Shrewsbury Steam Rally 2026
(Some Personal Highlights)

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 2026 index. Click here for a list of the engines at the rally.

History will not be kind to the UK's 'Summer of 26'. I was on the other side of the world back in 1976 so I can't compare the two but in case anyone hasn't noticed, the UK has suffered from successive heat waves and a drought dating back almost as long as I can remember, which isn't very long these days. The drought chose to break a couple of days before the event and we drove up the day before through a tropical storm, the worst of which mercifully seems to have skirted Onslow Park. In the circumstances conditions weren't too bad but there was to be no movement and the Grand Parade was cancelled. Monday morning had short periods of sun peeping out, my usual photographic coverage was out of the question, instead what follows is a summary of the best bits as far as I was concerned. As such they give a completely false view! Further rain was forecast and when it appeared at 11.30, we jumped in the car and went home.

Engines - A complete list is available elsewhere on the site. 

	There were just two 'new engines for me. The first was Ruston Proctor 52656, built at the tail end of the First World War for military service. Then surplus to requirements, it was sold to a showman who knew a bargain when he saw one, eventually ending up in Ireland, hence the YI registration. Probably the only showman's engine I have seen from Ruston.		Fowler 15376 is a standard road locomotive which is distinguished by the fact that it has spent its entire life with the same family
	Aveling and Porter 6240 started life as a steam roller and has had a number of owners in preservation. It seems destined to be yet another Showman's engine conversion.		Foden 13156 is a classic Foden steam tractor, built for strength, speed and good looks. It appeared on the cover of the official rally programme this year.
	At some stage Fowler roller 17471 came down from Scotland and it was sold by auctioneers Pugh of Ledbury in 2022.		Another 'Pugh engine' is Marshall 29944 which is on its first year in the rally circuit. Previously, for many years it was out of sight stored in a collection at Churcham, west of Gloucester.
	I first saw Wallis and Steevens Advance roller 7840 at the rally here last year and subsequently at Malpas.		It bears an uncanny resemblance to this Marshall Universal Roller (80224) which, for reasons which are no longer known, incorrectly bears a plate with the number 80442 which was never allocated to an engine.
	I first saw Mann 1325 'Mefanwy' at Malpas in 2025. Having spent its working life in Angelsey, it has now returned there.		Another engine with a Celtic connection is Tasker 1911 which I first saw at the Castle Fraser rally in Aberdeenshire back in 2022.
	I believe making its Shrewsbury debut was Fowler ploughing engine 4223. Unusually it has a second vertical winding drum which appears to be driven conventionally. The picture was taken at the dispersal sale of the Vernon collection in 2023.		I first saw Aveling and Porter roller 12502 at the Welland rally in July this year.

Working Engines - These are not unusual visitors, all attend regularly. I have included them to give a vestige of normality!

	The only engines which could be photographed as if it was the normal rally here were those in the working area. As usual it was planned to use Foster 14622 on a threshing machine.		Fowler 9225 was sat in the woodworking enclosure apparently waiting its turn on a saw bench.
	Ruston and Hornsby 115100 was belted up to one of the saw benches.		Garrett 33074 was belted up to what is now its regular saw bench. I had no time to wait and see whether it actually started work.

I have been coming here for this rally since 2013, apart from the Pandemic when the rally was cancelled, I have missed just one and this is only the second time that my attempts at photography have been thwarted by the weather.