Steam Engines
My recent trip back to England seems to have been dominated by steam engines. I saw the steam engines that used to raise and lower the bascules (the road sections that open to allow tall ships to pass through) and the steam engines Crofton that used to pump water to the highest point on the Kennet and Avon Canal. On returning from the visit to Crofton, passing through my former home village of Aldbourne, I noticed a traction engine in the village square.
Traction engine
Parked outside The Crown in the square at Aldbourne was the Burrell Showman's Traction engine #3413, ‘The Philadelphia'. This aged road locomotive was built in 1912 by Charles Burrell & Sons in Thetford, Norfolk. According to the article on Wikipedia, Burrell sold 11 Showman's engines and a further 5 had Showman's fittings added by other companies. Each traction engine was made to the customer's specifications, so each one was unique in some way. The Philadelphia was rated at 6nhp (nominal horse power) and was built for Joseph Smith of Shirley, Southampton. During WWII it was requisitioned for agricultural work and was laid up in 1948. In 1999 it was purchased for preservation, according to the website Grace's Guide.
When I used to live in Aldbourne, it was not unusual to find a traction engine ambling along the road. Indeed, it was often frustrating as they would move so slowly – about 5 miles per hour – and the hills and bends in the road meant you often had to crawl along behind until the visibility opened up to see if it was safe to overtake. On this particular day, three generations of my family got to see this piece of history in action – my father, myself and my son. Since the engines at Crofton and Tower Bridge were not operating, for my son this was the first time he's seen a steam engine in action!
We'd arrived near the end of The Philadelphia's stop at the pub. According to the EXIF data on the pictures I took, only seven minutes elapsed between my first and last frame, the last frame being taken as the driver and crew headed off on the next leg of their journey through the Wiltshire countryside.
Production Data
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II (B&H)
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM (B&H)
Processed in: Adobe Lightroom 3 (B&H)
Antique Frame: onOne Software Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 Software (B&H)
