Recollections of the superb Sussex Steam Rally

Mike Neale casts his mind back to last summer’s Sussex Steam Rally at Parham Park, and the fantastic variety of vehicles he saw there.

As well as a large turnout of steam vehicles at last year’s Sussex Steam Rally held at Parham Park, near Pulborough (July 8th-9th), the event also attracted a good mix of other vehicles. These included classic cars, vans, tractors, trucks, buses and miniature steam, plus stationary engines, vintage fairground rides, market stalls, displays, wood-cutting demonstrations and even the chance for visitors to steer a steam engine.

However, one new ownership nearly ended before it began. The 1920 Clayton & Shuttleworth 5-ton tipper FE 3704, No. 48637, was bought four years ago by Richard and Julie Hooker, from Surrey. But, two days later, the steam wagon was stolen! It seems the thieves had no idea it was inside a modern curtain-side lorry that they stole. Following extensive publicity on social media and TV news, a mechanic walking his dog spotted the modern truck and both it and the steam wagon it was carrying were recovered.

Sold new to Thompson’s Motor Car Co in Dublin, the wagon worked for Grypsum Industries and Meath County Council, later being abandoned in a quarry. It was first restored in 1981 by Rory Woolf, in Northern Ireland, before being brought back to the UK. Richard and Julie attempted to bring it to this show last year, but after 20 of the 24-mile journey, the second shaft broke. Following its replacement and much other mechanical work, it was good to see it in fine fettle attending this year’s event for the first time. It’s believed to be one of only five surviving Clayton & Shuttleworth steam wagons, and the only one currently running.

Bob Moorman’s ex-King’s Foden C Type three-way tipper TU 6199, No. 12630 The Leader was attending its first show here after a 34-year restoration from a wreck by Bob, who hails from west Kent. New to WJ King of Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, in 1927, it delivered stone to the local area and had been laid-up since the mid-1930s and just rusted away until Bob bought it from the May 1988 Kings sale.

A second Foden C Type 6-tonner AN 9568, No. 13138 dated from a year later, being supplied to Fuller’s brewery in 1928, in whose striking orange livery it has been restored. Fullers ran it until 1948, and it then went to Hardwick’s scrapyard in Ewell, where it was going to be cut up but, fortunately, that never happened. It appeared at steam rallies during the early 1960s then, in 1973, it was part of a procession of old vehicles driven to Brussels, waved off by Ted Heath, when the UK joined the Common Market. Originally shod with solid tyres, it was converted to pneumatics by Foden in 1935. Owners Jimmer and Sarah Marsh usually drive it to shows, and it will do around 24mph.

An unusual Foden C Type was the 1923 bus Puffing Billy M 6359, Works No. 11340. Originally a brewery dray for the Rock Brewery of Brighton, the passenger-carrying body was added early on in preservation, as a replica of Foden’s Elworth Works brass band bus. These days it’s a regular on the road with the Searle family and team.

Two other steam lorries here were Sentinel S4 waggons, which featured an automatic stoker allowing one-man operation. New to builder’s merchants Charles Mitchell & Sons of Downton, Salisbury, 1933 S4 Waggon WV 4705 No. 8933 was sold in 1939 to Ely Brewery Co in Cardiff, where it worked until 1954. The current owners bought it in late 2020 and it now wears the livery of James Simpson & Sons Old Banff Whisky, and it was good to see this vehicle following a major engine rebuild. It’s another engine from the Searle collection.

1935 Sentinel S4 waggon BYL 485, No. 9208, now in Shepherd Neame brewery livery, was supplied new to Prices Bread in a cream livery, and entered preservation during the 1950s. It was later painted green in John Butler’s ownership when the editor first travelled in it during 1958, before going blue early in Julian Hopper’s ownership in 1991. This was its first year back on the road for 14 years, with a new boiler made by Julian and son, and run by his family as Julian was on other work with William Day  at the Kent County Show with 1907 Alley & MacLellan No. 190. This waggon is now painted in Grant’s Morella Cherry Brandy livery (which was a Day family company) and looks superb.

At the Sussex rally for the first time – although a regular at shows in other counties, including the GDSF – was Royal Star, 1914 Wallis & Steevens oil-bath showman’s tractor AA 5459, No. 7482, believed to be the only genuine W&S showman’s tractor to survive. As it was being built it was requisitioned by the War Office, at which point only three-quarters of its canopy had been constructed. It was first used for threshing by Hollands of Chaddleworth, then with Parkers of Shinfield before passing to Goodey Bros of Twyford to haul amusement rides. It was laid up in 1927 and spent the next 40 years in a scrapyard. Its full restoration began in 1967, after it had been bought by the current owner Barnaby Newton’s father and uncle. It had a near-complete boiler replacement 10 years ago.

Quite a late steam roller was the 1936 Wallis & Steevens 6-ton Advance roller OFF 890, No. 8105. The wheels could be filled with water to make it two tons heavier if required. In military service with the Royal Engineers, it wasn’t de-mobbed until 1969. Owner Clifford Wood hasn’t managed to find any photos of it in army service so, if anyones has any, please contact the editor.

One of the older traction engines on show was 1899 Aveling & Porter AC6 TA 1063, No. 4255 Victoria. Supplied new to Mounce & Heyward of Lifton, in Devon, and later owned by V Mounce & Son, the engine spent its working life driving a threshing machine. In the early 1950s it went to WL Barrett of Albaston, Cornwall, to drive a rack sawbench. It was bought by the father of the present owner, Douglas Hynd, in 1970, who spent 20 years restoring it (a process that included lots of work on the cylinder block).

For those without the storage facilities for a full-size traction engine, there were some fantastic miniature steam vehicles in sizes ranging from 3in to 6in scale. An example of the latter was the Burrell traction engine Harvest Home of BE Hunt, which was built in 2011 and road-registered CU11 FGP.

Newly restored and enjoying only its third time out (the first was at the High Weald Steam Rally) was 1919 Thorneycroft J-Type ED 1617. 1948 Scammell MU20 SSK 753 Hercules, which was new to Pickfords. At some point in its life, it was re-bodied with a later Scammell Highwayman cab but, when restored 20 years ago, the cab was remade to match the original. Owner Simon Maynard fitted a new ballast box on the back. The original Meadows engine was fitted, as can be seen by the tell-tale curved lump on the nearside of the bonnet.

1954 Leyland Comet 90 (OGT 756) was new to Tarmac as a water bowser sprayer. When sold, it was bought by Philip Duck of Frome, whose livery it now wears, and fitted with a flatbed body. Present owner Simon Maynard bought it in 2020. He has a 13ft drawbar trailer that he’s restoring to tow behind the lorry.

Immaculately turned out was the stylish 1939 Leyland Cheetah LZ5 observation coach in the livery of Blue Motors of Porlock Weir, Minehead (EYA 923), owned by Fraser Clayton. The Harrington C31F bodywork had a rear dorsal fin providing both ventilation and additional rear headroom – did it also add stability at speed?

A well-known vehicle on the preservation scene for the past 15 years is the 1949 Morris Commercial LC3 Post Office Telephones 1-ton utility (JUW 830) with a coachbuilt cab and body to GPO specification, owned by Edward and Diane Taylor. It had been stored in a barn for 34 years before being sold at Bromley Pageant in June 2003, then getting restored in 2007.

Among more than 50 tractors on display were several examples of the Massey Ferguson 35X, both the standard model, the two shown dating from 1964 (ECD 281C and 121 XAE), and the narrow vineyard type from 1961 (XJB 863).  The latter was designed to fit between narrow rows of hops and trees without damaging them.

An excellent and varied show, despite the occasional rain shower.

This report comes from the latest issue of Old Glory, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE