This is the report from the Worlds Fair on the first rally held at Astle Park in 1966, it only seems like yesterday when Dan Howell held an enginemans meeting at the copper beech tree about the concerns of damaging the wet ground and not being invited back!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/...53edb6d2_o.jpg

If that's the FIRST rally held at Astle Park it's only been going for 45 years ! How come it's the 50th Celebration next year ?.

Cheers


Tez

Cheshire steam preservation time-line
 

Following a fair bit of consultation with Mr Lea and some other kind people I have put together a bit of a time-line for the early Cheshire preservation years. 1966 was the first rally at Astle Park, however there were rallies at Lower Withington and in Crewe prior to that. The first actual rally was held in Ted Moston's field, next to Jodrell Bank, over the weekend of 6/7th October 1962.

So really there's a choice of years to celebrate anniversaries, I've settled on trying for a "50 years of Cheshire Traction Engine Rallies" theme for next year. It was in fact the 50th rally in the Lower Withington / Crewe / Astle Park line of events this year, however I wasn't really in a position to push for anything as my first-born (a son) arrived mid-July!

in the list of engine owners is there any one apart from bill briggs still alive ?

Pass... but damned good question.

I've posted this image before but for those who have not seen it, it shows the type of Sunday Service described in the newspaper cutting and features Stanley Monarch generating for Pat Collins organ.



http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1145.jpg

Bob Lee is still about as far as I know!.

Alan Williamson is, and he still owns the same waggons.

Bill Briggs was not at the very first Lower Withington Rally in 1962, he hadn't entered the steam scene at that time.

From the people who were at the first rally who are still around I can think of Norris Lawton, our own David Powell, Alan Willianson, and the Wedgewood brothers with “Shrewsbury Belle”, Peter and Terry Holden, Peter Cawley from Middlewich, Matthew and Julia Swindlehurst who like myself were only young at the time, and Phil Moston whose father's land it was held on.

I have attached a scan of the announcement in the World's Fair of the first rally at Lower Withington and also the report from the Knutsford Guardian. There is also a scan of the photograph and write-up in the Advertisor in 1980 of the three founders of the rally.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/...b8127023_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/...e7cd76c2_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6075/...5345f859_o.jpg

Great to see the old cuttings from the papers. I started going in the early 70's with mum and dad but haven't been for the last few years.

It would be nice to think that the rally is getting back on track, I know how much work Bryn, Phil, Giles and others have put in recently.

Thought I would post this picture of a badge that mum bought for me one year (think probably in the days of the village hall committee)
Anyone else remember them, never got to sew it on my overalls, would probably be long gone if I had..




http://www.steamscenes.net/ttu/1217.jpg