Ex-Mayor disused after the second World War
When I was young my father bought me a Lesney model traction engine. I was pleased and added it to my other various army and TV related vehicles. I never thought that years later our Show would be hosting the real thing! We are privileged to have one of the finest Showman’s engines attending this coming weekend. The wonderfully named ‘Ex-Mayor’ tells us of a previous owner and it is the spitting image of my model. Showman’s Engines varied from other traction engines and were defined by their full length canopy. They were used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to pull the rides used in travelling fairs to the many venues in towns and villages throughout the country. Imagine the delight of the local children as they saw, heard and smelt these great locomotives of the road as they trundled into the long established parks, greens and fields. Here they would detach their carefully packed and folded loads, transforming them into magical roundabouts, helter skelters, whirligigs, dodgems, coconut shies and in this case a scenic railway ride, ready to entertain and thrill those of all ages. Brightly painted by generations of sign writers in order to attract attention and mounted with a myriad of coloured lights that appeared as the evening closed in they would park up and then power the rides with their powerful steam driven engines. Ex-Mayor was built by the famous firm of Charles Burrell and Sons, based in Thetford in Norfolk in 1925. It would not be long before diesel lorries took over the work and made these magnificent engineering marvels redundant. From the end of the 1930s the majority of these were sold for scrap, to be cut up and the metal reused to build more modern equipment. Luckily, a few were saved, either by those with nostalgic memories or who kept their then old fashioned machines going in spite of the technological advances overtaking them.
Please look closely at the engine, admire the intricate decoration, the quiet mesmerizing movement of the pistons and wheels in motion, the smell of the steam, the occasional whistle and the extraordinary sight of it moving off to the arena and remember that the firm of Tuby & Sons that originally commissioned this engine still tours fairs after 170 years on the road.
We are very grateful for the appearance of this machine at our Show and to Mr David Roberts for bringing it on behalf of the Saunders Collection, based in Bedfordshire.
