Great War Steam Fair *Updated*
Reference has been made elsewhere on this site to the forthcoming Great War Steam Fair (part of the Great North Festival of Transport and including ‘Horses at War’ and ‘Old King Coal’ as part of the programme. Readers may, therefore, be wondering what might be coming?!
As usual, there are caveats and never before have we had an event with so much lined up to come, then pulled out, but then replaced by new vehicle opportunities. So, here is a first smattering of what exhibits you should be able to enjoy over the weekend of the 7 – 10 April – not so many weeks away now…
Narrow Gauge Railway
Below: The visiting steam locomotive for the narrow gauge is the Apedale based Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0WT No.1238 of 1916. Its full history can be found here: https://mrtfleet.wordpress.com/steam-locomotives/s6-hudswell-clarke-1238-of-1916/
Below: Also from Moseley is this ‘protected’ Simplex, again more information can be found here: https://mrtfleet.wordpress.com/petrol-locomotives/47-lr3090-wny-mr13691918/
Below: A pair of War Department Light Railway (WDLR) waggons are also coming from the Moseley collection at Apedale. See: http://www.wdlr.org.uk/wdlr/blog/?tag=trust
Below: We also hope to have Nick Williams’ 20HP Simplex at the event too. These were the lighter version of the locomotive seen above, known as ‘Bow Frames’ on account of the shape of their girder chassis. Like all WDLR equipment, they had long lives after the war, serving many and varied industrial applications. A large amount of WDLR equipment has been preserved and the Moseley Railway Trust will be uniting as much of this as possible at their dedicated event titled ‘Tracks to the Trenches’ from the 13th to the 15th May this year. http://www.wdlr.org.uk/tracks2trenches/site/
The Military Scene
I haven’t had a chance to label all of the following, but they are just some of the vehicles that we have confirmed for the event from the 7 – 10 April. We have been very lucky that so many owners will be supporting the event, with everything, wherever possible, being dated prior to 1918. Here are some small galleries showing a few of the military and civilian vehicles of all shapes and sizes that reflect the story of the domestic and military scene on the roads of the UK in the 1914 – 1918 period.
Vintage & Veteran Motoring
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but shows some of the unique gathering that we hope to present, all of which can be seen at work across the Museum throughout the event. Some vehicles are Saturday/Sunday only, but for the most part the majority of exhibits will be here for all four days. We just need the weather to be favourable…
Photo credits: Gareth Roberts, Colin Slater, James West, Beamish (Paul Jarman)
Looks like it’s going to be another great fair , a really good cross section of historical vehicles , cannot wait .
Looking at latest T.& I. News, I realise how important it is to be a ‘Friend’ of the Museum and feel I’m contributing in a small way via membership and small donations each year. Well done to all engaged in Beamish ‘Transport’!
All this (good news) about the Great War Steam Fair makes visit(s) a ‘must’. The new narrow gauge extension will look superb once nature assists – it looks ok now. Oh, and “Portbury” at Rowley just happens to be in First World War grey livery!