RALLY REPORT 2003 by Helen Mayne

Good weather, good friendship and good fun were very much the order of the day around Ballymena over the past weekend at the 36th Traction Engine Club of Ulster Steam and Vintage rally. Having had torrential rain during the set up on Thursday night the organising committee went to bed not knowing what sort of weather to expect over the weekend. As it turned out, they need not have worried as two days of glorious sunshine resulted. Exhibits converged on the showgrounds from near and far - from all over the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The sense of friendship amongst exhibitors, many of whom do not see one another from one year to the next, was evident to spectators. Their common bond of vintage restoration allows them to pick up one year where they left off the previous year. As big a show of exhibits was evident this year than ever before, including 26 full size steam engines and rollers and approximately eight model steamers. Stationary engines and classic and vintage tractors were also well represented with many new restoration projects appearing out for the first time. Many commented that the Ballymena show was almost as good a rally as the Great Dorset Steam Fair - praise indeed considering that that fair take place on a 500 acre site! A few years back the rally committee decided to feature pre - 1930's tractors at the rally. Since then this section has grown year on year, until this year when there were almost 40 very rare and unusual machines on display. This years show certainly included a few 'star' attractions - the main one being the Hornsby tractor owned by Robert H Crawford, Boston, Lincs. This tractor is the oldest in the world, having been built in 1897. Looking something like a cross between a steam engine and a vintage tractor it certainly was a sight to behold. Alongside the Hornsby were two massive Marshall coloniel tractors. These were built mainly for use on the American prairies and in Australia. These two machines played an important part in the special display of Marshall machines organised as a special attraction at this years rally. This display was certainly very successful with many spectators mesmerised by them as they paraded around the arena during a spectacular commentary given by Peter Love of Tractor and Machinery magazine. No fewer than seven Marshall steam engines were part of this show, including one of the oldest working engines in Ireland, built in 1889 and owned by Rochford brothers, Co Wexford. Another fine example of a Marshall was the 1919 portable owned by Seamus Kelly, Ardee. This machine powered its way through the weekend driving a massive horizontal sawbench. A superb show of Marshall tractors and crawlers, including a 1930 15-30, series I, II and III models, models M and MP6 and VFA and Fowler Field Marshall crawlers made an impressive sight as they paraded around the arena. This certainly paid testament to the organising committee's hard work as they had sourced machinery for this display from as far afield as Dorset, Southern England; Fife, Scotland; and Co Wexford. In the vintage commercials area a terrific show of lorries had been amassed. This year focussed on the ERF make. This again was very successful - machines ranged from the 1933 ERF owned by the ERF club to the newer models which had been used to transport vintage machinery to the rally. In total there were 19 ERF lorries on display alongside many other spectacular machines - amassing a total of over 40 commercials. A new attraction at this years rally was tractor pulling. Organised by the Irish Tractor Pulling Organisation this certainly was a crowd puller. A wide variety of machines were seen to power their way up the specially prepared track pulling the weighted sleigh behind them. The machinery ranged from the specially modified tractors to the golden oldies - the traction engines of James Patterson and Robert Coles. The traction engines showed the others how to do it, achieving very successful pulls, with the professional tractor pullers just standing back and watching in amazement! Growing from strength to strength each year the organising committee have set themselves a high standard to beat next year. Many of the spectators who had never been at the Ballymena event before left the showgrounds promising to be back next year - so the foundation for the show has already been laid.