http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/contributors/

There is still much todo, including tiding the first page a bit but I did manage to launch with the most fantastic set of pictures from Peter Harding taken in South Africa:

More can be seen here:

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/collections/pete-harding/south-africa-steam/

Foster wagons are now very rare engines with only one example in the UK, Foster 14470 of 1921, this engine was returned from Australia some years ago.

A selection of pictures from the catalogue are below, click for a bigger version.

This is a more recent picture of them:

It is difficult to make out the other items in the shot but I know on the site there are 2 ploughing engines (not a pair), a couple of implements, a portable engine and a very early Lanz tractor. I understand the line of machinery above has now been moved to make way for a new bridge.

A number of parties are trying to get these engines out of Angola to be restored, it remains to be seen if they will ever make it out of the country.

Prior to the bidding getting underway auctioneer Bill King explained that VAT would be liable on the purchase price paid. This was on account of the engine being owned by a VAT-Registered company. Obviously this level of markup affected bidding significantly.

Bidding started at £30,000 and was relatively brisk and split between 4 people. I didn’t see all those bidding but I know 2 were existing engine owners. Bidding reached £38,500 whereupon the hammer fell. The vendors were looking for £40,000 minimum so the engine remained unsold.

The £40,000 asking price + VAT is pretty much in-line with the cost of a good Fowler roller, I understand the engine is sound boiler-wise but needs work to the cylinders. Another factor in it’s none sale may have been the relatively short time the engine was advertised as and inclusion in the auction. A deal may well have been struck after the auction seeing as the gap between the reserve and highest bid was £2,500 – since the rain was falling heavily I didn’t hang around to find out!

The first shows Road Engines and Kerr delivering a 40-ton transformer to the Loch Tummel power staion in Perthshire in 1930. Kerr’s owned four McLaren Road Locomotives which they had purchased from the War Department at the end of WWI. They had a habit of switching around registration plates so identifying their McLaren’s in any pictures of their activities is difficult, and in this picture no registration plate is visible so an identification is not possible. The four they owned were McLaren 595 of 1897, McLaren 1594 of 1917, McLaren 1600 of 1917 and McLaren 1627 of 1918. The engine is assisting a chain driven Scammel with the load.

The second picture is taken 17 years later in 1947 and shows their engines Burrell 4092 ‘Simplicity’ and Fowler 20223 ‘Supreme’ hauling a railway engine built at the North British Locomotive Company through the streets of Glasgow. The was destined for the Egyptian State Railways, Kerr’s undertook a number of jobs like this and there are various pictures in existence. Both engines were of course former Showman’s engines built for the Deakin fairground family in Wales, both also hold the distinction of being the ultimate showmans engines built by their respective companies.

I am trying to piece together a history of this interesting firm to post online a some point in the future.

I am hoping to go along to the auction and will report back if it sells and post some pictures.

Picture of the Engine and Brief History

“15965 was supplied new to Antrim County Council in April 1923, original records indicate that a tar sprayer was also supplied at the same time. It is understood that the engine was worked up until 1957 when it was laid up. It was not until 1965 that it was acquired by Jim & Trevor Wasson of Carnmoney, Co. Antrim. The engine was subject to an extensive restoration and rallied by them for several years. It is believed that the engine was named ‘Irish Lady’ by the Wassons. By 1972 and following the death of Jim Wasson the engine was sold to The Limmer & Tinidad Lake Asphalt Co for promotional purposes. Shortly afterwards the company was purchased by Tarmac Roadstone, after which it continued to be used at rallies and other events for promotional purposes.”

Further details of the sale including timings and location can be found on Cheffins Web Site.

I have recently been re-reading John Crawley’s Steam Wagons in Focus book and there a numerous pictures of early wagons from around the turn of the century made by companies who only seemed to make a one or two machines before failing and falling into obscurity.

There was a small picture attached to the bottom of the crankcase:

The omnibus is owned by Mansfield Motorcar Co Ltd and Pioneer is across the front. I’m not sure how many engines this company made, if omnibus was built in Mansfield or how successful they were. An engine such as this would make an interesting exhibit on modern rally fields without doubt.

Sorry about the poor picture quality, the display was in a dark corner and behind glass. If anybody knows anymore please let me know.

As normal the engines started out from Saunders yard in Stotfold, with the majority of engines being from the Saunders collection. The weather wasn’t kind, bitterly cold wind and snow forecast, those on trailers seemed happy to reach the sanctuary of the various pubs on the route. As always the route varied, this part of the world seems to have a wide variety of pubs to choose from and some new ones were included in the tour this year.

A Selection of Pictures That I Took

Foster Showmans 14564 “Victoria” heads towards Arlesey

Fowler Showmans Road Locomotive 14425, “Carry On”

Garrett Tractor 33488

Wallis & Steevens Traction Engine 7666, “Wheatsheaf”

Burrell Showmans Road Locomotive 3890, “Majestic”

Marshall Tractor 36258, “Punch”

Sentinel Waggon 9293

The Order

The order for the a new set of engines was placed in by my great grandfather Lewis Jackson on July 13th 1917 with a £500 deposit and request of delivery ‘as early as possible in January 1918′. Manufacture was slow as steel was in short supply at the time. A letter dated July 18th 1917 was then sent by John Fowler explaining that they could not guarantee an exact time of delivery because the war was effecting the supply of steel and that they were under government control. My great grandfather sought interest on this deposit from John Fowler but they refused as on the grounds that ‘both wages and materials have considerably advanced since this order was placed’. After the Jackson order had been placed, John Fowler changed their pricing policy so that the customer, not John Fowler, would bear any inflationary costs.

Letter from John Fowler to Mr Lewis Jackson
18th. July 1917

Dear Sir,

M.Thackeray
Director for John Fowler & Co. (Leeds) Ltd

Delivery

On Armistice day, Nov 11th 1918, approximately sixteen months after they were ordered, and eleven months more than anticipated, the first engine 14726 arrived at the nearest rail station to the farm. My grandfather returned from Cologne on leave and collected it. The 2nd engine 14727 followed one month later. My great grandfather paid a deposit of £500 in July 19th 1917 and the balance paid after delivery on Dec 7th 1918 of £3,488, paying a total of £3,988.

The John Fowler and Co Ltd invoice Oct 31st 1918 to my great grandfather was for the following; two 16.H.P. Compound steam ploughing engines 14726 & 14727, a 6 furrow anti-balance plough No.12817, a 11/13 tyne turning cultivator no.12871, a mole draining plough No.12847, and a five person ploughmen’s sleeping van No.12899 that was later confiscated by the war effort and given to Barnardos.

The details on the engine documents are as follows:

16H.P. Compound Ploughing Engines with special steel winding drums for draining and 800 yards of Fowler’s special steel wire rope on each drum, 30 wires, Waterlifters on each with 26ft of suction hose, injectors, mechanical lubricators for cylinders: washout arrangement and one 20ft length of suction hose for the two engines: double water gauges. Spuds, tools, toolboxes, etc.

We believe the model to be Fowler AA7 that came with a straight chimney. Later AA models came with a tapered chimney with a top brass rim.

On the Feb 5th 1918 a 2 wheeled water cart was supplied with steel frame, barrel 5ft by 3 ft diameter, hand pump with 21ft of suction hose and a delivery cock of 8ft was purchased for a sum of £74.

The engines were last used in 1976 and were only operated for agricultural use and not for public events.

Lewis Jackson

Al also send some further details of his great grand father, Lewis Jackson the man behind this pair of engines who worked very hard for many years to pay for them.

Lewis Jackson was born on April 30th 1863 in Ottringham, East Yorkshire and died on July 19th 1949. He endured difficult times in agriculture to leave a legacy of steam power history and memories to many. Just over a decade from August 1906 Mr Jackson relocated his family and farm equipment 180 miles south to Suffolk, purchased a 300acre farm, then heavily invested in modern technology when the world was at war and just after his eldest of three sons was killed in action. His second son returned from the war safely and collected the 1st engine on Armistice day, November 11th 1918 after a wait of sixteen months. Lewis Jackson named his engines ‘Peace’ and ‘Victory’.

This modern technology proved vital in the battle to feed the country in the war/post-war period. Much of the cultivation not only on Lewis Jackson’s Farm but many of the farms in a twenty mile proximity were carried out by these pair of steam ploughing engines. They continued their service long after the advent of sole operator tractors as the steam ploughing engines offered greater efficiencies of power and speed. Gradually as tractors became more technologically advanced, and labour and running costs increased, the Jackson engines use was limited to just their Farm. Their final year of use was 1976. The son, Harold Jackson, who collected the engines from the local railway station back in 1918, died two years later.

Harold Jackson is pictured below in 1975 on one of the engines:

Firstly, here is the engine outside the Boston United Football Ground in 1965 or 66 with Martin’s Grandad who used to drive the engine on footplate:

Second picture is at the first rally attended by the engine, this years 50th Carrington rally:

Finally at Lincoln Rally this year:

Thank you for Martin for sending these pictures and good to see the engine back on the scene.