Old Glory Magazine

27 January 2023

James Hamilton travels in his now home county of Cornwall to hear the story of 1903 Fowler No. 9698 single-cylinder traction engine Farmers Friend, which is now looked after by Geoff Westlake and Rosemary Wheadon. The engine was originally new to Barnes Brothers, Trowbridge, Wiltshire. In our news we travel to Larling, Norfolk for their famous Boxing Day road run and then drop in at The Red Lion at Slingfold, where Fowler E1 No. 11799 The Victory showman’s tractor was seen in steam for the first time for many decades. It was a similar case with 1920 Wallis & Steevens No. 7625 Expansion traction engine which has changed hands, had a new firebox fitted and was out for the second time when we caught up with it. Over the Christmas period the team was out at the Saunders family road run in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and Allan Bedford was at Sedgemoor for the Somerset Traction Engine Club’s annual gathering which saw Mendip Steam’s just completed Yorkshire boiler for Gilbert Armour in Northern Ireland. We were also at Brooklands on New Year’s Day for their opening event of 2023, which saw over 5,000 people attend. Mike Neale looks back at Victoria Coach Station’s 90th Anniversary and Paul Richie tells us what was going on in Dorset during the Christmas Festivities. Zach Fields-Pattinson gives us the latest on the rebuilding of Fowler No. 15430 Victory ploughing engine and we see Wilber leave East Sussex and head to Lincolnshire, where its boiler is to be replaced. Derek Rayner, with Busso Hennecke, tell how Busso was fascinated by steam at a very early age in Germany when he saw steam ploughing in action in 1954. David Chapman continues his 6in Foden six-wheeler miniature and Simon Colbeck travels on the Welsh narrow gauge in our Railway Roundabout feature. In Events Roundup David Reed travels to the Duncombe Park Rally and the Masham Steam Rally and the editor heads to the Weeting Rally for plenty of Burrell engines. David Vaughan starts his new Fairground Corner column by looking at Harris’ Thornycroft Sturdy. Allan Bedford is at ‘Woolwich For Shopping’ in a lovely black and white vehicle feature, even on the famous ferry. This month Zack Stiling features ‘The First To Wear Green’ with the pioneering Gordon Bennett Napier racing cars, all three of which were reunited for the 2022 RAC London to Brighton Run. Keith Haddock features a 150-ton Terex dump truck that’s just arrived at the HCEA Museum and Nick Baldwin features Cahoon to Cegielski in his A-Z of steam vehicles. Derek Rayner visits the RTM Museum at Ouddoro, The Netherlands and the Canary Island for cranes. In Market Place we look at a 1964 Foden S34 lorry that was sold for £7,600 all restored, but needing recommissioning, and three miniature stationary engines that raised £5,100. We also report on the H J Pugh Henley-on-Thames sale that’s to take place on 1 April and the Richard Vernon sale that is set for 3 June.