Raising Steam 2011 Vol.25 No.4

Raising Steam

STEAM APPRENTICE CLUB

Editor

Nanette Durling, 19 Mill Lane, Barton under Needwood, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire DE13 8HE

Tel: 01283 712818

sac raisingsteam@ntet co uk

President

John Durling, 19 Mill Lane, Barton under Needwood, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire DE13 8HE

Chairman

Kevin Munn, 56 Blacklands Drive, Hayes, Middlesex UB4 8EX Tel: 020 8573 9180 sac chairman@ntet co uk

Vice Chairman

Elaine Massey, 21 Down Close, Northolt, Middlesex UB5 6NS Tel: 020 8248 6570 elainermassey@ntlworld.com

Membership Secretar y Sue Cook, Dolfarni, Church Lane, Kirkby la Thorpe, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 9NU Correspondence only

Membership fee £10 per annum

Webmaster

Nick Bosworth, 9A St Wilfrid’s Road, West Hallam, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 6HG Tel: 01159 309868

sac webmaster@ntet co uk

SAC Co-ordinators

Emily Drury

ecdrury@hotmail.co.uk

Matthew Lund Tel: 01329 832462

matt lund@engineer com

Kevin Lawrence Tel: 01229 838144 k lawrence@dsl pipex com

Barry Sumsion Tel: 01633 671798 barrysumsion@gmail com

Joe Black Tel: 01748 829601 joe1922@googlemail com

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 expressed 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. The Editor reserves the right to amend or refuse contributions 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 1302197

Registered Office: 4 Church Green East, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 8BT

Produced by Kearline Graphic Images Ltd, Fairoak House Business Centre, Church Road, Newport, South Wales NP19 7EJ.

FROM THE EDITOR

Hi ever y one . O nce again the magaz in e is a li ttle late. I a m ple as ed to say that I have had l ots of a rtic les s ent to me for t his issue , don ’t wo rry if y our le tte r doe s not ap pe ar th is tim e as I will save it fo r the next one . I m ust th an k y ou for th e disc s full o f very g ood pic tur e s, I h ave u se d some o f the m and I w i l l s a v e t h e r e s t i n m y g a l l e r y f o r l a t e r ma ga zi ne s I wou ld like to men tion at this po int tha t i f you ar e g oing to se nd me a d isc w ith a lot of p ic tur e s on ple a se co uld you give me a little b it of a wr it e up w ith it t o g ive me a n ide a of who , what an d whe re I’ m l o oki ng a t.

We ha d a very goo d re sp o nse to the Gr ea t Dor se t S te am Fair c omp et ition s a gain th is ye ar A s u sua l it was very ha rd to ju dg e a n d pick a winne r

I have i nc lud ed in th is ma ga zi ne a list of the win ne rs of e a ch c atego ry ; I wi ll incl ude some p ho t o s of tho se win nin g e ntr ie s in Janua ry.

W hil st we wer e a t the D ors et show Ela ine, Kevin , Joh n a nd I we n t to th e R o b ey Tr ust to p re se nt l as t y e a r’s Te ch nic a l Ach ieve ment win ner, Ja c k Ayl an d, wi th hi s tr o phy It’s a fasc inatin g pla ce an d th ey ma de u s ve r y we lcom e. S ee the ar tic le w ri tte n by Jack an d o the rs f ro m th e Tru st. I must ma ke an a po log y to ou r C hair man, Kevin . I n the la st ma gaz ine I re fer red to Kev in’s en gine a s Kati e a nd in fa c t Kevi n’s en gine is calle d Kate , s or ry a bout th at I have a da ughte r cal led Ka tie an d having j ust spo ken to he r on the p hone at the time I ma de the mista ke.

The r e is an a r tic le f ro m y ou r P res ident, John Dur li ng f or y ou t o r e ad in the ma gaz ine, a ver y n i c e l e t t e r f r o m M a t t h ew C o o m b ’s m o t h e r, Mic he lle an d an ‘Ap pr e ntic e Wanted’ advert whic h you wi ll find i nte r e sti ng A very long l ist of ap pre nt ic es have b ee n inc lud ed , this is ma inly due to th e fa c t th at I misse d out the l ist fro m the l ast issu e so ha d to pu t the m bo th tog ethe r. I f yo u’r e o n Fac eb oo k th en y ou ca n see wha t

t he S AC is sa yi ng a t www fac e book c om/s team ap pren ticec l ub John an d I h ave ha d a very g ood rall y s easo n; m y new task was to sta rt towing o ur newish caravan . Havin g n eve r t owe d befo re I was very nervou s, you will be ple a se d t o know that I ma na ge d to m iss everyt hi ng , there is n ot on e scratch . G oing bac kwa rds i s a different m att er t ho ugh, ne ed s ome pract ice w it h that o ne. M y d au ghte r Liz even had t o d emolish ou r l ovely b rick ga te post s wi th a sledg e h a mm er to ena ble us to g e t the caravan on th e d rive, s ec re tly I t hink sh e really enjoyed hers elf for a few ho urs . W he n John came h o me fro m wor k it t ook h im a few min utes to realize w ha t was miss ing Pl ease kee p y ou r st or ie s com ing in a s I do e n j oy re ading you r a rti cles and try ing to get them i n pr in t for o ther s to e njoy.

Nanette Dur li ng , Ed itor

CHAIRMAN’S BIT

We h ad a go o d Dorse t see ing old me mber s re- jo in i ng a s we ll a s new me mbe rs who came to ou r s ta nd in t he NT ET m ar qu ee. We had qui te a few entrie s for the va ri ous competiti on s, i nc lud ing the new on e regard ing writin g an article a bout Dors e t El sewhere in t h e ma gazine you wi ll se e some of the entries fo r th e dr awing , c ol our i ng and photo co mp et itions Th e w riti ng c om petiti on was a n ew o ne whi ch c ame a l ong a t t he last mo me nt , s o we only ha d t ime to pub licise i t on th e website a nd at Dors e t. We do hope t o c ar ry on with th e w riti ng co mpetit ion next year. So, y o u bud ding wr it e rs , l ook o ut for i t .

For the fi rs t ti me w e had a mini at ur e ou ts i d e th e m arq uee a s pa rt of ‘te ac hing you’ t he different p art s of an en gine a nd h ow you g o abou t takin g t he en g ine from ta ki ng t he sheets off t hr ou gh to ge tting it in ste am. Thi s att racted qu ite a bit o f a ttentio n from passing adu l ts as well as c hildr e n int er ested in seeing what was goi ng on. T hank you t o Julian Tyrre ll wh o gave his time ( an d en gine) for t he fo ur days.

The seas on is n ow dr awin g to a c lose an d I h op e you a ll enjoye d it. As always le t us know wh at y o u think a nd wo uld like to do. But as a teaser fo r n ext sea son we have r ather an i nt er es ti ng a nd n ew pr oje c t in mi nd wh ich migh t well be co ming to y our a r ea .

This is my la st ‘Ch a ir ma n ’s b it’ as I a m s ta nd i ng down in N ovembe r. I will still be i nvolved wi th th e c lub a s I will stil l be doi ng th e arrang ing for the d rivi ng da ys we have around th e Cou nt ry, so I won’t be sa yi ng g oodb ye jus t y et . A s for those w ho have be en f ollowi ng m y o ng o ing a rtic les ab out t he repairs to my steam roller I have y et m uch t o do an d wr it e ab ou t!

Kevin Mun n, Ch ai rman

DEAR EDITOR

Sun day 17 th Ap ri l 2 011

With me be in g a n ew me mb er of the Stea m App rent ice Clu b I was very ha ppy whe n I was invit ed t o g et m y ha nd s dir ty for th e fir s t t i m e o n a Tr acti on Engine . It tu rned out t o be one o f t he b est exp er ie n ce s o f my li fe .

The fir st th in g I d id wa s to me e t Mr. Bosworth who own s a 1 920 Foster Tr acti on Engine cal le d Sp ri g . After m e e ti ng him I go t s et t o my fir st j ob which was to cle an the ch imney top wi th B rasso as it h ad b ee n st an d in g fo r a w hile. A s soon as I finishe d that I then got m y s ec ond jo b, wh i ch wa s t o wi p e over an d cle an th e huge whe els w ith Mr. Sheen p ol is h.

We the n moved t he e ng in es o n to the ro ad whi ch was helpe d by some pe ople holdin g a re d fl ag to stop th e ca rs c omin g p as t s o t h ey wo uld not h it th e stea m engin es or the tract or s. W he n t he e ngi ne s a nd trac to rs wer e o n t he road w e we n t on a run fro m t he yard wh er e th e Fo ste r is kept t o t h e S i t we l l Arm s P ub (wher e the en gines and t ractors bro ke down so w e w e re told !) . Aft er li g h t ref reshme nts w e set bac k off to the

Casey busy with the Brasso

home o f Sp ri g an d Gool ie G ooli e is a 1 927 M arsh a l l Roller wh ich als o joine d us for a run out.

Well th e cl ea ni ng wasn ’t t oo ha rd (I ’ll reg re t s a y in g that LO L!) altho ugh tha t night I slept very we ll fr om a ll the e ff or t I put into cl eani ng the few th ing s I did on Spri g .

I wou ld l ike t o sa y a big t ha nk yo u to th e B os wor th famil y for le tting me have the be st day o f m y li fe . Tha nk y ou , I re al ly do h ope t hey will have me a gain s ometime soo n!

If you wou ld li ke to se e s ome ‘in a c tio n ’ im ag es of me do ing all this go to the following web si te : www. tr ac t iont ime .co.u k.

C asey Jayn e Ca rr ie r Age 11 SAC No . 510 3

Editor’s No te. Cas ey, I’m rea lly ple as ed th at yo u h ad such a go od d ay out w ith ‘Sprig ’ and the Bo swo rt h s. Isn’t it stra nge h ow engi nes a nd tractors see m to bre ak d ow n outside a p ub an d mirac ulo usl y m end themselves a lit tle while lat er ?

ST.

ALBANS DRIVING DAY

by Kevin Munn

This was t he fir st time w e h ave ha d a d riving d ay at St. Alb an s a nd it was looked forward to wit h an ticip ation I w en t up on t h e s e co n d of the da ys in rath e r overca st co nditio ns. Th e s it e is set in O a kla nds C ol l eg e wh er e the Her tford shire S team Club holds a ral l y. It i s a goo d venue a s it has ro a d s a s we l l a s fie lds to dr ive on whi ch was usefu l as o n t he Saturday they di d have s o me rai n so t h e roa d s we re made go od u se of. Wh en I ar rived eve ry one was wor king h a rd g et t i ng t h e e ngine s re a dy for the day; bo th small and la rge al ike .

I met t he o rgan iz er s a nd s ome o f the ap pren tices who said a l l was g oing w ell, they were thoro ug hl y e njoyin g th e mse l ves. On ce a ll we re alig ht and getting u p stea m they st opped for b re ak fast. No, no t on t he shovel but in t h e c ollege c a nte en! Af te r b rea kfa st, certificates were ha nd ed ou t for at te nda n ce . Th en it was b ack to t he e ngine s, dr iving an d steeri ng a ro un d the co llege unt il it was ti m e t o p ack u p a nd g o home.

Kieran Tyrrell at the controls of 4 inc h Burrell with owner Tim Watson.

GREAT DORSET STEAM FAIR - SYLVIA DUDLEY AWARD

Editor’s no te Th is repo rt from Lewis Mason ref ers to la st year ’ s GDSF, but due to various techn ical hit ches, it took a lon g ti me to rea ch u s. It’s still worth reading th ough We ll d on e Lew is

What a night! Wednesday 10th November 2010 started as any other or so I thought. After school, it was off to Grandma’s for tea. Time to leave and Grandad and Grandma said they had to come home with me as Mum and Dad had some paperwork they had to sign.

Not long after getting home there was a knock at the door, I was told to answer it, strange! There stood Dave Smith, owner of the Burrell Keeling and Head of Technical Services for the NTET.

Why was Dave at my house? It was to present me with the Sylvia Dudley Award for the Best Dorset Apprentice. To say I was surprised would not cover it. Great Dorset Steam Fair is hard work but great fun. Up at 6.00am to wake ‘Phil the Coal’ and get Keeling ready for the day: having a great day with Keeling and other engines in the playpen. If I was lucky I was able to see my Dad, who was left running my 4 inch Burrell engine Little Lew in the miniature working section Almost forgot that I had to be fed and several days Mum had to phone me to say tea had been ready for ages. On Friday afternoon I never

made it and Mum had to bring my tea down to the engine line Forrest Maiden and helping Mike Brain, Dan and Craig was more important, to me anyway.

18-hour days were the norm for me at Great Dorset Steam Fair, I had to make the most of it and luckily Mum and Dad did not mind too much.

I would like to thank all the people that nominated me but I did nothing special, just did what I love doing, being with steam engines at any time I can.

Lewis Mason SAC No. 3881 Age 12

P.S. Grandad and Grandma never did sign any paperwork!

DEAR EDITOR

I had my very first driving day at Flookburgh the 29th July 2011. I was on Morning Star which is an Aveling & Porter steam tractor. A man called John Durling was teaching me and two other apprentices. We started by cleaning out the firebox, after this I helped to clean and polish the engine.

The really exciting part of the day was driving the traction engine. I was allowed to change the gears. If you push the gear stick away from you the engine goes forwards and if you pull the gear stick towards you the engine goes backwards. After we got used to driving the engine we drove it in and out of some traffic cones, we must have been good because we did not hit any.

At the end of the day all of the apprentices and drivers gathered round and we were presented with certificates. I really enjoyed the day and I hope to go to other driving days.

Ad am so n , Tyn e a nd We a r.

DEAR EDITOR

We have b ee n l uc ky enoug h to go t o a num ber of even ts th is y ea r. Fi rstly, a ral ly a t St Albans in J un e , whe re we w e re luc ky en ough to b e placed o n a n e ngin e e ach I was put on a st ea m ro ll er c alle d Dum py a nd helped the owner And y H ar vey get stea m up . James worked o n a miniatur e e ngin e c alled Ma deline , own ed by Tim Wa tso n

We ret ur ne d to St A lb an s in J u l y for th e d riving day and again wor ke d o n th ese two engines We wer e a lso lu cky e no ugh t o have a go o n seve ral ot her eng ines d uring the weekend, an d e nj oye d a lovely l unc h in the can tee n (especia l ly goo d since it was pourin g wi th rai n! )

We al so wen t t o the Glouc es t e rs hir e Steam and Vintage E xtravaganza at S outh Cerney, whe re I was pla ce d on M ar shall eng ine Al derma n with D ave Paxton I was lu cky to sp en d two da ys assisti ng on this engin e, cleaning o ut the as h p an, cl eani ng and fi l ling up wit h wat er a nd was a bl e to steer it d own t he run way a nu mbe r of time s. Ja mes spent two d ay s o n Morning St a r w it h J ohn, Nan and Wopp it an d also got to st eer u p and dow n the ru nway having he lpe d ge t the engin e ready to move.

Next was th e Gre at D or se t Ste a m Fair. We h a d a won derf u l time a s we we re abl e t o at ten d for th re e da ys th is yea r. J a me s and I sp e n t t he first mornin g a ssisting Gr aha m Chaffer and h i s s on o n Gr ah am’s roll er Omo n . We met u p with Dave Paxton again and he very ki nd ly gave Ja m e s a nd I a ride ro und th e pl ay pen. I spent two day s h elpin g on

James at Great Dor set Steam Fair with ‘Morning Star’.

Go liath in th e t hr eshing ri n g, e nsu ri ng t h e wat er p res s ure and fir e wer e ke pt cor rec t to keep the bel t ru nn i ng sm oothly. T he own er, M ark , h as invited me to assist aga in at next year' s show, whi ch I’m look ing fo rwa r d t o!

James s p ent o ne m or ni ng wor kin g on a Sh owman’s en gin e call ed N ero , owne d b y Willem Mid dl em iss Alth ou gh thi s was a s ta ti c ex hibit whic h was power ing a fairground o rgan , Ja me s wa s r e al ly exc it ed as i t was his first time helpin g o n a Showm an’s He al so got to se e h ow th e organ wo rke d and was able to choo se so me m usic t o pl ay. He re ally enjoye d the burp butt on ! (Thi s was Keith Hono urs orga n, The Four Season s )

On the fin al d ay, J am es s pe nt a l ot of time wi th Joh n on Mo rnin g Star a nd was a ble t o drive and st ee r in the pla y pe n Jo hn sa id h e d id rea ll y we ll

We wou ld l ike t o say a hug e th an k you t o Kevi n Mun n and all the en gine owner s wh o gave t he ir t im e a nd allow e d us t o he lp th em t hi s ye ar. We rea lly app rec iate it .

El izabet h a nd Ja mes A lle n .

(Writt en b y El iz ab eth)

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

From The Robey Trust

On Monday 29th August a prestigious occasion was held in Tavistock, Devon to celebrate the successes of a particular SAC apprentice, Jack Ayland. Jack’s achievements had been recognised by John and Nanette Durling, Elaine Massey and Kevin Munn at the Great Dorset Steam Fair 2010, when Jack came along with many items, pictures, drawings etc to try to prove why he was worthy of the SAC Technical Achievement Award. He successfully won the award and only recently claimed it when associates of the Steam Apprentice Club came down to Devon to present it at the Robey Trust Ltd. The event was a formal gathering where hot drinks were served, food was plentiful, and members of the Trust and press were present all in a new community room, part of the extension soon to be officially opened benefitting like minded steam enthusiasts.

Jack has been with the Trust for over seven years, starting at the age of 10. Originally the Trust (founded in 1983) had a smaller collection and only over the last few years has the collection expanded rapidly (so has the building!), Jack likes to think he played a role in the restoration, fabrication and preservation of those engines. Although the Steam Apprentice Club associates itself with full size working steam engines and helping young people delve into past time agricultural machinery, the Robey Trust has a slightly different approach Past the big roller doors stands proud a big workshop consisting of: a fully kitted out machine shop, stationary engines, wooden machinery, portable engines, overhead cranes, welding facilities, toilets, archive stores, a viewing balcony, six full size engines and even a kitchen!

During the presentation, the Robey Tri-Tandem No 45655 Herts Wonderer built in 1930 steamed outside the Works after much work had been carried out before, during and after the steam and hydraulic tests in August All engines had been polished and un-sheeted to help make the occasion more special, eventually all the engines will be piped up to an auxiliary valve connected to a substantial sized boiler, then more than 15 stationary engines of all shapes and sizes will be steaming, driving their generators, belts, pumps and governors. An interesting display worth seeing!

For the first time in history members of the Trust entered and exited with clean hands and not even a smudge of dirt on their faces! Instead much applause and words of thanks were given during a widespread buffet which was served to all members and colleagues associated with the Trust. Overall everyone had a great time amongst celebrating Jack’s successes over the past few years.

After the presentation, a few words associated with apprentices and the award was said by Jack. “This award has helped highlight my successes, it’s important to acknowledge achievements made by young people; it’s a sense of achievement as well as motivation to continue with the hobby” soon after he added: “I hope the Trust can help benefit other apprentices in and around the Devon county, all the skills I’ve learnt will help expand my knowledge and personal statement when applying for University to read Mechanical Engineering.”, “I hope the Robey Trust can motivate other young people to follow in my footsteps or at least help them understand why keeping this type of engineering alive is so important for our industrial heritage.” One final comment made by Jack was: “be assertive when coming to learning about the technical side of steam engines, use angle grinders,

drills, fly presses etc Not only does it develop you as an apprentice, but your muscles for when you do win the award!”

Fortunately, the Trust is located in Southwest Devon, that means any volunteers (in Devon especially) of any age, skill or ability can join, so long as they don’t mind getting their hands dirty! Currently three other apprentices are working alongside Jack and are also showing potential; hopefully candidates for the award in years to come. The Trust always emphasises keeping the steam movement alive, especially ‘Robey and Co Ltd of Lincoln’ anyway. Any apprentices around Devon who are not aware of the Trust should come down and take a visit, or look at the website www.therobeytrust.co.uk “a worthwhile voluntary apprenticeship with the potential to prosper any future engineering aspirations” says Jack.

Once again, many thanks to John, Nanette, Elaine and Kevin for supporting and presenting Jack with the Technical Achievement award for 2010, we hope the connection now formed between the Trust and the Steam Apprentice Club will benefit both institutions in the future.

Editor’s Note. It was a lovely day and a fantastic opportunity to see the work of the Robey Trust at first hand The facilities they are building in Tavistock are well worth going to see Details via their website as stated above.

J a c k A y l a n d receiving the T e c h n i c a l

A c h i e v e m e n t Award.

DEAR EDITOR

Since my last letter last year, I have been busy looking at the type of work I want to do as a job when I’m older, because I’m keen on mechanical engineering I am lucky to be the proud owner of Michelle (Yes, I had to call it after my mum, that was one of the conditions) a 3inch Burrell Agricultural Traction Engine built 2001 We spoke to lots of people, we went over the workings, the transportation, the insurance, the boiler test, the clubs to join, the upkeep and the rallies.

I thought it would be a good idea to keep a note book as a steam apprentice and make short notes of the rallies we have been to this year. We visited Launceston Steam Rally, Bocconoc and Torbay. We took the traction engine to only two in our smaller trailer staying for 3 days at each one.

Bocconoc is a massive estate near Liskeard in Cornwall, with beautiful views and tall trees. We had bright weather every day. Arriving Thursday at 7.00pm we put up our gazebo in which we have a tent inside that to make it cosy. The traction engine comes inside the gazebo at night and the trailer is kept attached to the car. We bought a small gas burner so we can make tea, coffee, soup and heat up any ready meals. It’s only for three days so that’s fine. We parked in a large circle around a heap of coal with the other miniature owners. This allowed us to talk very easily with one another I had arrived with a viral cough which got worse and everybody could hear me coming. I took respite at home the second night, and mum looked after the tent The other thing that happened was that I over tightened a screw on the first day, split it and didn’t get to steam my engine up into the ring, it had to be towed. One of the organisers took home the screw, replaced and soldered the pipe On Saturday I got into the ring and our friend John took me round, because at 13years old you’ve got to have an adult present

I also had the opportunity to meet a driver from Newquay called Chris and go on his Marshall 12 ton double crank compound steam roller I met lots of really nice helpful people They all had different ways and means of approaching any problems the engine had. I also met one or two SAC members A big thank you to all the people that helped me and especially to Ivor and Cyril.

LOCATION – Excellent and beautiful. On a slope with two lanes used as running tracks and a large tractor area. Reasonably flat for miniatures.

DRIVING – Ground for small engines fine but could do with putting small engines in the ring first so that the ground is not churned up by the large engines.

Torbay we had again bright weather and sun with torrential rain towards the end. Arriving Friday at 6.30pm we had followed a friend to the rally from Exeter, through beautiful open countryside, busy motorways and finally driving by the coast with views of the sea. It took us 50 minutes to get to Torbay from Exeter in rush hour.

My sister and I helped mum set up camp next to our friends; I had still got that rotten cough. Saturday morning I steamed up my 3inch Burrell. We take welsh coal with us as it keeps heat for longer, it’s more crumbly and needs to be kept in bags to stop the gas escaping. You do get coal given to you at the rally. Water is provided in large containers and we use small plastic bottles to transport water to my trailer. I use distilled water at home as we have hard water In Cornwall it’s very soft and generally doesn’t harm the engine When Michelle was in steam I went round the showground on a 25 minute run. It was the best run I’ve had since I got her I also had a drive on Chris’s 12 ton Marshall Steam Roller

On Sunday, the last day, before we steamed up Paul helped me clean my safety valve It was great practice to use my Burrell all day, meeting up with friends I had met at Bocconoc. It rained hard just at the end and we watched the huge low loaders packing up the giant traction engines, rollers and steam wagons. We got soaked changed and returned to St Merryn in Cornwall.

LOCATION - Several fields and quite open. A gentle slope. All grass with one track.

DRIVING - Ground for engines a bit bumpy but plenty of straight driving area.

Matthew Coombs

A VERY NICE LETTER FROM AN APPRENTICE’S MOTHER

A traction engine opens up a whole new world full of great people and ‘do and learn’ experiences. It displays cross and grumpy teenagers at their best. It involves patience, which my son is presently working on, and tolerance, when the traction engine fails because of a splitting nut due to over tightening; or mum loses one of the ash pan rods in the grass at a rally; or panic as the 3 inch begins to run out of water because the rally organisers delay the ring time; or the blower is not working; or when a 12 volt computer fan is urgently needed to help the fire when there’s no wind to help it fire up; or when the manual pump becomes disconnected; or when the pressure valve keeps sticking; or the jockey wheel on the trailer loosens and the wheel shears.

Each engine has its own personality. I have learnt a traction engine is only as good as the person who’s put it together. So it never runs smoothly, and when it does it’s seldom at the time you need it to. With the hundreds of miles covered thank goodness for a car that’s not too thirsty, but i still love it.

Michelle Coombs.

Editors note. Thank you Michelle for your lovely letter, it is always nice to hear from a parent especially when you seem to be having as much fun as Matthew Perhaps I will get to meet you in person on the rally circuit next year.

M a t t h e w tr ying out the next size up.

A bit of day d r e a m i n g Matthew!

DORSET COMPETITION WINNERS

JUNIOR PH OTOGRAPHIC

1st – Hay ley Fi sh er 2nd – Ch ris to p h er For be s 3rd – Matth ew Hand

SENIOR PHOTO GRAP HIC

1st – Ri cha rd Wa rr en 2nd – Davi d M ar ch

COLOURING

1st – Erin Sa ge 2nd – Oliver J aco b s 3rd – Lucy M ar ch

FREE ART

1st – Ch ris to ph er For be s 2nd – Davi d M ar ch

MOD ELS

1st – Jame s All en 2nd – Alex Ty rr el l 3rd – Keira n Ty rr ell

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

What present would you like?

Ask someone to give you a voucher for the NTET Driving Course on 12/13 May 2012 at Astwood Bank.

Steam Apprentices (age 13-15) £60, (age 16 – 21) £90 for the two days.

Contact Joe Black at:-

Coach House Cottage, Clints, Marske, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL11 7LY

Or by phone: 07595 466353

Or email: joe@seddonandblack.co.uk

ALL CHANGE AT THE SAC

Well no t q ui t e all but, a s Kevi n ha s re fer re d to in hi s pie ce, he i s stan ding d own a s Chairman at th e NTET AG M in N ove mb er.

Kevin ha s d on e t h is job sin ce 20 05 a nd b ro ug h t new id e as a nd m ethod s to the running o f y ou r Cl ub. I’d like to t ha nk Kev in, p erso nally, on b ehalf of the C o mmittee and on yo ur b eh al f t oo, f or his ha rd work du ri ng th e p a st s ix years.

I’m al so pl ea se d to sa y t ha t h e ha s a g ree d t o ca rry on w ith th e a rra nging and administrat io n o f t he SAC Dr ivi ng D ay s, so we’ve not really lo st him a t all.

In Nove m be r I wil l take over th e re ins o f C h a ir man a gain, at l east for a w hile. I t hought whe n I be ca m e Pr e side nt in 20 05 th at I cou ld pu t my fe et up a bit; ‘tis obviously n o t to be .... .. .. ..

John Durl in g, Pre side nt

NTET DRIVER TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS

For the second year NTET is proposing to award up to 3 Scholarships to the NTET Driver Training Course which is held in May 2012.

The Driver Training Course has 3 elements over 3 years, Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced and covers many aspects of engine management, maintenance and driving. An indicative syllabus can be found on the NTET website (www.ntet.co.uk).

The scholarships are open to non-engine owners being members of non-engine owning families, who are members of the NTET

Applications including a CV and a statement of why you wish to attend the Driver Training Course should be submitted by 31st January 2012 to the General Secretary of the Trust: South View, Hutton Roof, Car nforth. Lancashire LA6 2PF general.secretary@ntet.co.uk

Successful Applicants will be notified by the end of February.

NOTE: The Scholarships only cover the Course Fees, NOT incidental expenses such as travelling, accommodation and food.

CV should include: Name, age, previous experience with steam engines, how you became interested in traction engines, and any other information that you consider to be relevant to support your application.

NEW APPRENTICES

The SAC welcomes the following new members:

Kai Adamson, Jarrow

Jack Alford, Tiverton

Evan Allison, Whitchurch

Jake Ashford, Westbury

Marcus Bailey, Fordingbridge

Charlotte Baines, Elkesley.

Elizabeth Baines, Elkesley

Edith Baker, Frome

Arthur Baker, Frome

Ashley Banfield, Truro

Callum Barker, Poole

Ruth Bedwell, Burgess Hill

Taiko Bennett, Bitterne

Rebecca Brown, Cirencester

Nick Brown, Cirencester

Matthew Brown, Cirencester

Molly Brown, Bournemouth

Harry Brown, Clacton on Sea

Ben Clayton, Bracknell

Ben Coleman, Surrey

Jack Comber, Grinstead

Ben Cross, Southampton

Michael Cruse, Wareham

Dean Curtis, Port Talbot

Molly Davis, Redditch

Christopher Davis, Newhaven

Casper Dickinson, Andover

Cameron Dowsing, Didcot

Jake Dowson, Faversham

Aoife Dreelan, Aberdeen

Niamh Dreelan, Aberdeen

Jonny Dreelan, Aberdeen

Matthew Dumbrill, Hassocks

Jessica Earney, Bournemouth

Beth Earney, Bournemouth

Sean Egan, Ireland

Grant Ellis, Egdon

Rory Evershed-Muggeridge, Burgess Hill

Eelanor Facey, Somerset

Harrison Fairhead, London

Jake Fensom, Luton

Annabelle Fensom, Luton

Charlie Fensom, Luton

Hayley Fisher, Cambourne

Matthew Fisher, Cambourne

Alexander Fowler, Camberley

Ruby Garner, London

James Gathern, Kent

Matthew Gathern, Kent

Harry Glanville, Liskeard

Lewis Griffiths, Reading

Robson Hewitson, Haltwhistle

Daniel Humphrey, Stevenage

James Hurley Hampen

Tyler Isaac, Chippenham

Isaac Jewell, Saltash

Samuel Keene, Swindon

Henry Keith, Winchester

Freya Lanham, Bursledon

Theo Lanham, Bursledon

William Martin, Storrington

Tobias Martin, Newhaven

Nicholas Martin, Newhaven

Kelly Martinez, Nottingham

Keiran May-Cunningham, Isle of Wight

Joshua Morcombe, Poole

Jordan Nicholls, Penzance

Daniel ODell, Creaton

Emily ODell, Creaton

Daryl Philp, Lewes

Christopher Priddy, Portsmouth

Ruben Robinson, Hereford

Henri Rodgers, Heanor

Daniel Rundle, Cornwall

Natasha Sefer, Chandlers Ford

William Shangley, Dudley

William Smart, Eastleigh Callum Smith, Burgess Hill

Grace Smith, Stafford

Nicholas Smith, Luton

Michael Snook, St Austell

Sam Swayne, Evesham

Hadley Thomas, Chesham

David Turner, Eastleigh

Emma Walton, Spalding

Sam Wear, Truro

Sophie Wear, Truro

Noah Williams, Reading

Luke Winstanley, Manchester

Oliver Wright, Kirdford

Austin Wright, Kirdford

APPRENTICE WANTED:

Do you live within travelling distance of Sudbury?

We have received a request from an engine owner near Sudbury in Suffolk looking for an apprentice to help him rebuild his engine. The engine is a Garrett 4CD Tractor.

I believe that the engine is in many parts therefore the request was for an apprentice preferably aged between 16 – 21 years if possible.

If you are interested in this opportunity contact John or Nan Durling on 01283 712818.

Bac k cover : View of the Robey Trust workshop