Steamy Scenes

Before Covid raised its restrictive head this blog used to go to lots of country shows, but somehow we've never got back into the habit. But there are several such events coming up in the next month and, weather allowing, we'll be dipping in to some of them.

On Sunday we trundled across the fens to Haddenham, just south of Ely, for their annual Steam Rally And Heavy Horse Show. The temperature got up to a steamy 32 C and by mid-afternoon we'd had enough of it. But we were there early, soon after they opened the gates.

If you get there in the morning you can see the mighty engines being topped up with oil and getting their supplies of coal and water. And there's an enormous amount of polishing that needs doing....

....even on the small model engines.

It can all get a bit smoky - not at all good for the environment!

The full-size engines come in different shapes and sizes too. Some of the most ornate are the "showman's engines" which towed fairground rides from town to town and then powered the roundabouts and big wheels.

Steam rollers were used on the roads in my lifetime; their huge weight was an advantage for that kind of work.

Others were used for ploughing, powering stationary agricultural equipment such as threshing machines, and road haulage.

No, I haven't bought a drone; just been for a ride on the Big Wheel, or Ferris Wheel if you prefer. From the top we could see across to where the tractors were parked....

"There were a fair old few", as we say in East Anglia - more tractors than steam engines, in fact. This doesn't surprise me at all, for here in the fens every farm used to have its own collection of ancient tractors, kept for "any bits that might come in handy".

Now some of them turn up at shows like this, looking like they've just rolled off the production line.

Many of these are models that I used to see during my childhood. Happy memories.

There was a special gathering this year of old Field Marshall and Track Marshall machines. It was great to hear the nostalgic sound of their single cylinder two-stroke engines. Bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp! You always knew it was a Marshall, even from two or three fields away.

Plenty of vintage cars too.

These owners had organised themselves some shade from the mid-day sun.

It's difficult to believe that our police used to chase criminals in cars like this! 

And hard to remember just how small cars could be! Les had a mini-van at one time and many people seemed to be searching for the cars from their youth. I even found my first "set of wheels".....

And we'll finish with a wide view from the top of the Big Wheel.

The observant reader with notice the heavy horses in the show ring. I'll be back with some photos of them quite soon.

Take care.