Raising Steam 1987 Vol.1 No.3

STEAMAPPRENTICECLUB

ADDRESSES

Tbo Chairman, 0ylvia. Dudlay, ,12 Russell Street, '.voburn :1unds 1 Buck!!. MK! '( 8NX

Membership Secretary, David Duffill, 181 Peden RoRd 9 Cr·onL Barr, Dirminghu111 n~? 2EH

The Editor, Richard Hurley, 2 Reaburn Closa, Charton K!ngu, Cheltenham, Glos GL52 6NL

STOURPAINE BUSHES

Wel~ome to Stourpaine Bushes for those of you who are here and to the rest you BhoUld have been. We have a very interesting morning planned and all will bo revealed as the morning progresses. But if you did miss our event a full report will be in the next issue. The winters almost here again and we are starting to reflect this year and think of the many things we could do next year. We are looking closely at the clubs magazine and looking at ways to make it even better. It has come a long wa.y'since last year with a change of editor and a change of printer to Laser Print of Handsworth, Birmingham. 'rhere has been two changes to our list of Rallies allowing our members in free of charge. Firstly a new rally 'Vestingdagen Stoomworking' Hellevoetsluis Holland which was held on 14th and 15th August 1987, yes I know that wa.B last month but the ne\o's came to late to be included in the last rna.gazine. Secondly due to an error Haddenham Rally 12th and 13th Septombor uhould read Yes and not No. Special thanks tro Mr Forecast the farther of two of our members for the later correction. There has also been severRl changes to N.T.E.C. (1984) Ltd. stands attending rallies during August but it not worth listing them now. September remains unchanged except for the changes as stated in the last issue.

EDITORIAL ...

As many of you will kno~ the rally season is a very busy one. for this reaso~ this issue of th~ newsletter is shorter than our normal ones. Because of this we will be able to have a longer Winter issue; which could perhaps include a Stourpaine Special.

In this issue are included a few interesting articles including a reprint of a Steaming article,which I feel is very interesting and also can teach us a great d~al ~bout taking engines out on the open ro,ad.

Having been to quite a few ralliGs this year and only having one fine weekend. That being the w~ekend of the Headington and Stockley rally, I hope we have better ~e~ther for Stourpaine, Where our meeting will take place on Saturday morning ( see opposite ).

Being the Apprentice club we hopefully are the engine owners of the future, because of this I am always interested in the price of engines. Some which caught my eye were two Burrell showmans priced£ 38 000 and£ 30 000 also a Fowler showmans tractor priced at£ 15 000 and lastly a Burrell 3 speed road locomotive at the sum of£ 39 000.

The photographs enclosed are of the Foden S Lon~~~ m wngon ro.3530 Reg.MA 2645 from the Barracks Steam Museum on i.L'n firt,t outing after recent refurbishment and at the offical opur1in~ of the 5 Star Truck Inn. The wagon itself was first built in 1(114 Cor the. War Department and 'W'en t to France .q,s a gun tractor. AL the end of the First World War it returned to the Foden workn ond was converted to a tipping lorry. It was then purchaaed by n quarry master in the Aberdeenshire area who ~old it in the mld-Lhirties to William Tawse, Public Works Contractore. They ueed 1 t in the building of the South Pier, Aberdeen ITarbour and gavA 1 I. t.o the Aberdeen Harbour Board as a maintenance vehicle. Duri np; the building of the South Pier it tipped over the aide and landed nt the bottom of the North Sea a quater of a mile from the short, whore, it lay for some months before being recovered.

The Faden was purchased from Aberdeen Harbour Board I 11 the early Sixties by Bill Barrack and has just recently complntnd refurbishment. Its first official outing waa at the oponing of the first 5 Star Truck Inn at Altena Aberdeen on Friday 3rd or April which was performed by The Secretery of State for Scotland Mr. Malcolm Rifkind. We steamed her acroea from the muoeum to the lorry park, a distance of around eight miles the Saturday before the opening, after afew adjustments to the bearings on the first couple of miles, all went well. On the day of the opening, My Dad and I went across and got the wagon in steam and drove it round to the front of the building where the owner Bill Barrack drove and Malcolm Rifkind steered the wagon through the ribbons of the enterance to perform the official opening.

We took the wagon back the next day which took us longer because it is nearly all uphill, the only thing it will need before the next outing is some black paint on the lu~. The next outing will be at the Bon-Accord steam engine rally at Alford, Aberdeenshire on the 28th June.

Opposite Malcolm Rifjind with Michael Anderson a.nd Foden No. 9580

Tvo

ENGINE PROFILE

' Gladiator'

By Tyrone James

Sold new to Anderton and Rowland the famous west country show·men who owned a fleet of showmans road, locomotives, such as "Lord Nelson", "Earl Beatty", n Dragon" and "Princess Mary" all surviving today.

Originally purchased to generate for the Bioscope show, then onto hauling and generating Anderton and Rowlands Venetian Gondola ride; Gladiator travelled many thousands of miles with thfs ride under the management of Captain Arthur Rowland. In 1932 T. Whitelegg and Son, another famous westcountry showman purchased her for his American Radio Cars, touring all the westcountry.

Whiteleggs operated three showmana, the only other survivor being "King of the Belgians"

After a new firebox in 1937 she worked for a futher 4 years then was laid-up at Launceston and Exeter for the following 12 years. In 1953 a group of steam engine enthusiasts'raised enough money to buy "Gladiator", and aft~r negotiations with T. ~hitelegg she was duly steamed home from Exeter.

She was retubed, painted etc. and simply restored to ~ome of its former glory.

"Art" Pethick was her driver for many years with his son Donald as steersman. The t1 Gladiator 11 attended many fetes, fairs, carnivals and rallies with the eaually well known Grand organ of Anderton and Rowland. Built by Marenghi of Paris, it was a 98 key organ built specially for Anderton and Rowlands. The pair raised enormous amounts of money for local charities, enabling many charity organisations to buy important equipment. Eventually the pair were split when Mr. De Vey had the organ back from the ''Gladiator Club". They bought another organ and carried on the good work. Unfortunately the boiler inspector waa not happy, and eventually gave the Burrell only three months to "live". The club finding they did not have the money for the necessary repairs even after selling the organ had to put her up for sale by tender in 11~5.

Mr. Dave Goodwin was the succesful tender and she was towed the 30 or so miles home in the spring of l 185 by Burrell 2651 "Challenger'' ahowmans road locomotive.

The engine has now been totally stripped, the firebox rivits have baen started on, the tube plate is out work is tedious but Dave has a gang of good helpers, and in the not too distant future we will see No. 3159 steaming to Cornish rallies.

Anderton & Rowland'sGrand Organ

A few years ago, while I was at a model train • sale I came across a set_of regulations with regards to· traction engines. They are from the County of Bury, from their Corporation Act of 1909 and published in 1911. In side I from a rally program from 1954 of which the front cover is reproduced.

PROGRAMME

STEAM TRACTION ENGINE RALLY

THE AERODROME, MINSTER LOVELL WITNEY, OXON

,By kind pl:rri11~~1or1 of Smiths (England) Ltd.)

Saturday, 28th August, 1954

PROCEEDS TO CHARITY

Admission by Programme only PRICE ONE SHILLING (Children under 14 years 6d.)

Organising Committee:

S. J. Wharton (ChJirmJn) D. H. Young

A. C. P. Bull

W. Williams

R. Densham

N. A. C. Melhuish

J. P. Bury

CAR PARK

H. Scace

J. S. Hirons

J. N. Ware

N. G. Tingay

REFRESHMENTS

THE BURY CORPORATION ACT, 1909.

TRACTION ENGINES.

l!Ulbereas by section 2if> of the Bury Corporation Act, 1909, it is enacted_ inter alia thnt 11 the Corporn tion may from time to time "prescribe the time (being- the same hours as are from time to time 1 prescribed by the county authoritirs) at which and the streets or "classes of streets along or nrross which alone traction engines shall 11 pass nnd the owner and person in charg-e of any such eng-ine who '' shnll knowingly pass therc\\'ith at any time or along or across any 11 street not so prescribed shall be liable for such offence to a penalty ' 1 not exceeding- ten pounds in ;iddilion to the cost of repairing any "damage to sucll street which may ;1risc hy reason of such offence";

'11"10Wtberefore, \\·c, the r--rayor, Aldernwn, and Burgesses of the County Borough of Bury, acting- by th(' Council of the said County Borough in exercise of the power vested in uc; as aforesaid, t>obereb~ orber that except as hereinafter proviclccl the streets along or across which alone traction engines shall pass, sh::dl be the streets hereinafter set forth, namely:-

1.-\Valmcrsky Road, from th~· 11oroug-h houndnry to /\rg·yle Street.

2.-/\rg-yle Street, v\!nlmcrsky Road to Hornby Street.

1----•Jlorn by Street, /\ rg-ylc Str<'ct to Paradise St reel.

4.--Par;1disc Street, \Valincrslcy Rone! to P:1rso11s L:rnc.

5.- Pnrsons L:-ine, from Paradise Street to Sd1ool Hro\\'.

o.-Sc-hool Bi-ow, from I'msnns Lane to J{;1ilwa_v(;oods Station.

7.-Eden Street, from Parsons Lane to Roc·k Street.

8.--i\cross Rock Street, from Eden Street to Clough Street.

g.-Cloug-h Street, from Rock Street lo Clcrkc Street.

1 o.-Clerkc Street, from Clough Street across Cross Street and Llnion Street to Ag-ur Street.

11.-1\gur Street, from Union Street to Crompton Street.

12.-Hayrnarket Street, from Crompton Street to l\farkct Street.

13.-The Hayrnarket, from Market Street to Moss Street.

14.-Knowsley Street, from Moss Street to Duke Street.

r5.-Duke Street, from Knowslcy Street to Manchester Road.

16.-1\lanchester Road, from Duke Street to Blackford Bridge.

17.-Manchcster Old Road, from Manchester Road to Byron Street.

18.-Byron Street, from Manchester Old Road to the Railway Goods Siding.

19.-1\insworth Road, from the Boroug-h boundary to Bolton Road.

20.-Bolton Road, from the Borough boundary to Bury Bridge.

21.-Brarrdlesholme Road, from the Borough boundary to Crostons Road.

22.-Crostons Road, from Brandlesholme Road to Elton Road.

23.-Tottington Road, from the Borough boundary to Elton Road.

24.-Elton Road, from the junction of Totting-ton Road and Crostons Road to Bury Bridge.

25.-Bolton Street, frorn Bury Bridge to Old Mrirkct Place.

2(>.-Castlccroft, from Bolton Street to the Railway Goods Station.

27.--Old Market Place, from Bolton Street to !\farkc-t Street.

28.-1\·larkct Street, from Old Market Place to Haymarket Street.

29.-Rochclale Road, from Hc:1p Bridge to VVash Lane.

JO,-Wash Lane, from its junction with Rochdale Road to Barn Brook Bridge.

J 1.--Rochdalc Old Road, from the Borough boundary to Bell Lane.

J2. -Hell Lane, from Rochclnle Old Road to Barn Brook Briclg-e, :u.-l\fooq.;atc, from Barn Brook Hriclg-e to \Val,nersley Road at its junction with Paradise Street.

If.lro,1f1)ct,nl\Vfl}]S that traction engines may pass along or across such other streets in the Borough 11s it may !Jc Hcl ually necessary to traverse in proceeding to or fro111p1c1niscs 1wt abutting upon any of the prescribed streets.

THE CORPORATE SEAL of 1ht•

Mayor, Aldermen,• and Hurgesscs of the ~ounty Boroug-h of I311ry was hereunto al1ixc·d this 2nd day of March, 1911, in the prescnre of JOHN Tll\SLAM,

TOWN CLERK.

GENERAL PROVISIONS WITH REGARD TO TRACTION ENGINES.

The whole of the provisions contained 111 section 296 of the Bury Corporation Act, 1909, with respect to the use of traction engines in the Borough, are as follows :-

(

1) The Corporation may from time to time prescribe the time (being the same hours as are from time to time prescribed by the county authorities) at which the streets or classes of streets along or across which alone traction engines shall pass and the owner and person in charge of any such engine who shall knowingly pass therewith at any tin,e or along or across any street not so prescribed shall be liable for such offence to a penalty not exceeding ten pounds in addition to the cost PENALTY. of repairing any damage to such street which may arise by reason of such off cnce ;

(2) The Corporntion may require any person who desires to use a 0Eros1r. traction cng·inc in any str('cl to deposit with them such stun of money not exceeding one hundred pounds as they may deem reasonable lo recoup them the cost of repairing- any damage 1.vhich may be caused to any street by any such engine passing along or over the same respecti\'f·ly and in case of any such damage they may repair the same and apply such deposit to mccl as far as it will extend the cost or such repair and may recover the balance of such cost from such person and so from time lo time;

(3) If the Corporation require nny pcr~on tu make such deposit they JNTEJlB>T shall l)ay interest to such person after the rate of three pounds ten ON mirosrr. shilling-s ptr ccntum per annum on the amount of i.he deposit for the time being in the hands of the Corporation not so applied as aforesaid;

(4) No person using or conducting- any surh mgine shall supply the wATEH same with water from any public fountain troug·h well or receptacle su1?r1.v. for water situate in any strrrt \Vitliin the Borough except with the licence of the Corporation and upon such terms as to payment nncl otherwise as shall be stated therein and any person offending ag-ainst this pro\'ision shnll for every such offence be liable to a penalty not exceeding- five pounds;

(s) The- term "traction engine '' shall not for the purpc•ses of this EXEMPTION. Act be dr.erned to inclndc ;1 steam or any other tramway engine.

'

You Must Be Mad ! '

Reprinted frotn 'Sft.AMING'

By John Newton

Being the Editor I have the choice of what goes in to the newsletter this means I can put in alJ. ~Y favourite articles and stories, one such story was in the February 1777 Steaming. I'm not reproducing it because I have nothing else to put in, but in fact because it is an article which can teach young people alot of the "Do's and Don't's" of OW'ningand driving a traction engine.

My story begins with a visit to an early Appleford Rally, which I attended with my father. What stands out in my mind as being most clear about that day was that an agricultural steam engine . was being offered for auction, in steam and was withdrawn at £153. I tried to get Dad to bid for it but he said that he had had enough of steam engines, having spent a lifetime working with them, but that is another·story. As I was only a ladat the time with very little money in the bank, even though! had enough enthusiasm for a dozen engines, needless to say, we did not bid. By the time I had seen all that was going on, I was dertermined to get to know the enginemen and their scene better, and if ever possible, to own an engine.

Before I came away from Appleford that day, I had, in fact spoken with the man himself, no less a person than Arthur Napper. He was seated on the coal in the bunker of his faithful steed whilst she provided power for a threshing machine and he told me all about the movement that sprang up to preserve these relics of the past. Suffice it to say that, fired with this enthusiasm, I was even more determi~ed than ever to become part of that band of enthusiasts. Within a little while, I had written a letter to the only one I knew in the movement, Mr. Napper, to ask to be put in touch with a club. He passed my enquiry on to that other veritable mine of imformation on steam matters, Mr. Ran Hawthorne, the then Secretary of the Thames Valley Traction Engine Club, who kindly sent me all the details of the club. My money was in the next post and then

began what has become a long, interesting and very happy association with what can be only described as one of the premier clubs in the preservation of stea!Il engines and its associated equipment.

The one aspect of the steam preservation movement which seems to me to be its most important and striking feature is the tremendous willingness of all persons to help one another, not only in word but also in deed in every sphere of this preservation. This seems to prevail at all times and is possibly the main reason for the camaradery that exists, and also the complete lack of social and class barriers between all members;

Now a fully paid up member of the movement, I felt I was really on the way.,I attended, and still do, virtually every meeting and function that were held at were held, and all the time I became more determined to be an engine owner. I am sure that, at thet time, I must have often annoyed my new-found friends when I plied them continually with questions as to where I could find an engine \ at a price I could afford. ~vertheless they treated me with the usual kindness and forbearing.

THE BURRELLROLLER

During the interval of time between my going to the Appleford Rally and my participation in the club, a few years had passed, _during which time I had got married, left the farm and set up shop in Hungerford, Berkshire. My quest for an engine continued and nearly ended on my doorstep when I heard of an old Burrell roller which was standing derelict and almost forgotten on a nearby Estate. The next step was to meet the Resident Agent and find out all I could about my intended steed. Fortunately, the Agent was already an acquaintance of mine, so I felt quite confident. When I tackled him about the roller, he assured me that it was, in fact, for sale but the price he wanted I considered too high. I decided to wait for a few weeks, when I felt sure that he would drop his price. After what I considered to be the appropriate time, I got round to the subject of the Burrell during my next conversation

with hil!l only to bo bald bhllL lau.l nold it three days earlier. I was heart broken. T bnld rnv wlfn that I knew that I wcu:d never get an engine now ~hn I. t,l1t1 orni whLoh was so local to me had been ., sold, but she very phi J u111:1ph.1 o:tl ty told me that vhen one door closes another opens, and i1u t't , ttot.1~h 1 t did.

THE R.ANSOMES

It was only a few days later when, at our next club meeting, a member told me of an arigine lying derelict ( a. traction engineno leas), but because it was owned by several persons, it was not possible to purchase because of the difficulty in tracking down all the owners and getting them to agree to sell. This was like a red rag to a bull to me and nothing as trivial as that was going to stop me from being an engine owner. I asked him for all the details of the engine as far as he knew them and its whereabouts. The engine was a Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies traction engine and it was standing at Bridge Farm, Appleford, the home of Arth~r Napper, and the Mecca of Steam engines - I had gone full circle my quest was over.

At the very first opportunity, having telephoned to ensure that it was convenient, I made what was to be one of many trips to see and to work on the engine. I found it at the back of the yard, just off the hard roadway, standing on a piece of waste ground between the road and a ploughed field. It was covered by a tatty old tarpaulin and had sunk into the ground, fully a foot at 'the rear, which meanL thnt tho tondur, partiBlly vtsible below the sheet and through tho noLLlno which grow around 1t, was almoat sitting on the ground. Sho lookod oomewhat bedraggled, but nevertheless on looking under tho ohoot, which moroifully through the kindness of Mr. Napper, had boon kept on in spite of all weathers, she seemed complete down to th~ poker and shovel and a few knobs of coal. Bedraggled or not, to 111e she looked like a nugget of gold must have looked to a Klondike prospector, a noble find.