Robert Bate has been interested in steam for all of his life. His ambition was always to own an Aveling & Porter single-cylinder roller, something that he achieved in 1984 when he purchased 1926 E type No. 11520 10 ton steam roller Crusader. Now this engine has been immortalised by Oxford Diecast who have just produced a detailed 1:76 scale model of the roller, much to Robert’s delight. The model was due to debut at the 2020 GDSF, but owing to Covid-19 that was not possible.
was bought new by Acton Borough Council and used on road maintenance work, although it would be a number of years before it would actually carry that name. After working in the London area, it was bought by Robert MacKay of Westward Heath in Coventry during 1948, “I don’t think that he did a lot of work with it,” Robert said, “Although it was used occasionally into the early 1950s.” Though its work
