o en named a er royalty or battleships. Bernard said the massive engines with their tremendous loads and the magniﬁcent paintwork and shining brass together with the aroma of hot oil and steam le a lasting impression on his mind. Until his death in 1998 he maintained his fairground interests and kept meticulous records of all the information that he was able to collect. On his death, all of his historical records were donated to the National Fairground Archive at Sheﬃeld University. ese are made up of thousands of postcards, documents and photographs which featured various traction engines and fairground rides. He assisted many prominent writers such as Tom Rolt and O.S Nock by providing information from his prodigious records. His

The First Burrell Showman’s Engine e first Burrell engine built to the order of a showman came in 1889. No 1451 Monarch was an 8nhp single cylinder two-speed sprung engine supplied to Jacob Studt of Maesteg, Glamorgan. e engine had a half-cab but was not fitted with a dynamo or twisted brass supports. It was exhibited at Smithfield Show before delivery to Studts who operated a set of Dobbies, Bikes and Sea-on-Land. e engine replaced a large number of horses but by 1891 the engine was sold on to two Gloucester showmen, Hengler and Matthews. At the end of 1894 it was sold to Henry ompson, a cider merchant at Newant, Gloucestershire. e engine was

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Burrell Gold Medal tractor No 3354 when it was ﬁrst purchased was based near Littleport in Cambridgeshire. Here it was photographed hauling a trailer loaded with potatoes.

LEFT: The incredible train of wagons behind Burrell No 1451 Monarch was certainly a successful way to gain publicity. How did they manage to get around bends and sharp corners?

BELOW: The hills and narrow lanes of Devon and Cornwall must have been particularly difficult for a showman’s engine hauling the rides from fair to fair. A serious accident like that involving Burrell No 1740 Cornishman whilst descending a hill at Kingsteignton was not uncommon. interests were not confined to the fairground but included railways, trams and heavy horses. One of his greatest achievements was the saving of the1837 locomotive Lion from the Liverpool Docks & Harbour Board workshops where it was languishing in disrepair. Bernard was able to generate such interest in this piece of history that the Liverpool Transport Museum came into being, where Lion was renovated and placed on display. Lion was of course famously used in the film e Titfield underbolt.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 38 THE MONO FILES

Fred Gray’s Burrell No 3884 Gladiator was used with the Scenic Motors from 1921 and powered the ride for the last time at the 1954 August Bank Holiday fair at the Vale of Heath, Hampstead. ﬁnally purchased in 1903 by Lloyd Roberts of Cheam, Surrey and presumably scrapped sometime in his ownership.

Toured Jamaica with Grimmett’s Circus

In 1934 the engine was severely damaged by ﬁre and as a result was later towed back to Tottenham and scrapped.

The Second Burrell Showman’s Engine Bernard Fielding suggests the second showman’s engine No 1470 was also supplied to Jacob Studt but this appears to be at variance with other records. e engine later named Pride of the South may have been ordered by Studt but was supplied to Hampshire showman Alfred Bartlett of Fordingbridge. is was a 7nhp single cylinder with a half cab and no dynamo and was delivered in March 1890. By 1922 it had been sold to Richard Chipperﬁeld, also of Fordingbridge, but a er only another four years it was out of use and later scrapped.

Bernard believed that Burrell No 3840 Queen Elizabeth was the ﬁrst of the scenic engines built at etford. e date of dispatch is July 7, 1920, although No 3827 Victory le the works on May 11, 1920. I strongly suspect the Burrell archives were not available when Bernard was compiling his records. Queen Elizabeth was exhibited at Darlington Royal Show and then supplied

The First Burrell Scenic Engine?

Destroyed by Fire - Alexandra Palace 1934 In March 1894 Burrells dispatched one of their big single crank compound 10nhp contractors type engines No 1740 to William, Charles and Sophie Hancock who operated fairs across the West Country from their Bristol base. Miss Sophie was the undisputed boss and a flamboyant character so well described in Hancocks of the West by Scrivens and Smith. No 1740 was named Cornishman and was for many years used for hauling a 4-abreast set of Gallopers. Initially the engine was fitted with a short awning but this was later extended when a dynamo platform was fitted with a Dickinson dynamo. In 1912 when Cornishman was hauling the gallopers from Dawlish to Babbacombe, the driving pin broke descending Ware Hill at Kingsteignton. e engine and three wagons gathered speed and failed to negotiate a bend in the road. e engine toppled on its side with the first wagon destroyed. e steersman, Curly Davis, later had to have both legs amputated. However, the Hancocks made sure he was cared for and for several years a erwards, the takings from the last ride of the day on the Gallopers were sent to him. Miss Sophie died in 1926 when Cornishman and the Gallopers were sold to Ernie Manning of Tottenham. e following year the engine passed into the ownership of his cousin, Sam Manning, who operated the amusement park at Alexandra Palace.

In December 1911 Major Henry Tansley Luddington, a Cambridgeshire landowner, took delivery of Burrell Gold Medal tractor No 3354. A er an auction in 1918 the engine went to High Wycombe for timber haulage and a er two further owners was purchased by the Swindon showman, Robert Edwards who converted it for use on the fairground. e tractor, now named Princess Mary worked with the fair until 1933 when it was necessary to raise money to purchase a new Ark and the tractor sold. e new owner of Princess Mary Claude Ginnett of the famous circus family was planning a tour of Jamaica and used the engine for the haulage of the many wagons. A er the tour the tractor was le in Jamaica and its subsequent history remains a mystery but when Bernard Fielding was writing in 1965, he believed the tractor had survived into preservation.

In Green’s ownership Burrell No 3840 Queen Elizabeth was ﬁtted with the exciter platform and Mather & Platt P3c dynamo. By this time the engine was travelling with a Caterpillar ride.

This photograph of Burrell No 3896 Earl Beatty dates from the 1930s after it had received repairs at Fowlers as it has new rear wheels with rubber tyres and the Burrell name is not cast into the hubs.

In this 1930s photograph of Burrell No 3912 Dragon it still has the rubber tyres fitted by Fowlers. Note the oil lamps have been replaced with electric lighting for night driving. to Walter Wilmot of Glasgow. It was fitted with a rear jib crane but the platform for the auxiliary dynamo was not fitted. Later in the year the engine was sold to John Green for use with his recently purchased Dragon Scenic and the auxiliary dynamo was fitted. e ride was put into storage in 1929 and later Queen Elizabeth was used with one of the Green’s famous Caterpillar rides. On one occasion the front axle broke and John urston was able to loan a spare one whilst a new one was ordered from Burrells. During the war Queen Elizabeth was used in Liverpool for clearing blitz damage. Soon a er it was out of use and scrapped around 1949.

In March 1921 Fred Gray of Hampstead took delivery of Burrell No 3884, a scenic engine which was named I Wonder for use with a Scenic ride which had been purchased the previous year. Later the name was changed to Gladiator. e number of low bridges in the London area meant that it was necessary to have a canopy six inches lower than standard. By the 1930s the Scenic Motors only appeared at a few fairs and Gladiator was then used with an Ark and later an Autodrome. Gladiator was last used in 1954 when the Scenic Motors were scrapped. e following year the engine was sold to Edgar Shone of Cricklewood and it now preserved at Sandy Bay World of Country Life. A Burrell Showman’s with Fowler wheels Burrell No 3896 Earl Beatty was completed in May 1921 for Anderton & Rowland. is was one of the new scenic type engines complete with auxiliary dynamo and tender mounted crane which had been introduced the previous year. e engine le etford for Burton-on-Trent to collect a new Scenic Railway. A er the ride had been tested with the engine, the ride was packed onto trailers and together with two engines, hauled the ride to Newton Abbott. By 1932 Earl Beatty was in need of a new firebox and as Anderton & Rowland were buying a Fowler B6 engine it was also arranged that repairs would be carried out at Leeds. Included in the long list of repairs was the replacement of the rear wheels and the fitting of rubber tyres ‘with groove in the centre’. Normally the Charles Burrell name is cast into the hub but understandably this was omitted by Fowlers! e spoke tee ends were Fowler style with rivets in line and not staggered in the Burrell way. Earl Beatty worked until 1940 and was eventually saved for preservation. The Last Burrell Showman’s to work the West Country e second engine purchased by Anderton & Rowland to work with their Scenic Railway known as the Dragons was Burrell No 3912 Dragon which arrived six months later in November 1921. e engine had originally been ordered by Pat Collins and the specification included press on rubber tyres with 20in wide wheels instead of the usual 22 inches. e engine worked with Earl Beatty until 1936 when the ride was taken off the road. Dragon was then used with the Brookland Racers and later the Dodgems. In 1943 the engine was sold to Sam Smart of Bristol to work with a set of Gallopers but a er the war it was out of use and by 1948 had been sold to Gloucestershire dealer, Jesse Vines of Hardwicke. In 1951 Jesse Vines with a young Ian Woollett steering drove Dragon to etford to take part in the local Festival of Britain celebrations and was later used to drive urston’s Dodgems at Lynn Mart. Eventually the sale of the engine was arranged by Harold Darby ■

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE39

The Last Burrell Showman’s Engine to Work in London

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 40 THE MONO FILES

he intention of Agricultural & General Engineers (AGE) was to bring together a number of agricultural machinery businesses into one strong combine where they would be rationalised and their eﬃciency improved. ey planned to end competition between members in their home market and create a business large enough to compete with the North American ﬁrms in export markets. However, the centralisation of purchasing, which was soon dispensed with, and sales

Collyer’s Burrell No 4980 at work threshing. Notice the late design feature with the clack valve mounted high on the boiler barrel so that water is injected into the steam space.

LEFT: Burrell No 4081 with its second owner, William Parris. Traction engines usually have painted number plates but, in this instance, they are of pressed aluminium.

The last days of TRACTION ENGINE BUILDING at LEISTON

Agricultural & General Engineers (AGE) was a combine of ﬁve companies established in 1919 at the instigation of Aveling & Porter and Garre s, but things didn’t work out so well, writes Mike Dyson

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE41

Garrett’s steam wagons had been quite successful but to be competitive they had kept their prices lower than their rivals such as Sentinel and consequently their low profit margins were not sustainable. Garretts had plans for a diesel engine lorry which had reached the prototype stage. However, the directors of AGE realised the business could not continue and in early 1932 receivers were appointed and there were large scale lay-offs of employees at the Leiston Works. One or two engines were completed and a er a few months the company was sold to Beyer, Peacock & Co Ltd the well-known and finance in the expensive London headquarters at the Aldwych created a heavy financial burden that was not justified by its benefits. e subsidiary companies, which eventually numbered 14, were slow to modernise their factories and slow to move from steam to internal combustion engines. e profits of some combine members were used to shore up the weaker members such as Burrells and the high costs of running an expensive headquarters le no income for the shareholders. ere was a gradual decline at Burrells with only around 250 engines built a er the war. Even the workforce anticipated the closing of the works which eventually came in 1928. Parts and five unfinished engines were transferred to Leiston. An auction of all the plant and machinery at etford took place in 1930. It is claimed that Fowlers sent a group of men to buy some of Burrell’s machine tools but they felt they had scrapped better ones than those that were being offered for sale. Perhaps there is no truth to this story but it would seem to indicate the machinery was antiquated. Lathes offered for sale included ones manufactured by Cro , Butterfield &

The finest scenic showman’s engine was probably Burrell No 4092 Simplicity although it was built by Garretts and is seen arriving at Banbury Fair in 1933. Wilkinson who ceased production in 1874 and Smith, Beacock & Tannett who ceased production in 1896 clearly show there had been no investment in modern machinery. e only engine included in the sale was a Robey portable dating from 1917. Trying to sell a traction engine in the late 1920s was no easy task. Garretts exhibited their products at a number of agricultural shows including Burrell 7nhp single cylinder traction engine No 4088 which was shown at numerous shows throughout 1929 and 1930. e last steam exhibit was Garrett 6-wheel wagon No 35470 which appeared at the Commercial Vehicle Exhibition from November 5-14, 1931, and later went to G.E Farrant of High Brooms, Kent. e rest of AGE was faring little better as the economic recession began to bite.

Burrell No 4094 King George V at a rally in East Anglia in the 1950s. It is unusual for a traction engine to be fitted with brass hub caps.

Prototype Suffolk Punch tractor No 35320 is shown after leaving the paint shop in readiness for the Commercial Motor Show in October 1929. railway locomotive builders of Manchester who are best remembered for their Beyer Garratt articulated locomotives. Notice the diﬀerence in spelling as Garretts of Leiston were not the designers of these amazing locos. e new company was Richard Garrett Engineering Ltd. Recovery was slow and the building of steam wagons and traction engines was rapidly brought to an end. A few partially-built Burrell engines were completed a er 1928 and seven new engines were built to Burrell designs. Curiously all the drawings for these engines were redrawn and where possible included Garrett parts - no doubt an attempt to use up parts from their spares store.

An order was placed by Mrs Deakin & Sons of Brecon for a scenic showman’s engine. Drawings were completed and work was put in hand at Leiston for Burrell No 4092 named Simplicity which was delivered in October 1930. No provision was made for a rear jib crane and the engine was fitted with two injectors and a boiler feed pump. It was delivered by rail to Stratford-on-Avon Mop Fair and immediately put to work with a set of Dodgems. In 1942 Simplicity and the Deakins’ Fowler No 20223 Supreme were sold to Road Engines & Kerr of Glasgow. ey both had their showman’s fittings removed and were to work on heavy haulage. A er the war Simplicity was retained for a short time but a er nationalisation of road transport it was sold to a group of enthusiasts. Sadly, following a disagreement over the purchase of a set of replacement boiler tubes, it was cut up. It seems amazing that possibly the finest scenic engine built should be first preserved and then scrapped.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 42 THE MONO FILES

Sales of Garrett steam wagons had been successful until the first changes to road tax in the 1930 budget brought a sharp decline in orders. ere was no attempt to continue steam wagon production a er 1932 and there was no money available for the development of their diesel lorry. Burrell 5nhp compound traction engine No 4080 was probably completed at etford but was taken to Leiston as the original order was cancelled. In 1929 it was exhibited by Garretts at the Suffolk Show and the Royal Norfolk Show where it was sold to William Collyer & Sons, a large threshing contractor based near Bungay, Suffolk. It was probably scrapped at the end of the 1940s a er only 20 years of use. At the end of 1928 Garretts were able to sell another of the Burrells. is was a single cylinder 7nhp traction No 4081 which had been exhibited at the Royal Highland Show in August but sold to L J Parris & Sons of Hastingwood, near Harlow, Essex, at the December Smithfield Show. e engine was named Fearless and some years later passed to one of his sons who operated at nearby Moreton. By the late 1940s it was sold to Chris Lambert of Horsmonden, Kent. At the famous sale in June 1955 it was the star item selling for the then enormous sum of £300. At the sale the rear wheels were seen the wrong way round. e new owner, Dr J.R Green of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, soon had the wheels re-straked and put the correct way around followed by a complete repaint. In 1959 the engine was purchased by George Cushing and is now to be found in the museum at ursford, Norfolk.

A post-war photograph of Garrett No 35461. It was usual for Garretts to fit the steering on the left hand side but customer preferences were usually accommodated.

e last of the Leiston Burrells was No 4094 King George V, an 8nhp single cylinder traction engine. It was exhibited at the Kent Show from July 16-18, 1931. Like Burrell No 4081, this was sold to L.J Parris of Hastingwood, Essex. It is still owned by the family but has not been seen at a public event for many years. A er the First World War Garretts

Joe Manning purchased Garrett No 35129 in 1943 but did not fit a dynamo as it was only used for haulage. Although originally supplied with rubber strakes it was by now fitted with conventional rubber tyres which appear to be almost worn out. received a number of orders for their 4CD tractors but a er 1925 there were very few built. e last one, No 35225, le Leiston in September 1929 and is now preserved in Cornwall. No 35129, the third from last 4CD tractor was completed in July 1928 and exhibited at the Suffolk Show at Bury St Edmunds on June 7-8. Later it was shown at the Royal Norfolk Show at Norwich on June 27-28 and sold to Norwich timber merchants, A & W Cushion. As it was to be used for road haulage, it was fitted with rubber strakes. Over the years Cushions owned a number of Garrett tractors. However, by 1943 it had been sold to Joe Manning of Buntingford to be used with his Gallopers. A er the 1946 the Garrett was out of use and was later scrapped. In an attempt to find a new product, Garretts produced a 6-wheel tractor for the export market. e design utilised many of the major components used in the 6-wheel wagons and the prototype No 35320 was ready for testing in July 1929. It was again shown at the Smithfield Show and in April 1930 went to haulage contractors R.A Dagnall Ltd of Canterbury as a demonstrator. It was soon returned and kept at the works until a er the firm closed down in February 1932. e price at the time was £1,150 but the receiver was only able to obtain £525 for two of these Suffolk Punch tractors (Nos 35320 and 35412). e new owner was John Sadd & Sons Ltd of Maldon, Essex, who were saw millers and timber merchants. Only three of these engines were built. e basic design was sound but a lack of development work and the incredibly hot working conditions in the cab made them unpopular. Sadd’s scrapped both engines in 1937 but the one exported to South Africa (No 35332) was still working in 1950. Steam wagon No 35420 was a 6-wheeler which was completed in June and the next month displayed at the Royal Norfolk show at Diss. It was later sold to Charles Kirby of Hanwell, Middlesex. An interesting choice as he already had a large fleet of Foden wagons. By 1933 the wagon had been sold to Merton Engineering of Feltham, Middlesex, for a large sand and gravel contract. In 1941 it was sold to the Cole brothers of Leeds and added to their fleet of steam wagons. By 1948 it was out of use and laterescrapped.lasttraction engine built at Leiston (1932), was a 6nhp single cylinder No 35461 which was supplied to George Ewen of Petersfield, Hants, in June 1931 and named Pride of Petersfield. A er passing through Chris Lambert of Horsmonden it was sold into preservation. ■

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE43

At the time steam wagons such as Garrett No 35420 were ﬁtted with electric lighting and oil lamps. When the wagon was parked at night, the oil lamps would have been used and the electric lighting only used when the wagon was running.

SINGLE PLOUGHINGCYLINDERENGINES Most thescrappedenginesploughingcylindersinglewereaerGreatWar.MikeDysonlooksatsomeexamples By this stage Aveling No 1512 has clearly been worked hard, judging by the damage inflicted on the front wheels by cable. RIGHT: An unknown Burrell long chain right-hand ploughing engine dating from around the early 1870s. In the background is presumably the left-hand engine. ADAM BROWN COLLECTION OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 44 THE MONO FILES

Aveling & Porter 12nhp ploughing engine No 1512 together with No 1511 was completed in February 1880 and supplied to Jesse Ellis of Maidstone. He established a large scale contracting and engineering business and later built a number of steam wagons. e business was started by 27 yearold Jesse in 1873 and by 1880 he owned three traction engines, four road locos and three pairs of ploughing engines – all built by Aveling. e full story of this steam pioneer can be found in Jesse Ellis & the Maidstone Wagons by the late Bob Whitehead.Unfortunately I have little information about Aveling & Porter 8nhp ploughing engine No 1873. It le the works together with No 1913 in June 1883. Between 1876 and 1885 21 sets of this design were built. ey had A 9in cylinder with a 12in stroke with the majority being exported to eastern ProductionEurope.ofploughing engines by Burrells goes back to 1862 when they signed an agreement with Fowlers to use their designs. From 1868 to 1878

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE45

T here is one name that stands out amongst those people associated with the preservation of steam ploughing. Harold Bonnett encouraged the preservation of ploughing engines, promoted steam ploughing demonstrations and was the founder of the Steam Plough Club. Harold’s favourites were the single cylinder ploughing engines. Most of the old singles were scrapped a er the First World War as there were so many compounds available at very reasonable prices and as there was an agricultural depression the demand for steam ploughing was in decline. Harold grew up in the village of Barkston, north of Grantham amongst the hills of the Lincolnshire Edge. He o en recalled his youth when the bark of a single working hard could be heard for miles around. Harold’s fascination for steam engines o en led him a er school to watch the ploughing engines at work until it was dark. As he was born in 1907 he probably saw steam ploughing at its zenith but a er 1918 there was a gradual decline hastened by the development of the internal combustion engine tractor. In the latter part of the nineteenth century a number of manufacturers built ploughing engines. Fowlers of Leeds were of course the premier builders of ploughing engines mainly because of their pioneering work in the 1850s and 1860s. However, the order placed by the government in 1917 with Fowlers for 65 complete sets of ploughing tackle when all other makers had almost ceased production ensured many Fowler compounds have survived into preservation. Today only a handful of singles have survived.

Burrell No 776 when in the ownership of Morleys of Brize Norton, being driven by Arthur Woodley. This publicity photograph of Aveling No 1873 would seem to indicate it was not exported. The lefthand engine appears to be well used with plenty of mud sticking to the wheels and the paint burnt off the chimney.

BELOW: It should be noted that Fowler No 2623 Papworth worked for 68 years – a great tribute to the standards of workmanship of the men who designed and built her! Unusually the valve face is on the right hand side of the engine.

ABOVE: In 1929 Howards purchased the engine for publicity purposes and it was returned to Bedford. With the closure of the works in 1930 as a result of the AGE collapse the engine was then scrapped.

Burrells produced a long chain design with the ﬁnal drive from the second sha . ese engines were 12nhp with a boiler operating pressure of just 100 psi. Most were sold to East Anglian farmers and contractors. By the late 1870s a short chain was produced quickly followed by an all gear drive. As Burrells are wellknown for their 3-sha designs it is surprising to note that these early all gear ploughing engines were 4-sha designs. Burrells moved away from the traditional design with the winding drum mounted underneath the boiler to adopt the side drum. However the coiling mechanism was never as good as that used on the horizontal drum and sales were very poor, with the last pair being produced inIn1914.June 1879 Burrells Nos 776 and 777 le the St Nicholas Works and were sent to Reginald Wilberforce of Lavington, near Midhurst, West Sussex. ese were 8nhp geared engines. By 1893 they had been sold to Charles Dorling of Colchester and again 1904 to Arthur Borley also of Colchester. In 1917 they went to their last commercial owners, E &

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 46 THE MONO FILES

It was not unusual for a pair of ploughing engines not to have consecutive numbers. No 2623 was paired with No 2687 - both single cylinder engines were completed in 1875. e first owner was Henry Harris of Longparish, Wiltshire. Later they were sold to the wonderfully named, Terah Hooley of Papworth, Cambridgeshire. He owned a large fleet of engines on his four estates in Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire and Wiltshire. e engines were named Papworth and Risley, the latter was named a er his estate near Derby. In 1908 both engines were sent to Fowells of St Ives where the boilers were rebuilt. Just four years later and all Hooley’s engines were being offered for sale including a new pair of Fowler compound ploughing engines which were only eight months old. Papworth and Risley were purchased by omas Orchard of Leverstock Green near St Albans and remained in use up to 1943 when they were offered for sale. It is thought they were scrapped shortly a Atkinsonerwards. Bros of Buckden, then in Huntingdonshire, purchased a pair of Fowler 14nhp single cylinder ploughing engines in August 1876, Nos 3040 and 3041. is was the third pair of ploughing engines purchased by the brothers but later in 1881 all were sold at auction when the business was wound-up. e new owners were Ben Allen & Sons of nearby Sawtry who was already operating a pair of ploughing engines. In 1918 the singles were replaced with a new pair of compound ploughing engines and Nos 3040 and 3041 were sold to William Hailstone of Yarwell, Northamptonshire, as he was expanding his contracting business to include ploughing. e poor state of agriculture in the 1920s and 1930s meant there was less work for ploughing engines and at this time many of the old singles were being scrapped. Nos 3040 and 3041 had one last owner in 1927 when they were purchased by Albert Day of Fressingfield, Suffolk. ese replaced an even older pair of ploughing engines but by 1932 Nos 3040 and 3041 had been scrapped. Other makers of single cylinder ploughing engines included McLaren, Savages and Marshalls but unfortunately photographs of these early engines are incredibly rare. Fortunately there are examples of two Burrells, 11 Fowlers and a single Howard in preservation. It is not surprising that when they are being used for demonstrations they attract a lot of attention. ■

A brief pause in cultivating for the men working with Fowler No 3040. The engine has the ‘coffee pot’ safety valve housing which is typical of ploughing engines built at this time. W Morley of Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. ey were eventually taken to Edwards’ scrap yard at Fairford gravel pits. ey were eventually saved for preservation by the late Tom Paisley in 1966 but it was another 20 years before they were back in steamHowardsagain.of Bedford were successful manufacturers of ploughs and similar implements. It seems obvious why they enter the market with a ploughing engine but unconventional design with a steam dome and the engine mounted in the tender attracted few buyers. In 1877 George Stephenson of Burwell, Cambridgeshire, purchased the Howard engine together with a plough and selfmoving anchors that was demonstrated at the Liverpool Royal Show. e 8nhp single cylinder engine had pulleys mounted underneath the engine, one under the front axle and the other on the right-hand hornplate, to take the rope from the vertical mounted drums on the tender. e central pulley takes the rope to the 4-furrow plough and the front pulley takes a rope around the headlands using snatch blocks and ﬁnally to the travelling anchor. e fact the engine was working 52 years a er it was built indicates it was well made.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE47

Mike Dysonconsiders showman’s engines based in Merseyside, drawing on his archive T he first showman in Liverpool to use an actual showman’s engine was John Collins, brother of the famous Pat Collins of Bloxwich. John Collins’ yard was in Scotland Road, a notorious part of the city where ‘scuffers’ otherwise known as members of the local constabulary, went about in twos. John Collins retired in 1937, when most of his rides and engines went to his two sons who were based in Manchester - Michael Albert Collins and James Patrick Collins. e first engine used by John Collins was Burrell single crank compound No 1819 Rambler which was purchased new in December 1894 in readiness for the 1895 season. It was not long before the fleet of engines increased in size to include Foden No 514 King Edward. e 8nhp compound engine was purchased by Isaac Richards of West Bromwich in July 1901 for use with his Steam Yachts. In 1912 the ride and the Foden engine were being offered for sale and both were bought by John Collins. In 1921 the engine was sold to James Woodward & Sons of St Helens, Lancashire and with the showman’s fittings removed, the engine was quickly resold to Walter Fitter of Great Sankey, Lancashire. By 1930 it was being operated by Ralph Outram of Crowton, Cheshire, and was still in use at the end of the war. Another engine operated by John Collins was Fowler R2 No 11126 named Our Fancy. e engine had been built in 1908 for the brief partnership of Farrar & Tyler with an address at Coalville, Leicestershire, and was used to haul their Bioscope Show. By 1912 the engine had been sold to Joe Ling of Doncaster. In 1916 Our Fancy had been sold to the Lancashire showman Tippler White and it was not until 1931 that it was purchased by John Collins. It was later operated by Michael Albert Collins and the name was changed to Felix. It was scrapped around 1950. By the 1930s Burrell Lady Violet was out of use at Crighton’s yard in Birkenhead. Notice the absence of twisted brass or any other brass ornamentation.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 48 THE MONO FILES

SHOWMAN’S ENGINES on MERSEYSIDE

Burrell No 4030 The Guvnor was photographed whilst in Shaw’s ownership. The brass embellishment contrasts sharply with the austere appearance of Crighton’s Burrell.

Felix was photographed at Oldham in 1936 when in the ownership of Michael Albert Collins. By 1930 John Collins’ third son, another John, had acquired Garrett 4CD tractor No 33401 named Wait and See to work with a set of Steam Yachts. It was originally built for the Ministry of Munitions in 1918 and later sold to Wort & Way of Salisbury who soon resold to Staffordshire showman Miles Jervis of Chasetown. e engine was converted and possibly used with a Tunnel Railway. When in the ownership of John Collins, the Garrett carried a plate, which stated: “If I rest I rust, if I rust I bust, No rest, no rust, no bust.” In later years this plate was fixed to a diesel lorry. By 1938 the Garrett had been sold out of showland and continued to work in Lancashire until it was scrapped in 1948.eWallis family of Liverpool operated a large fleet of engines with their first being the big Burrell single crank compound No 1908 Excelsior which they purchased in March 1896 to work with a set of four-abreast Gallopers. It was probably one of the heaviest showman’s engines built by Burrells, and no doubt the wooden blocks fitted to the rear wheels added to the weight. Harry Wallis decided to sell the engine in 1907 when Lancashire County Council imposed a 14-ton weight limit on engines using its roads. e next owner was Mrs Weir of Burton-on-Trent who used the engine with a Switchback but two years later it was sold to its final owner, Cli on Hill of Gloucester.elastBurrell engine purchased by Harry Wallis was No 4030 e Dolphin. is was the last showman’s engine to be built at etford and was delivered to William Davies of Stoke-on-Trent in September 1925. e engine was used with a new Electric Scenic Railway, the last scenic ride to be built by Orton & Spooner, which featured Diving Dolphins. By 1937 No 4030 had been sold to John Shaw & Sons of Sheffield, renamed e Guvnor and used with his Dodgems. During the war the engine was little-used and in 1944 it was sold to Harry Wallis. e engine was prepared for the 1945 travelling season now renamed e Commando.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE49

Burrell Excelsior was photographed at Thetford prior to the ﬁtting of the dynamo and dispatch to FowlerMerseyside.No11126

This photograph of Foden No 514 was used for publicity purposes. Note the spoked ﬂywheel covered with sheet metal.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 50 THE MONO FILES

By this time Wait and See was based at Manchester but still regularly appearing at Merseyside fairs. As it is a conversion the engine is not fitted with the heavier flywheel which has no handholes. However, the engine was not used and later sold for coal haulage. It now survives in preservation. Wallis’ purchased other engines and as a replacement for Excelsior they purchased in July 1908 Foster 8nhp LR type No 3664 which they named Her Majesty. e engine was sold in 1914 to William Mitchell of Heywood, Lancashire, and its final owner was Arthur Bates of Rhode Heath, Cheshire, who operated the engine from 1937 to 1944 a er which it was scrapped.elast Foster engine purchased new by the Wallis’ was 7nhp No 14387 Evening Star which they purchased in 1919. In 1924 they bought second-hand Foster No 3053. e 8nhp HR Type le the works in 1905 for Robert Carr of Hartlepool. ree years later it had been sold to Alfred Twigden of Dunton Bassett, Leicestershire, and then John Monk of Leicester. A er the war it was purchased by Harry Wallis and renamed Samson. However, the engine was sold again in 1923. Its last owner was Tom Miller & Sons of Willerton Quay, Newcastle. In

The Wallis family purchased Foster No 3664 Her Majesty in 1908 and its third and final owner was Arthur Bates. Notice the number of spokes in the rear wheels – two fewer than a similar Burrell. July 1935 Samson ran out of control at Denton Bank, Newcastle, and turned over. e cost of recovery far exceeded the value of the engine so it was cut up on theJamesspot.Crighton of Norwich operated two Bioscope Shows and in March 1908 took delivery of Burrell 8nhp No 2983 which was named Lady Violet. As Crighton had just heavily invested in his second Bioscope Show, the new engine did not have any brass embellishment. Lady Violet pulled three loads: the ﬁlm operating box truck, the organ truck and a living van. Crighton travelled widely and a er the First World War moved his base to Birkenhead using Lady Violet with a set of Gallopers. By the 1930s the Burrell was laid up and eventually scrapped.Inthisoverview of Merseyside showman’s engines, it has not been possible to mention all those that operated in this area. It is interesting that the most popular engines were those built by Fosters. In the south and east of England showmen preferred etfordbuilt engines. Perhaps the hilly districts of Merseyside and south Lancashire and the area heavily urbanised, favoured the lightly built but powerful engines produced by Fosters. In this brief account, I have used material collected by the late Bernard Fielding, an authority on Fairs, fairground engines and a resident of Liverpool, which was originally published in Steam Preservation in the late 1960s. In addition, I have used material from Merseyside Amusements by Scrivens, Smith & Taylor (2014).

Unfortunately this is a very poor quality photograph of Foster No 3053.

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OLD GLORY ARCHIVE51

No 1150 is one of the smaller 60 hp engines in the ‘Hungarian’ range but still very large when compared with those sold on the home market.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 52 THE MONO FILES

he city of Leeds was best known as the centre of the wool trade but by the end of the nineteenth century it had become an important area for engineering, much of it based on the need for textile equipment. However, pioneer railway designers such as John Blenkinsop and Matthew Murray built the Middleton Railway which was the ﬁrst commercially successful railway. By the 1850s there were a number of railway engineers operating in the city and were soon followed by the establishment of the famous Steam Plough Works of John Fowler. Much later, in 1876 the Midland Engine Works of John and Henry McLaren were started. Leeds, with its thriving engineering businesses developed a pool of highly skilled, educated and talented workers. A winter scene with Baldock’s No 452 raising steam in readiness for a day’s threshing.

McLARENS of LEEDS

Mike Dyson selects a variety of ‘Macs’ from his archive collection

John McLaren was just 26 years old and his brother four years younger. It was probably the worst time to start building traction engines as this was the start of a great agricultural depression that was to last until the end of the century. As a result, they concentrated their eﬀorts on building engines for the overseas markets, particularly South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. ey designed strong and reliable engines for the colonies where there were few roads and a breakdown could have catastrophic consequences. e engines had good sized sha s, bearings and gears and from the start they used steel gears. e boilers were free steaming, but coal consumption was certainly not economical. Consequently, few engines were sold on the home market but those that were sold in Britain were long-lived and required little in the way of repairs.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE53

Baldocks, the Suffolk threshing and ploughing contractors of Haverhill operated their business over a wide area and over the years owned over 50 different traction engines – mostly Fowlers. In 1938 they purchased second hand, McLaren 8nhp single cylinder engine No 452 from George Medcalf of Hedington, Suffolk. By this time the engine was already 46 years old having been built in 1892. Its first owner was Joseph Rogers of Tydd St Giles, near Wisbech who used the engine until 1911 when it was sold to George urlow & Sons of Stowmarket, the well-known engine dealers. e engine worked for Baldocks until a er the war when the boiler was no longer serviceable and was finally scrapped in 1947 a er 55 years’ service.erugged construction of McLaren engines made them popular with military authorities. e start of the Boer War in 1899 required new thinking to overcome the huge distances between the supply bases and the areas where fighting took place. By 1900 there were a number of

Staff Sergeant Luckin and his men of the 45th Steam Road Transport Company of the Royal Engineers at Frere, Natal, soon after the engine arrived in South Africa in January 1900. Willy Knight poses in front of 10nhp road haulage engine No 956. is was all supported by mechanics institutes and later by the creation of a university in 1903. By the late nineteenth century many of the senior members of the Leeds engineering ﬁrms had served apprenticeships and through study had deservedly gained promotion. is is in contrast to some traction engine builders in country areas, such as Burrells or Garretts where many of the workers were illiterate.In1876

traction engines being used to transport supplies. e daily requirements of an army of 50,000 men required 100 tons of supplies which could be easily achieved with traction engines. Most of the engines supplied were Fowlers but McLarens supplied a few. No 603, a 10nhp heavy haulage engine was supplied in August 1899 to the War Department at Chatham and was later shipped out to South Africa to join the 45th Steam Road Transport Company of the Royal Engineers. e 10nhp heavy haulage engine was primarily designed for the overseas markets but some were sold in the UK. No 956 was purchased by G & J Stubley Ltd of Batley, West Yorkshire, in December 1907. By 1928 it had been sold to Yorkshire showman, Stephen Waddington of Bradford, named Ben Hur and converted for use on the fairgrounds for use with his Cakewalk. A er only six years as a showman’s engine it was sold to be used once again for heavy haulage. Perhaps the engine was just too big to be used with a relatively small fairground ride. e new owners, Allan Knight & Son Ltd, of Huddersﬁeld were boiler makers and engine repairers. ey re-named the engine Nil Desperandum – never despair. e engine continued working until it was scrapped in 1948. McLarens built conventional cable ploughing engines which are comparable with those by Fowlers. However, for the overseas markets, direct traction ploughing was more usual. McLarens built a range of engines for ploughing by direct traction with the biggest ones known as the ‘Hungarian Engines’ as they had won the International Steam Ploughing Competition in 1909 at Mezöhegyres in Hungary with this new type of engine. e ﬁrst ones were rated at

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 54 THE MONO FILES

The McLaren 10-ton roller was similar in design to their 5nhp engines. Although not visible, No 1694 was ﬁtted with an Allen scariﬁer. Just another heavy load for No 1600. By this time the engine was past its best with damage to the canopy and the rear tyres in poor condition.

Chris Thompson’s 8nhp Miracle is a curious looking engine with its unusually small rear wheels. Northampton Corporation’s 8nhp crane engine No 1713 out of use in the 1950s. 60 hp but soon 80 hp and 100 hp versions were available. All these engines could work continuously at their prescribed horse-power but for example the 100 hp could work continuously at 100 hp but in an emergency could develop 125 actual horse-power for a short period. No 1150 was exported to New Zealand in 1910 and sold to John Withell of Otipua, Timaru. A er a number of owners, it was moved to Whataroa on the west coast for driving a sawmill but was eventually scrapped. Another of the 10nhp heavy haulage engines was No 1600 which was completed in November 1917 and supplied with a large number of similar engines to the War Department for use in France. ey were ideally suited for the haulage of heavy guns but could not be used too close to the front line as the smoke from the engines made them a target of enemy fire. A er the war, the engine was purchased by the famous Glasgow heavy haulage contractors, William Kerr & Sons Ltd. One of its chief uses was hauling railway locos from the North British Locomotive Company to the docks for shipment around the world. e engine continued in use a er the formation of Road Engines & Kerr Ltd. In 1932 but was out of use only two years later. It was almost certainly worn out with such heavy use. In June 1923 Newbury RDC took delivery of 10-ton compound roller No 1694. When Berkshire County Council took over responsibility for the roads, the roller was transferred to their ownership. In 1933 No 1694 was sold locally to Ford & Son (Wokingham) Ltd becoming No 31 in their fleet. A er amalgamation to create John Allen & Ford Ltd it became fleet No 231. e roller was scrapped in 1953.Smith Timber of Northampton purchased 8nhp road engine No 1713 in January 1922. In 1940 it was sold to Northampton Corporation. ey were concerned how they would manage with bomb damage and the engine once converted to a crane engine was for rescue work and the demolition of blitzed buildings. No doubt it was in use a er an RAF Stirling bomber crashed in the centre of Northampton in 1941. No 1713 was sold in 1960 for preservation and many years later converted into a showman’s engine. ere are rumours that it is being rebuilt and that it will be converted back to a crane engine. McLarens exhibited 8nhp road engine No 1716 at the 1923 Newcastle Royal Show and a month later it had been sold to G & J Stubley of Batley who already owned No 956. In 1933 the showman Chris ompson of Keighley purchased the engine to replace an ancient Aveling & Porter 6nhp engine. e McLaren was converted to a showman’s engine, named Christina Rose and then worked with an Orton & Spooner Ark ride. In 1934 the engine was involved in a serious accident near Otley when “it was a miracle that no one was killed”. e name of the engine was then changed to Miracle. In 1942 the engine was converted back to a heavy haulage engine to be operated by H Bentley (Bradford) Ltd. ree years later it had been sold to Allen Knight & Son of Huddersfield and within a short space of time was back on the Yorkshire fairgrounds with Tom Harniess of Doncaster but was soon out of use and laterMcLarenscrapped.engines were certainly not as elegant as some of the other manufacturers, but their engines were strongly built and lasted well. Significantly many of the McLaren engines we see on today’s rally fields have been brought back from South America and elsewhere a er being le out of use in the open to deteriorate. Fortunately, these magnificent engines have now been restored.

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OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 56 THE MONO FILES

Work is being carried out on No 1657 King of the Road when in the ownership of James Edwards. The rear wheel hub cap is on the ground.

THE BURRELL SINGLE-CRANK COMPOUND

No 1653 is seen at work scarifying when in the ownership of Pamplin Bros. Rollers usually have a solid cast ﬂywheel but this engine has a spoked ﬂywheel covered with a metal plate.

The Burrell SCC design was successful with over one thousand engines built to this design, says Mike Dyson P erhaps the most famous of all the Burrell designs was the single crank compound (SCC) engine which was patented in 1889. It had all the advantages in the economy of a compound engine but with the simple mechanism of a single cylinder engine. e design was used on all types of engines – even portables. Only one other manufacturer, Dodmans of King’s Lynn, produced a similar design but because it was claimed to infringe the Burrell patent, production at Dodmans stopped.Singlecylinder engines were built right up to the end of traction engine production but by the end of the nineteenth century it was recognised that compound engines were much more economical. To highlight the diﬀerences in performance

e Burrell single crank compound was a cheaper alternative to the usual compound design. In the US the Baldwin railway locomotives had made use of a single crosshead attached to two piston rods and this was the basis of the Burrell SCC with the high-pressure cylinder arranged diagonally above the low-pressure cylinder. e two piston rods are attached to a single crosshead with a single connecting rod to the cranksha . e layout is similar to a single cylinder engine and so requires fewer moving parts with only one set of valve gear. e single crank and eccentrics easily fit within the bearings of the hornplates, but the connecting rod and crosshead must be built to withstand the enormous stresses that are placed on them. e disadvantage of the SCC design is the difficulty of starting when the crank is on a dead centre – just like a single cylinder engine. In addition, the height of the highpressure cylinder above the boiler causes additional stresses on the barrel and its joints. e uneven power impulses of the two cylinders working together necessitated the fitting of heavier flywheels.

This photograph of No 2520 probably dates from the 1930s. The angle of the driving belt would seem to suggest the engine is powering a chaff cutter. in working it would be usual for a single cylinder engine to use 6cwt of coal and 500 gallons of water for a day’s thrashing. e compound engine would only require 4½cwt of coal and 360 gallons of water for a similar day’s threshing. Not only were compound engines more economical but as the cranks are at 90˚ to one another, the engine runs more smoothly with four power strokes instead of two and starting is much easier because if the high pressure crank is at a dead centre a starting valve can be used to allow steam to bypass to the low pressure cylinder with the crank in the ideal starting position. e low exhaust pressure causes less wear in the tubes and ﬁrebox, with consequent savings on long term maintenance. However, a compound engine is costlier to manufacture.

A er ﬁve years with the council it went to Aveling & Porter in part exchange for

Gloucestershire County Council purchased 10-ton roller No 1653 in November 1892. Unusually for Burrell this was a 4-sha engine with cylinders of 5in and 9in diameter with a stroke of just 9in and boiler rated at 160psi. – like their 6nhp single crank compound engines.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE57 Wallis’s No 1908 Excelsior had wood blocks fitted to the rear wheels. For such a large engine it has a surprisingly small dynamo.

Hauling two traction wagons, No 3009 was almost certainly photographed in Nottingham. The rear wheels are ﬁtted with woodblocks which provide much better adhesion when driving over granite setts. three new rollers. e Burrell was soon in the ownership of Pamplin Bros of Cherry Hinton near Cambridge who operated a contract ploughing and rolling business. ey reorganised in the 1930s to concentrate on contract rolling which they did until 1948 when all their equipment was sold by auction. It was bought by Esmond Kimbell from Boughton, Northamptonshire, for his construction company. Esmond later became an early preservationist, but the roller was not to be preserved as it was scrapped in the early 1950s.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 58 THE MONO FILES

An engine built for the fairground was 10nhp No 1908 Excelsior which was supplied to Merseyside showman Henry Wallis in March 1896. It is alleged the engine was named a er the public house near Wallis’s home. At the time this was regarded as one of the best engines built by Burrells and was certainly one of the heaviest. e diameters of the cylinders were 7in and 11½in with a 12 in stroke. e engine was used to work with a new set of 4-abreast Gallopers. A er many years work with the Wallis family, the engine was scrapped.

It appears that No 3137 has ﬁnished work for the day. The drive belt has been removed but the governor belt is still in place.

e Burrell stand at the 1892 Smithﬁeld Show had 6nhp road loco No 1657 on display. is was the ﬁrst 6nhp SCC engine and had cylinders of 6¼in and 10½in diameter and a 12 in stroke. Two months later in February 1893 it was delivered to S Shepherd in the Old Kent Road, London, for use with his Sea-onLand ride. By 1909 it had been sold to showman James Pettigrove of Sevenoaks. e engine was converted for use on the fairground and named King of the Road. It has been suggested the conversion was carried out by Wallis & Steevens. Two years later the engine was purchased by Richard Wall of Farnborough and in 1914 it was in the ownership of William Rawlings of Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire, to be sold the following year to James Edwards of Ludgershall, Wiltshire. A er only a few years as a showman’s engine it was sold in 1917 to T.C Fenson & Sons of Colmworth, Bedfordshire, for timber haulage. It was eventually scrapped in 1947.

Colonel Harry McCalmont, MP of Cheveley Park near Newmarket, took delivery of 7nhp agricultural engine No 2520. e boiler had a working pressure of 160psi with cylinders of 6in and 10in with 12in stroke. e 41-year-old colonel was dead by the end of the year and the engine was sold to local threshing contractor James Nicholls. It worked in the Newmarket area and was out of use by the end of the Second World War and in 1953 was consigned to Duce’s scrapyard in Cambridge where it was cut up.Nottingham Corporation took delivery of 7nhp road engine No 3009 in July 1908. A er working in Nottingham for 27 years, it was sold in 1935 to Leicestershire road contractors omas Cowman & Sons of Ashfordby. By 1939 the engine had been sold again. e new owners were George Gregg & Sons of Larne, Co. Antrim, where it was used until 1949 and later scrapped.

An unusual load with No 3201, a threshing machine, a living van and an elevator. The engine is equipped with a set of spuds which are sometimes called paddles. No 3210 Pride of the Wye is being used during the First World War by the Army Ordnance Corps’ Forage Department to transport baled hay to the local railway station for onward shipping to France.

Many single crank compound agricultural engines were produced. No 3137, a 7nhp engine was purchased by John Jarman of Kneesworth, Cambridgeshire. Being a farmer, he no doubt appreciated the economy of a compound engine. When employing a contractor, the farmer had to supply the coal and consequently the contractor had little interest in how much coal was used. In 1947 No 3137 was sold to Mrs Flack of nearby Orwell for contract threshing. It was not long before it was out of use and in 1952 it went to Duce’s scrapyard in Cambridge.

In May 1910 James Penfold of Barnham, West Sussex, took delivery of 7nhp agricultural engine No 3201 for his expanding contracting business. By 1932 the Burrell had been sold to James Penfold Ltd of the Tortington Ironworks, Arundel, an even larger contractor and agricultural engineer. In 1955 it was sold to Chris Lambert of Horsmonden, Kent, but immediately resold for preservation by E.W Edney of Horndean, Hampshire, and is now named Achilles and can be found in Norfolk.elast SCC road engine to be built was 7nhp No 3210 which le the works in June 1910. By this time boiler pressures had signiﬁcantly increased to 200psi. e cylinders had diameters of 6½in and 11in with a 12in stroke. e owner, A.J Lewis of Hoarwithy, Herefordshire, on the banks of the River Wye named the engine Pride of the Wye. e Burrell SCC design was successful with over one thousand engines built to this design. In many ways it was a half way house between a single cylinder engine and a full compound. e SCC certainly gave compound economy at a very aﬀordable price. ■

In October 1902

SHOWMAN’S MADE IN 1920

LFFT: Burrell No 3833 Queen Mary in the 1930s, when in use with Anderton & Rowland and their Dodgems. Note the size of the dynamo and wide front wheels for negotiating soft ground.

Mike Dyson takes a look at some showman’s engines from his archive that were built in 1920 T he world of transport changed during the Great War and many people realised steam was no longer king. Car ownership was rapidly growing and a demand for better roads brought increased demand for steam rollers. Heavy haulage was very much the preserve of steam with substantial sales of steam wagons. Agriculture looked less certain as the spread of the Fordson

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 60 THE MONO FILES

This works photograph of Burrell No 3827 Victory was used in their publicity material and shows it ﬁtted with two Matther & Platt dynamos.

Charles urston took delivery of Burrell No 3827 named Victory in May 1920 to work with his new Orton & Spooner Dragon Scenic ride. Initially the ride was usually transported by rail with Victory hauling the packing trucks from the nearest railway station. e ride was placed in store in 1931 and Victory was used with other rides, particularly a Lakin-built Waltzer. At the outbreak of war in 1939 the engine was at the Oxford St Giles Fair and returned to Norwich where it was placed in store. In 1947 it was purchased by George Cushing and can now be seen at ursford Museum.Another showman’s engine to leave etford in May 1920 was No 3833. is 8nhp engine named Queen Mary was supplied to Alf Payne of York for use with his 4-abreast Gallopers. He already owned Burrell No 2804 e White Rose of York. In 1923 Alf Payne retired and sold the ride and both engines to Anderton & Rowland. e loads were driven almost 500 miles from Sunderland to Babbacombe. In 1943 Queen Mary was sold to Mrs Flo Symonds of Gloucester but a er the war the engine was laid up and in 1950 purchased for preservation by Viv Kirk of Oxford. No 3866 Vanguard le etford just

When Norman Davies reached 21, his father gave him Fowler No 15118 Victory and for many years he was its Marshalldriver.Hill’s

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Burrell No 3866 Vanguard in the 1920s before rubber tyres had been fitted. The hub caps feature the AGE logo. and other similar tractors made it clear that although they were perhaps not as powerful as steam engines, they were a lot cheaper to purchase. e writing was on the wall and the days of steam were numbered.Inanattempt to rationalise the traction engine building industry A.W Maconochie promoted a new company, Agricultural & General Engineers Ltd. Maconochie had been very successful during the war, particularly in the supply of tinned food for the army and perhaps best remembered for his famous pickle. AGE was an excellent idea of transforming many small family-run engineering businesses into a substantial company able to compete with the big American agricultural machinery and tractor producers. However, Maconochie was an asset stripper taking huge commissions from all the participating companies. Unrealistic expectations and poor management quickly led to disaster with the company never paying any dividend on its shares and was finally wound-up in 1932. e immediate post-war period was very successful for the fairground industry with many new rides being purchased along with the necessary transport. Showmen purchased petrol lorries from government dispersal sales but for moving and providing power for heavy rides there was no alternative other than a traction engine. At this time showmen were increasingly moving their own loads from town to town rather than using the railways and therefore needed more engines. All the modern rides required electricity and steam was necessary for generating the big power requirements of rides such as the electric Scenic Railways which needed at least 360 amps. Only three manufactures were able to meet this demand. Fowlers were not particularly interested in providing engines for the fairground although there was a strong market for the conversion of their class B6 ex-WD engines with Charles Openshaw of Reading being pre-eminent in this area. Fosters had already produced their 65 bhp design before the war, with the first appearing in 1911 and by 1915 this incorporated a tender mounted crane. Burrells produced the first of their 8nhp scenic engines in 1920 with an auxiliary dynamo fitted between the chimney and cylinder and a rear-mounted crane similar to the Foster design.

This is a photograph of Fowler No 15652 Repulse although it has the nameplate from Renown. In the late 1920s the name plates were swapped over but No 15652 can always be identiﬁed as it does not have a rear-mounted crane. The canopy of Bob Wilson’s Fowler No 15654 The Lioness is lettered ‘Generator on Tour’. Although wartime, the engine appears to be well maintained but the rubber tyres on the rear wheels are very thin. before Christmas 1920. e scenic engine had been ordered by Marshall Hill of Bedminster for use with a Motor Scenic which he jointly owned with his brother Bernard. Vanguard was a replacement for Burrell No 3178 Dreadnought which had been used with the ride when it was new in 1910. e ride was placed in store in 1934 to be replaced with a new Orton & Spooner Ark. e engine eventually went out of use and was cut up in 1952.

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William Davies, the well-known showman from the Potteries, took delivery of Fowler class R3 No 15118 in May 1920 which was also named Victory. Initially the engine was used with a Switchback. In those days it was usual for a showman’s engine and its loads to drive down the centre of the road but in 1923 the driver of Victory was ﬁned £10 for obstructing the road. In 1925 a new Scenic ride replaced the Switchback. Victory now worked alongside a new Burrell scenic engine No 4030 Dolphin with the Fowler used for powering the lights. In the 1930s Victory was working with a Jungle Speedway and 1939 was the last year the engine was in use. It was laid up until the end of the war when it was cut up. Another R3 to leave Leeds in May 1920 was No 15652 Repulse. e purchase of a new engine was an immense capital investment but John Murphy of South Shields not only purchased No 15652 but also No 15653 Renown. e engines arrived in grey primer but it was not long before they were resplendent in a blue livery. Initially both engines worked with a Savage built Motor Car Scenic but in 1924 Repulse was loaned to omas Murphy

In August 1920 Mrs Catherine Bird of Watford took delivery of No 14502 which she named Victory. e engine worked with a set of Gallopers. Mrs Bird died in 1928 and the engine passed into the ownership of her grandson John Flanagan. It was not long before Victory was working with a set of Dodgems and in 1939 was working with an Autodrome. For some time the engine was out of use but in the 1950s it was purchased for preservation. ere was little to choose between the three manufacturers other than weight, with Fowler engines being particularly heavy. Foster engines were relatively light and had only 16 spokes in the rear wheels. All three manufacturers were able to oﬀer a rear mounted crane should it be required. In 1920 Burrells produced eight engines for showmen, half of which were the new design scenic engines whilst Fowlers completed three engines and Fosters supplied seven.

Foster No 14499 The Rover changed hands many times but it was owned by James Day for around 10 years. The engine appears to be in excellent condition. Note the two clack valves next to each other –an unusual feature of these Foster engines.

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William withTownArkStirlingalthoughBastablebasedintookhistoNewcastleMoorFairFoster14500 Ben Hur – a journey of around 140 miles with plenty of hills. Note the number of light bulbs in the canopy. By 1939 Foster No 14502 Victory was owned by John Dodgems.truckisbehindImmediatelyonBird’sstillalthoughFlanaganithadMrsnamethecanopy.theenginetheheavyplateforthe for his Chair-o-planes. By the 1950s it had been sold for preservation. e only showmen’s engines completed in 1920 were all class R3’s. No 15654 Dolly was dispatched to James Monte Williams of West Hartlepool in June 1920. It seems a curious purchase as Williams had sold most of his fairground equipment the previous year. In 1933 the engine was sold to Anderton & Rowland. When it arrived, it had primrose yellow wheels which were quickly repainted in red and a ompson & Walton ‘Feast’ crane was fitted with the name changed to e Lioness. It worked with an Ark known as the Jungle Ride but in 1938 it was sold to George Rogers of Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire. At the outbreak of war, it was purchased by Jesse Vines of Hardwicke and soon sold to Bob Wilson of Birmingham. However, it was cut up at a scrap yard in Stratford-on-Avon in 1952. Fosters only completed one of their big 65bhp engines in 1920 but six of their 7nhp showmen’s engines were delivered. No 14499 was exhibited at Darlington Royal Show in June 1920. It was later sent to Carloman Brothers of Wolverhampton for use with their Gallopers and named e Rover. It never stayed long with any one owner and was twice offered for sale by dealers Walkers of Tewksbury and Phillips of Newport. It was operated for a short time by Peters of Worcester, Emblings of Gloucester and Days of Kent - finishing its days with Coles of Chichester and scrapped in 1945. Why it had so many owners is a matter for speculation. John Royle of Manchester took delivery of No 14500 in July 1920 for use with his Gallopers and Switchback and named the new engine Cheshire Lad. By 1928 it had been sold to Harry Clayton of Liverpool and in 1934 it moved on again to William Bastable of Stirling. He had just purchased a new Ben Hur Ark from Lakins and the name of the engine was changed to Ben Hur. It was sold in 1945 and for a short time worked in a quarry before being scrapped.

Mike Dyson looks at the products of the Huntingdonshire firm of Fowells from his archive. Output was small but amazingly seven engines still survive In 1876, George Fowell, aged 35 le the security of his job as chief draughtsman at Burrells to set up his own business in the small town of St Ives in what was then Huntingdonshire. He purchased land near the railway station which was supposedly land that had once been farmed by Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century and called his new premises the Cromwell Works. e nucleus of the workforce were all ex-Burrell employees. Just two years later, Joseph Fowell, George’s father who was Burrell’s works manager, also le to join his son at St Ives. George’s youngest brother, similarly, le the etford works. It must have been a blow for Burrells to lose so many of their senior staff. It is possible that George Fowell was helped financially by William Box of Uffington, Berkshire, who had designed a most unusual spring mounted traction engine with the drive transmitted underneath the boiler via a jacksha to the wheels. Other traction engine builders were not interested in building such a revolutionary design but the first engine that was completed at the new Cromwell Works was a Box Patent Engine which was exhibited at the Bath & West Show in May 1877 and two months later at the Royal Show at Liverpool. Five of these curious engines were built between 1877 and 1896. e springing arrangement of the engine was a great improvement on many other traction engines. However, the arrangement had the disadvantage as it relied on friction bands for steering which was clearly an inconvenience as the engine would have to stop every time a bend or corner had to be negotiated. Other Box Patent engines were built at Lincoln by Robey.elast of the Box Patent engines was completed in 1896. George Fowell modified the design with the cylinder at the chimney end of the boiler instead of above the firebox with the object of Prior to dispatch, No 18 was photographed outside Fowell’s works in New Road. The purpose of the coupling rod drive was to allow free vertical movement of the sprung hind wheels.

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The early design of Fowell engines like No 1 had 4-shafts and were ﬁtted with a spring-loaded safety valve mounted on the front of the cylinder. The front wheels are constructed with double T-rings. shortening the drive. is engine was No 83 and was exhibited at the Leicester Royal Show and later sold to Percy Elbourn of Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. Elbourn was a good customer and friend of the Fowells with a reputation for hard work and a dislike of maintenance. He would not tolerate the frequent stops that were necessary to adjust the friction bands when going around corners which resulted in excessive wear on axles and bearings. It is not surprising this caused several expensive sha repairs and a er two years the engine was returned to St Ives to have the springs and special drive removed to be replaced with an ordinary gear drive.

Initially Fowells, like other engine builders, could not decide whether to build three or four-sha engines in three sizes from 6nhp to 8nhp. Up to 1888 Fowells completed 30 four-sha engines but then only three-sha engines were built. Some of the early designs had a divided rear axle which consisted of two stub axles bolted to the sides of the ﬁrebox, like a portable engine.Aer1888 only 7nhp and 8nhp engines were built with a design that hardly changed until the end of production in 1922. A Ramsbottom safety valve was added with trunk guides for the crossheads instead of slide bars. Cross arm governors replaced the heavy Watt type pattern that had previously been used.

A er that No 83 gave good service and was eventually scrapped in the early 1940s.

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e By this time No 9 was out of use and all the features of the early design are like No 1.

e Cromwell Works were purchased by George’s brother-in-law and continued until the business was incorporated in 1901. During the Great War the ﬁrm was busy with munitions contracts but the postwar slump saw the company making large losses and it was ﬁnally wound-up in 1923.

e third Box Patent engine built by Fowells was No 18 which was ordered by William Box and supplied in July 1882 to their brick and tile works. Later William Box was to move to Liverpool leaving the business in the hands of his father who was killed whilst driving the engine. e business, including the engine, was sold to Holloway Bros in 1894 who later became large scale haulage contractors. In 1900 the Fowell was replaced with Fowler class B5 No 8903 and it is believed it was then scrapped.erewere never enough orders for traction engines and consequently the day to day business was general engineering and repairs to a wide range of traction engines. e ﬁrst engine to be completed in May 1878 was No 2 and quickly followed a month later by No 1. is was a 6nhp engine and went to Edward Green of North Walsham, Norfolk, who over the years was to purchase a further six engines from Fowells. No 1 had been returned to St Ives and sold to Seamark Bros of Willingham, Cambridgeshire, who operated the engine for many years until

In the ownership of Elbourn’s, No 52 is at work threshing. It is winter time as there are no leaves on the trees and the ground is soft necessitating the use of spuds on the rear wheels. engines were comparatively light making them ideal for working in so ground. ey steamed well and had an excellent reputation for being economical. With their short wheelbase they were easy to set to a threshing machine. A feed pump was ﬁtted but no injector and no brake unless specially requested. As the front axle was below the boiler the smokebox was made of thinner metal unlike other makers. e strakes on the rear wheels were inclined in the opposite direction to those of other makers - tending to throw the road surface inwards and the wheels outwards. When wear occurred, it was simple to insert a new collar between the retaining pins at the axle ends and wheel hubs without having to remove the wheels. Some front wheels had cast rims with the spokes secured in slots. Some engines that were repaired and required replacement front wheels were ﬁtted with the cast wheels and one still survives in preservation.Sadly,afamily dispute in 1898 led to the sale of the business with George Fowell moving to Huntingdon to become works manager for an engineering company.

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Chaff cutting was an important part of Richard Drake’s business. This is either No 33 or 36. Note the spare knife wheel which has been sharpened in readiness to replace the one in the machine when it becomes blunt.

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scene when No 97 was owned by Joseph Charter. Note the cast front wheels with the spokes set into recesses in the rim. it was replaced by Fowell No 81. is was a 7nhp engine which had been purchased in November 1896 by William Kimpton of Somersham but when it was sold to Seamarks is not known. Its final owners were Askews of Willingham but by the late 1930s it was out of use. Most of Fowell’s engines were sold in the local area. No 9, an 8nhp engine was completed in August 1880 for John Woodcock of Fenstanton – just a couple of miles from the works. It was sold two years later to Charles Langford, also of Fenstanton and in 1909 was returned to the works for a new firebox plus some other repairs. It was purchased in 1923 by E & G Hall of Warboys and in 1938 sold to George Newman of Needingworth but out of use by the late 1940s. In all that time the engine had worked within just a few miles of St Ives. Its longest journey was in 1952 when it was taken to a scrapyard in Cambridge. Richard Drake established his business at Sutton in the Isle of Ely in 1875 and over the years purchased a number of new and second-hand engines. In 1886 he bought two Fowell engines: Nos 33 and 36 both 7nhp engines. No 33 was scrapped around 1930 and No 36 was sold in 1927 to Edward Welcher of nearby Doddington but was out of use by 1933 and later scrapped. In March 1891 Henry Cranfield of Buckden, a dozen miles away from the works, purchased an 8nhp engine No 52. By 1915 it had been sold to Percy Elbourn of Meldreth, Cambridgeshire who already had three Fowell engines. It worked up until the late 1940s and in 1951 it was sold to a nursery for soil sterilisation and later scrapped. No 89 entered service in 1900 with Edward Green who had already purchased six Fowell engines. However, this 8nhp engine No 89 was produced by Harvey & Williams of Huntingdon where George Fowell was the works manager. Most of the parts for the engine had already been manufactured at St Ives and it was in all respects a Fowell engine. In 1926 Percy Elbourn purchased the engine and used it up until 1944, It was out of use until 1950 when it was cut up.

Joseph Charter of Comberton, Cambridgeshire, was another good customer of Fowells. He bought his first engine from them in 1901, another in 1904 and finally No 97 in December 1907 although the valve chest cover on the engine is dated 1908. All these engines were 7nhp and were eventually part of the fleet of engines operated by Alexander Charter of the nearby village of Bourn and in 1945 was sold to Percy Harvey of Balsham, another Cambridgeshire village. In 1961 the engine was saved for preservation by Tom Paisley who farmed near St Ives. His collection eventually numbered over twenty engines and included three Fowell engines!

It seems that George Fowell’s ambitions of becoming a major manufacturer of traction engines never came to fruition. roughout the 1880s the manufacture of traction engines gradually increased but annual production never got into double ﬁgures. In 45 years only 109 engines were built. It is clear the engines were popular in the local area and there were many loyal customers such as Percy Elbourn. Repairs were the ﬁrm’s bread and butter and the construction of traction engines was something that took place when work was slack. Amazingly, seven engines still survive!

Achimney.busythreshing

The Harvey & Williams engine is shown out of use sometime in the late 1940s. Note the patch on the

The last enginesShowman’satwork King Edward VII in its ﬁnal working days with the Dodgem loads. The long extension chimney was a survival from the days when the engine provided power for the Bioscope Show.

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Burrell No 3980 Her Majesty had once worked with Charles Heal but by 1945 was owned by William Armstrong who

t is believed that there were around 1100 Showman’s engines of all types on fairgrounds at diﬀerent times. e decline started in the 1930s with the big improvements in the heavier types of internal combustion engine lorries. Diesel generating sets, particularly those supplied by Fowlers, were increasingly popular as they no longer required someone to be in attendance when they were running. During the war many Showman’s engines were cut down to become plain road locos and used for heavy haulage such as Fowler No 20223 Supreme. Others were used for threshing such as Foster No 14153 Admiral Beatty. Some went on to blitz demolition such as George Irvin’s Foster No 12499 Marvel and many more were just scrapped. A er the war large numbers of surplus military vehicles became available. In 1947 John urston was able to purchase four Diamond-T tank transporters. ese massive 6-wheelers could not only haul a greater load than steam powered haulage, but they were of course so much faster on the road.Some showmen struggled to ﬁnd buyers for their engines as the price of scrap fell very sharply at the end of hostilities.

By the mid-1930s it was obvious that steam on the fairground was on the way out. It was noted that fewer and fewer showman’s engines were to be seen at the major fairs and by the end of the war only a handful of showman’s engines were still in use, says Mike Dyson

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Although Sally No 2 has not been fitted with any twisted brass, the paintwork is very elaborate. It would be interesting to know why coal is being carried on the roof.

Still at work in the 1950s! Lord Fisher is certainly past her best but appears to be well cared for although the rear tyres are quite thin.

Gladiator was fitted with a canopy six inches lower than standard, probably because there were several low bridges in north London. allegedly sold the engine for 7/6 (that’s 37½p to our younger readers)!

Bernard Fielding who recorded in detail the use of Showman’s engines thought that there were still 83 at work in 1945. e following year this number had dropped to 45 and by 1950 only 16 were still at Burrellwork.8nhp engine No 2780 King Edward VII was delivered to Charles urston of Norwich in November 1905 to be used with his Bioscope Show. In 1919 the engine was returned to Burrells for an overhaul with the addition of an extended smokebox to allow for the fitting of an auxiliary dynamo and a lengthened awning. is modification was a few months prior to the first purpose built scenic engine to leave etford. e engine then appeared at the 1920 Lynn Mart providing power for a new Orton & Spooner Electric Scenic Railway. By 1930 King Edward VII was operating with a new Noah’s Ark and later a Waltzer. However, by 1943 the engine was sold to Charles Presland of Tilbury and used with a set of Dodgems. John Cushing, who had already purchased three of the original four Charles urston engines, was told King Edward VII might be for sale and at the end of 1952 he not only bought the Burrell in working order but also Garrett No 33902

Hero was photographed sometime in the 1930s when in the ownership of Herbert Waddington. The crane on the back of the engine can clearly be seen.

Heals had a reputation of having a very smart fleet of engines. The Newton dynamo fitted to Little Jimmy was rarely used and had originally been fitted to their Fowler engine. Medina. e engine is now part of the famous ursford Collection but sadly has not been steamed for many years. Henry Strickland purchased Burrell 8nhp engine No 2894 in March 1907 and named it Pride of Worcester a er his home town. It initially worked with a Bioscope Show and later a set of Gallopers before being sold in 1935 to Arnold Bros. ey had two yards one, at Southampton and one at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. ey renamed the engine King Edward VIII. By 1942 it had passed into the ownership of Elias Harris of Hook, Hampshire, and in 1948 ended up at Hardwick’s scrapyard at West Ewell. e following year Miss Sally Beach traded in her Burrell No 3694 Lord Fisher for the engine but retained the nameplates, so yet another name change. e engine was used with a set of Gallopers until 1953 when it was sold for preservation. It later had a further name change to Centaur but has now reverted to Pride of Worcester. Five name changes – is this a record? In May 1913 Ledbury RDC took delivery of Burrell No 3473, a 5nhp Devonshire road loco. It later became part of the Herefordshire County Council fleet and was eventually sold to an engine dealer in Sheffield. In 1939 it was purchased by Timmy Ray of Mansfield who converted the engine and named it Sally No 2. is was a replacement for Fowler B6 No 11368. Sally No 2 worked with a set of Gallopers up until was probably the last showman’s engine to work in the London area, working up until 1954 when it was purchased for preservation. It was driven away from Gray’s yard by Jack Shuttlewood and a young Geoff Gilbert. Many years later Geoff described the journey as the fastest he’d ever travelled on an engine! One of the many Garrett 4CD tractors supplied to the Ministry of Munitions was No 33290 which was completed in May 1918. It was purchased from a dispersal sale in 1920 and converted into a showman’s tractor for Charles Heal & Sons of Glastonbury with the name ‘Little Jimmy the Showman’ on the gear side and ‘Little Jimmy the Helpmate’ on the other. e engine was used for hauling empty wagons on the fairground and for hauling living vans. In 1936 it passed to another member of the family, Mrs Emmie Knighton, who had a yard at Ludgershall, Wiltshire. In 1948 it broke its front axle at Chew Valley Lake, south of Bristol and was then scrapped.

Fowler class R2 No 11127 Hero le the works in March 1908 to travel just 10 miles to the premises of William Marshall & Sons in Bradford. For many years it worked with a Steam Motor Switchback but when the ride stopped travelling, the engine was sold to Herbert Waddington who also had a yard in Bradford. e Waddingtons liked Hero as it was ﬁtted with a ompson & Walton ‘Feast’ crane which had been used 1953 and the following year was sold for preservation but later scrapped. We must assume the boiler required repairs and at that time this was not considered economical.FredGrayof Hampstead purchased one of the new Burrell scenic engines in March 1921 for use with his Savage built Scenic Railway which had been supplied the previous year. No 3884 was named I Wonder and later changed to Gladiator. In the 1930s it was working with a Speedway Ark and a Loch Ness Monster but was always used for driving the Scenic Railway at the Hampstead Heath Bank Holiday fairs. It

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By the 1950s obtaining water was becoming more difficult. Here Dreadnought is using the water lifter to obtain water from a stream. for li ing the Switchback cars on and oﬀ the track. e crane was ideal for li ing the legs and the top axle for their Steam Yachts. At the end of the war, the driver of Hero was the celebrated Harry Lee. e engine was last used at the 1947 Halifax Spring Fair and replaced with an ex-war department AEC Matador. Hero was ﬁnally scrapped in 1950 but the Steam Yachts still happily survive in the ownership of the Saunders family.

Fortunately the Pat Collins concern had a few devoted drivers that allowed them to continue using steam. Just visible is the pole of The Leader’s rear bunker crane.

Another of Pat Collins’ engines that was at work in the 1950s was Foster No 14446 e Leader. is was a 65bhp engine which had originally been No 14405 named William Henry and had been supplied to John Whiting of Sheffield in October 1921. It was later returned to Fosters, renumbered as No 14446 and in March 1927 sold to Pat Collins. e engine was used at various times with a number of different rides but most o en with a Lakin-built Waltzer. e Leader made its final appearance at Aston Onion Fair in 1957 and shortly a erwards was purchased by the present owner. To say which was the last showman’s engine to work on a fairground is not an easy question to answer. e most likely candidates are Charles Presland’s Burrell No 3949 Princess Mary and Kevin McGivern’s Fowler No 14425 Carry On.

Several Fowler B6 road locos were purchased by the War Department during the First World War and later were acquired by Charles Openshaw of Reading for conversion to showman’s engines. One of these was No 14424 which was dispatched from Leeds in May 1916 but a er conversion was sold to the famous Midlands showman, Pat Collins and named Dreadnought. It was an unusual engine as it had a fabricated rear bunker crane similar to the Burrell design. For many years Dreadnought and McLaren No 1623 Goliath worked with a Dragon Scenic ride. In 1932 the ride ceased to be travelled and Dreadnought worked with various other rides including a Mont Blanc and by the 1950s was with a set of Dodgems. ere are conﬂicting reports as to when it last worked but by the mid-1950s it had been sold for preservation.

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The best-known type of engine produced by W Taskers & Sons Ltd of the Waterloo Iron Works, Andover, was without doubt the 5-ton tractor known as ‘The Li le Giant’, says Mike Dyson

TASKER’S ‘LITTLE GIANTS’

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ABOVE: The photograph shows No 1339 on test towing another A2 and a traction wagon.

T owards the end of 1902 Taskers attempted to produce a single cylinder 3-ton tractor weighing less than 3-tons – the A1. e first one, No 1284, was exhibited at the Smithfield Show and a number of orders followed. A year later with the compound version built, the B1 was offered for sale. In 1903 the Heavy Motor Car Orders were introduced, which increased the weight limit for tractors to 5-tons. Taskers’ response was not immediate but in January 1905 they produced their first single cylinder 5-ton tractor – the A2. Six months later the compound version was offered for sale – the B2. It was not long before production of the A1 and A2 tractors ceased and work was then concentrated on building the B2. In 1905 George Hoare produced a form of springing for the rear axle which

BELOW: It is thought this shows No 1362 when in the ownership of Barkers. Note the water tanks mounted either side of the motion instead of the usual belly tanks.

No 1365 is seen leaving Andover on its way to London for the start of the RAC Trials in 1907. Did the trailer carry enough spares for the repairs that were required to No 1382 after its accident at Bathford?

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winners who received a gold medal and then marketed their tractors as the ‘ e Burrell Gold Medal Tractor’. e Tasker entry No 1382 had a substantial lead until it met with disaster on the fourth day when travelling between Chippenham and Bath. Whilst descending the hill at Bathford the trailer drawbar brokecausing the engine to overturn and ending up on its side in a ditch. Fortunately, the crew were unhurt. ere was damage to the rear wheel, a bent front axle and bent canopy supports. Amazingly it took 1¼ hours to get the engine back on the road and a further two hours to fit the replacement parts and then steamed onto Bath. is setback allowed Burrells to take the lead in the competition and to finally win. Had it not been for the accident we might have had ‘ e Tasker Gold Medal Tractor’. As a consolation prize Taskers were awarded a silver medal. ese tractors were very popular with timber hauliers as they were ideal for their work. ey could travel fast out to a job, load the timber and return at a reasonable speed. However, nothing is ever perfect and the chain drive ‘Little Giant’ was no exception - particularly when trying to reverse a heavy load. As the driving chain is under tension when driving forwards, the drive has virtually no effect on the springing. However, in reverse the lower part of the chain hangs almost vertically and when under tension pulls the engine down on the springing. is causes the engine to tilt over to the gear-side. Many of the old steam drivers found it difficult to reverse a pole trailer with a load of timber so it was a manoeuvre that was avoided. became known as the floating ring suspension. A form of Oldham coupling was fitted to the final drive which consisted of a floating ring on the rear axle between the faces of the final drive gear and the differential. is allowed the springs to be placed above the axle and was claimed to overcome the problem of the rolling tendency which is found in some springing arrangements. Further improvements came in 1914 when a chain drive version was built and a er that date few gear driven engines were produced. To accommodate the drive and springing, the hornplates were extended rearwards and had channel side frames. e two sha s are nearly as close together as they would be on a standard gear driven tractor but the chain changes the direction of the cranksha with the crank running in the opposite direction to the road wheels just as with a 4-sha engine. e most noticeable improvement from this design was the quiet running especially when the engine was driven at speed. e engine could be supplied as a two or three-speed engine. Unfortunately, the cranksha s of the 3-speed engines were known to break very easily, probably because of the considerable overhang of the third speed pinion when in mesh causing considerable stress on the cranksha .

RAC Commercial Vehicle Trials will always be linked with the Burrell tractor. Burrells were the overall

It was not long before Taskers fitted conventional belly tanks to their tractors. No 11431 is shown in the ownership of Albert French of Seaford. The large cylinder casting has inclined valves similar to Fowler engines.

ese tractors also had an unusual boiler design with 24, 1½ in boiler tubes and an additional four 3 in diameter tubes. It may seem an odd arrangement but they had a reputation as good steamers. Originally they had inclined slide valves similar to the Fowler arrangement. Later, this was changed so that valves were horizontal but as the motion no longer lined up with the valve spindles a vertical offset was arranged in each of the spindle guides. e later design had outside valves initially fitted with a starting valve but on the later ‘Little Giants’ a true double high arrangement was fitted with steam admitted simultaneously to both cylinders, which gives enormous power but misuse can cause flexing of the cranksha . is necessitated the change from a forged cranksha to one machined fromesolid.1907

Five-ton single cylinder tractor No 1339 (A2) was built in 1905 and was hired out for a short time before being sold to Charles Phillips of Newport, South Wales. Phillips was operated a large engineering business which involved buying, selling and hiring traction engines. No 1339 was sold to C J Harrington & Sons of Ross-onWye who was a haulage contractor and a er many years it was scrapped.

This is No 1618 which was originally registered AA 5331 but was later changed to KX 5938. The large low-pressure cylinder end cover makes the 7¾ in cylinder look enormous!

R Whites, the famous manufacturer of mineral water, purchased No 1362 in May 1906. ey ended up buying 20 of these tractors with the last one in 1916. By 1914 No 1362 was sold to J Barker & Co of Rayleigh, Essex, for haulage. A er another three owners in Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and again London, it was sold in 1923 to Mrs Edwards of Ludgershall, Wiltshire, to work on the fairgrounds but there is no evidence it was ﬁtted with a dynamo. It eventually was out of use and later scrapped.

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When Taskers competed in the 1907 RAC Trials their entry was No 1382 but as a support vehicle they used an A2 tractor, No 1365. is was built in 1907 and the following year sold to William Frampton who had premises at Ash and Farnham. By 1921 the engine was being operated by omas Frampton of nearby Aldershot and the following year was sold to H Williams of Camberley. In 1927 major repairs were required and No 1365 was ﬁtted with a Burrell boiler and a Burrell single cylinder engine. e Burrell

Although a small engine the ‘Little Giant’ could handle a threshing machine and a chaff cutter. Many drivers said the engine ran more smoothly in reverse but care had to be taken with the regulator when starting on the belt. One driver opened the regulator a bit abruptly and the belt came off the flywheel. Unfortunately the belt was damaged by the pump gear teeth and a erwards resembled a machine gun belt!

I’m not sure what the police might have had to say if they had seen George Irvin’s sons driving No 1756 around the fairground! No doubt a necessity when they were short-handed.

Register describes this as an 8-ton roller No 4065 without wheels, saddle or front forks but a er the work was completed was being operated as an 8-ton roller. Quite how this conversion was achieved and why it continued to be registered as a Tasker when so much of the engine incorporated Burrell parts is a mystery. No 1365 was part exchanged for a new roller from Wallis & Steevens in 1939. It continued in use with another two owners and was last in use in 1954 a er which it appears to have been scrapped.

When compared with other similar tractors the ‘Little Giant’ was an excellent machine. It had the speed of a Burrell and the strength of a Garrett. In their catalogue Taskers refer to one of their customers who used a ‘Little Giant’ tractor with three trailers to move 330 tons of coal in 66 journeys over two days. Some achievement!

In August 1910 M Killick, a flour miller of Horsebridge, East Sussex, took delivery of No 1431. It was later sold to Albert French of Seaford and over a number of years was operated by various members of his family. In 1921 it was bought by showman Joe Rowland of St Austell. He converted No 1431 to a showman’s tractor and named it Princess Mary. e engine was used to travel a set of Chair-o-planes around the fairs of Devon and Cornwall until replaced with Garrett tractor No 33739 in 1932. e Tasker stand at the 1914 Royal Show at Shrewsbury had No 1618 as one of their exhibits. It was later sold to Hall & Co the well-known coal and builder’s merchants to be used at their Croydon depot. In 1930 it was sold to T T Boughton of Amersham Common, Bucks, and is believed to have been scrapped in the early 1950s. Albert Aylett, a haulage contractor of East Dean, West Sussex, took delivery of No 1741 in September 1917 which was a chain drive tractor. e engine went back to Taskers in 1927 and was sold in their liquidation sale for £130 to Francis Grover of Amersham Common, Bucks, for use in his timber haulage business. It was delivered by road under its own steam and many people thought it was a new engine as it had been re-painted, lined out and with the owner’s name on the canopy. Later, the tractor sold locally to F Honour and in 1955 was purchased by Taskers for their museum. No 1756, a chain drive tractor, was originally supplied to the Ministry of Munitions but by 1934 had been purchased by George Irvin. He fitted twisted brass but a dynamo was never added. To improve the braking when hauling a heavy load Irvin fitted a flywheel brake that was coupled to rear wheel brakes so they could be applied simultaneously. On one occasion the tractor was hauling three living vans at considerable speed when a policeman was spotted. e brake was spun on quickly so they could slow down but the brakes grabbed hold and the tractor swung round with the living vans wrapped around it causing considerable damage. e only consolation was no prosecution for speeding. e engine was sold in 1949 to Hardwicks of West Ewell and later cut up. No 1847 was completed in July 1921 for Ayrshire County Council. ey also purchased a wagon at the same time. Before being delivered to Scotland it was shown at the Derby Royal Show. It seems the wagon only lasted into the early 1930s but the tractor was still being operated in 1943 a er which it seems it was scrapped.

Royal Show finish not only included a higher quality paint finish but also all bright steel work was burnished. This was the final form of the ‘Little Giant’ tractor with outside valves and chain drive.

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In Honour’s ownership and now over 30 years old, No 1741 still looks quite smart although the wheels are covered in mud. It is unusual to see an engine ﬁtted with mudguards.

Mike Dyson selects some photographs from his archive that illustrate steam engines that were perfect for hauling timber from site to saw mill

A number of traction engine manufacturers supplied timber trailers. They were substantially built and although this Fowler example is rated at 5½ tons, they were frequently overloaded.

ROUND TIMBER HAULAGE

No doubt the substantial piece of timber on the trailer would have been very difﬁcult to load and represented a lot of hard work. However, Darke’s Burrell tractor No 3681 Ikanopit has clearly been successful and is now returning to the timber yard. made it possible to move the timber easily and loads were greatly increased. A er 1945 many ex-military vehicles replaced traction engines with the AEC Matador being the most popular. e most important requirement for a good timber haulage engine was a substantial winding drum. Traction engines were used but the development of the 5-ton tractor provided an ideal machine although not all were suitable. It may not be obvious but the amount of water carried

oday the local timber yard has almost disappeared but up until the 1950s most towns and many villages would have had a timber merchant. Round timber would be felled around the district and brought back to the yard for seasoning. Eventually it would be sawn into posts, planks and any form the customer required. Nowadays when it is necessary to fell a tree it has little value and is usually converted into ﬁrewood. Until the end of the nineteenth century horses with a pole trailer were used to haul the round timber from the felling site back to the saw mill, which by this time was probably powered by a portable engine. In some cases the timber was sawn in the forest to avoid the long and diﬃcult journey back to the owner’s yard. Gradually traction engines replaced horses. An engine

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 76 THE MONO FILES

Loadinginadequate.amassivepiece of timber on a timber trailer behind Foden No 13222 Hilda must have been very difficult and would certainly not be allowed with today’s health and safety standards. It was claimed a Foden D type could easily handle loads of 300 to 400 cubic feet of timber (oak of this size would weigh around 6 to 8 tons). paid out as the engine travelled forwards.

The 12-mile journey back to Hanley Castle with Garrett No 30987 Hanley Castle and a large piece of timber must have been very slow. The timber trailer has wooden wheels and the braking system appears to be quite

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE77

With a fixed drum it was necessary to wind the rope in and secure it before the engine could move. Once the engine was stationary, the rope could be run out again and the process repeated. Once the timber had been arranged in line with the butts all facing one way, it was time to start loading. Skids would be placed against the side of the trailer to form an inclined run-up and the engine placed on the opposite side at right angles to the trailer. e wire rope would then be run out and attached to chains around the first piece of timber. e engine using the winding drum would then roll the timber up the skids onto the trailer. Rolling the final piece of timber up the skids was always a tricky job and would probably require the use of a crowbar to ensure the pieces all fitted onto the trailer. is is a complicated process and not easily explained in a few words. However, a few steam rallies do include a loading demonstration. In the past the Fensom family from Hertfordshire who had been commercial timber hauliers in the days of steam, provided some excellent demonstrations.Oncethetimber was loaded and chained by the engine was very important. Working at the tree felling site would usually mean that water was not to be found close by and would limit the amount of time spent on roping and loading. A shortage of water might mean leaving without a full load. e name for the trailer seems to vary in different parts of Britain, with various names such as timber drag, timber tug, timber carriage or pole trailer. ey were all substantially built and the length of the trailer could be adjusted for the piece of the timber it was to carry. It could be extended or closed-up by sliding the pole and securing with a large pin. Once the engine and trailer had arrived on site, the trailer would be le at a suitable place for loading. e engine was then used to drag the timber to the trailer, usually referred to as tushing. is might be done using the engine’s drawbar but it was more likely to require the use of the winding drum. Care would have to taken to avoid colliding with standing timber or perhaps unexpected objects hidden in the undergrowth. Depending on the length of the wire rope it might be necessary to repeat the operation several times if the piece of timber was some distance from the trailer.eslip pattern of winding drum was a great time saver as the rope could be

A er Fowler Class B5 road loco No 8381 Pretoria was exhibited at the Royal Agricultural Show at York in June 1900 it was sold to Richard Smith of Lane End, near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Smith not only operated a large saw mill but was also a manufacturer of chairs. e factory dominated the village and had originally been powered by wind which later gave way to steam. Eventually steam was used to generate electricity with enough spare capacity to supply part of the village. Smiths operated a large number of engines but in 1907 the Fowler was sold, no doubt because the engine was too large to operate in the hilly, wooded areas of the Chilterns.No8381, now named General Botha, was purchased by G F Butcher of Gloucester, an engineer and dealer in traction engines. It was soon sold to E J Johnson of Hereford

It is presumed this is a post-war photograph as the timber trailer behind Fowler No 11305 Victor is ﬁtted with army type pneumatic tyres. securely, it was on the road to the saw mill. Very o en the trailers were overloaded and it was possible for the weight of the trailer to take control of the engine, especially when going downhill. e saw mill would have a crane so unloading was usually a simpleBurrellmatter.5-ton tractor No 3681 was supplied to S Darke & Sons of Worcester in August 1915 who were timber merchants. ey named the engine Ikanopit – not to be confused with the well-known Foster 3-speed tractor. ey owned several engines but by 1928 No 3681 had been sold to another branch of the family. In 1930 the engine had been purchased by Francis Goode of Gloucester and by 1939 it had beenAnotherscrapped.engine owned by S Darke & Sons was Foden D type tractor No 13222 named Hilda. is was purchased new in December 1928 and appears to have replaced their Burrell tractor. e Foden had a powerful winch and would have much quicker towing a timber trailer once it was on the road. However, weighing in at around eight tons, it was too heavy for so ground, especially when it had a full tank of water. By 1935 it had been sold to Francis Grover of Amersham Common, Buckinghamshire. Before it could be put to work, the slide valves faces had to be machined as they were badly scored. In 1938 the Foden was part exchanged for a Latil tractor and resold to James Huggall of Brompton upon Swale, North Yorkshire. e Foden’s days of timber hauling were over and it was now used for driving a threshing machine. Fortunately, No 13222 has survived and is now preserved in Staﬀordshire.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 78 THE MONO FILES

Fowler B5 No 8381 makes easy work of hauling two timber trailers. However, loading trees onto the trailer in a wood with soft ground would have been a very difﬁcult job.

In October 1912 Garretts dispatched 4CD tractor No 30987 to timber merchant Joseph Sanders at the village of Hanley Castle between Malvern and Upton-onSevern in Worcestershire. e engine was named Queen of Hanley Castle. Sanders clearly liked the Garrett tractor as he purchased a second one in 1916, No 32933, but in 1919 he bought a Burrell tractor, No 3814. e Burrell was sold in the early 1930s but the two Garretts worked until 1937 and were then scrapped.

A works photograph of Wallis & Steevens 3-ton tractor No 2659, demonstrating how it could be used for timber haulage.

Tushing what are believed to be ash butts out of the wood at the Ashridge estate of Lord Brownlow using Super Sentinel tractor No 8369. Once loaded it was a 20-mile journey back to the saw mill. who used the engine for many years and it is assumed it was eventually scrapped.

Another large Fowler road loco used for timber haulage was class A4 No 11305. e engine was supplied in November 1910 to George Carter & Sons of Bournemouth and named Victor. Carter purchased several new engines but did not show preference for any particular manufacturer. By 1915 it had been sold and a er two Dorset owners it was purchased in 1917 by Henry Price of Quedgeley, near Gloucester. It was sold again in 1939 to R C Moore of Wotton-under-Edge near Dursley where it was to operate for the next five years. e next owner was C H Lambe & Sons Ltd of Bromsgrove, which they owned up to 1954 and scrapped the following year. A rather more sophisticated engine for handling timber haulage was the Sentinel steam tractor. J & G Halsey of London Colney, Hertfordshire, used Garrett tractor No 33800 but in October 1930 replaced it with Super Sentinel tractor No 8369. is was a much more powerful engine and had the larger boiler as fitted to the DG waggons. e Sentinel was a superb engine but when used for timber haulage there were a few drawbacks. ere was no brake on rope drum so that when the rope was paid out as the engine travelled forwards, the cable drum continued to rotate under its own momentum when the engine stopped. e narrow, solid tyres were frequently a problem when operating off the road even when using spuds as the Sentinel could so easily sink into so ground. e driver, Ned Green recalled the back end of the tractor resting on the ground with the rear wheels – and spuds having dug deep holes.

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Eventually the Sentinel was confined to the saw mill and the belt pulley was used to drive a circular saw. is was not a practical use for the tractor as it could not drive the saw sufficiently fast enough for satisfactory work and of course, the Sentinel did not have any governors. In 1950 the Sentinel was sold to a scrap metal merchant for just £10! Market gardeners, Wild & Robbins of Yewsley between Hayes and West Drayton on the western edge of London purchased Wallis & Steevens 3-ton tractor No 2659 in February 1903. e tractor was ideal for transporting vegetables to Covent Garden Market. e business was soon operating four similar tractors and later these were joined by three Garrett tractors. However, before the tractor le Basingstoke, the manufacturers carried out a demonstration to show how it could be used for timber haulage. Once in use with Wild & Robbins 160-gallon belly tanks were added to avoid problems with the Metropolitan Water Board. I have been unable to find out what happened to No 2659 other than it was eventually sold to Holloway Engineers Ltd and escrapped.equipment and engines used by timber hauliers was usually somewhat battered by the constant hard usage. ere were a few exceptions where a careful owner took trouble about appearances such as the Fensoms. However, the work was arduous, taxing both men and equipment, with loading chains weighing up to a hundredweight. It not only required physical strength on the part of the men but also considerable skill. Mishaps or breakages leading to repairs were in no one’s interests. I am indebted to the writings and reminiscences of the late Geoff Gilbert who was an authority on traction engines and timber haulage. ■

Aveling & Porter were the biggest manufacturers of steam rollers. A er the Great War they brought out a new design with the intention of streamlining production. However, by the end of the 1920s poor sales sent the designers at Rochester back to their drawing boards. The result was perhaps one of the ﬁnest types of steam roller ever produced, says Mike Dyson

The late design Aveling & Porter Rollers

The 10-ton single cylinder roller No 14064 is towing a modified horse drawn water cart – note the horse-shafts. The diameter of the front rolls is 3ft 9in. JIM COLLECTIONSTANLEY

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 80 THE MONO FILES

No 14062 photographed at a steam rally but at that time it was still being used for some commercial work. JIM STANLEY COLLECTION

disappointing and thought was given to updating the design. e new range of rollers, sometimes called A typical roller parked up on the grass verge when out on a contract – possibly a Saturday afternoon or Sunday. No 14090 has its chimney covered and sheets over the motion. Note the Price Patent Scariﬁer.

A er the First World War Avelings introduced piston valve rollers with Belpaire boilers. Piston valves were thought to be an improvement on slide valves as they gave greater efficiency, required less maintenance and were widely used on railway locomotives. ey were much easier to manufacture and did not require hand-fitting. Initially there were problems with priming as a piston valve, unlike a slide valve, cannot be li ed off its seat when water is trapped in the cylinder. In some cases, end covers were damaged. e problem was overcome with modifying the drain cocks so that they combined their function with being spring loaded relief valves.ese were good rollers, but many drivers regarded them as poor steamers as they did not steam as well as the earlier designs.Salesproved

It looks as though No 14083 has been parked up for some time as the sheet is in poor condition. However, there are covers over the chimney and safety valves which are weighted down with chunks of concrete. JIM STANLEY COLLECTION the ‘14,000 series’ was introduced towards the end of 1929 and with a range of eleven diﬀerent rollers. Weights varied from six to 16 tons with seven as singles and four as compounds. e single cylinder machines had a working pressure of 140psi whilst the compounds had a working pressure of 200psi. However, the majority of the rollers produced were 10-ton machines

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE81

ADAM BROWN COLLECTION that were either single cylinders (AC) or compounds (AD). e Belpaire boiler was replaced with a corrugated top, similar to the Garrett boiler. e grate area was larger and the number of tubes was increased with a barrel of larger diameter although it was a little shorter. To make the roller more versatile for working with a variety of paving materials, they took note of the success of rival machines such as the Wallis & Steevens ‘Advance’. To do this they increased the diameter of the front rolls and made all the rolls wider - thus equalising the ground pressure all round. is also increased the overlap between the front and rear rolls. e ﬁrst four rollers in this new series were sold to Barnes Bros, the Wiltshire rolling contractors and these were numbered 14000 to 14003. It is thought that Barnes secured a good deal as the rollers were of an unproven design and the country was economically in the grip ofNodepression.14062was delivered to East Ham Corporation in July 1930. It was a 12-ton compound (AF) and worked for the corporation until it was sold to Taylor Bros of Wimbish near Saﬀron Walden. Taylor Bros were on good terms with the agent supplying diesel rollers for AvelingBarford and he was able to tell them when a steamer would be available for sale. As a result, No 14062 was purchased for just £75 but it did cost £20 to have it transported back to their yard. It did a few rolling contracts and was sold two years later to Joe Bibby of nearby Ickleton. It is now preserved in Oxfordshire. Another roller to leave the works in July

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 82 THE MONO FILES

In 1956 No 14129 was photographed parked up for the night in Manchester – some distance from its owner’s premises in Warwickshire. There is a sheet over the footplate with smoke drifting from the chimney and three warning lamps.

Aveling rollers such as No 14117 were ideal for rolling hardcore and the base layers for a new road. The safety valves are lifting as work on the road widening has come to a temporary halt.

It is not often that a roller looks as smart as No 14147 and is a credit to its driver. The paintwork is clean and it looks as though the flywheel has been freshly painted.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE83

1930 was 10-ton single (AC) No 14064. It had been purchased by C L Banham & Co of Runhall near Dereham in Norfolk. Banhams eventually purchased ﬁve of the 14,000 series rollers but all were sold in the early 1950s with No 14064 going to Potter Bros who operated their contracting business just a few miles away at Yaxham. Potters operated a large ﬂeet of rollers together with a number of Sentinel tar sprayers but like Taylors they were steam enthusiasts. ey hung onto steam at a time when most other contractors regarded such machinery as dirty, hard work and probably not economic. In 1973 it was sold for preservation and is now to be found in Essex. Gloucestershire County Council purchased No 14083 in October 1930. is was a 10-ton compound (AD) and worked for the council until it was sold in 1957 to Neville Melhuish of Chipping Norton. Although the roller was well over 20 years old, it is almost certain it was still in good condition as council rollers were usually maintained to very high standards. It was sold again in 1965 and is now preserved in Ireland.

As mentioned earlier C L Banham purchased five of the 14,000 series rollers. No 14090, a 10-ton single (AC) was delivered in March 1931 and worked for the firm until sold to another Norfolk contractor, May, Gurney, who had premises on the outskirts of Norwich. By the late 1950s it was out of use and spotted by Harold Darby of Sutton, Cambridgeshire. At that time the family business of Fred Darby & Sons was no longer using steam but Harold was a real enthusiast and did not like to see good engines going to waste. A er purchase the roller was overhauled with the help of Bill Kirby and in 1959 sold to Lindsay County Council. is seems a rather late date for a council to buy a steam roller but they must have had an employee who was able to operate it. e roller was finally sold for preservation in 1966 and is now owned in Sussex. In May 1931 the large South Wales rolling contractors, H Richards & Co of Newport, were supplied with No 14117. is was another 10-ton machine but with compound cylinders (AD). Richards purchased his first new Aveling roller in 1911 and over the years he became one of the largest rolling contractors in the country with almost all the fleet being Aveling rollers. In total he purchased 12 of the 14,000 series rollers between May 1930 and August 1931. No 14117 became No 64 in the fleet and was used by Richards until the 1950s when it was sold to James Mahoney, the Newport scrap merchants. No 14129 was a class AE roller weighing 12 tons with a single cylinder. It le Rochester in August 1931 for road rolling contractors, R Furborough & Sons of Wolvey between Coventry and Hinckley. It was named Betty, presumably chosen by the driver. It was later sold in 1954 to local contractor T J Galliford & Sons, also of Wolvey. It was eventually laid up and in 1968 sold for preservation and is now to be found in Weston-Super-MareLeicestershire.UDC purchased No 14147 in April 1932, yet again a 10-ton machine (AD). In 1950 the roller was sold to the well-known Somerset contractors W W Buncombe of Highbridge, becoming No 150 in their fleet. Most of the Buncombe fleet was purchased secondhand and large numbers of ex-council rollers were bought. Most councils kept their rollers well maintained and unlike contractor’s rollers were not in continuous work, so they were not worn out when offered for sale. By the early 1960s the roller was parked in the yard out of use and in 1965 sold for preservation and is now to be found in Hampshire. ese were certainly the best rollers produced by Aveling & Porter with a good number still working into the 1960s. However, the design changes came too late to reverse the fortunes of Avelings and the company came to an end in 1932. With the help of Ruston & Hornsby the new Aveling Barford company was formed and Ruston steam roller designs were developed particularly for the export market. Once again piston valves were used. I’m sure any one of the owners of the 50 surviving 14,000 series rollers will tell you what good machines they are. ■

LancashireDysonengines?Showman’sIt’snotaneasyquestiontoanswerbutMikesuggeststhatmightbesomewherenearthetopofthelist

SOME SHOWMAN’SLANCASHIREENGINES OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 84 THE MONO FILES

Burrell No 3444 His Lordship was photographed sometime in the 1930s in the ownership of Silcock Bros. Note the twisted brass supports for the canopy are limited to the front and rear.

Which part of the country had the most

Burrell No 2723 Bristol City was photographed in the ownership of Marshall Hill sometime after it had left Lancashire.

3840 Queen Elizabeth was the second of the Burrell scenic engines to be completed. It was painted crimson lake and had red wheels.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE85

Lordship was laid up and purchased by Tom Alberts in 1949 for preservation. Scottish traveller Mrs Wilmot took delivery of Burrell No 3840 Queen Elizabeth in July 1920 for use with her Switchback ride. e engine was the second of the specially designed Scenic Engines ﬁtted with an auxiliary dynamo and rear li ing crane. e engine was ﬁtted with two injectors rather than a boiler feed pump and injector. It is strange that such a large engine would be required for a Switchback, but the rear li ing crane would have been very useful. Before the end of the year Queen Elizabeth had been sold to John Green & Sons. It worked

Burrell No 3334 The Bailie was a familiar sight around the Lancashire fairs. By the time it was owned by Silcocks it was clearly well looked after with the engine well polished and even the tyres painted with Green’swhitewash.BurrellNo

hilst the county of Lancashire didn’t host any of the large statute fairs, such as those held at Nottingham or Newcastle, the abundant towns and conurbations contained therein were able to provide numerous fairs for the enjoyment of its largeepopulation.highestconcentration of showmen in Lancashire seems to have been in Preston where no less than nine showmen operated from the town. e largest ﬁrm in Preston was William Mitchell & Sons, along with many other showmen including James Dewhurst, William East, T Harrison, James Leo, George and John Green, William and Jack Wilson plus H Bradley who although principally based in Glasgow also had premises in Preston.

Another Burrell owned by George Green was No 3444 His Lordship which was purchased in March 1913 to work with an Electric Scenic Railway. However, with George concentrating on developing his emerging cinema empire His Lordship passed into the ownership of his brother John. A new Dragon Scenic was purchased in 1921 and for many years His Lordship worked with this ride. In 1935 the engine was sold to Silcock Bros to work with their Venetian Waltzer and continued in use for the next ten years. is Lakin-built Waltzer was unusual as it was ﬁtted with a Gavioli organ at a time when fairground organs were rapidly going out of fashion. A er the war His

‘Senator’ James Leo purchased Burrell 8nhp No 2723 in March 1905 and named it Doris for use with his Bioscope show. Leo had progressed from being a ventriloquist to an eastern mystic but in 1905 he invested in a new Bioscope show and the Burrell engine to transport it around the northern fairs. It all proved to be a bad investment as the show and the engine were re-possessed two years later. All the equipment was subsequently sold whilst it is claimed Leo tried to hide in a haystack to avoid his creditors! e new owner of Burrell of 2723 was Marshall Hill of Bristol who changed the name to Bristol City using the engine up until 1942 when it was sold to Edward Harris also of Bristol. It was ﬁnally scrapped around 1950.Burrell No 3334 was purchased in September 1911 by George Green of Glasgow and named e Bailie. is was the second of the three Burrell engines he purchased between 1909 and 1913. With the onset of war George Green ceased travelling to build his business around permanent cinemas and so the engines and shows were sold. e Bailie was sold to H Bradley who used the engine until it was sold to Silcock Bros of Warrington in 1931. It continued in use with an Orton & Spooner Jollity Farm Ark until 1946. e engine was le to slowly deteriorate but in 1958 it was saved for preservation by Don Robinson of Lincolnshire, who passed away in June2018.

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 86 THE MONO FILES

This shows Foden No 1596 Sir William soon after it was delivered to Easts. Notice the very small belly tanks and the absence of any twisted brass supports for the canopy. Foden No 2106 Dreadnought sometime between 1910 and 1919 when in the ownership of Simons & Greatorex. Unlike a Burrell engine it was ﬁtted with a double high pressure working arrangement - making it an ideal engine for a hilly area.

In this photograph

Foster No 3664 Her Majesty is 30 years old and certainly past her best. By this time the engine was in the ownership of Arthur Bates.

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William Mitchell’s Foster 65bhp No 12940 Lancashire Lad at Nelson in 1933. By this time the engine was working with a Noah’s Ark. The Feast crane was no longer needed and had been removed to be sold to M A Collins for fitting to his Burrell No 3291 Emporer. with their Dragon Scenic ride and later with one of their famous Caterpillar rides. It is recorded the engine was derelict at Morecambe in 1952 and was eventually scrapped.e7nhp Foden showman’s engine No 1596 Sir William was supplied to William East in April 1908. e engine was painted green with yellow wheels and had a spoked flywheel which was plated over. e canopy lettered ‘East’s Newmarket Hurdle Jumpers’ suggests the engine was used with a set of Gallopers but there is no record to confirm this. In 1912 the engine was sold to Emanuel ompson & Sons of Bradford for use with a set of Gallopers and later a set of Dodgems. In the winter of 1933-34 the engine was cut up for scrap at Keighley. Another local Foden was 6nhp No 2106 Dreadnought. It had originally been supplied to Simons & Greatorex of Nantwich in May 1910 and was delivered in a brown livery with red wheels and like No 1596 had a spoked flywheel which was plated over. It was used with a set of Gallopers for many years but in 1919 it was purchased by Rachel Mitchell, the widow of omas, for use with their Steam Yachts. e ride was sold at the end of 1924 and a few months later the engine was sold to Henry O’Brien of Edinburgh. During the 1930s Dreadnought was used with a Jack and Jill ride and in 1939 it was sold out of showland. Harry Wallis of Bootle purchased Foster 8nhp LR type No 3664 Her Majesty in July 1908 for use with his Gallopers. Around 1914-15 the engine had been sold to the Mitchell family and later operated by his two sons. In 1931 Her Majesty was used with William Mitchell’s latest acquisition, a new Orton & Spooner Noah’s Ark but in 1932 it was sold to Arthur Bates of Manchester. As the Bates and Mitchell’s run of fairs overlapped quite o en the engine continued to be seen alongside Mitchells other engines. Her Majesty was last used in 1946 and sometime later it was scrapped. When William Mitchell purchased an Electric Scenic from Orton & Spooner in 1912, he also purchased a new Foster 65bhp engine No 12940 which he named Lancashire Lad. It was probably a rush to get the engine to Wigan May Fair as the signwriting on the canopy had not been completed. e engine was the first to be fitted with an auxiliary dynamo and powered the ride by the Hackett and Whatham system. Much later a ompson & Walton Feast crane was added for li ing the heavy scenic cars. By the end of the 1920’s the cost of operating a Scenic ride forced many off the road and Mitchells managed to find a buyer for their ride in 1930. Lancashire Lad was then used with their new Noah’s Ark. It travelled with this ride until August 1945 when it was laid up at Radcliffe. It was later cut up but the dynamo was retained for use with a diesel lighting set. ere might have been other parts of the country where showmen’s engines were more numerous but Lancashire certainly had a lot. In this brief account of Lancashire engines, I have used material collected by the late Bernard Fielding, an authority on fairs and fairground engines, which was originally published in Steam Preservation in the late 1960s. In addition, I have used much information from My Travelling Family by Eleanor Mitchell.

F airground rides increased in size particularly from the 1890s with the introduction of the Switchbacks and later with the even heavier electric Scenic Railways which ﬁrst appeared in 1910. e cars on a scenic are said to have weighed around 1½ tons and had to be li ed oﬀ the transporting trailers onto to the track of the ride and of course the process had to be reversed when pulling down the ride. Road locos had a winding drum on the back axle and it was obvious this could be used in conjunction with a jib to form a crane. No doubt many showmen found ways of moving the heavy pieces of the rides although no records appear to have survived to show how this was achieved.

Fowler No 15116 a class R3 was supplied to John Whyatt of Stole-onTrent in 1920 and named Bertha. At some stage it had a very simple crane attached to the front drawbar with the jib held in place with chains attached to the canopy and a chain block attached to the jib. is ﬂimsy arrangement would not have been suitable for li ing the heavy cars for an electric Scenic Railway. In 1943 the engine was sold to Mrs Beach of Sunbury-on- ames and by the 1950s it was purchased for preservation.

Mike Dyson selects some photographs from his archive to illustrate the diﬀerent forms of crane a achments used over the years by showman’s engines

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It is thought the ﬁrst crane design came from Savages as they were the builders of many of these heavy rides. A number of Burrell engines were ﬁtted with a tubular post attached to the back of the tender supported by a framework of angle iron and diagonal braces to keep it rigid. A swivelling bracket was bolted below the William Wilson had premises at Peckham Rye and attended many of the London fairs with Burrell No 1887 Empress of India. The crane does not use the engine’s winding drum and has been replaced with a chain block. At this time the engine was working with a German-built Noah’s Ark.

The Burrell crane is almost a copy of the Foster design. In addition to the crane and auxiliary dynamo Burrell No 3884 Gladiator was ﬁtted with a lower than standard canopy.

e Savage type crane was fitted to Burrell single crank compound No 1887 Empress of India. e engine was exhibited at the 1895 Smithfield Show and later dispatched to Mrs Henrietta Wilson for use with her new Walker set of 4-abreast Gallopers. William Wilson inherited the engine and ride on his mother’s death. e gallopers were replaced with a Switchback and no doubt the crane was very useful when building up and dismantling the ride. Empress of India - a er fi y years with the Wilson family was sold in 1937 to Robert Bailey and was scrapped towards the end of the war. However, the magnificent Switchback survives and is to be found at Dingle’s Fairground Heritage Centre in Devon.Asimilar type of crane was developed by ompson & Walton of Brighouse, Yorkshire, which was described as a ‘Feast’ crane. e stability of the upright post was achieved by using chains attached to the outside rims of the rear wheels. e crane could be retro-fitted to any type of engine. Some Fowler showman’s engines had a ‘Feast’ crane fitted before they le the works although it was never fitted by Burrells. Fowlers supplied a number of road locos to the War Department, including class R3 No 14877 which le the works in March 1917. By 1921 it was with Charles Openshaw of Reading for conversion to a showman’s engine and was later sold to Goldthorpe Marshall of Keighley for use with his electric Scenic Railway. He already owned Fowler class B6 No 10329 Envoy which was fitted with a ompson & Walton ‘Feast’ crane and it is claimed the design originated with Marshall. It is not surprising Openshaw’s fitted one of these cranes. By the late 1930s No 14877 Little Margaret had been sold to another member of the Marshall family and in 1938 it was purchased by Billy Smart of Hanwell, Middlesex. A er the war the engine was out of use and later scrapped. Fowlers used a works photograph of No 15658 in their publicity to demonstrate the ompson & Walton ‘Feast’ crane.

Foster No 14403 appears to have been freshly painted for its new owner –William Henry Marshall. The similarities between the Foster and the Burrell designs are clearly shown. engine drawbar to support the bottom of the jib. e top of the jib was stayed to the top of the post allowing the jib to swing through an angle of 90˚ either side of the engine centre line. e winding rope from the back axle was led through a pulley up through the post and over a swivelling pulley at the top. e rope then passed over the jib head pulley and down to a hook which was usually attached to a spreader bar li ing the cars. e ﬁrst engine known to have been ﬁtted with this type of crane was Burrell No 3441 William IV which was supplied to William Murphy in 1913. However, as the engine used the axle winding gear it was not possible for the engine to move when the crane was in use.

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This photograph of Burrell No 3441 William IV was taken in the 1930s and by this time there is no evidence of the crane that was once attached to the rear of the tender.

Fowler No 14877 Little Margaret was photographed at Ealing Fair in 1943 with the crane being used to build up an Electric Scenic Railway known as the Dolphins and Neptunes.

e class R3 engine was supplied to Simons & Teago of Caernavon in February 1923. It was not to be used with an electric scenic railway but the following year it was sold to Harniess Brothers of Swinton in the West Riding of Yorkshire who operated two Scenic Railways. e engine was named His Lordship and continued in use with the brothers until sold to Arthur Rudge of Castleford in 1940 and scrapped at the end of the war. An improved crane design was introduced by Fosters in 1915 and it is thought the first engine to have this type of crane was No 14012 Clinton which was supplied to John Proctor. However, it was not until the end of the war that Fosters were able to build anymore of their 65 bhp engines. ree were completed in 1919 and all were fitted with the new type ofNocrane.14403 named James Walter was supplied to John Whiting of Sheffield and believed to have been used with an electric Scenic Railway. Its next owner was Dunwell Johnson of Sheffield and by 1923 was in the ownership of G T Tuby & Sons of Doncaster. Tuby clearly preferred Burrell engines as the following year the Foster was sold to Albert Richards of Hull. In 1934 W H Marshall & Sons of Bradford purchased the engine to work with their Waltzer. By 1944 it had been sold to J C Gray of Gateshead who sold it the following year to its final owner, Francis Manders of Gateshead and later scrapped.

Fowler R3 No 15116 Bertha is shown with the chain block suspended from the front mounted crane.

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e Burrell rear jib crane design was very similar to Fosters. e first engine to have the etford style crane was No 3827 Victory which was completed in May 1920. In addition to the crane the engine carried a main and an auxiliary dynamo specifically for driving an electric scenic railway. e appearance of the first Burrell showman’s engine specifically designed for driving a scenic ride created a number of orders. In 1921 No 3884 was supplied to well-known London showman Fred

Gray and named Wonder. e engine was put to work with a recently purchased Scenic Railway from Savages (the last one to be built at Kings Lynn). No 3884 was later re-named Gladiator and continued working with the massive ride until 1935 when the engine was operated with a new Ben-Hur Ark. By the 1950s the engine was out of use and sold in 1955 for preservation.In1932Anderton & Rowland purchased one of the ﬁrst of the four Super Lion engines built by Fowlers. ese engines had many Burrell features incorporated into their design including the car li ing crane. No 19782 was named e Lion and was immediately put to work with a recently purchased Orton & Spooner Ark. In 1938 it was used with a new Brooklands Speedway. At the end of the 1945 season the engine was put into store and later sold for preservation. ese cranes were very useful for building up and dismantling the rides. When travelling on the road the jib and stays were removed and carried on one of the packing trucks. A number of This publicity photograph demonstrates how the ‘Feast’ crane was used with Fowler No 15658. However, it took some time to erect the jib, fit the stays and have the rope in position for lifting. cranes were later adapted for use with other types of fairground transport such as Diamond T’s and Scammells. A few survive with scenic engines and a demonstration at a rally is sure to cause a large crowd to gather. ■

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Fowler No 19782 The Lion was dispatched in March 1932 to West Country showmen Anderton & Rowlands. It was fitted with a rear-mounted car lifting crane that was almost identical to the Burrell design.

The John Crawley Traction Engines

John collected archive material on a large scale, was an outstanding event organiser, a proliﬁc writer and owned over 20 engines. His archive collection was probably the largest one ever created and was sold at the historic sale in 2012. I was fortunate in being able to purchase a few items. He ﬁrst started organising rallies in the 1950s which gradually grew in size and culminated in the huge Expo Steam events held at Peterborough Showground in the 1970s and 1980s. He was editor of the National Traction Engine Club’s magazine Steaming and even now the ‘specials’ are much sought a er as they have so much detailed information about engines. He also wrote a number of books. He owned many traction engines some of which he purchased in order that they would not be scrapped. e rally scene of today owes much to the work of Fowler No 15657 with Frank Oadley standing in front at Ashover Fair, shortly after the conversion was made. Society President John Crawley addresses the BSEPS annual dinner dance in 2006. COLIN TYSON

Looking at the history of traction engine preservation there are a few names that stand out as making a huge contribution to our hobby and this includes the late John Crawley, writes Mike Dyson

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ADAM BROWN COLLECTION

e following year John bought Burrell No 3610 William V. John’s reputation spread and he was offered a number of engines at very reasonable prices. When viewing an engine, he was accompanied by Walter Gower to give an opinion on the state of the boiler. If Walter thought there was little life le in the boiler, then the engine was not purchased. A Fowler roller came next which was followed by a pair of Fowler ploughing engines. Whilst on holiday in Devon he saw a McLaren ploughing engine which was about to be cut up but saved by a quick decision from John. e Tasker Museum had been offered a ornycro wagon which was of little interest to them but John was keen to save this rare example although it was in need of some boiler work. John was invited to a meeting at Pinewood Studios to discuss a film script which would involve the use of his traction engines. e film, e Iron

By now Burrell No 3610 William V was in the ownership of Inghams. The auxiliary dynamo has been removed and there is no twisted brass for the canopy supports on the front of the engine.

ABOVE: Unfortunately not a photograph of McLaren No 1541 in commercial use but it does show the engine in John’s ownership in the early 1960s.

BELOW: Burrell No 3865 No 1 was photographed with the loads of the Big Dipper on their way to the Festival of Britain in 1951.

John and the many people he inspired. John grew up in Bedford and became fascinated with model railways. In 1951 he acquired a 5in scale live steam loco. Whilst visiting a model engineering exhibition in Yorkshire he met Alf Pepper. As many will know, Alf Pepper had worked for Fowlers as one of their chief representatives working with all types of traction engines built at the Steam Plough Works. John became interested in traction engines and it was not long before he was looking for a suitable engine to purchase. He remarked that they were so cheap compared with models as his 5in example had cost £400 and a traction engine could be bought for less than £100. In October 1955 he found Fowler No 15657 Kitchener at Conisbrough, Yorkshire. He was able to persuade the local boiler maker, Walter Gower, to go with him to look at the engine and a er a satisfactory inspection the showman’s engine was purchased. Once Kitchener was back in Bedford it created a lot of interest and in February 1956 John organised the ﬁrst meeting of the Bedford Steam Engine Preservation Society, which has now grown into one of the most important regional traction engine clubs in the country.

Fowler No 15657 Kitchener is engine, a class R3 was built in as a standard road loco for Frederick Barnes of Portland in 1920 for haulage of massive pieces of stone from the quarries. e engine was almost certainly worked hard in less than ideal conditions. In 1932 the engine was sold to Mrs Harriet Oadley of Alfreton, Derbyshire. It is claimed she stitched the money into the hem of her skirt when she went to buy the engine. e engine was converted to full showman’s speciﬁcations and used with a Lakin-built Noah’s Ark. A er the war the engine was out of use and ended up in a scrapyard until rescued by Dan Hollings who later sold the engine to John. Kitchener was the star of the ﬁlm and since then the engine has been re-named e Iron Maiden. e engine was sold by John in 1965 and it is now based in Yorkshire.

Although photographed in the 1930s Burrell No 2877 His Lordship is in excellent condition, wellpolished with the paintwork and tyres in good condition. Notice the chimney is higher than usual.

Burrell No 3610 WilliamV William Murphy of Newcastle-on-Tyne purchased an Electric Scenic Railway from Savages in 1913. Initially he used Fowler No 10699 William III and a new Burrell No 3441 William IV with the ride but the following year he had another new Burrell No 3610 William V which was ﬁtted with an auxiliary dynamo and replaced the Fowler. A er the war William Murphy retired and the business continued with his adopted son, omas. By the end of the 1920s the Scenic ride had been sold and William V was being used with a new set of Dodgems. By 1933 the engine had been sold to Sam Ingham of Oldham and by the late 1940s was in the ownership of John Botton of Croydon. In 1955 the engine was sold to John Kingdom of Reading and OG correspondent Peter Love can remember seeing the engine leave on its journey to Reading when a small child. John Crawley bought the engine in 1956 and a er a spell at Walter Gower’s boiler works, joined John’s other engines which were now stored in the stable block at Woburn Abbey.

McLaren No 1541 Lt Col Miles R.F Courage of Sutton Scotney, Wiltshire, purchased a pair of 12 hp ploughing engines in 1918. ey were later sold to F J Honour of Northleach, Gloucestershire and sold again in 1928 to William Whitley of Welstor, Ashburton, Devon. By the 1950s the engines were out of use. One of the last jobs had been, “to pull tree trunks up out of a deep valley and a Fordson tractor used to return the cable to the bottom ready to pull up the next tree trunk, all commands being given by a hunting horn blown by Colonel Whitely sitting astride his hunter.”

OLD GLORY ARCHIVE 94 THE MONO FILES

In July 1952 Foden No 12364 was at Kendal and looking somewhat battered and generally dirty.

ADAM BROWN COLLECTION Maiden which was released in 1963 did much to raise the profile of traction engines in the eyes of the general public. John thoroughly enjoyed himself in the making of the film and appears in several sequences driving the engines – even dressed as a woman! His enduring regret about the film was the mistaking the displacement lubricator for the safety valves. Sadly, his protests to the directors wereFurtherignored.engines followed but as John got older many were sold until all that remained were two wagons, a Foden and a Sentinel.

The Wallis & Steevens roller had clearly been out of use for some time when this photograph was taken. The chickens are probably laying eggs in the ashpan!

In 1907 Charles Heal of Bristol purchased the 8nhp engine to work with a Savage built set of Gallopers. A er 1918 it was used with other rides and continued working on the fairgrounds until the 1940s when it was out of use. In 1959 it was purchased for preservation by D.W Emery of Highbridge, Somerset. In 1962 His Majesty was oﬀered to John and he purchased it but soon sold it on to a friend in Norfolk. Wallis & Steevens No 2524 James Penfold of Arundel purchased a 10-ton single cylinder roller in 1900 and continued in use for the next 50 years. It was then laid up because it was in need of major boiler repairs and in 1955 it was sold. Several people owned the roller including John who had it for a few months in 1963 but at that time no one was prepared to go to the expense of restoration.

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Foden No 12364 e 6-ton C type wagon was built in 1926 for Edward Devenish of Rayleigh, Essex and was used on contract work hauling manure from local railway stations to the many market gardens in the area. e following year it was sold to Stutleys of Stevenage for £810. In 1936 it was sold to Tar Roads of Hatﬁeld, Hertfordshire, and converted into a tar sprayer. By 1959 it was working in Yorkshire, ﬁrst for Woods of Yeadon and later in 1962 with Charrington Hargreaves of Leyburn. It was purchased for preservation in 1963. John bought the wagon in 1982 and it was then totally restored. Sentinel No 5407 e Super Sentinel waggon was completed in 1924 for J.B Kind Ltd of Burton-onTrent. It had a number of owners in the 1920s and 1930s and in that time the solid tyred wheels were converted to pneumatics. It was later purchased by the United Africa Co Ltd of Liverpool who operated a number of steam wagons in the docks well into the 1950s. e waggon was purchased for preservation in the early 1960s and purchased by John in 1983.

Whilst on holiday in 1959 John saw both engines but by the time he decided to purchase them, both had been sold for scrap and No 1540 had already been cut up. Fortunately, No 1541 was purchased and brought back to Bedfordshire. Burrell No 3865 No1 e engine was supplied in 1920 to the celebrated Walsall showman, Pat Collins for use with his Whale Scenic ride. It was ﬁtted with an auxiliary dynamo platform and a rear jib crane. When the ride ceased travelling it was used with a Noah’s Ark and later with a Waltzer. No 1 continued working in to the 1950s and was eventually out of use. In 1961 John was at an event in Windsor Great Park and a visitor asked to look over Fowler No 15657 Kitchener which by now had been re-named e Iron Maiden. e visitor explained he had some similar engines and that his name was John Collins, the son of Pat Collins. Following a visit to Bloxwich where John was introduced to Clara Collins, he was given the choice of either Foster No 14446 e Leader or Burrell No 3865 No 1. As John had always wanted a full scenic engine, he chose the Burrell. Burrell No 2877 HisMajesty

In the 1950s there were a large number of steam wagons working at Liverpool Docks. Super Sentinel No 5407 makes a ﬁne sight as it leaves with another load. ADAM BROWN COLLECTION

ABOVE: The Morrison scariﬁer ﬁtted to Aveling & Porter No 8615 is partially dismantled with the two stay-bars to the rear axle missing. The rear lever brings either the front or the rear tines into action. depth of the granite was not uniform and if a sudden deep patch was encountered then this would bring the roller to a standstill!

ROLLERS

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In the working days of the steam roller, the breaking up of the surface of the road was done with a scarifier. A roller over 6-tons was o en fi ed with a scarifier of which there were several makes and designs: some were good and some not so, writes Mike Dyson Today we seem to be plagued with potholes but in the past, it was recognised that if a hole is patched, it doesn’t take long before other potholes form around it. e best solution in the past was to rip up the surface of the road with the scarifier and reshape it. In those days it was thought to be short-sighted just to fill the pothole! e scarifier was used in different ways depending on what was being ripped up. On granite water bound roads the tine on the scarifier was lowered to about nine inches below the surface of the road and the regulator was fully opened. If a differential was fitted, then this was locked. e tine had to be deep enough to get to the bottom of the granite because it was so hard it could not be split. e roller could make good progress but the SCARIFIERSWITH

Tarmac or gravel roads were no problem but asphalt was very diﬃcult. It was best to lower the tine down to about four inches below the surface and proceed very slowly. e asphalt was broken up into large slabs which required a man to walk alongside with a sledge hammer to break the slabs into manageable sized pieces.

Burrell No 3047 was used for occasional contracts such as rolling farm roads and making pub car parks. The Hosack scarifier frame is operated by a worm and segment but the front handwheel is already missing.

One roller ﬁtted with the Price scariﬁer was No 11671, an 8-ton piston valved single that was supplied to G S Faulkner

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CAMBRIDGESHIRE COLLECTION

Aveling & Porter No 11671 was fitted with a Price scarifier which can only be operated in the forward direction.Inthe1960s

Driver Sid Neaves stands by the rear wheel of Aveling & Porter No 9192. The Morrison scarifier can clearly be seen with the forward tine ready to be lowered into the road surface.

In 1915 the War Department at Woolwich Arsenal took delivery of Aveling & Porter No 8615, an 8-ton compound roller that was fitted with a Morrison scarifier. A er the war it was sold at auction to Hughson Ltd of Hawkhurst, Kent, who operated a small fleet of rollers and owned it until 1957. It is now preserved in the north-west.

Aveling & Porter 10-ton roller No 9192 was supplied to Cambridgeshire County Council with a Morrison scarifier in 1920 and was their first roller. Two further Avelings were purchased within a few months. A er working for the council for thirty years it was scrapped in 1950. In 1921 Aveling & Porter started the manufacture of the Price scarifier and it was claimed to be an improvement on the Morrison. A shock absorbing device using springs reduced vibration and the small amount of movement of the tines improved the scarifying.

Aveling & Porter were the biggest manufacturers of steam rollers and naturally they produced the largest number of scarifiers. Many were fitted with the Morrison scarifier which was patented in 1895. ese were big clumsy things with sockets for two or three tines each for forwards and reverse. e idea of using three tines at once was rarely used as in reality one tine was enough for the engine to manage when working on a tarmac road. e strain that scarifying placed on the engine sometimes caused distortion to the offside hornplate. One roller that required heavy boiler repairs had the hornplate so badly distorted that the firebox had become lozenge-shaped and so the replacement was made identical to the originally distorted one!

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Marshall single cylinder piston valve roller No 79260 is fitted with an Allen scarifier. Although this is not a good view of the scarifier, it can be recognised by the distinctive hand-wheel used for lowering the tines.

e Allen scarifier was considered to be one of the best and was no doubt based on their many years of experience as rolling contractors. eir scarifier could be fitted to any make of roller but were recommended by Marshalls. It only worked in a forward direction and similar to the Price, was fitted with springs. As tines were frequently bent when scarifying, it was designed so the tines could be quickly removed and replaced.

Don’t be put off by the hens underneath Wallis & Steevens roller No 2524. The scarifier is just visible. & Son of Reigate, Surrey, in 1926. In 1949 it was sold to Rowley Plant Hire Ltd of Mitcham but by the late 1950s it was out of use and then scrapped. Burrells built only a small number of rollers but by 1897 they were fitting the Rutty scarifier to customers who required a scarifier with their roller. is design was quickly superseded by the Hosack scarifier. It was an efficient piece of equipment but weighing in at 2½ tons –almost five times heavier than a Morrison scarifier, was a considerable disadvantage. Its big advantage was that when working in reverse the rear wheels did not pass over the scarified work as with the Morrison.In1908,T R Doran of etford took delivery of 10-ton compound roller No 3047 that was fitted with a Hosack scarifier which they named Monarch. It worked in Norfolk for the next fi y years and in 1960 was in a scrapyard. It was rescued by Stan Burgess, an early preservationist, put back into working order and sold. It had several owners who used the roller for some commercial work and by 1967 it was back with Stan Burgess. A thorough restoration was carried out which included the removal of the scarifier. e roller is now owned in Wiltshire.

e Wallis & Steevens scarifier was well regarded but not very rigid as it was not fixed to the tender as most other makes were. e Wallis & Steevens scarifier was pivoted to the rear axle with two big flat bars, one each side of the rear wheel. It was almost impossible to keep it in a straight line which was expected when patching at the side of the road. When there was some wear on the bearings of the sidebars, the roller would wander sideways sometimes by over six inches. In 1900 James Penfold of Arundel, West Sussex, purchased Wallis & Steevens 10-ton roller No 2524 that was fitted with a scarifier. Penfolds were contractors on a very large scale - operating ploughing engines, traction engines, road engines and rollers with the latter mostly supplied by Wallis & Steevens. By the late 1950s it had been sold to E W Edney of Horndean, Hampshire, for preservation. Since then it has had a number of owners including the late John Crawley and is

Marshall 10-ton S-Type roller No 79260 was ﬁtted with an Allen scariﬁer and supplied to Heggie & Robertson of Dunfermline in 1925 and was named Arcady. ey were initially threshing contractors but later became roller contractors. From 1916 they purchased 21 new rollers. In 1934 No 79260 was sold to Alexander Robertson & Co Ltd, also of Dunfermline, and in 1965 entered preservation. It is now owned south of the border in Hampshire.

Another helping of glorious black and white images from the heyday of road steam, drawn from the Old Glory Archive ﬁles, including those from one-time senior correspondent John Crawley.

In addition to the scarifier, this Wallis & Steevens is a most unusual engine as it is fitted with overhead valves – a feature that is usually associated with Fowler engines. PETER LOVE COLLECTION now to be found in Nottinghamshire. Wallis & Steevens No 7449, a 10-ton compound, was fitted with their scarifier and supplied to the War Department in 1918 and later sold to Bomford & Evershed Ltd, of Salford Priors, Warwickshire. However, it did not stay with them for long as by the following year it was with Tonbridge UDC in Kent. In 1926 it had been sold to Chris Lambert of Horsmonden, Kent, where it worked on contract work for almost 30 years. It was sold at the famous 1955 sale to W Marshall Ltd of Andover for £65. It was later placed in a playground but has since been saved for preservation. In this brief account of scarifiers, it has not been possible to mention all the types of that were used. I have drawn heavily on the reminiscences of Joe Challis when he worked as a roller driver for Hampshire CC in the 1930s and was paid £2.10s a week. However, when scarifying he was paid an additional 2d per 100 yards which almost doubled his pay! omas Aitken, a great authority on roadmaking, described scarifiers as, “An indispensable adjunct in connection with steam rolling”.

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Savage Traction Engines