DATE: 27 JULY 2025
Now listen to this….
As a practical certified (!) Mechanical Engineer of 50 years plus experience, I have never been to the Welland Steam and Country Rally – disgusting really, since it’s less that 45 minutes from my front door!
Anyway…….
Bright and early one morning I set off to Welland to get there at the beginning of the day, before the whole place really started to wake up and get busy with people. With fairground organs, traction engines (obviously), portable engines, steam tractors, normal and vintage tractors, road locomotives and showman’s locomotives, vintage tractors, cars and lorries, a field full of old working machines digging holes, road making demonstration (the old way) and military vehicles, there was a heap of stuff to see.
And then added in there was the noise and the smell………My first port of call was the field full of vintage/classic cars together with vintage commercial vehicles. Too much really to photograph everything but a few things caught my eye.
One thing I liked in particular was the bright yellow Berkeley B105, complete with motor bike engine – all 692 cc of it! Built in 1960 it was in pretty decent nick and apparently still capable of a good turn of speed. – according to the very proud owner.
There was even a small steam railway! The site is actually owned by the rally organisers, so they laid a short track on a permanent basis.
Then it was off to the steam engines. Lovely. Again, lots to photograph – too many really ! I just love the whole basic principle of such machines, all very elemental with fire, water and mechanical bits to make it all work. You would have to be dead not to appreciate such beasts of power. Fred Dibnah’s old machine was there.
Tractors next, with a whole range ancient and modern. What was encouraging is that the drivers of the tractors when they went into the parade ring were predominantly young, so tradition being handed down perhaps ?
On to the static displays, including a log cutting set up (steam powered) complete with a steam crane used for manipulating the tree trunks.
One of the big themes of the rally is what is called the LIVING HISTORY FIELD. This is where various demonstrations were set up, showing how things got done in “olden days”.
One I particularly liked was the pair of traction engines ploughing a complete field. Two engines connected by cable (one at each side of the field) to an independent plough, which was hauled back and forth between the engines. Mighty powerful….
A display of old fashioned road building also caught my eye as well, with examples of the equipment used actually being used, eg crushers, rollers, tampers, etc.
Then on to the military vehicles. A real assortment here including a railway converted jeep, a military Austin 7 and a mini mini paratrooper’s bike.
Heavy haulage – ancient and modern – was well represented, with some pretty big beasts, including a new machine from Allelys (renowned movers of railway locomotives and associated bits and pieces) called a Trojan. Impressive line up in the display arena.
Last but not least was the heavy haulage demonstration by the bigger traction engines. Part of the site includes a reasonably steep hill (often hidden in the smoke….) with various trailers attached so that these monsters could show off their pulling prowess. Wonder what Mr Milliband would say about this…. And no, I didn’t go for a ride in the personnel trailer !
What have I missed out ? LOADS really. I think there was much too much to do in one day, so next year I plan to go for at least two days and enjoy the on-site camping.