Ashby Magna Vintage Rally (20th - 21st June, 2026)
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 over a hundred at an elite few (Old Warden, Welland and Weeting). Click here for the overall index for 2026.
Ashby Magna Vintage Rally was the ultimate 'Gift Horse', a last minute addition to our 2026 programme. I had planned a weekend off in the garden instead of following initial medical advice 'to rest my eyes', as it seems that they are actually in not as bad a shape as I had at first been led to believe. Then, on Saturday afternoon, I got an email from Hugh Sykes who had just returned home from this East Midlands rally - an event which I had always assumed to be too small to be worth the effort (it's 100 miles away from home). 18 engines present was not unexpected but the fact that no less than 7 were 'previously unseen' was, in these post pandemic days, unprecedented. The weather forecast was acceptable and we jumped in the car on Sunday morning, an early start being aided by it being the longest day of the year.
In the event, it was well worth the effort even if the weather was uncooperative. There were the odd patches of blue sky but never at the right time and there was a large crowd meandering round which meant I had to be patient to get even a mediocre record shot. The transfer to the ring for the Grand Parade represented 'more of the same', maybe if I had waited longer, things might have got better but with with 'mission accomplished' and a long summer stretching ahead, it made sense to bank what I had got and head for home, as always enjoying a gentle run down the Fosse Way. I am left wondering if there are any similar accessible events lurking out there. Maybe one or more of my readers could come up with a suggestion or two.
The locals are rightly proud of their show, but I know that I was not the only one who found the lack of signage more than irritating, not least because the narrow local roads made U-turns risky. There were no flashy stars here, just a core of interesting engines.
Steam Rollers
|
Maker |
Number |
Registration |
Notes |
|
|
Aveling and Porter | 7798/1912 | R 7497 |
"Titanic" Leicester Festival 2017 Picture |
|
Aveling and Porter | 9024/1919 | NT 2019 |
"Rosetta" Welland Rally 2018 Picture Speech House Show 2018 Picture Welland Rally 2019 Picture Welland Rally 2022 Picture |
|
Aveling and Porter | 9347/1920 |
L 8953 |
"Sarah" Elvaston Rally 2014 Picture Rempstone Rally 2016 Picture Bloxham Rally 2025 Picture |
|
Aveling and Porter | 10669/1923 | NX 7282 |
"Katie" Repatriated from Sri Lanka See also Aveling and Porter 14017 |
|
4067/1927 | WW 1556 | ||
|
15691/1920 | CA 4776 |
General Engines
