Cumbria Steam Gathering, Flookburgh
Cumbria Steam Gathering, Flookburgh
As we push on to the next phase of our threshing gang caravan restoration, we decided to pop over to the Cumbria Steam Gathering at Cark Airfield, Flookburgh last Saturday to see some steam and talk caravans!
It was a lovely sight to see the funnels of grey smoke gently drifting across in the distance as we approached the airfield, reminding me of the sights (and smells!) as a child of the textile mills in Yorkshire only a few decades ago. How quickly times have changed.
There weren’t as large a number of steam traction engines as we were hoping for - I know in previous years there have been considerably more. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times but the amount of work, time and expertise as well as cost that it takes to be the guardian of one of these beasts could be the reason that we sadly don’t see as many these days.
However the engines on display were magnificent, sparkling and in meticulous condition. Naturally the polishing of paintwork and brass would continue all day (you can never polish your steam engine enough). We had chats about rubber tyres as we are keen to try to keep the iron of our caravan wheels from sitting in water for long periods and so are exploring options. Several of the engines and their vans had rubber ‘tyres’ adhered to their cast iron wheels which, we were assured, reduced road noise and increased comfort considerably.
There were three caravans there, none of which were like ours but then so many have gone through reboarding or modification that it’s likely that they are probably all now unique versions of their original design.
Considering their histories as industrial machines, the level of detail in signwriting, decoration and construction is something to be admired in today’s mass market society. Beautiful paintwork, some incredibly detailed to the consideration of using different woods to achieve a striped pattern on the underside of a rain canopy (on a steam engine commissioned by the War Office between the two World Wars) shows the level of craftsmanship that should be celebrated.
I really hope these engines are able to continue running long into the future - there is no reason why they can’t continue to have parts renewed as and when needed. I just hope that coal and other materials will continue to be available to enable these fantastic beasts to keep on steaming and educating new generations of our proud history.