The Road-less travelled
The story of Stephen Wilson and his interest in farm mechanisation goes back a bit. “I left school and went to work for a general fabrication firm, making gates and railings and the like. Then, in 1972, I went to work as a welder for Rory Woolf. In fact, I was his first employee, making digger buckets and carrying out plant repair work.”
For those not familiar with the characters in Northern Ireland’s vintage circles, Rory has been a stalwart of the steam engine and vintage tractor scene since the early days, so it’s not surprising that Stephen developed an interest in our agricultural and mechanical heritage when the shift towards preservation began to develop during the 1970s.
“I went down to Portlaois, in an old Commer lorry and low loader, with Rory, to collect Molly – his first steam traction engine. During those days I bought a Fordson Standard N and later I sold it and bought another Standard in Harvest Gold, which needed a full restoration.”
Stephen didn’t buy his vintage tractor just so he could paint it and park it in the shed – he wanted to enjoy working with it. “I was always looking for something a bit bigger and more useful, so I sold the Standard N and bought an E27N Major.
