Queen of Steam – Carolina Schriever Steam from A Woman’s Point Of View
Her August 1905 Wallis & Steevens 3 ton single-cylinder tractor No. 2811, AD7460, Lena, is all ready to rally again, now that she has refitted the lagging following its major boiler assembly rebuild. The engine’s not painted as yet.
Carolina, thank you for giving up your time to talk to Old Glory magazine. Please can you please tell us about your early background in The Netherlands, and, exactly what part of the country do you come from? What did your parents do for a living?
I live in the north of Holland in a small village called Andijk, about 70km north of Amsterdam. But my parents and I lived in Haarlem. My dad was a lathe engineer but had to stop working due to health issues. I was a small child at the time and so it was up to my mother to find work and an income to feed the family.
My brother had an interest in model trains so my mother and my brother were often visiting model train shops, this led to my mother having the idea to start her own business selling model trains, and so it began. The new business took me (11 years old at the time) and my family to model shows, steam shows and steam rallies around the country and that is when my passion for steam started.
Thankfully there were some great English steam engine people at our Dutch rallies at this time who adopted me in the world of steam. People like Len and Jane Crane, Doc Romanes, the Retman brothers and Terry and Val Maynard. They were fun to be with and taught me both English and all about the world of steam. It proved to be the right combination of the seriousness of steam and the fun and antics of people like “Smudger” Brian Smith and ‘Rooster’ and many others. My love
