dunsbyowl1867 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Spotted at a Steam Rally today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Spotted at a Steam Rally today! This is a Fowler Showmans Road Locomotive. It was built at the Fowler Steam Plough Works, Leeds and left their factory as a new engine on 1st November 1902, carrying the engine works number 9475. It has a compound twin cylinder steam engine with a nominal horsepower (nhp) of 8 horsepower. (this basically meant that it could replace the work of a team of 8 horses). It left the factory as a showmans fairground engine and has all the usual fairground fittings, eg, lights and a front mounted dynamo to power the new eelctric rides and amusements. According to my own personal records, which are now a little out of date, it is *currently* owned by R. Williamson. Goes without saying that its road registration number is BS 8015 and it carries the name "Duke Of Rutland" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsbyowl1867 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 This is a Fowler Showmans Road Locomotive. It was built at the Fowler Steam Plough Works, Leeds and left their factory as a new engine on 1st November 1902, carrying the engine works number 9475. It has a compound twin cylinder steam engine with a nominal horsepower (nhp) of 8 horsepower. (this basically meant that it could replace the work of a team of 8 horses). It left the factory as a showmans fairground engine and has all the usual fairground fittings, eg, lights and a front mounted dynamo to power the new eelctric rides and amusements. According to my own personal records, which are now a little out of date, it is *currently* owned by R. Williamson. Goes without saying that its road registration number is BS 8015 and it carries the name "Duke Of Rutland" Spot on Dave still owned by Williamson - I wondered what the dynamo at the front was for! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Spotted at a Steam Rally today! You didn't say WHICH steam rally it was at dunsbyowl. I think the big rally last weekend (11-12 June)for this area would have been at Belper. ..and you have reminded me that NEXT WEEKEND (25-26 JUNE 2011) IS SHEFFIELD STEAM RALLY at Rackford Road, North Anston. I am no longer a member of Sheffield Steam Club and do not help out at their rallies any more BUT I still run the website and I have failed to update the rally details for this year. If anyone is interested, our local steam rally is next weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsbyowl1867 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Here's another view Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsbyowl1867 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Dave - just a small one at a place called Morton north of Bourne. Off to another at Great Casterton near Stamford next weekend. You didn't say WHICH steam rally it was at dunsbyowl. I think the big rally last weekend (11-12 June)for this area would have been at Belper. ..and you have reminded me that NEXT WEEKEND (25-26 JUNE 2011) IS SHEFFIELD STEAM RALLY at Rackford Road, North Anston. I am no longer a member of Sheffield Steam Club and do not help out at their rallies any more BUT I still run the website and I have failed to update the rally details for this year. If anyone is interested, our local steam rally is next weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsbyowl1867 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 What about this one Dave? Last weekend at Edith Weston Vintage Rally - Near Rutland Water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 You didn't say WHICH steam rally it was at dunsbyowl. I think the big rally last weekend (11-12 June)for this area would have been at Belper. ..and you have reminded me that NEXT WEEKEND (25-26 JUNE 2011) IS SHEFFIELD STEAM RALLY at Rackford Road, North Anston. I am no longer a member of Sheffield Steam Club and do not help out at their rallies any more BUT I still run the website and I have failed to update the rally details for this year. If anyone is interested, our local steam rally is next weekend. I have added the date and location of Sheffield Steam Rally to the Sheffield History Calendar. I must remember to do something about that website, - it's still advertising the 2010 rally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Spot on Dave still owned by Williamson - I wondered what the dynamo at the front was for! Cheers. By the early 20th century most fairground rides, stalls and attractions were powered by the new marvel of the age, electricity. At that time few people had a mains electric supply to their house, which would be powered by coal, paraffin and coal gas, - but no electricity. To visit a fairground at night, lit up by hundreds of coloured electric light bulbs must have been almost magical, and for people used to horse transport as even cars were new, to be carried around an exciting roundabout at high speed in an electrically powered contraption must have been equally as awe inspiring. The fairground showmen had to provide this experience, and to do so they had to bring "electricity" with them. Their steam engines didn't only transport them and their equipmwent from one fairground site to another, they also generated the electricity to power the fair, hence the large dynamo on the front perch bracket of most showmans engines. Original steam fair dynamos had to provide 110V DC, the standard at the time. These days, to fit in with everything else 240V and AC power are the norm, so technically they are no longer dynamos but alternators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Dave - just a small one at a place called Morton north of Bourne. Off to another at Great Casterton near Stamford next weekend. Bourne Now isn't that in soth Lincolnshire on the fenlands? That is classic traction engine country. Several of the larger traction engine manufacturers were based in Lincolnshire (3 of them in Lincoln) and a few more in Norfolk and Suffolk. Even today there are a lot of remaining engines in that area and it has some of the best steam rallies in the country (not counting the Great Dorset Steam fair). Stamford, Tallington, Carrington and Bourne are all well known rally sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 What about this one Dave? Last weekend at Edith Weston Vintage Rally - Near Rutland Water This is what is known as a "portable engine". It is a working engine but is not designed to propel itself under its own power. It would be towed to the working site, often by a horse or two, where it would be steamed. A belt would be fitted to flywheel to drive another piece of machinery such as a saw bench, a threshing box, a baler, a stone crusher, etc. Note that the engine is back to front, with the cylinder at the firbox end rather than the smokebox / chimney end. Also there is no footplate and bunker, if this were a traction engine the whole rear end of it would be missing. All the big manufacturers made portables and they were not that good at marking them up as they didn't carry a lot of flash brasswork like self propelling steam engines. Being the least desirable collectors item from the era of steam most of them were unfortunately scrapped. As for this one there are no obvious markings to give away its identity but the wording on the boiler cladding appears to say "IPSWICH ENGLAND" which would identify it as being made by the company Ransommes, Sims and Jeffries. I have several portable engines made by this company in my records, most of them based in East Anglia again so beyond that I cannot be more specific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I have added the date and location of Sheffield Steam Rally to the Sheffield History Calendar. I must remember to do something about that website, - it's still advertising the 2010 rally. Saturday & Sunday 28th & 29th June 2008 Gates open 10.00am Traction Engines - Working and Ring Events Threshing Demonstrations - Fair Organs Stationary Engines - Vintage & Post Vintage Vehicles Tractors - Steam Rollers - Fariground Motor Bikes - Engines- Engineering Miniatures 40+ Stalls - Licensed Bar - Refreshemnts Rackford Road, North Anston, Junction 31 M1, A57 Workshop to sheffield Admission:- Adults £4 / OAP £3 / Child £2 Trade 01709 545047 Steam 07955532750 Secretary & General Enquiries 07955532750 Onsite camping available 01142621768 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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