Welland Steam Rally 2017
Working Engines

This is one of a series of pages which I have uploaded to illustrate facets of steam rallies we have attended in the UK. Such events occur all over the country in the summer months, they are easily found by using your favourite search engine and may have anything between a handful of steam engines and hundreds (as at the Great Dorset Steam Fair which could probably be fairly described as having an excess of riches). Click here for the Welland index and click here for the overall 2017 index.

By working engines, I mean steam engines which did more than sit looking beautiful or amble round the main arena to have their pictures taken. For the most part these were very similar to that which I recorded in 2014/5, nevertheless they remain for me one of the highlights of the show and the organisers are to be commended for this section. Don't be fooled by the sunny aspect in the pictures, it soon vanished afterwards in every case, much patience was needed to achieve even this modest record.

Steam Shovel

For me the highlight of the whole show was the Erie steam shovel working with the Foden 3 way tipper wagon.

Road Making Demonstration

This was a continuation of the previous years' work. The  roller is Aveling and Porter 11448/1926. For more on the group involved search for "Vintage Road Making Team". See http://youtu.be/fkzLxvsO2qg for a video clip for some of the slow motion action in 2015.

Steam Threshing

Foster "Stargazer", (2728/1903) was again powering a thresher.

Steam Sawing

The Advance (14921/ca 1920) and a Marshall (70321/1916)  were powering the two adjacent saw benches:

Steam Ploughing

Ploughing occurred as normal on the Saturday (and presumably Sunday), sadly the noise of the big internal combustion machines (big boy's toys) seriously detracts from the pleasure of watching the ploughing. So with limited time and the previous year's record, I spent almost no time here. Fowlers 2538 and 14257 were in use.

Steam Crane 

There is a 1950s ex-British Railways steam crane (Smith Rodley 1950s) which is used to move logs for the sawing demonstration:

Steam Locomotives

Bellerophon was working the standard gauge Great Welland Railway and Roger the 610mm railway:

		Maker	Number	Notes
		Kerr Stuart	3218/1918	"Roger"
		Haydock Foundry	1874	"Bellerophon"

Centre Engine

	Maker	Number	Notes
	Savage	638/1895	Savage centre engine "John Bull" was driving a traditional set of Gallopers. See Strumpshaw Rally 2016 report.