Castle Combe Steam Rally (20th - 21st May, 2023)
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 index for 2023.
When we visited in 2014, we found Castle Combe to be a 'small local rally' without working engines and the steam road engines sitting around with just a brief moment of glory doing a couple of circuits of the arena. Many of the exhibits not surprisingly we had seen at South Cerney in 2013 and saw again at the 'Strawberries and Steam' rally later in 2014. So this time, as we had done in 2022 anticipating something similar, we allocated an afternoon session which was sufficient.
Indeed the 2023 rally was very similar to 2022, with 20 engines, just one of which was unfamiliar, more than half had been here in 2022. There were plenty of visitors but unlike 2022,not enough to overwhelm the entry system. A small rally like this which uses permanent facilities can just about run itself but they could have done with a few more volunteer helpers and the signage wasn't wonderful, in particular the exit had changed significantly which confused quite a few drivers.
Steam Rollers
|
Maker |
Number |
Registration |
Notes |
|
|
4660/1900 | NR 2393 |
"Pride of the Road" Bocconoc Rally 2016 Picture Old Warden Rally 2016 Picture Castle Combe Rally 2022 Picture Stoke Row Rally 2022 Picture Banbury Rally 2022 Picture South Cerney Rally 2022 Picture |
|
|
Aveling and Porter | 9155/1920 | NO 2085 | Castle Combe Rally 2022 Picture |
|
Aveling and Porter | 10385/1922 | HR 7288 | "John Bull" |
|
Aveling and Porter | 10392/1922 | FX 9604 |
Castle
Combe Rally 2022 Picture Wiltshire Rally 2022 Picture South Cerney Rally 2022 Picture |
|
Aveling and Porter | 11347/1925 | PP 4996 |
Marcle
Rally 2014 Picture Welland Rally 2017 Picture Castle Combe Rally 2022 Picture |
|
Aveling and Porter | 11670/1926 | SN 3875 | Great Dorset Steam Fair 2018 Picture |
General Engines
Showman's Engine
|
Maker |
Number |
Registration |
Notes |
|
|
Burrell | 2072/1898 | AD 8786 |
"'The Masterpiece" Marcle Rally 2014 Picture Marcle Rally 2015 Picture Old Warden Rally 2016 Picture Welland Rally 2017 Picture Great Dorset Steam Fair 2019 Picture Welland Rally 2022 Picture Great Dorset Steam Fair 2022 Picture |
