Trade Catalogues – a bit of background…
Followers of this blog will have noticed the recent posts regarding trade catalogues. Those scanned so far, and I have to confess these have merely been done on a printer/scanner at home (and therefore are not of the highest standard) really reflect my particular interest/research subject of the moment. In this case it is road making/motor rollers. The library at Beamish is home to thousands of trade catalogues covering a huge range of subjects, from road rollers to electrical fittings, carpets to scientific instruments. Searches of the collection are possible via the ‘Peoples Collection’ link on the main Museum website.
Amongst the collection on this blog, which will have an understandable transport & industry theme, I have so far included some of my favorites as well as the odd one from my own collection. The Shand Mason catalogue (circa 1913) is a lovely catalogue and would make a very nice book, perhaps with a few historical notes added as well as a ‘survivors’ works list. That catalogues were so comprehensive in the information given is, I suppose, akin to that which you can find online today.
We are always keen to obtain (originals or copies) catalogues and manufacturers information for the collection. I am very keen to obtain anything produced by Barford & Perkins on their motor roller ranges (any period, any variation) as not only are these catalogues often very attractive, but they are invaluable for research into the subjects they cover – see the examples on this site for a good illustration of this! If anyone can help re the B&P catalogues/manuals etc. then I would be delighted to hear from you via this blog or museum@beamish.org.uk
Meanwhile, do enjoy browsing through these catalogues and check back regularly as I hope to add more over coming months…
During the late 60s and early 70s I was driving almost daily between Stratfod and Evesham, passing a yard (I think it was Bomford & Evershed’s) which contained around a dozen semi derelict Traction engines and Rollers. over the years they gradually got less until the yard was empty. One of the last to go had what appeared to be a diesel engine mounted on top of the boiler instesd of the cylinder block. I often wondwred what it was and what happened to it.
The yard you refer to was the old goods yard at Binton Station, where the fleet of Bomford & Carr’s deredging engines and tackle were. You describe a diesel conversion of a Fowler Ploughing engine – Bomfords had several of these with McLaren engines monuted on the boiler and some others with tender mounted Sherman tank engines. These were all kept at Binton from the 60s through to the 1980s. Six of them now live on a farm not far from there, in private hands.