Castle Combe Steam Rally (28th - 29th May, 2022)
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 overall index for 2022.
When we visited in 2014, we found Castle Combe to be a 'small local rally' without working engines and the steam road engines sitting around with just a brief moment of glory doing a couple of circuits of the arena. Many of the exhibits not surprisingly we had seen at South Cerney in 2013 and saw again at the 'Strawberries and Steam' rally later in 2014. So this time, anticipating something similar, we allocated an afternoon session having been to the gardens at Dyrham Park earlier.
Indeed the 2022 rally turned out much the same mix except there were more engines (17), but only 2 of them had been here in 2014 and I found five new engines, two of which were of exceptional Interest. Those of you who have been rallying longer than I may have seen the unique Gibbons, while this was the debut rally for a Marshall which I was told was the oldest surviving of their road locomotives. I also gathered it had only passed its boiler test on Thursday. I had previously seen it in a tent at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2018.
The pictures don't show it but the rally was very well attended to the extent that a morning visitor spent longer queuing to get in than he had driving from home in Cirencester, but by the afternoon entry was much easier. Parking here can leave you with a long walk and when we arrived the alternative trailer ride was non-operational. Fortunately, we didn't have small children in tow and the circuit surface was comfortable to walk on so I didn't get an earful from Yuehong.
Steam Rollers
|
Maker |
Number |
Registration |
Notes |
|
|
4660/1900 | NR 2393 |
"Pride of the Road" Bocconoc Rally 2016 Picture Old Warden Rally 2016 Picture |
|
|
Aveling and Porter | 9155/1920 | NO 2085 | |
|
Aveling and Porter | 10392/1922 | FX 9604 | |
|
Aveling and Porter | 11347/1925 | PP 4996 |
Marcle
Rally 2014 Picture Marcle Rally 2015 Picture |
|
Fowler | 15964/1923 | WY 7912 |
South
Cerney Rally 2013 Picture Castle Combe Rally 2014 Picture Strawberries and Steam Rally 2014 Picture South Cerney Rally 2014 Picture South Cerney Rally 2016 Picture South Cerney Rally 2018 Picture Great Dorset Steam Fair 2018 Picture South Cerney Rally 2019 Picture |
General Engines
