[modeleng] Re: St Agnes
- From: Allen Messer <al_messer@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 06:11:05 -0700 (PDT)
Thanks for the report. Wish I could have been there
to slosh through the mud with you and Roger, but
anyway, I'll enjoy the photos.
Al Messer
--- alanjstepney <alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> A week of rain and torrential downpour on Friday
> morning turned much of the
> site into a quagmire, as can be seen from the
> photos.
>
> Unfortunately, this meant that a many the exhibitors
> failed to appear.
>
> Many of the low-loaders couldn't get on-site, and
> the reasons for the
> non-appearance of their exhibits was understandable.
> However, I feel that
> more of the exhibitors could have made an
> appearance, if they had tried. To
> have only 20 or so out of 200 cars didn't make for a
> good display. Even some
> of the military vehicles failed to show, and they
> would have been an ideal
> vehicle in those conditions, so the owners cannot
> claim mud as a valid
> excuse not to appear.
>
> Fortunately, for me, most of the owners of the
> "miniatures", are made of
> sterner stuff and were there."Miniatures" is how
> they were categorised, but
> that is hardly appropriate to some engines, which
> were almost as large as
> the full-size ones.
>
> I left home at 4 a.m. and had an excellent run for
> the 180 miles to St
> Agnes. Perhaps too good a run, as I got caught by a
> speed camera en route.!
> The rain started just after dawn, and I arrived at
> the St Agnes in a heavy
> downpour.
>
> Roger Mason lives in St Agnes, and I went to his
> house, where we adjourned
> for the important things, such as drinking coffee
> whilst discussing model
> engineering, and looking round his workshop (I wish
> mine was as tidy as
> that).
>
> Although the rally was scheduled to open at 9 a.m,
> we waited and watched the
> rain, until shortly before lunch time when it
> stopped and we made our way to
> the rally site.
>
> The site entrance, and for 200 yards beyond, was a
> maze of ruts deeply cut
> into a sea of mud. I gather they were having to haul
> cars into, as well as
> out of, the car park, although both Roger and I
> managed to negotiate this
> hazard.
>
> In spite of the conditions, it was an interesting
> show. Although there were
> few exhibits in some categories, others were fairly
> fully represented.
>
> I have mentioned "vintage and collectors cars", and
> the "motorcycles" class
> was also almost bare. Of the "full size steam
> vehicles" about half were
> unable to appear. The two classes that were almost
> at the expected numbers
> were "tractors" (hardly surprising as they were in
> their element), and, as
> mentioned, the "miniatures".
>
> There were a lot of trade stands, the craft tent was
> full to capacity,
> stationary engines seemed fairly well represented,
> and there were also many
> other exhibits. I cannot comment on these as I spent
> most of my time with
> the models and steam exhibits.
>
> The quality of some, indeed, most, of the models was
> superb. A few had
> paintwork that equalled the best I have seen at
> major exhibitions.
>
> The exhibitor who had come the farthest was A. G.
> Bos, from the Netherlands,
> who exhibited his 2" Fowler with load, and a couple
> of stationary engines.
>
> There were four, perhaps five, models of the Alfred
> Dodman single crank
> compound. This engine is unusual in having a single
> valve to control both
> high and low pressure cylinders. I am fairly sure
> that the number of models
> of this engine now exceeds the numbers of the
> original!
>
> The lack of crowds was an advantage in that I was
> able to chat to many of
> the engine owners, and get plenty of photographs.
>
> By late in the afternoon, the sun plus a drying wind
> enabled some engines to
> move around, and they started ploughing. I
> understand that by the Saturday,
> everything was much better and the show was well
> attended.
>
> Finally, and to return to that mud, on Sunday
> morning I had to wash my car.
> It was either that, or plant a row of spuds in it!.
> The tenacity of that mud
> is amazing. I reckon that Roger has missed a golden
> opportunity there. He
> could easily market it as a gap-filling substitute
> for superglue!
>
> Photos are at:
>
> http://www.alanjstepney.free-online.co.uk/s1.html
>
>
>
> alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> www.alanstepney.info
> Model Engineering, Steam Engine, and Railway
> technical pages.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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