Old engines

Last night a friend sent me this link to the sound of an engine that was incredibly evocative and reminded us of a baltic trader called 'Dana' back in Grenada in the 70's.

This got me to thinking of other engines closer to home.

These Burrell engines for example.

My forefather was Mr.Charles Burrell and he and his descendants designed and built steam and traction engines for over 100 years until 1928.

In my twenties in the eighties I went to Rushmoor steam and traction engine rally every year for a few years, exhibiting an old running stationary engine ourselves to qualify us for camping in the grounds for the weekend with friends, who had old motor bikes to show and ride.

There were other exhibitors too such as the old army vehicles, old vehicles in general, oldy-worldy fairground attractions and a craft fair.

For me though, it was the steam and traction engines that attracted me. I was even able to ride on one similar to this one after talking to an owner about my heritage which was such a thrill for me.


What a fantastic weekend that was, steam and traction engines of all shapes and sizes everywhere......you could feel a constant rumble through the ground beneath your feet from these powerful machines.

In the evenings as we sat around our fire surrounded by these amazing sights and sounds, at some point a bored engineer on his engine would blow his steam whistle and start all the others off, then there would be 5-10 minutes of all types of steam whistles being blown into the night air and everyone felt the excitement that this would create.

What an atmosphere. When all the whistling stopped, the sound of clapping could be heard from around the arena as campers showed their appreciation.

Engines would be run throughout the weekend from early morn til dusk, as the enthusiasts played with their machines around the grounds, and on both days there was a procession in the arena with a commentator describing each engine as it steamed by.

I loved the early mornings as the guys powered up their engines and they hissed as steam wafted up through the trees.