Steam in the Park

Balado 2008

May 10th & 11th

 

With this year’s rally now behind us, it’s safe to say it was a success. Exhibitor numbers were up again with almost 40 steam entries (large and small included). A welcome return was bid to Geoff Baker from Blackburn with his stationary steam engine, Geoff was a regular exhibitor at Summerlee and it was good to see him again. Also appearing for the first time was the 1907 Marshall Traction Engine owned by the National Museum of Scotland.

The weather was good to us this year with the only blip on the horizon being a thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon, fortunately this happened quite late in the day and therefore didn’t dampen the spirits too much, Sunday was a lovely day, perfect rally weather and that combined with a great deal more advertising saw visitor numbers also rise significantly.
The rest of the rally was as you’d expect at Balado, on Sunday the chainsaw woodcarver came and wowed everyone with his display turning logs into bears and birds, the Rosyth Model Boat club returned as did the Glenrothes Model Aeroplane club.

The footplate experience once again proved a popular attraction, the weather helping there as well, those with tickets getting on a footplate first were soon joined in the queue by people who had just found out it was happening, thanks as always go to all engine drivers who participate as without them it couldn’t happen. Regular visitors to the rally will have noticed that where there was usually a working sawbench, this year was a working threshing mill, very kindly brought along by George Kerr from Beith.

This is the first rally held since the STES president, Willie Smith, passed away last October. The executors very kindly agreed to allow his 1923 Fowler Traction Engine ‘Sam’ to attend before it was sold at auction. 6 days after Balado ‘Sam’ was sold and returned to Ireland.

All in all this was a very successful rally and we hope it continues.