Steam Up

This afternoon saw a late visit to Crathes and the 42nd Annual Steam Vintage Rally.

This of BP 5913 “The Burrell Traction Engine” Built by Charles Burrell & Son in Norfolk.

This Blip of it running at speed between the Public car park and the show ground.

Charles Burrell & Sons (formed in 1770) were builders of steam traction engines, agricultural machinery, steam trucks and steam tram engines. The company were based in Thetford, Norfolk and operated from the St Nicholas works on Minstergate and St Nicholas Street some of which survives today.

Charles Burrell built the company's first steam engine in 1848. Initially like most other manufacturers they built portable engines but they gradually moved into self-moving agricultural engines and later engines built specifically for road transport. In 1856 they built the first road haulage engine in conjunction with James Boydell. Boydell had invented a system where flat boards were attached to a wheel loosely at their centers, as the wheels revolved they were capable of spreading the weight of an engine over the surface of the board, versions of these became known as Dreadnaught Wheels. The wheels were unlike the continuous track used in tanks today.

At their height they employed over 350 people and were the largest employer within the town. The company became known for producing reliable and good-looking steam-powered engines which were always built to customers' requirements. The company declined after the First World War when internal combustion engines started to become a cheaper alternative to steam engines. The company finally closed in 1928, with the final engines being built Richard Garrett & Sons at Leiston, Suffolk.