Astle Park Sunday
 

What a great day. The weather was kind and so were the exhibitors. The highlight of course was Supremecy but the engine line up was a credit to the organisers. Some of my images from the day:

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1130.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1131.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1132.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1133.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1134.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1135.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1136.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1137.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1138.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1139.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1140.jpg

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/10/259_1141.jpg

I'd like to thank the engine owners for assisting in making a very enjoyable weekend and giving such a wonderful line-up in the paddock. I think slowly but surely Astle Park is finding it's old spirit again.

What a great weekend at Astle Park with a wonderful line up of full size engines and Miniature's too... a rally I have been attending for 40 years now as either exhibitor, weekender or visitor and have always enjoyed this rally

It was also a great pleasure to meet several other TT members over the weekend.

On Saturday evening while steaming round the site my 4" Ruston Proctor suffered a seizure of the gear drive shaft which locked up and prevented my engine from moving and Clive Hearsey offered to tow my engine back to base and several other miniature owners came to see what was wrong and to my amazement they rolled up their sleeves and stripped and fixed the problem in no time at all which enabled me to steam and run again on Sunday.

I would like to offer my grateful thanks to all who helped... and I owe you all a beer lads. Thanks again. thumbsup

Cheers


Tez

Fantastic weekend, Astle Park as it used to be, sincere thanks to all the full size and miniature engine owners, sorry I couldn't thank you all personally, It's difficult when I am stuck in the commentary box, what a final steam parade on the sunday, it made the hairs on my neck stand up, thanks to Adrian Barber (and Jonathon) & Phil Moston for "pegging out " on the wednesday night in the pouring rain. On the saturday evening I spoke to Diane Carney who was just stood looking at the beautiful sunset and the engine line up and she just about summed it up for me when she said "What a wonderful turnout of engines, its like stepping back in time" it made my day....

What a difference a week makes!.........

Know exactly where you are coming from, know who you are, wouldn't it be nice to think that Pickering, like Astle Park could one day be back as it used to be, we have both seen some good years, enjoy the rest of the season.

Exactly Bryn.

Bryn, You know that my wife is a long suffering supporter of my attendence at rallies, but as we stood there on Sunday morning in front of the organ playing 'Land of Hope and Glory' as the engines entered the ring, she was moved,as I was, by the sheer spectacle of it all.

Many, many, thanks to all of you who made it possible. Long may it continue.

For one reason or another I have never been to Astle Park before but I managed it this year on Sunday .
Fine collection of steam vehicles paraded twice in the afternoon and the weather kept dry :D
Also the arena for me was photography friendly with only one rope dividing spectator from exhibit. thumbsup
Really good venue for this type of show.
A rally that's down for next years diary .
I will upload some shots to the Picture Album.

Dave

Next year it's 50 years since the first rally at Lower Withington, now then....

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

Edwin Clarke too

Alan Baker who used to help Dan Howell on his Foster is another name that springs to mind.

Having looked up some old notes it seems that Bill purchased his Burrell in June 1963 from Richard Willcox, according to the list of the engines he attended the 63 Rally which was a more organised event, the 62 event had been put on in just 3 weeks the programme was just typed sheets of paper.

According to the list of engines out of the 20 engines that were entered 15 attended, one being a surprise visitor who had travelled quite a distance by road with a Marshall single still in it's working clothes.

I can;t say I remember 1966 very well, but My mum thinks that was one of the rallies where she was steering forJack Wolliscroft and I was in the bunker of Marlbrough!

There are a lot of names in those lists I remember hearing so often.

great memories....

Ian

It all started when....?
 

Well it appears that there was in fact an informal gathering in 1961! So that's thrown me a little bit!

Thank's Mr Dale for digging this one out... eventually....! :p

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/q...hronicle61.jpg