RAISING STEAM
STEAM APPRENTICE CLUB MAGAZINE
EDITOR
Barry Sumsion, Kearline Graphic Images, Fairoak House Business Centre, Church Road, Newport NP19 7EJ Tel: 01633 262197 Fax: 01633 259089
CHAIRMAN, STEAM APPRENTICE CLUB
John Durling, Hawthorn Cottage, Stubwood, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire 8'1']4 5HX
Tel: 01889 591188 (between 08.00 and 21.00 hours only please)
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
John Cook, Dolfarni, Church Lane, Kirby la Thorpe, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 9NU. Correspondence only. Membership fee £5.00 per annum.
The Editor welcomes any contributions of articles, shorter items or photographs for inclusion in future issues. All material submitted is voluntary and payment cannot be made.for any material published. The opinions oxprossocl in the magazine, with the exception of Club announcements, are those of the contributors and do not indicate the views of the Club as a whole. All items are held copyright by the contributor and the NTET.
Please send your contributions to the Editor at least five wockr-;before publication. Typed articles are pref erred but not essential. If handwrj Lten put any names of PEOPLE, PLACES or ENGINES in BLOCK CAPITALS. If you require any part of your article (eg photos) returning please say so and enclose a stamped addressed envelope. Enclose your name, address and (if Apprentice) age with any contribution.
The Editor reserves the right to amend or refuse contributions, and will attempt. to correct spelling and grammar!
The Magazine is normally published during the early part of January, April, July and October. The Club accepts no liability for failure to meet intended publication dates.
The Steam Apprentice Club is a section of the National Traction Engine Trust. NTET is a Registered Charity, No. 291578. Registered in England No. 1:102197. Registered Office: 4 Church Green East, Redd.itch, WorceR'LerHhirnA98 8B'I~
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Well, here we are again -at last. This edition will probably arrive a little later than you might expect. I'm sorry about that, but my youngest son developed a nasty infection in his leg, necessitating a stay in hospital. This tied up some of my time and certainly his mother's, which meant that I was doing some of her work as well as my own, so I am a little behind with the magazine. This year has not been one of the best for me as far as the rally scene is concerned. Various things (mainly work) have got in the way of me visiting as many rallies as I would have liked. I did have a weekend at Welland -always one of the better medium sized rallies. This year there was a greater number of showman's engines present, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much in the way of suitable fairground equipment for them to power. It is a generally good rally with engine working going on over the quite large site they now enjoy. An afternoon was spent at the nearby Much Marcle rally -this is a relatively small rally without engine workings, but all the usual arena events and a good number of engines to be seen. I did get down to the rally at St Agnes in Cornwall. This is a rally which I had heard much of and was determined to see it. So, my wife and I set off at great speed down the M5 to the West Country to cover as many miles as quickly as possible, for I could only get there for the one day - Sunday. After a successful drive in dry weather, we arrived at the site where, upon setting our feet on the grass of the car park, the wind blew up violently and the rain came sweeping along behind it! We did get a quick look around the field, but the weather became so appalling that we, along with nearly everyone else, were forced to go back to the car and search more pleasant places to visit for the afternoon. This was particularly frustrating, as I had had time to spy some very interesting and unusual engines parked up at the site. I will be going back next year, hopefully for the weekend. Then there was Dorset of course. For the first time in 31 years, I believe, we had dry hot weather for the whole of the show. Traditionally this would have meant dust everywhere, and while there certainly was some dust, it wasn't all that bad. Unfortunately my camera chose to play up so for the moment I do not have many photos of Dorset 1999. The Steam Apprentice Club did have a wonderful Dorset. Many apprentices were teamed up with engines, day after day, and w,e had many visitors in the SAC corner of the NTET marquee. Now I think that means that we should be having some reports, and hopefully photographs from many of you who were at Dorset. I know you were there, so let's hear from you. Talking of photographs brings me to the subject of digital cameras. Some of you (indeed the winner of the photographic competition included) now have access to this form of photography. If you use such a camera and load your pictures into your computer and eventually print them on your computer's printer, then you will normally get a satisfactory result. The advantage, of course, is that you don't have to keep on buying new film and then paying for the developing and printing of your pictures in the traditional way. Unfortunately the quality is not really good enough for good pictures to reproduce in print. The pictures are treated very differently during the printing process and it is often more difficult to get a good sharp picture in print. If you are taking pictures with a digital camera and would like to see
them in Raising Steam then please do not send a picture from your printer for us to scan. Instead load them onto a floppy disc and send them on the disc (we will return your disc). We will then down load the pictures into our computers where we have software which should enable us to reproduce them with reasonably accuracy.
Good Steaming, Barry Sumsion, Editor
Two Fowler ploughing engines at the premises of Alan Sparkes, taken on the visit of the SAC. Photo from John Durling.
THE CHAIRMAN'S BIT
To those we met at the Great Dorset Steam fair-wasn't it great! To the rest, I hope that you were doing something pretty wonderful or you really missed out.
The sun shone, the engines pulled heavy loads, the fair rode well into the night and a good time was had by all.
The SAC were again to be found in the NTET marquee and this year we had support from more people which made the job much easier for !1.,ionaand I. Particular thanks must go to Alan and Carol Woolsey;Mark IIildit;ch and Emily Crampton, and Elaine Massey. I think that you will boar rno1·0 of and from Elaine over the coming months as she has many ideas Lo mako Lhe SAC grow and to give you more of what you want. We do of course always welcome 2
Rebecca Pope driving the 6 inch (half size) Burrell Single Crank Compound 'Devonshire' engine 'Fred' at Old Warden.
This pictures has been scanned from a computer generated colour print. The original, on disc, would probably have reproduced more sharply. Nice picture though-Ed.
newcomers as adults willing to help us with running of the SAC.
In the Spring issue we asked you to send us your ideas for steam related Christmas Cards to be sold exclusively to SAC members. Unfortunately only two people sent us designs, which means that this plan can't really work. These cards have been sent to Barry who may well use them in the Magazine.
Now to next year and our plans.
I am planning another series of driving days in April, as we did this year. I hope that we can have even more venues - 2 new ones have already come forward.
The Driving Course - rather more formal than our driving days and designed to give you much more information in the design and operation of traction engines -will again take place in May. I do not know yet whereabouts in the country it will be held.
In the next issue you will see the results of the Colouring and Photographic Competitions. The standard this year was very good and I was very pleased to see more entries than previously -well done to all of you who sent in entries and I hope that more than ever will take their camera out next year and send us your best pictures.
As this is the last magazine before Christmas can I wish all of you a Merry Christrnas and lots of steaming in the new year.
John Durling, Chairman
MAIL BAG
Dear Editor
I went to the Old Warden driving day, where Paul Worbey was the leader. There were six full size engines including a fire engine and there were two miniatures. The names of some of the full size engines were Earl Douglas which is a Fowler Hercules tractor built in 1920, works No. 15748 and Jack of Hearts which is a Fowler K7 ploughing engine built in 1926, works No. 16646 and a Shand Mason steam fire engine which is St George built in 1876 for Watford Brewery, works No. 2017. Here is some information about one of the miniatures; it is a 6 inch scale Burrell Devonshire built in 1988 called Fred that is owned by the Worbey family. We all got put on an engine for an hour or more. I started with a red traction engine, I don't know the name but it was a Burrell. The man that owned it told us about all the different parts and then we all went into a ring to drive it. But I didn't drive it, I drove Earl Douglas, first of all I drove it then I steered it. When I got back it was time to wash up and have lunch. Paul Worbey brought us lunch - we quickly ate that. Then some of us went to the Shuttleworth Collection; we had a good look round. We quickly got back to have another drive, where I became friends with two other girls who were Jenny and Kim. We all went on the ploughing engine and then we went on Fred which was the best engine, being able to drive it all on our own. Then Kim had to go home and then Jenny and I had a soot fight and got really dirty and then it was time to have another wash up and collect our certificates and go home. Thanks Paul for a great day. IF YOU DIDN'T GO, WHY? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MISSED.
From Rebecca Pope (age 11)
Dear Mr Durling
I would just like to write and say how much I enjoyed my day at Alan Sparkes'. I was one of ten apprentices and when I arrived some had already been given an engine, so I was asked to get one of the three left, up into steam. I chose the Foden truck which I lit and the fire would have stayed in for two nights and days if it was in constant use. Having done this I was shown how to drive it up the drive and back again. Wow! what a thrill, great excitement! To my amazement I was allowed to drive it on my own (under supervision). I then moved on to learn about the regulator on the big ploughing engine. Delilah was my next challenge - to get her back into steam and then drive her up and down the drive. We all had to help put the engines to bed and clean off all the soot. Alan Sparkes then took a picture of all the apprentices in front of The Masterpiece, the most expensive one and the one used for showing. The best part of the day was getting everything into steam and being able to drive them. We finally ate lunch when we had finished everything. It was good to make some new friends and hope to meet them again at some of the rallies.
THANKS AGAIN FOR SUCH A GREAT DAY.
From George Ryan Malmesbury, Wilts
Here are some pictures sent in by George. First we see a collection of engines awaiting their apprentices. Below left Clayton & Shuttleworth TE Reg BH 7651 'Valiant' drives up
the yard at Stanton Drew and right, the Faden wagon which George lit up and drove. Below we see the apprentices lined up in front of the Burrell Showman's 'The Masterpiece'.
Dear Barry
Here are two pictures which were taken at Prestwood rally in July.
The first one shows my brother, Thomas on a 1919 Fowler roller owned by David Wren Davis (he also owns the land on which the rally was held). Dad, my cousin Simon and our friend Kevin as well as Thomas and I had to look after the roller and David's Burrell Gold Medal Tractor. On the Saturday night we had to look after the Burrell Showman's Britannia and take it down to the beer tent to generate some light for the people standing outside. It was great fun taking it down. At midnight we took it back to its parking spot, it was dark and we had to use a torch to see where we were going.
Sunday evening I was allowed to drive the Fowler along the fields back to the shed while Thomas steered the Burrell tractor behind us. At some places I had to let Dad take over because it was muddy and I would have and we did slip.
The other photo is of me having a go with a 3 inch Fowler built by the Gooch family. It went quite fast for a little engine but it was good fun.
From Robert Deering Sandhurst, Berkshire
Dear Barry
On 2 May my two sons (Joseph Black and Richard Cave) and I had a b1illiant day at the SAC day which Richard Hullah arranged in Wakefield.
Richard, who is nine, has done the enclosed drawing to describe what went on.
From Andrew B"lack Morpeth
Dear Editor,
We went to the Dorset Steam Fair this year and I was paired up with some engines. The first one was a small tractor called Goliath. I went on this with my sister Demelza who is 6 years old. We had a great time cleaning it and polishing it, then Mum and Dad came and got us and we went and had our dinner. After dinner we went back and Dr Giles' (Romanes) friend let us have a go at steering it in the ring.
The next day I wanted to have a go on a different engine, but Demelza went back to Goliath. This time I went on a roller called Pegasus. We went in the ring steering around cones. I like this one the best because rollers are my favourite. The boy on this one kept me busy which I liked.
The last day I went on Aquarius which was fun as well. The man on this showed me how to keep an eye on water levels and steam pressure.
On the very last morning we went and cooked our breakfast on the shovel. It was the best breakfast I have ever had. My sister had a great time as well and didn't want to leave. Mum and Dad said it was the best holiday ever for them too, and said to say thank you to all the drivers and helpers for looking after us so well. Mum said thank you to Fiona Durling for her hard work finding us some engines. I also went to the Steam Apprentice day at Dingles which was brilliant. We had
three engines to try. Demelza got black because she sat on the back playing with the coal, Mum has now bought us boiler suits to keep us clean.
I have had so much fun on these trips, I have asked Mum and Dad if we win the Lottery can we have a traction engine, they said "we'll see" (fingers crossed). I can't wait for next year when I can do this all again. Thank you everyone.
From Da:rnien Sluman (age
8)
Exeter, Devon
Dear Editor
Enclosed with this letter are some photographs of me and another apprentice at the SAC driving day on May 3rd at Grange Farm, Wakefield with Richard Hullah and his steam roller Elizabeth. Whilst there, one of the traction engines, Atlantia, broke down and had to be put back on its low loader. Later we went on the Sentinel steam waggon (picture enclosed) around the town. The smoke was so thick that other motorists had to put on their fog lights! Anyway I really enjoyed that day and I can't wait for the next one! The photos were taken by my father (Steven Shaw).
From Richard Shaw (age 13) Loughborough, Leicestershire
Above is the Sentinel waggon with Richard and friend aboard. Please note that while the correct English spelling of the word is 'wagon', Sentinels used the older version 'waggon '.
I really appreciate these reports with their photographs .from you all, but I wonder if you could jot down a few details about the engines - make, works number, year built, etc. It would make for a more interesting and factual record for your photos and other apprentices. - Ed. 8
Dear Editor
With the millennium not far away, people are finding many different ways of celebrating such an event.
The year 2000 also marks something special to us, but it's not just the millennium, it's the 70th birthday of our Foden steam lorry TF 3106, and to celebrate we've bought it a new coat as an early present. For twenty years or more
Above we see Richard Shaw driving the rolwr 'Elizabeth' whilst fellow apprentice Matthew (surname not supplied) does the steeYing.
the lorry has been green, but now it has been returned to display one of its former working liveries, The Mechanical Tar Spraying and Grouting Company of Reading.
It was here it worked as a tar spraying lorry on the roads, as the name suggests, however, its tar spraying days are over and it is instead er\joying an active rally lifestyle.
At seventy it doesn't make it one of the oldest on the rally fields so we hope it will keep going for a few more years.
From Julie Forshaw
Clifton, Bedfordshire
Dear Barry
I enclose a series of articles on Avelings rollers which I hope you can put in Raising Steam. I have serialised them. Avelings are very dear to me -my "Uncle" Mike Woods (who is actually my Gran's cousin) used to own 8 ton Roller 11093 of 1924, a D Type. This was last steamed in the 1980s. It was watching Fred Dibnah's Aveling on TV in 1992 which got me really interested in engines -since then I have joined the SACand I am now an apprentice on Derek Kilburn' s Burrell Traction 4019 and Brian Johnson's Aveling Roller AG758 at Amberley Museum, and also on Brian Downey's Fowler Traction 11814. I have bought a very old Wilesco roller which I have rebuilt and painted in the Aveling style. At Amberley I am very much involved with the rebuilding of Marshall Roller 79669 which is having a new firebox, backhead and cylinder foot. I helped dismantle her and we are now making new crankshaft bearings. I have driven the Burrell a few times, and Derek has recently let me take her round the museum single-handed -he was in the bunker of course. This year we are taking the Burrell to Cornwall. I go to most rallies around here with the Fowler and spent the Great Dorset with Colin Knight and his three engines, a Wallis, an Aveling tractor and a Ruston tractor. At home Colin has 10 or 11 more!
Best Wishes Kevin Mills (age 14)
Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex
Brilliant Kevin! These short, informative articles are the very thing we need to make your magazine interesting.
We wi_llstart with Part One of course, and Kevin has supplied photographs to accompany each part. liowever, when we get to Part Three the photograph supplied is not of the best, and Kevin asks if anyone has a suitable photograph to show an Ave ling piston valve engine - typically C class of the mid 20s. If you haven't got such a picture, perhaps you live near to where one is kept or rallied, and maybe you could take some photographs for the magazine and Kevin. Get searching. Kevin's address appawrs at the end of Part One, and J'-m sure he would l'ike to hear from, amf/jone who has access to or knowledge of Ave ling rollers near them. - Eli.
AVELING & PORTER STEAM ROLLERS
By Kevin Mills (14)
PART ONE: Early Days
I'm not going to describe the weird and wonderful machines Mr. Thomas Aveling and Mr. Richard Porter built in the 1870s, but will try to tell you the history of the rollers you will be more likely to see.
The oldest Aveling & Porter Roller is No. 1760, built at Rochester in July 1882. This is the class RIO, which means a single cylinder 10 ton roller. In appearance, this design of roller hardly changed for 43 years. The earliest Rl Os appeared in 1879 with the now familiar features of gearing inside the hornplates, heavy flywheel, and the feed pump on the side of the boiler. The range consisted of R6 (6 ton), R8 (8 ton), RIO (10 ton), Rl2 (12 ton) and R15 (yes, 15 ton). The earliest machines had balanced rear roll scrapers, "cotton reel" steering gear and the headstock was bolted in place by a straight row of 5 bolts for the 10 tonner (it was more or less for the other sizes of roller). The Invicta plate on these rollers was a simple curved shape.
Compound rollers first made an appearance in 1886 ( a prototype was made in 1881). These were "Tandem Compound". Avelings found these were much more difficult to make compared to a double crank system with overhead valves which a certain Mr. Fowler from Leeds was making. Aveling & Porter changed to this arrangement soon after.
In 1893 the boiler works at Rochester started to use hydraulic presses to flange boiler plates, and in 1900 one-piece boiler barrels replaced the 3 sections used before. Around this time the headstock was changed, now using six bolts arranged
in this manner where the headstock bolts onto the smokebox:
The six and fifteen tonners (as well as the 10 tonners) used this, but the 8 tonners had this arrangement:
In 1900 the slide bar method of supporting the crosshead was scrapped and the trunk guide introduced. This is a heavy casting bored out so the crosshead can slide back and forth inside.
Around 1903 the compounds became the "RC" range (RC6, RClO, etc. ). The overhead valve cylinder block was replaced by the well known outside valve design, with the two cylinders in the middle and the slide valves either side. All compound Avelings up to 1930 have all the gears except the two top gear wheels outside the hornplates. When the Fowler style block was replaced, the feed pump moved down to the side of the firebox on the flywheel side, with the injector on the steering wheel side. Some rollers have two injectors and no pump, including (I think) the roller in the Titjield Thunderbolt film.
My photos show a typical RIO Roller, this being No. 7771 of 1912 which is owned by Martyn How. Note the headstock bolts, and in the rear view the foot operated flywheel brake, which Aveling & Porter supplied as an extra.
P.S. I don't claim to be an expert on Aveling rollers and if any of you know of any other details, please let me know at 46 The Avenue, Goring by Sea, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 6JA.
Now where did he come from?
Well actually it's a photograph from Matthew Bate who entered it as one qf his photographs in the Photographic Competition at the Great Dorset this year:
The quality of entries was very good and the _judges spent a long time debating on who should be the winner. Despite Matthew's very good entry, he 'Wasnot to be this year's winner - see next edition of Raising Stearn.
The picture is from Fowler No. 14948 'Prince of Wales' and shows the heat shield behind the dynamo and in front of the chimney on this showman's engine.
I am now very pleased to include a Word Search puzzle created by apprentice Neil Armstrong. This was given to me at the Great Dorset, and I know little else about Neil, other than his membership number - 2156. This must have taken Neil some time to create, for it is a very professional piece of work. I hope you will en}oy finding all the correct positions for the words. And if you enjoy creating these puzzles Neil, I would dea:rly welcome more of the same! Thanks for a great effort. - Ed. SEE OVER PAGE 13
NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to the following new members of the Steam Apprentice Club. Enjoy your membership - remember the more you join in, the more you will get out of your membership. So, write your letters and articles for the magazine, take photographs and send them or enter them in the annual Photographic Competition. Whatever you do, make the best of your apprenticeship.
James Newby, Chepstow
David Job, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Mark Sutherland, Melton Mowbray
Sian Potter, Braintree
David Thomas, Amersham
Matthew Childs, Huntington
Fraser Stroud, East Malling
Christian Cornish, Woking
Martin Leigh, Colchester
Michael Snowden, Framlingham
Daniel Snowden, Framlingham
William Hadland, Stratford on Avon
Robert Jarvis, Norton-sub-Hamdan
Jamie Stone, Nether Langwith
David Barker, Whitby
Steven Barker, Whitby
Simon Tansley, Birstall
Leigh Hartshorne, Burntwood
David Goakes, March
Tom Goakes, March
Guy Hawkins, Studham
Arran Flowerday, Bookham
Ian Langley, South Chailey
Rose-Marie Brady, Arklow, Co. Wicklow
Richard Clifford-Smith, North Baddesley
Craig Springfield, Weston-Super-Mare
Oliver Redgrove, Horsham
Guy Champion, Burcot
Joe Macdiarmid, Dorking
Elizabeth Walker, Belper
Matthew Lis, Burnham-on-Crouch
Gareth Hall, Eldersfield
Thomas Hirst, Coombe Bissett
Robin Wines, Glastonbury
Alistair Lobban, Callington
Michelle Harwood, Bognor Regis
Tam McGregor, Helston
Thomas Middleton, Caldicot
Reggie Hubbocks, Aylesbury
Michael Butler, Thame
William Butler, Aylesbury
Benjamin Talbot, Easton-in-Gordano
Benjamin MacDonald, Holywell
Nicola Biddlecombe, Bascombe
Christopher Lowe, Totton
Nicholas Lowe, Totton
Anthony Reynolds, Chepstow
Jamie Whinney, Sittingbourne
Scott Murfin, Chaddesden
Greg Leiper, Aberdeen
Paul Axup, Scunthorpe
Well that's the end of another edition of Raising Steam. I still have more o/" Kevin Mill's articles on Aveling & Porter rollers, and in the next edition we shall include a larger than usual photo section featuring the entries in this year's Photographic Competition. I DO NEED MORE! Please send in your letters and reports of what you've been up to and where you've been, and if possible good photos as well. Ed.
