Starting the rally season off in style was Beamish’s two-day steam gala that took place at the world-famous open-air museum near Stanley in County Durham at the beginning of April where a record crowd came, particularly on the Sunday.
In true Beamish tradition, there are some other locations with a more industrial feel, such as the colliery, pit village and station coal-yard where the engines could be seen simmering quietly, all reminiscent of how things would have looked a century ago.
The vehicles were running around the Museum’s roads on a regular basis. Starting with the only McLaren on display this year in Mick Gaines-Burrill’s 1908 6hp No. 1012 road locomotive Mick’s Mac. It worked in New Zealand before being dumped in a river, in around 1940, to stabilise the bank. And there it stayed until the 1970s when it was found, dug out and returned to the UK by Mick with a full restoration following.
As would be expected, the Fowler name was well represented, with 1907 Fowler 6hp GP No. 11352 getting lots of attention. It passed to Chris and Mark Wedgwood on the Isle of Man in
