Steam Party at Klondyke Mill, 13th - 14th October, 2018
This is one of a series of pages which I have uploaded to illustrate facets of steam rallies we have attended in the UK. Such events occur all over the country in the summer months, they are easily found by using your favourite search engine and may have anything between a handful of steam engines and hundreds (as at the Great Dorset Steam Fair which could probably be fairly described as having an excess of riches). Click here for the overall 2018 index.
It wasn't the most propitious of omens for the visit, one doesn't often end up as the only guest at a party or at least it felt like I was. I'd enjoyed a splendid day out at the Steam Plough Club's Great Challenge the day before and as the rain teemed down, it never crossed my mind to return, I'm too old to enjoy bog snorkeling
Klondyke Mill is the base of the North Staffs and Cheshire Traction Engine Club which has control of three engines but a number of others are based there and still more pitch up for their public events. As the man on the gate said "It's a wash out and we can't charge you". In the event I picked my way round the site, trying to take photographs while keeping the camera lens dry. It's a place which would reward a longer visit with some interesting engines, but on this occasion a fair few were sheeted over and in a couple of cases I have had to deduce what the engines actually were, not surprisingly there were few proud owners out in the open to tell me what they were. After half an hour I made a small donation and followed one of the rollers going home for an early lunch until I realised that it was doing me no good shivering in the rain waiting for it to appear at the next spot. Thereafter I turned up the heating in the car and splashed my way home.
Rod Smith had sent me a list of engines he had seen over this weekend a year ago and it was clear that apart from several engines seen not far away at Elvaston and Barton Gate, there were others which did not even get that far.
General Engines
Steam Rollers
Portable Engines
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Maker |
Number |
Notes |
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Marshall | 59393/1912 | Klondyke Mill Party 2021 Picture | |
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Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies | 14329/1902 | Klondyke Mill Party 2021 Picture |
