Garrett's Suffolk Punch

[The Idle Fellow]

For those who didn't go to the EATES/Long Shop Museum film show on 19th May - and manage to avoid Facebook - the museum curator Stuart Hines had arranged for their Suffolk Punch to have its steam test that afternoon, giving it its first 'ticket' since 2000. He kept it in 'light steam' for our benefit in the evening.
The film covered the EATES Three Counties Steam Tour of May 1997. Here is Kevin Swann, the driving force behind the Tour, talking to Alan Hines, who may well have inspected the engine in the past. (I didn't think to ask him.)


It really is an extraordinary machine. (This is the back view.)


It may be officially called 'The Joker', but I prefer the unofficial one, 'Old Coming as it Went'.


The film included a brief shot of the engine in action, welcoming the Tour to the museum. The steersman was sitting on the seat (not yet refitted) whilst the regulator was operated by someone standing with his back to direction of travel! It seems that the driver would normally have reach over his left shoulder to get to the regulator.


Thanks to all concerned for a very interesting evening.
Bill.

[weidner]

Garretts built one wagon to this design . It worked for Truman's brewery in Brick Lane E.1. for about ten years , then the driver bought it and worked it for another year before it was scrapped . Metropolitan brewery work was never very strenuous , so hard to judge if it was much good , but they never built another .

[the highwayman]

Back in the days when there was only King George V on the mainline, Me, Dad and 2 of Dad's mates, (frighteningly I'm the only one still alive) were train chasing around Berkshire in the MK2 Jag when we spotted smoke, which we found was coming from the Suffolk Punch, this led to an additional bit of time being spent at a local ploughing match (Faringdon Filkins and Burford?) somewhere Mum will still have some 8mm film of it.

[David Powell]

I was driving Burrell roller 4018 at the Chivenor rally in 1971 when " The Joker" ran into it. The driver of the Joker apparently moved the regulator to the " Double High" position instead of shut. The Burrell won, losing only a lamp bracket on the front fork. The Joker suffered a very bent axle and some steering linkage damage. Regards David Powell,