Sussex Steam Rally (13th - 14th July, 2024)

The International Steam Pages

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.

I had not been to this event since it relocated from its previous site at Wiston. Parham Park is very similar and just as attractive (nearly all my favourite rallies take place in parkland) but we found this to be another rally that has yet to establish its former pre-Covid position with just 27 full sized engines (and 3 steam cars) listed in the programme of which I actually recorded 21 with 4 extras plus 2 steam cars. As such it was difficult not to be a little disappointed. Having said that, I scored 4 'not seen before' which is very good for me these days, to which could be added the unique Porter Stanhope Steam Car.

This was another rally (fortunately rare) that uses the 'pay and park' model which guarantees a long wait to get in compared to 'park and pay'. To make matters worse, our usually reliable BB had recently been experiencing 'coolant problems' which we thought had been resolved. However, it turned out not to be so as half an hour stopping and starting in a long queue ended up with BB turning into a pale imitation of a steam engine. I have to say that the rally people were extremely helpful and kindly found us 5 litres of water which restored a degree of normality. We were the best part of 150 miles from home and we could have summoned assistance but decided to try to get home 'gently' with regular checks which thankfully we accomplished. So probably I had not sufficiently tightened the reservoir cap when checking the radiator - yet more evidence of declining mental powers in other words.

In the circumstances I declared that I would have not much more than an hour to do my best to get a set of pictures which will explain their slightly lower standard than normal, although the weather didn't greatly help as the early morning sun which had accompanies us on our journey from the West Country had long vanished before the camera came out. Hence it is not impossible that I missed one or two engines although Yuehong found the same two engines lurking away from most of the rest.

General Engines

Maker

Number
Registration
Notes

Burrell 3442/1913 AH 0119 Old Warden Rally 2014 Picture
Tinkers Park Rally 2015 Picture
Fawley Hill Rally 2016 Picture
Old Warden Rally 2016 Picture
Wiston Rally 2019 Picture

Burrell 3718/1916 AH 0297 "Lion"
Tinkers Park Rally 2015 Picture
Wiston Rally 2015 Picture
Weald of Kent Rally 2016 Picture
Tinkers Park Rally 2018 Picture
Great Dorset Steam Fair 2018 Picture
Wiston Rally 2019 Picture
Weald of Kent Rally 2019 Picture
Great Dorset Steam Fair 2019 Picture
Great Dorset Steam Fair 2022 Picture

Burrell 3786/1918 PB 9610 "Tiger"

Burrell
3851/1920
PB 9359 "The Tinker"
Tinkers Park Rally 2015 Picture
Banbury Rally 2017 Picture
Tinkers Park Rally 2018 Picture
Banbury Rall 2018 Picture
Welland Rally 2018 Picture
Wiston Rally 2019 Picture

Wallis and Steevens 7487/1915 AA 5508 Great Dorset Steam Fair 2018 Picture
Great Dorset Steam Fair 2022 Picture
Turvey Rally 2022 Picture

Wallis and Steevens 7625/1919 BL 8283 Hollycombe Steam Rally 2024 Picture

Wallis and Steevens 7641/1920 BW 4668 "Gunner"
Wiston Steam Rally 2019 Picture
Quorn Festival 2022 Picture
Quorn Festival 2023 Picture
Welland Rally 2023 Picture