Welland Steam Rally 2024
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 Welland index and click here for the overall 2024 index.
This page is essentially an update to the comprehensive report I uploaded covering the Welland 2023 Rally. So if what follows means little to you, I suggest you check that out.
Even with two fine days, I found surveying and photographing more than 100 steam engines hard going and I freely confess to neglecting the working area.
Mr. Train's Ruston Proctor portable was under overhaul and Queenie was sent as a more than adequate substitute. It was the first time that I had seen well-travelled Hildary at Welland.
Unlike most rallies, the area here is arranged so that the workings can be readily viewed from both sides. It is a Tullos threshing machine but unfortunately a tractor was in charge on Friday although Fowler 14893 was back by Sunday. Onn both days it was just ticking over. This display needs a reboot.
|
Fowler 14893 |
 |
| Aveling & Porter 3387 | Fowler 8999 | Fowler 12257 | Fowler 14893 |
|
|
|
|
| Ruston & Hornsby 115100 | Burrell 3695 | Fowler 9225 | |
 |
|
|
The sawing area was stuffed with action but to the extent that, apart from the immediate south facing side, it was not easy to see let alone photograph what was going on. In any case I had covered it well in previous years. Fowler 9225 did a session on Friday, but by Sunday the attraction of the 'Hill' had proved overwhelming.
There were several saw benches being worked but I confess that I failed to record the manufacturers, some of which, in any case were inaccessible.
I was pleased to see Burrell 3695 back bringing logs to the saw benches, the same job it does at its home base at Weeting in East Anglia, an event which is traditionally held over the third weekend of July.
Hadrian Spooner's Advance traction engine is still getting heart surgery and will hopefully finally return next year. Fowler 8999's bench would have been serviced by the resident railway steam crane..
Fowler ploughing engines 2528 and 14257 were in attendance as usual. The rally has outgrown the available land and steam ploughing is now relegated to a fraction of the area which was previously available to it. There were short and unenthusiastic sessions using a cultivator but I felt my time was better spent elsewhere (on the Hill)
The nature of this area (up against a hedge to the south) means that spectators and photographers have to squint into the sun. My 2014 report and my 2015 report include pictures of work in progress taken from the south side. I value my good relations with the group so these days I restrict myself to briefly entering the working area to get record shots of the steam exhibits pictures of which have been taken from other pages of this report. It is worth mentioning that over the years the group has assembled an amazing collection of associated equipment including vintage internal combustion rollers.
| Aveling and Porter 11448 | Aveling and Porter 11363 | Robey 43129 | |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Ruston Proctor 51737 | and new stone crusher | ||
 |
 |
 |