martinlittle.com:thinkThin

Last night I was scrolling through the TV guide on the TV (does anyone still buy those big guide magazines any more?) when I found that the mighty Fred Dibnah (unofficial page, with some great short soundbites) was back on the BBC. His programs always rate as some of the best TV ever. Last night he was telling us, in his classic belly-sticking-out, oil-on-face, hands-in-pockets, flat-cap-on-head Lancashire style about steam-powered engines and vehicles. Even better, I notice he was given an MBE at the end of 2003.

The price of a fully restored showman's engine was HUGE. Fred quoted GBP 350,000 for a stunning example. These were often found dumped in the corner of a field, and bought for a few hundred pounds! It is quite unfortunate that my Mammod TE1a has not appreciated at quite such a rate. On the other hand, I haven't spent the last 20 years of my life restoring my traction engine, due to ending it into a large pile of stones in the middle of the road, after realising that sliding down a smooth road at 40mph with smooth wheels in 12 tons of solid engine hooked to several tons of heavily laden trailer towards a hospital was not going to impress too many people ... as Fred has done!