Vintage Spirit

NEWS

CHRISTMAS GATHERING AT THE SUN INN

THE DORSET-BASED vintage vehicle group Transport of yesteryear (TOY) held its annual pre-christmas gathering at the Sun Inn, Lower Burton, just outside Dorchester, on Sunday 18^th December, writes John Reeves.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

CHRISTMAS CRACKER AT SCARBOROUGH

LAST MONTH’S CHRISTMAS Carol Concert at Scarborough Fair Collection turned out to be a real cracker for those who braved the chilly winds to make their way to the North Yorkshire coast, writes Stephen Lilly.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

RESTORATION NEARS COMPLETION ON RARE ALLCHIN ROLLER

WITH WISPS OF Smoke lingering above its chimney, this picture may suggest that the rare William Allchin road roller owned by the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society is now back in steam after two-and-a-half year restoration, but that’s not quite the case.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

JOHN WILD (1944-2011)

JOHN WILD WAS a popular figure with his classic 1942 AEC Matador, working in woodland management and log retrieval throughout the south. His death is a sad blow to those who he often helped when they were stuck or when something awkward required shifting.

Ken Rimell

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

RESTORATION BEGINS ON ‘LAKIN’S MASTERPIECE’ WALTZER

THE LAST WALTZER to be built before the war by the firm of RJ Lakin & Co was for WH Marshall and was said to be truly magnificent. Decorated by Edwin Hall, no expense was spared on the lavish artwork on this machine. The final parts, comprising the extension front and boards, were delivered during Christmas 1938 and the ride was named the ‘Silver Waltzer’ because of the polished stainless steel finish on the cars.

Neil Calladine

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

CROSSNESS ENGINES STEAM INTO 2012

LAST YEAR SAW the near completion of the boiler house restoration at Crossness sewage pumping station on the Greenwich/Bexley borough border, which was built to address the problems caused by London’s great stink of 1858. The work involved roofing, some careful replacement of Victorian brickwork, the installation of a heating system and a new air circulation system. The archive storage room also had new air conditioning fitted, along with a temperature regulated system to keep the records in perfect condition.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online

THREE-MILE CHARITY ENGINE PULL

WHEN THE ORGANISERS of the Coppice Steam Rally, Alan King and Clive Smedley, recently asked to use my Fowler ‘Tiger’ tractor to raise money for the prostate Cancer Fund at Derby Royal Hospital, I was more than happy to oblige.

David Cope

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

NEW YEAR’S BUS RUNNING DAY IN WINCHESTER

THE FRIENDS OF King Alfred buses staged another very successful running day event in Winchester on New Year’s Day with several vehicles taking the opportunity to make their debut in the city, writes Bob Smith.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

HOT-AIR ENGINES RALLY AT WATERWORKS MUSEUM

AN EXHIBITION OF working hot-air engines from all over the UK was recently held at the Waterworks museum in Hereford. The display included everything from a full-size boat engine to tiny specimens that were able to work off the heat of visitors hands.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

SANDOWN MODEL ENGINEERING SHOW

THE 2011 SANDOWN Model Engineering Show was held on 9^th-11^th December at the famous Surrey racecourse. I went along on the first day and jostled with other bespectacled gentlemen of mostly retirement age, to view a display of model making at its best, writes Ken Rimell.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

SOMERSET TRACTION ENGINE CLUB’S NEW YEAR ROAD RUN

HAVING BEEN STAGED for 24 years, the Somerset Traction Engine Club New Years Day get-together and road run has become, without doubt, one of the festive seasons most popular and best attended preservation events anywhere in the country, writes John Reeves.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

THE GATE PUB GATHERING CONTINUES TO GROW

THE ANNUAL BOXING Day gathering at the Gate public house near Crawley in West Sussex attracted a dozen engines and one miniature, albeit not a small one, this being 4in scale McLaren road loco, as well as more onlookers than ever before.

Brian Gooding

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

HELMUT ECKARDT 1925-2011

IT WAS VERY sad to hear on New Years Day that Helmut Eckardt had passed away on Boxing Day. He was a well-known person to many of us involved with the preservation and rally scene through his excellent photography, and particularly his Jeck Films productions, made in partnership with his son, Jonathan.

John Reeves

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

FIVE ENGINES ON TOM BARLOW RUN

IN COMPLETE CONTRAST to the artic conditions of the previous Tom Barlow Memorial Rum, the 2011 event was held on Booking Day in almost spring-like conditions, writes Alan Porter.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

REPLICA COAL-FIRED STEAM TUNNEL TUG HEADS FOR SHACKERSTONE

A SHORT ARM leading off the North Oxford canal at Stretton under Fosse leads to the well-known historic boat yard of Brinklow Boat Services. Here, generations of owners of former working narrowboats have taken their vessels to have work carried out on them.

John Toy

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online.

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online

Read the full story in this month's Vintage Spirit. Click here to buy online