MrsRT was away this weekend in the EV so myself and the Younguns had the van out for a couple of road trips to see some steam heritage - you'll notice it's a theme, but also I've been noting a big crossover of vanlife folks with a box van behind touring the miniature traction engine circuit so the gives me
two subjects to bore the family with when I stop to have a chat with folks
Anyway first trip was to
Hollycombe (sort of just at the top of the A3) where they have a narrow guage railway, a garden railway and a static steam fair alongside a collection of road steam engines. Like a lot of the bigger sites they have suffered from having almost too much to look after but they're really getting some restoration underway currently. This was also an event day so there were miniatures, model tanks, boats, fairgrounds and railway layouts and traction engine rides.
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Second trip was to
Bursledon Brickworks - which was the last Brickworks still powered by steam when it closed and is now a museum. They also had an event on with their miniature railway running as well as both of their engines and a while host of visiting layouts, busses, army vehicles and a folk band. They had planned to do traction engine rides but with the heat and dry grass most things not in steam so we got to ride behind a vintage cartridge start tractor instead - a slightly mad system where you start the tractor with essentially a blank shotgun cartridge screwed into the side of the engine you hit with a hammer to throw the engine into life...
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Both great sites to visit with enthusiastic volunteers and lots to see. Ironically at both I was spotted (I have a fairly distinctive Aussie style hat) by exhibitors who had been at the Dene Rally last week
Have to say never been more happy to have full trizone air con than this weekend...
not jealous at all
