Old Glory

On Saturday 21 November the National Traction Engine Trust held their Annual General Meeting, and like so many organisations unable to meet due to Covid-19 restrictions they were forced to conduct their meeting via Zoom rather than at Swindon as plan

2020 saw 1920 Fowler R3 Special 8hp 18-ton showman’s road locomotive No. 15653 Renown celebrate its centenary. The engine was bought by its present owners, Ian and Gary Howard of Derbyshire, back in 1979 and has been widely exhibited at shows up and

The only VP/VPE ever made and the largest of Paxman’s heavy fuel oil engines ever built, No 23912, was ordered in December 1931, writes Richard Carr. Components for it were despatched from Colchester in at least three batches during April 1932. The e

With the passing of Maurice Hudson on 6 November 2020, the preservation community has lost a distinguished champion says Ed Burrows. In the 1970s, Maurice became the custodian of one of the Britain’s most valuable transport artefacts, the Scammell Hu

Dear Editor With reference to the article on the sale of Fowler The Lion, I would like to state the following facts: Arthur left a valid will. He left The Lion engine, two White steam cars and two model 10” gauge steam locomotives to his older brothe

If you have something for this column please send it to: colin.tyson@kelsey.co.uk Held virtually on December 2, rather than in the usual sumptuous surroundings of London’s Merchant Taylor’s Hall, the event was watched online with a strong list of hig

Leominster Vintage Club decided to beat the post lockdown blues by organising a road run on September 13, aimed at allowing tractor enthusiasts at least one trip out with their vehicles this year, reports Duncan Pound. Knowing a full-scale working da

The near 30-year restoration of a small diesel locomotive on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway has been shortlisted for two national awards in the 2021 ‘Railway Oscars’. It is the third consecutive year in which the railway in the Skegness Water L

The traction engine community of Dorset were shocked to hear the news of the sudden passing of engine owner Ian Mackins. Ian had been rushed into Poole Hospital following an accident which had resulted in severe injuries to his legs, and sadly after

Two contrasting positions regarding major lorry events for 2021 emerged in the week before this issue went to press. To begin with the bad news, the 2021 Kelsall steam rally, due to take place at the end of June, has been cancelled. This event, of co

Normally we attend between 10-12 events a year, mainly in the north of the country, with our 4in scale Burrell SC Percy’s Pride, but Covid-19 has put paid to that so the engine, having been “put to bed” in October 2019, remains sheeted and locked awa

From April 1973 (number 15) I compiled OM News and started writing for Old Motor itself in July 1973 (Volume 7:4) with an account of the Caledon lorry. I had recently acquired the only known example and had met a number of people involved in its Scot

This 3ft 6in gauge Climax loco No. 1317 was built in Corry, Pennsylvania, in 1914 to the firm’s ‘Type B’ 0-4-4-0 design for the Egmont Box Company in New Zealand where it spent 26 years working for them on their Ohotu, Kakahi and Taurewa bush tramway

A few years ago Daniel Crosby spent some time going back and forth to Athens, Greece, for a project he was working on. In the car from the airport to the city centre he would always pass through a toll booth on the motorway. At the side of this toll

Patented in 1870, the Sage & Alger shovel designed by Clinton H. Sage and Samuel B. Alger, and known as the ‘Oswego Boom Machine’, was initially built by John King & Co. of Oswego, New York. According to literature dated 1885, this location underwent

During the mid to late 1990s, a number of commercial and residential structures were demolished by Ruston Bucyrus 22-RB and 30-RB ball cranes across the Black Country. This was to make way for new road networks and new low-rise housing. In the summer

The remains of a Swedish-built Munktells steam roller - in form of just the boiler - has recently been found and this extremely important historical item has now been secured as an artefact by the RUBENS Museum in Götene, Sweden, reports Tore Blom. M

With no steering wheel and simple two-pedal control, the little SD Freighter was like no other commercial vehicle chassis available. As it didn’t feature a radiator on the front ‘apron’ panel, many thought it was battery electric-powered, but the rea

Tel: 01959 541444 – shop.kelsey.co.uk Situated in the heart of West Yorkshire between the towns of Huddersfield and Wakefield, the 15in gauge Kirklees Light Railway transports visitors between the railway’s main station at Clayton West to Shelley som

The editor was invited to meet the Goakes family at March, Cambridgeshire, to catch up with the restorations currently underway at their works and to look at their own collection. As people get older and retire there are fewer experienced personnel t

Set amidst bluebell-strewn woods, from where the vineyard derives its name, Bluebell Vineyard Estates is a family-run vineyard and winery. The owners say it has a passion for producing world class ‘still’ and sparkling wines. It’s based 1.5 miles fro

One of the good things to see is how many young people love steam and particularly road steam. On Saturday 12 December 2020 at 9.04am we see The Claude Jessett Trust’s February 1913 Aveling & Porter GND No. 7899 showman’s tractor near Fletching, as t