RAISING STEAM
FREE to SAC Members
STIEAMAPPRENl1110ECk.UB MAGAZINE
EDITOR
Bair.ry Sums'i0n, Kearline G.rap'.b.icJmages, lFailll'oak!Hous.e Business Centre, Church iR0ad, Newport NP!l.9 7.EJ Tel:,9~633 262i97 Fax: OT633 259089
CHAIRMAN, STEAM APPRENTICE CLUB
JolrunBurling, Hawthorn Cottage, Stiubwood, Utt0"eter, Staffordshire ST14 5!HX
Tel: ©1889 &91188 (between 08.00 and 21.0Q hours oBlyiJPlease)
VICE-CHA:IRMAN, STEAM APPRENTICE CLWB
Elaime Massey, 2~Down Close, N0rth0'lt, Mid~esex ill35 6NS
Tel: ©20 8248 6510 e-mai~ elaine.masseyl@vfogin.net
MEMBERSHIP SECRETAR¥
JolrunCook, Do1farrri, Charch Lane, K,irby la Tho~e, Sleaford, tiBcolnshire NG34 9NU Correspondence onil!,".Membersh\!) fee £5.00 per aBnum.
'L'heEd::i.tor.welcomes any contlil.butions of articles, shorter '1.temsorlJ)hotographs for inclusion in future issues. Aill material submitted is voluntary. and payment cannot be made for any roateria1 published. 'il'he opinions expressed ill tlhe magazine, with the exceiption of Club ann01mcements, are those of-.-thecontributors and do not iRdica'te the views of the Club as a whole. All items are he1d copyright by tke contributor and filie NTE'iI'.
Please send your contri:hu_timasto tihe..Editor at least five weeks before publication. 'L'Yil)ed articles a.J,'epreferredi but not essential. If handwritten put any. names o£iPEOPLE, PLACES or ENGrnES in BLOCK CAPITALS. ff y.ou require any part of your article (eg photos) l.'e'turning please say so and enclose a stamped addressed envelope. Enclose iYOur name, address and (if) Apprentice) age with any contribution.
'L'heEditor reserves the right to amend or refuse contribui:iions,and willlattempt to correct spelil.ingand gr.ammar!
~e Magazine is normally published duri.ng the ea:r;lypwt of January, April 1 July and Oct!:}ber.'Dhe Club accepts no liability for failure to meet iintended publication dates.
The Stearn Appr.entice Club li.sa section of the National Ti·action Engine rrrust, NTET is a Registered Char.ity, No. 291578. Registered in England No, 13021H7. Registered Office: 4 Chw:ch Gre-eR!Eas't,Reddii.tch,WorcestershU'e B98 8BT.
Typesetting and .Ai,tworkfby°K'.eall'lineGraphic Images, Fairoak Ilomio Business Centre, Chmch Road, Newport, South WaleslN!Pl9 7EJJTel: 01633 262197 ll'ux·016:l:l 269089 email: kearline@aol.com Frmted by T1le Wbiteheuse P11essLtd, 14•16 The Marina BushwRS Pnrk, Hn.rboux Road, Lydney, Glos GL15 51ilR
Here we see Chairman John Durling (left) with son Ian and 'Morning Star' pictured at Klondyke Mill just about to set off for a run to the Swan Inn. See John's article on 'Morning Star' in this magazine. (They appear to be parked outside the public Zoos!Was this a prerequisite to visiting the pub or was this their watering point? - Ed.)
FROM THE EDITOR
Your first magazine for the new year is, I'm afraid a little late. There are two reasons for this: pressure of work has not allowed me to get on with Raising Steam, and I'm afraid I have had little in the way of contributions from you. I guess that, in part, this may be due to last year's lack of rallies etc, due to Foot & Mouth Disease cancelling many events. So, we shall do our best, and hope that you will all be much more active this year, and be able to send in many more stories and reports. With this edition you will find details of our ever-popular Driving Days -please support these, a lot of work is done on your behalf organising them, and those who have joined in, have enjoyed them immensely. It only remains for me to wish you all a belated happy new year with lots of good steaming.
Barry Sumsion, Editor
THE CHAIRMAN'S BIT
Well, it is that time of year when not a lot is happening with the engines. Morning Star has finally been put to bed for the winter after a lovely little run out in the snow on New Year's Day. We didn't get as far as we would have liked because it took us (that is Andrew Hall with his Aveling & Porter Type E roller and us with Morning Star) nearly 2 hours to defrost the hose pipe before we could put water in the boiler to start and light up. But we did manage to run to the local hostelry and back, a journey of nearly half a mile! We took some pictures just to prove that a rubber tyred engine can run in the snow.
Due to other pressures, like getting some of the jobs round the house finished, Morning Star is taking a bit of a back seat this winter but I am still hoping that she will be out for the SAC Driving Day at Klondyke Mill on 13th April.
This leads me on to Club business.
Duncan Croser has done the hard work this year of organising the Driving Days round the country. See elsewhere in this magazine for details. PLEASE read the form to make sure that you have done what is asked of you before you send it back!
We have again been invited to take part in the NTET Driving Course, which this year is being held at Beamish Museum, near Newcastle. If you really want to know how it should be done, get yourself on this course! It only costs £60 + VAT for two days of working on engines and high quality instruction. Give me a call (or a letter or e-mail) if you are interested.
In the last issue I told you about the new Log Books that are being put together for you. So far only 5 of you have asked for one. Does this mean that there are only 5 Apprentices regularly working on engines? Does this mean that the rest of you know so much about engines that you don't need to be able to show to someone else what you have learnt and what you haven't? I don't think so.
Please write to Elaine Massey and ask her for your own SAC Log Book. They only cost a fiver, and will be ready before the start of the new season. As a further incentive, I am trying to persuade engine owners to ask to see your log book when you first go to work on their engine.
A couple of issues ago Barry said that he was hoping to be able to publish a brief history of Morning Star. Well I have now got round to writing something. You will see that there are many gaps in my knowledge - do you know anything more? I would love to hear from you, via Raising Steam.
We are all looking forward to warmer weather and the chance once again to get out and about on the engines.
I hope that I will see lots of you about this year.
John Durling, Chairman
MAIL BAG
Elvaston Steam Rally 2001
Dear Editor, I thought you might like to hear about Elvaston steam rally. I arrived on the rally field at about 7 .00pm and unpacked all my clothes and we put the tent up. About ten minutes later John Brookes arrived with his Aveling six ton steam roller Betty Lewis No. 12405. This looks very much like an 8-ton roller, but this is because the rolls are off an 8 tanner. It was originally named Little Alex but since in John's ownership it changed names. About an hour later we drove Morning Star to the beer tent and stood it outside until 11.30pm. Instead of steering Morning Star I was offered the chance to steer Aveling Agricultural No. 1995 of 1884, which I did. About 12.40 I went to bed.
I had such a poor night's sleep that night, I finally decided to get out of the tent at 5.30am. Early! At 5.45 I started polishing the brass and I rubbed down the paintwork at 7.40am. I finished it all and was ready to prepare a fire by 8.20am. I cleared the firebox and ashpan and lit the fire at about 9.15. When we had steam up we went to the beer tent and I went on Fowler Showman's R3 class Road Locomotive No. 15653 Renown. When we came back from the beer tent we took the engine into the arena and I steered. Later I went to see Derek Roose from Cromford who is a friend ofmy Nana's who owns a half size Sentinel standard waggon Ruthus. I had a ride on the Sentinel around the rally site, and when we got back John asked me to ask Mr Roose if he would like to come down to the Harrington Arms pulb with us and Admiral Togo, Burrell No. 2706, a single crank compound of 1904. The run down was very enjoyable and I rode on the Sentinel. After a drink and a short discussion about the Sentinel we were ready to go back. Just when we were climbing on the footplate it started raining! So we went inside and waited a few minutes for it to stop. It didn't. It just got worse. We had another drink to see ifit would finish after that. It didn't. We finally decided that it wasn't going to stop so Des Hutton offered to fetch some waterproofs and we would drive back in the rain. We got up on the engines and the rain stopped! I steered Morning Star back to the rally field and we parked it up and had a barbecue for tea. After tea I said I was going to have a look around the rally field. I had barely left the engine line when I saw a thick, very black plume of smoke rising into the air. I thought that must be Renown and it must be doing some hard work. I went back to the others and Ian agreed. I went to have a look and, sure enough there was Renown, generating for her canopy lights, the steam gallopers lights and the gallopers organ! Also outside the beer tent was about twelve Foster showman's engines, eleven of them Tractors including the Wellington Twins Endeavour and Obsession. Morning Star was brought up and we stayed at the beer tent until about 12.00pm, when we took it back to it's spot and put it to bed. I went to bed at about 12.45.
On Sunday I woke up at 7.50 and John was already up and ready to start polishing. I did some polishing until about 10.15 when I lit the fire. I oiled up and we rubbed the paintwork down with a paraffin soaked rag. When we had about 120 psi. on the gauge John asked me to put the engine in low wheel (slow gear) and put the reverser forward Then to my surprise he said, " now
open the regulator a little" he removed the block from under the wheel and let me drive the engine to the beer tent with him steering. We had to move the engine three times because we were in the way of the steel band outside the beer tent. I then drove it back to it's spot (John with me on the footplate) and we parked it up. I was then allowed to drive it in the arena for the grand parade. We then parked it up and Ian took it for a run and John and I went on Sarah, a 12 ton compound Aveling steam roller. Then John and me took it for a run in high wheel (fast speed) and I drove. My Nana and Auntie then picked me up.
Thanks to John and Ian for such a brilliant weekend.
Martin Treanor (13)
Duffield, Derbyshire.
Dear Editor,
I would like to tell you of my experience of being a steam apprentice at the Great Dorset Steam Fair this year (2001).
I am a steam apprentice to Colin Hickson on his Aveling & Porter Advance Roller, but because of the foot and mouth this year it has been fairly quiet, so I had the opportunity of going to the Great Dorset Steam Fair for all 5 days which was great.
Below we see Steam Apprentice Adam McKay on the Ford Brothers' roller. I hope I am right in saying that -Adam sent in the picture but with no details. If you send in a picture, please remember to write details about the picture and any engine that appears in it - Ed.
On the Wednesday I went with many others to the Steam Apprentice tent for nine o'clock. I asked to work on a roller if possible and it was.
I was allocated to the Ford Brothers' steam roller with Terry Tamblin. He had never had a steam apprentice work with him before. We soon became good friends as he showed me around the engine. I learnt a lot from him and he gave me a chance to steer the engine in the ring. The first time John Durling jumped aboard for a lift as we went to the ring. It was different to the roller I am used to but I soon got used to it.
I worked with Terry for 4 days having one day off to look around the show. I helped him clean and polish the engine every morning ready for the show. I really enjoyed the experience working on the roller and I am sure that my steering has greatly improved, I also learnt a lot from Terry about the roller and how it works.
On the Saturday I had a great time at the Steam Apprentice event where we were allowed to steer a variety of engines, it was a great experience going on so many different engines and I would like to thank all the drivers who helped us.
It was the best Great Dorset for me and I would like to thank Terry and Ford Brothers for making it such a great time. Looking forward to next year.
Adam McKay (12) Ottery St Mary, Devon
Dear Editor
On the 28th and 29th July 2001, I went to Wroughton Nostalgia Show near Swindon. There was one full size visiting Marshall traction engine No. 74614 and several miniatures. All of the Science Museum engines were in one of the hangers. There was an Aveling roller No. 2185, two Fodens Nos. 1174 and 6368, two Fowler ploughing engines Nos. 15194 and 15195, three fire engines, a Sentinel waggon No. 1718 and a Ruston & Hornsby portable with no number. I enquired with one of the staff if it had a number and a week later I got a letter with lots of information on the portable.
Glen Prince ( 101 I 2)
Ramsden Heath, Essex
Dear Editor
I thought I would write and tell you all about my brother, Craig Henderson's 10 ton Wallis & Steevens compound road roller. The works number is 7844. Craig bought it in March 2000.
It was first bought new by Loaders of Bournemouth in 1925 for the sum of £800. It was used for rolling and scarifying roads in the area. Craig is now restoring it. Last winter he dismantled it and started to clean and repaint bits. in red oxide. It also needed a new firebox which is being made.
He is going to be rebuilding the roller throughout 2002. I have enclosed a photo of the road roller before it was dismantled.
Yours sincerely
Kay Henderson (17)
New Milton, Rants
Craig Henderson's Wallis & Steevens roller No 7844, from a picture sent in by his sister Kay.
Lichfield Bower Festival
Dear Editor,
This is a report of Lichfield Bower Festival. On Saturday 26 May 2001 I went to Klondyke Mill to help prepare Morning Star for the journey to Lichfield. We polished the brass and while steam was raised we went to the Swan Inn for a bacon buttie. When we got back we waited for more pressure and met up with Des Hutton, Driver of Admiral Togo, the NSC&TE Club's Burrell. He said that if we towed his living van to Lichfield, he would drive the Land Rover (Zebedee) and the caravan. Zebedee has all the tools for the engine.
Morning Star climbing Draycott Cliff and approaching the Swan Inn on Saturday 26th May 2001. (It appears that Martin may have taken this photograph through the windscreen of the Land Rover so it's a little unsharp. However, I just had to include all that 'clag' and noticed a 40mph and speed camera warning sign to the right. I trust that John was aware of this!)
We left Klondyke at about 3.50 and climbed Draycott Cliff with ease. At about 4.15 John opened the firebox door to put on more coal. Suddenly we stopped outside a farmhouse and I wondered why. However I couldn't help noticing a hissing noise. I asked John what had happened and he said that the fusible plug had dropped and I looked at the ashpan where steam and water was violently leaking. Having no 'phones with us, John and I went to see if
Martin's photograph shows the 'works' and vertical boiler of the steam bread van which many of you may well have seen around the rally circuit. It appears that the steam engine is coupled to a 'modern' gear box with normal shaft drive. I certainly have seen this vehicle but don't know m,uch about it - do any of you know the details and history of it? Ed.
anyone was in at the farm. There wasn't. We walked to a house further down the road and asked if we could use the phone, and explained the situation. About a minute later, John came out saying that Des wasn't answering. The man's son was going home to Birmingham and offered to take us to Lichfield. I stayed behind with Ian. About 40 minutes later John arrived with Des and Zebedee and Des's Range Rover. We took out the pan and bars and took out the old plug and tried to fit the new plug. To our horror we realised that the thread in the boss in the top of the firebox had torn. We towed Morning Star
to the Forester's Arm's car park and went back to Lichfield for the night. On Sunday after breakfast we went to the Foresters i\.rms and tried to get the boss out of the firebox by ourselves. No chance. Back at Klondyke, having already arranged for Des to light up Togo, Ian went home to get some tools and I rode on Togo up to the Foresters Arms. We connected it all up and we also hooked Zebedee behind Morning Star. After a drink or two (the Foresters Arm's played a big part at the weekend) we left for Klondyke. John steered
Below we see the 1918 Burrell road tractor 'Tiger' photographed by Martin at Lichfield on the 28th May last. Pity the chimney got chopped off! This looks like it may be a 'Gold Medal' tractor to me - anyone got any more details please. Ed.
Morning Star half way and I steered the other half We were followed by some animal rights campaigners (nutters!) and then we climbed the back of Draycott Cliff. Togo makes a lovely sound pulling 8½ tons on a half open regulator and the simpling valve used all the time!
At Klondyke Ian and I had a play with Togo and John removed the old boss and fixed in a new fusible plug in 15 minutes. When the old boss was taken out we realised why the plug had gone. The boss was so long that the plug was right down in the fire and was getting far too hot. Bars back in, pan back on, water tanks filling, I lit Morning Star and she steamed in 1¾ hours. After a test run around Klondyke, we connected everything up and left Klondyke around 8.00 p.m. and we steamed into Beacon Park in Lichfield at 10.20, dropped the Land Rover off and steamed to the Queens Head. After a celebratory drink we steamed back to Beacon Park and put the engine to bed. As we had had nothing to eat since breakfast, Jan Jeffs made us some cheese cobs for tea. (Thanks Ian!) Also Steve Arrowsmith sat on Phil's chair and literally snapped the legs! !
On Monday, I polished the engine, Ian lit up and after a slow steaming we took it to fill with water for the parade. We steamed there with me at the wheel, Ian at the regulator (John steered the McLaren No. 127) and after 1¼ hours of the parade, with money thrown in the motion, we arrived at the Queens Head, the end point of the parade. After a short stop we went to Beacon Park for lunch and packed up ready for the run back to Klondyke. Chris Arrowsmith came back with me in Des' living van. When we arrived back at Klondyke I went home.
Thanks to John and Ian for a great weekend. My photos show Morning Star leaving Klondyke on Saturday, climbing Draycott Cliff, the 'Breadbin' (steam breadvan) and S and L Hayes 1918 Burrell Road Tractor all on Monday at Beacon Park.
Martin Treanor, (13) Duffield, Derbyshire.
A BIT ABOUT DIGITAL PHOTOS
I am quite happy to accept your photographs taken with a digital camera. There are, however, one or two things you should note. The cameras with lower resolution will not give such a good result as those with a higher resolution -obvious really I suppose. When you print your pictures on the printer connected to your computer they will usually be completely acceptable. However in real printing other technical considerations come into play and the lower resolutions will only really show a fairly small picture at an acceptable quality. I can usually fiddle these a bit in my software. That means that I really need the jpeg from your camera - not a print from it. You can send me jpegs either on a floppy disc, CD or you can send them by e-mail at kearline@aol.com.
Keep shooting - Ed.
30 June 2000. On the way to Elvaston Castle rally. We pulled on to the weighbridge at work to find out how much a 5 ton tractor weighs. 6610kg in working order with half full tanks and half a bunker of' coal, oh and me on the footplate.
There have been many references to my engine Morning Star over the last few years, but in the last issue Barry asked for more details of the history of this wonderful machine.
She was built to the order of Kent County Council and was sold on 27th August 1926 where she became their fleet number 35.
Ordered as an 'L' type tractor -4 NHP, piston valve compound - they specified that she was built with the larger 'M' type belly tank. I believe that this was to give a range of about 25 miles, which was regarded as one day's work.
She would originally have been used for light haulage work, pulling a fourwheel trailer with a maximum capacity of about 5 tons. I describe her as the twenties equivalent of the Transit pickup. I don't know where she was based, or the names of any of the people who worked her. I do know that Kent CC sold her to Inns and Co., Quarry owners of Woolmer Green, Hertfordshire in 1943. I haven't been able to find out how long she was in the ownership of Inns and Co. but she then passed to Jeffrey of Welwyn Garden City and to Kennedy of Radley Heath, both in Hertfordshire. I believe that this is where her commercial life ended but I don't really know. She then passed through
1 January 2002. Ian manoeuvres before setting off.
several preservation owners before being bought by Ross Durling from Cooks near Southampton in 1979.
When we bought her she was feeling rather sorry for herself, having stood for several years awaiting a new firebox and other boiler work. We started to take her apart in Steve Neville's yard in Fulbourn. Steve did a lot of the boiler preparation work and some of the welding for the new firebox and the boiler repairs. The new firebox was actually fitted by the late Bob Green of Haddenham, Buckinghamshire; it being the penultimate boiler he was to work on. When she returned to Dad's garden a long time passed when not much progress was made, but when Dad retired in 1988 things started to move. Dad undertook many mechanical jobs whilst she was in his care, including having the second shaft pinion re-built and grinding by hand the big end journals. This last job was a labour of love involving many hours with emery paper and a micrometer. He had to do this because we could not remove the flywheel from the crankshaft. We tried everything we could, Steve Neville tried with the resources of Eastern Boiler Works. Even tally we decided that to use any more effort would result in a broken flywheel. All this hard work resulted in the Grand Inaugural Steam Up in 1994 - over 15 years since she was bought. We took her out onto the road for the first time in over twenty years and she behaved very well, only needing one or two minor adjustments. This was the first of many runs in the Knebworth area, including runs to the horrendously wet Shefford rally organized by the Bedford Club. In September 1997 Dad and I drove her about 25 miles to the Old Warden rally, at which
point Dad 'handed me the keys' and Morning Star became mine.
Since then we have covered over 1000 miles together and she has received one new set of tubes, one new set of solid rubber tyres a re-paint and many hours of normal running maintenance. The new canopy I promised myself for this last winter will have to wait for more time and money. Last year Ian and I drove her back to the Bedford rally at Old Warden, a journey of some 120 miles, which we covered in 3 days before the rally.
This is a very brief history of the engine as I know it. It is obvious that there are many gaps in my knowledge and I would love to hear from anyone who knows anything else. For example, I do know that she was called Ann-Marie in the early 1960 1s, but I can't remember the name of the man who owned her. When did she get the name Morning Star? Who gave it to her? I bet that someone knows the answers to some of these questions.
John Durling. Proud Owner and SAC Chairman.
