Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i Old Glory

On 21 of August Charles Fittal Daniel, known to everyone as Charlie, passed away, he was aged 78. Charlie, with his brother Robin, was one of the stalwarts of the Cornish traction engine community. His funeral took place at Glynn Valley Crematorium, Bodmin on Friday 30 September. His coffin was transported a mile or so to the funeral on the flat bed of a traction engine wagon hauled by his 1922 Burrell 6hp single-crank compound No. 3919 Susie. The cortege was greeted by a very large gathering of mourners says James Hamilton. At precisely 11am ‘Black Jim', the driver of Susie, gave a long clear blast on the engine’s whistle to start proceedings. There was not enough room in the chapel for all those gathered so many of the mourners…

Making its debut at the County of Salop Onslow Park Rally over 28-29 August was the Astbury family’s 1914 Fowler K7 12hp No. 13310 The Steam Sapper. It certainly garnered a lot of attention and appeared to be the most popular engine at the show, says David Reed. Its name is rather apt, being the last steam engine owned by the British Army. It was originally destined for Russia at the outbreak of WW1, but was intercepted en-route by the Germans, and was used to plough fenland at Bad Pyrmont. It is thought to have worked until the 1950s when it was abandoned in a field, with the engine eventually passing back into British hands during the 1970s when it was obtained by Nienberg-based 45th Royal Engineers. The engine became…

New to the scene was Hedd Jones’ 1920 Fowler T3 8-ton steam roller No. 15489, another debutante at Onslow Park over 28-29 August, reports David Reed. This was one of a pair that were bought in 1920 by Wrexham Rural District Council. By 1924 it was with Denbighshire County Council and latterly worked out of Cerrig Y Drudion, being condemned in late 1964. However that was not the end of its life though, as it was bought by the Lloyd Jones Brothers of Llanfair DC near Ruthin, but the roller saw little use and ended up being dismantled. In 1970 it was on the move again though, being sold to George Bridson at Neston in Cheshire and converted to a tractor, later being reassembled as a roller by George Bridson…

The town of Shrewsbury will be forever linked to the Sentinel name, as it was here that many steam waggons were built at their works on Whitchurch Road. The testing process took them out of the town though, crossing the border into North Wales, passing through the town of Llangollen and then tackling the climb up the Horseshoe Pass, some 30 miles away. The run took place over the August Bank Holiday weekend alongside the Shrewsbury Steam Rally at Onslow Park. The event was making a welcome return to the rally calendar after a two-year enforced break due to Covid restrictions. Here an excellent line-up of Sentinels was to be seen, with some taking up the challenge of the old test route, where a welcome break at the Ponderosa Café…

The weekend of 11-12 June 2022 saw the Classic & Vintage Commercials Show return to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire, supported by Kelsey Media. Mike Neale went along to see what was on show. One of the oldest vehicles on display was a splendid 1914 Dennis 2-ton fruit lorry (BF 8595), newly restored by Ben Hawkins from Tipton. Found in a field as little more than a chassis, wheels and axles, he reconstructed the body from original photos and drawings from Dennis, doing almost all the work himself. It is painted in its original livery of Ernest Shentall, who later became Mayor of Chesterfield and was knighted for his services to the war effort in 1918. The colour was matched to some original red paint found on…

Few events cultivate quite so many loyal adherents as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Having grown up in Croydon, I was first taken to see it when I was four years old and I’ve watched from the side of the road every year since, and there are people now in their eighties who can make the same boast. As far as cars and drivers go, though, are there any more loyal or enthusiastic than John Dennis, the man behind the wheel of the unique 1902 Dennis 8hp tonneau? November will see the car tackle its 70th Brighton Run, and its 62nd with John at the helm, which may very well be a record. Some readers will be familiar with early Dennis commercial vehicles, but relatively few will know…

It was 1924 when the whole range got a makeover style-wise - the radiator was now in the front position. A new line of medium and heavy trucks were imported to the UK in small numbers as the type 33 1.5-ton, 43 2-ton, 63 3-ton, 94 4.5-ton and the 103 5-ton models. They had brakes on all wheels, but still only four-cylinder engines that were now overhead-valve with ball-bearing main crankshaft bearings as on the 15-30 and 10-20 tractors. The pistons now had four rings and the wet liners were removable. In fact IHC actually gave the owner a lifetime guarantee on the engine’s main bearings, which says something for those pioneering days. The steering column was now in a more upright position so it was easier to get in…

BRAITHWAITE Though not self-propelled, this possibly warrants an entry as it is described as the first steam fire engine. It was built in London by Braithwaite & Ericsson in 1830 and was said to be capable of pumping 40 tons water per hour to a height of 90ft. BRAMAH The famous Birmingham locksmith and engineer, Joseph Bramah, built a steam carriage in 1821 to the designs of Julius Griffiths of Brompton. Within a couple of years it was converted to a wagon capable of transporting three tons, making it probably Britain’s earliest lorry. Its pioneer water tube boiler seems to have been its Achilles heel, although it impressed Walter Hancock sufficiently for him to create his own machines. BRAY A rival of James Boydell was William Bray of Folkestone, Kent…

ORINOCO IS BACK OUT! Young reader Dylan Jones tells us all about his experiences with 1931 Aveling & Porter steam tractor Orinoco that is out on the road again. 100 YEARS OF THE AUSTIN SEVEN Zack Stiling looks at an Austin van and the impact that it had on the commercial vehicle world NATHAN’S E27N TRAVELS HOME Nathan Tompsett takes his Fordson E27N Major back to where it worked 50 years ago. DAVE VAUGHAN’S SCRAPBOOK SERIES Another new series as Dave Vaughan looks at some steam scrapbooks that have been given to the Claude Jessett Trust. LAKESHORE RAILROAD CELEBRATES 50 YEARS David Reed visits South Shields and its unique 9½in gauge railway which was started by Jack Wakefield and others and is now run by under-25s. LIONHEART LIVES AGAIN Dave…

Seen at Onslow Park over August bank holiday weekend outside the Sentinel Owners Club tent was Sentinel No. 2973. There was a substantial display of Sentinel steam waggons on view, none more notable than AW 6682, the 1920 Standard No. 2973. It was new to Tennant Brothers Ltd of Sheffield, later passing to Brown Bayley’s Steel Works. It was used extensively by them until it was saved for preservation by the Harrison family (famous Scammell users) also of Sheffield. It was no stranger to the rally field in early days, but was being seen again for the first time in many years. This is the correct number of the engine, not No. 1151 which it is known to carry.…

It was a pleasure for Old Glory to be invited to John Sheppard and friends' Blakesley Show Vintage Working Weekend on 10-11 September at Poplars Farm, Greens Norton, Blakesley in Northamptonshire. This was a high-class working event helped by Billy Wood staging a very well-organised 1890s Roadless 6/4 & 90 ‘Appreciation Show’ of these famous pioneering four-wheel drive machines. It was Phillip Johnson’s company whose tracks system were tested on Fowler and Foden steam vehicles before they were used by so many other vehicles. Later Roadless turned to making wheeled four-wheel drive pneumatic-tyred tractors based on the Ford skid unit, starting in 1956. These tractors had come from all parts of the UK, including the Cooks from Northern Ireland who are the largest heavy engineering company in Northern Ireland today.…

Fortunately, the weather was once again kind, and the Stoke Row Steam & Vintage Club staged another huge show with over 650 exhibits in attendance. As in previous years the event took place on a large site at Whitchurch Hill near Reading. In addition to a splendid selection of steam exhibits the show has quite rightly built a reputation for gathering all manner of specialist vehicles associated with the timber industry, something which was such a huge part of the furniture industry in the nearby Chilterns. With the rolling Chiltern countryside as a backdrop the rally is very much an active event with demonstration areas and an excellent playpen, complete with a challenging dip for vehicles of all shapes and sizes to be put through their paces. For steam enthusiasts…

Organised by The Great Yorkshire Traction Engine Club, the 2022 Duncombe Park Steam & Vintage Rally certainly lived up to expectations with a fine selection of steam engines. Complementing the larger engines was a varied selection of miniatures, many of which took part in the Saturday evening road run to the market square in nearby Helmsley, definitely a sight not to be missed. Concentrating on the engines themselves, it was no surprise that the Burrell name was dominant among the miniatures. Starting things off, Graham Thomson from Stokesley had brought his 4in road loco Ow Much built in 2002, but whether the name is linked to the restoration costs is unknown. The 4in miniatures tend to dominate, and this show was no exception. Dave Burland’s 4in Burrell Lady Dee was…

Caterpillar was a late-comer when it entered the hydraulic excavator field in 1972. The company had stayed on the sidelines and observed long-established American and British cable excavator manufacturers launch unsuccessful hydraulic machines-excavators with leaky hydraulic systems featuring low-pressure gear pumps, and undercarriages propelled through clutches and brakes from a hydraulic motor in the upper works. These companies with decades of experience had earned the highest reputation for reliable cable excavators but found difficulty in changing over to hydraulic power. Caterpillar also observed the rapid rise of Japanese and European manufacturers, especially from France (Poclain and Yumbo) and Germany (Demag and Liebherr). Their machines with high-pressure piston pump designs and undercarriages propelled with hydraulic motors in the crawler frames attracted Caterpillar. So by 1972, the timing was perfect for Caterpillar…

During a recent visit to Vigo in Galicia in north-west Spain, Old Glory correspondent Phil Barnes ‘found’ the museum ship Hidria Segundo (Hidra the Second) moored in the basin near the town’s cruise ship terminal. Today this significant ship is preserved, having undergone a nine year restoration which started in 1997 and included upgrades to encompass modern maritime standards. In her working life, the vessel was a ‘cistern,’ or water tanker, carrying spring water from a local spring water source to service the merchant and passenger ships which visited the Vigo estuary, in addition to the local fishing fleet. As a ‘cistern,’ her hold was a large water tank with a capacity of 240 tons of ‘cargo’ but today, as a museum, as well as a hostel and passenger ship,…

PART TWO It was certainly a wonderful feeling to be back at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2022 and having looked at the four Super Lions last month we take a pictorial look at just some of what else was going on over the five-day show. We will have detailed articles on various sections of the show over the coming months.…

Fowler Super Lion B6 new build showman’s engine Onward has been sold and moved to Cornwall. The original engine, No.19989, left Fowler’s works in 1933 and worked for Samuel N Ingham of Cheshire, until it was sold to Pickfords Ltd for whom it worked for ten years. In 1950 it was sadly cut up for scrap by Cohens says James Hamilton. Terry Sleeman of St. Issey near Wadebridge in Cornwall has been acquiring an impressive collection of engines, full size and miniature, all of which are presented in pristine condition. Earlier this year 1924 Burrell showman’s Earl Haig joined his stable. Terry has harboured a desire to own a Super Lion B6 showman’s and previous negotiations to acquire one of them did not come to fruition. This summer David Eves…

Purchased as a boiler with cut down horn plates by Ken Milns in 2007, 1907 Foster Wellington steam tractor No. 3402, as making its first ever public appearance at Onslow Park on 28-29 August after being steamed for the first time in 82 years, writes David Reed. It has had a varied life, being new to coal merchants H W Snow & Sons of Wallingford, before being sold to Charles Shepphard for showman’s use. It then moved on to James Crighton and Charles Presland in Essex before it was bought by a dealer to go to Ireland. There was a change of plan though, with the engine being cut down to the basic boiler and used to power a Rutland Steam Cutter on Anglesey, passing to Ken for restoration.…

Making a welcome return to the rally scene was 1927 Wallis & Steevens Advance roller No. 7931 which was new to lime and stone merchants F J Moore, and was bought by owner Joe Shadbolt’s father in 2009. This roller was sporting a new grey livery after it had been off the road since 2016 with major work on the firebox and other mechanical parts taking place, and it was certainly running well.…

I was born in the North Kent suburb of Barnehurst, then part of the Urban District of Crayford, squeezed between Crayford, Bexleyheath, Northumberland Heath and Erith. My father came from the Old Kent Road area of Camberwell, and my mother lived off Jamaica Road, Bermondsey; they were both born in 1909. They met while working at the Lipton Jam factory in Bermondsey. By 1940 with my sister and brother they lived in Drakefell Road, Brockley, SE4. Following blitz damage to the house they rented, they were able to relocate to Barnehurst. My father never owned a car or drove any vehicles but had a life long interest in them. From an early age he would point out to me details of the passing buses, coaches, lorries and cars, and I…

Sometime in 1981 when the Road Roller Association was discussing its 1982 Annual General Meeting location, the then Chairman, Derek Rayner, discovered that Thomas Aveling had died on 7 March 1882. The timing of the meeting had already been determined as to be out of the rally season and therefore the first weekend in March would be a very good time to arrange a suitable commemorative event. The AGM was subsequently held in what used to be the Aveling & Porter offices – then belonging to Winget’s - the company which manufactured dumpers, etc - on the Esplanade in Strood on Saturday afternoon, 6 March, following an interesting morning’s walk around Rochester following ‘The Aveling Trail’ looking at things of interest associated with him – as a ‘nod’ to the…

Old Glory’s regular German contributor, Busso Hennecke, has recently been contacted by a descendant of the Wolf family whose firm manufactured portable engines in days gone-by in Magdeburg-Buckau. He was advised about an old Wolf portable - No. 5287 - which was noted for sale on the German eBay website for just a single Euro. It had been found in a small village near the town of Most in the Czech Republic and was in something of a state but its original worksplate was remarkably still in situ on the boiler backhead. The advertisement indicated that the remains could be transported to wherever the purchaser required-but one might speculate what could be done with the engine in such acondition as can be seen in the accompanying photographs. One use might be…