Last Sunday I ventured into Hampshire to visit the Hollycombe Steam Museum, which includes a large working fairground (steam powered!) and narrow gauge railway amongst its attractions.

Below: The chassis of Barclay 0-4-0WT No.70 – a former Durham County Water Board locomotive and currently awaiting boiler overhaul. It is an aspiration to reunite the three remaining DCWB locomotives at Beamish – the others are Kerr Stuart 0-4-2ST ‘Stanhope’ based at Apedale and Avonside 0-4-0T ‘Elidir’ currently being restored in Bedfordshire (Leighton Buzzard Railway).

Below: An overall view of part of the fairground.

Below: I was very taken with the traction trailer rides…

Below: The underside of Hartlepool built ride ‘The Razzle Dazzle’ – the first white-knuckle ride!

Below: Two portables provide much of the steam used for the fairground, this being piped to a number of engines and directly to their cylinders.

Below: Another Aveling & Porter traction engine locomotive! Three foot gauge and one that didn’t attend the GNSF at Beamish!