Great Dorset Steam Fair 2022
Working Steam

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 GDSF 2022 main index and click here for the overall 2022 index.

Strip away the glitz of the showman's engines lined up and the huff and puff of engines flogging themselves on the 'Hill', some at least with near authentic loads, the heart of GDSF is the working demonstrations. They vary in their ease of coverage and degree of being photogenic, some are more helpfully arranged than others...

Steam Yachts and Steam Gallopers

		Consider steam yachts to be like a giant set of children's swings. There is at least one electric powered version operating in the UK but this is one of only two using steam power. By coincidence the other one, operated by Carter's Steamfair was visiting Victoria Park, Bath on its farewell tour during GDSF and we dropped in going to and fro.
		The yachts can swing separately or simultaneously. They reach near vertical, how do they do it? Hidden in the middle is a Savage steam engine Yorky (793/1901)
		It can be viewed from either end. This is the firebox area from the right side looking forward. The second picture, from the other side, shows the operator who opens the regulator to give the yacht a 'push' upwards. It must be the original 'white knuckle' ride!
		On either side were two 'Golden Gallopers' This one belongs to Howard Brothers and is powered by Savage engine 'Lady Go Lightly (664/1896), it is paired with an organ engine.
		The other is powered by Savage engine 'John Bull' (638/1895).
		Although electrically powered, this set of 'Chair-O-Planes' is firmly in the same tradition.

Road Making

		6 ton Ruston Proctor 38591 was turning the stone crusher to generate material for the 'road' and afterwards took a turn rolling it.
		Aveling and Porter 10893 was one of a pair used for the main rolling. It weighs in at a more substantial 10 tons.
		Wallis and Steevens 7779 is another 10 ton roller. The subject of the road makers conversation was not recorded.

Steam Sawing

		I recorded four working portables in the sawing area, all would have been comfortable with their loads. They were lined up at the east end of the area facing west, making photography easy and satisfying. These two are Marshall 44110 (left) and Ruston Proctor 42560 (right).
		Similarly, so were two Robeys, 15596 and 43739.
		Two road locomotives with crane attachments were used to distribute trunks for sawing. On the left is Burrell 3166 'Joe Chamberlain' and on the right is Burrell 3197 'Old Tim'.
		Fowler 13140 'Volunteer' was photographed nicely lit early in the morning before sawing had started for the day - by that time the sun would have been right behind the back of the engine! The second picture shows Marshall 36033 at work, indeed the sun angle was exactly as predicted.
		Allchin 1131 was a welcome 'new' engine for me. In the first picture 'Old Tim' is carrying a fresh trunk to one of the saw benches. I don't know what happens to the sawn timber, at current prices, it certainly won't be wasted.
		Wallis and Steevens 7294 in an unusual (for this maker) red livery was sawing under a high midday sun. At the same time, Wallis and Steevens 8052 was working in a 'reverse configuration', suitable for when space is limited.
		Also in the south side line up was Robey 29333. Compared to the threshing area, these engines were much more 'photographer friendly', which also meant 'spectator friendly'.
		The three pictures shows a section being lined up, being cut and finally being put aside.

Steam Threshing

If I had a single GDSF wish, it would be that the main threshing area would be rotated by 180 degrees. Maybe if the section organiser were to see these pictures, he might understand why. If there is a good reason for things to be organised as they are, it's not obvious to me...

		Allchin 1499 was working a Foster thresher. The only way to get the nicely lit picture of McLaren 1160 was to come early and ask nicely before work started for the day, The thresher behind is from Foden.
		The next three pictures show the same engine from the public viewing area a couple of hours later.
		I think the portable behind was Robey 40892, equally badly positioned for photography. There is an early morning picture of it from the sunny side in the portable engine section. Next we have Marshall 37690 with a thresher whose maker I didn't record but the only other one listed in the programme was a Ransomes.
		The thresher had an additional attachment, a 'reed comber' which the programme suggests was made by Murch of Umberleigh. The purpose of this is to neatly remove the stalks from 'wheat reed' so they can be used for thatching. The grain produced is very much a by-product, but no doubt it has a value, not least for planting for the next year's crop. For more details, see my report of one working at the South Moulton steam rally in 2014.
		Also working a Ransomes thresher here was the replica Wallis and Steevens "The Hamster" built by Foreman. Wallis and Steevens 2694 was working yet another Ransomes thresher, for a change, both pictures were perfectly lit in the late afternoon. The programme proudly reports that this is the only steam exhibit that has attended every GDSF.
		A nice touch was having a small scale thatching demonstration in the working area. It's a skilled and labour intensive task and while extremely attractive, a thatched roof does not take kindly to neglect.

Steam Ploughing

		I am sure that these were the same two cultivators we saw in 2019. The green one is a heavy cultivator used on the soil turned over by the anti-balance plough (below). The final stage was to use a medium turning cultivator with extra folding wings.
		This is the four furrow anti-balance plough, again it appears to be the same one that was used in 2019.