Roy
The night shots are excellent, I always try and get night shots when possible myself.
Have you tried a really small aperture and an even longer exposure, I took some night shots in St Marks square Venice a couple of years ago with about a 20 second exposure, it was crowded with moving people at the time, but because of the long exposure they all disappeared and left the scene eerily empty.
It might not work as well with traction engines and fairground rides but may be worth a try.
Have a go at the fireworks display at Pickering with this method, that does work OK.
Here's one from 2006
Phil