Castle Combe Steam Rally (18th - 19th May, 2024)
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 2024.
When we first 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 and 2023 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 in 2023 had been here in 2022. and of the 16 engines in 2024, half had been here in 2023 and all had graced my notebook before, some many times. Again there was a healthy attendance and after the problems in 2022, this year like 2023 saw swift entry. I believe they have a new steam organiser for 2024, even a small local show like this needs a refresher from time to time.
Steam Rollers
General Engines
Wagon
