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Saturday 22nd October 2022 Ox Drove, Picket Piece, Andover, SP11 6ND

Join us for a day of Autumnal road and agricultural steam action in and around Derek Marder’s Yard

Join us for a full day of agricultural road steam photography based in and around Derek Marder’s Contractors Yard in Andover with at least six engines performing jobs traditionally undertaken using steam power

£65.00

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About this event

We are delighted to offer the opportunity for a day photographing working steam in the authentic environment of Derek Marder’s Contractors Yard.

Derek moved onto the site with his parents in the 1940s as a young teenager. At that time, the location was a pig farm. Derek started the contracting business in the early 1950s, mainly concentrating on demolition work, but many other types of work were undertaken over the following fifty years. A number of the machines used in his business were parked up after a job and are now in the yard awaiting their turn in the restoration queue, one or two in overgrown locations.

From a young age, Derek has been interested in steam. It stemmed from walking past a steam sawmill on his way to school, where he would quite often call in to speak with the men who ran and maintained the sawmill. He bought his first steam engine as a teenager and this developed into a lifelong interest, with many more engines to follow, probably more than forty over the years. He became a key member in the preservation of steam vehicles and was one of the organisers of the very first steam "Rally” held at Vigo Road in Andover. (Not a "Race”, as Appleford was).

The yard has become a hub for other owners to restore their engines, making use of the various pieces of equipment and machinery that Derek has acquired over the years. There are over twenty steam engines in the yard, most of which are owned by Derek, but some are also owned by others who keep the engines there over the winter period for repairs and maintenance.

We are planning to have at least six engines in steam, including:

• 1918 Ruston Proctor steam tractor No.52453
• 1910 Ruston Proctor steam roller No.38591
• 1922 Aveling & Porter steam roller No.10282
• 1923 Wallis & Steevens steam roller No.7779
• 1910 Ruston Proctor portable engine No.39487
• 1903 Ransomes, Sims & Jeffries portable engine No.15169

We will be running a stone crusher and saw bench with the steam engines and will perform some land clearance with a vintage JCB, then rolling in the surface with steam rollers. The large workshop will be open, with a steam engine alight inside to create some ‘atmospheric’ photo opportunities, with another engine having work carried out to it as well. Additional vehicles based on site include vintage tractors, lorries, diesel rollers, excavators, caterpillar tractors, cranes plus various other machines and trailers, so we will not be short of things to photograph.

Hot and cold drinks will be available during the day but not food. We are considering a lunchtime run as far as the local public house for refreshments, but this will be balanced against the time taken and the relative photography opportunities out on the road at this time of year.

This is a splendid opportunity to revisit Britain’s agricultural and industrial steam era through these magnificent machines which would have dominated the landscape of one hundred years ago, and we look forward to seeing you for another nostalgic day of steam photography.


*Images are for illustrative purposes.

Event requirements

Equipment

  • Spare batteries
  • Camera
  • Filters
  • Lenses
  • Camera protection - rain covers etc
  • Tripod

Knowledge

  • All levels welcome

Fitness

  • Medium

Other essentials

  • Sturdy outdoor shoes
  • Torch
  • Warm clothing
  • Wet weather gear

Event location