1. Home
  2. ⚙ Stationary Engines - UK
  3. Aldham Rally

Aldham Rally

Hi Chaps,

Just got back from the Aldham (Essex) rally. A very nice day out although a touch hot! The chaps on the PA system were insistent on keeping us in touch with the football results which, interestingly seemed to annoy more than one might expect!

A couple of interesting items (at least I thought so):

A Ransomes Wizard. Although Ransomes are a local firm, I've not seen a Wizard before. The signboard said (and yes it actually had one!):

"Ransomes No. 4 Wizard Paraffin engine. Built by Ransomes Sims and Jefferies Ltd. of Ipswich in October 1923. 4HP and 7HP Wizards were produced 1921 - 29 with a patented fuel injection system (patent no. 179075 of May 1921). Technical summary - This is 4 HP water-cooled. Two Stroke compression-ignition engine running on paraffin injected through the overhead valve. It starts without applying heat & has no electric system!"

It seems that these engines employed the 'Brons system' (Dutch) of fuel injection.

It was running beautifully and when Webshots wakes up or I get my web site built, I'll post some pictures.

I saw a Tom Senior small power engine on one of the stalls, very sweet, tiny and nicely made but with a bent crank but at £750 I passed! Anyone know anything about these - do they really demand that sort of money?

I did manage to add a nice original and running Norman T300 Mk 2 generating set in full olive drab to my Norman collection for a reasonable price so was quite pleased.

There was an unnatural quantity of Lister D's there but a couple of more unusual engines (Ruston 2XHR and nice AP, a very nice Amanco air cooled Johnny Boy, a Butler etc.) as well as some hot fog and many tractors, cars and bikes made it a thoroughly pleasant day.

As I say, if Webshots wakes up, I'll get some pictures up.

Mark

Reply to
Mark_Howard
Loading thread data ...

Looking at his two-part article on the restoration, he is definitely sensitive!

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

formatting link

Reply to
Peter A Forbes

(snip)

M> Hi Chaps,

M> A Ransomes Wizard. Although Ransomes are a local firm, I've not seen a M> Wizard before.

Shush, P T-E might be lurking, and he is a bit sensitive re the Rancid Wizard ;-)

nickh=== Posted with Qusnetsoft NewsReader 2.2.0.8

Reply to
nickh

Nice to hear Aldham Rally is still going, cant wait for pictures, I used to live in Great Cornard Sudbury and Aldham was one of the rally's I used to attend. It was the first place I learnt that you did not stand down wind of a Petter two stroke with a white shirt on :-)) Another occasion I was accused of showing a noisy modern engine by the gentleman next to me until he read my board and found that it was nearly ten years older than his, I was running a 1940's Petter PU2/8 driving a close coupled pump, direct off of the crank shaft, and he had a Lister A. That's when I realised snobbery comes in all hobbies.

Reply to
campingstoveman

I was exhibiting all weekend and as you say it was a tad hot.

Both John Southall and myself were interested in the genset but decided to chew it over till the Sunday (and plant the seeds with SWMBO) and I think neither of us wanted to mess the other about with the inevitable result....it was sold so I guess we were both relieved.

Full report and pictures when I can but I have only managed Strumpshaw so far, still got to do Woolpit before Aldham, and work keeps getting in the way!!!

Reply to
Pete Aldous

You don't have to go to Woolpit John :-))

Reply to
campingstoveman

"Mark_Howard" wrote (snip):-

I note this one failed to sell on ebay despite what is a pretty reasonable price by recent standards

formatting link
-- NHH

Reply to
Nick H

Good weekend for buying on ebay, the World Cup seems to have kept people away:-)) Picked up a nice Coventry Gauge slip set for £6.50...

The Norman gennie was too high a starting price IMO, he obviously wanted a decent price for it and it may have been worth it, but there are too many other distractions for the wallet at this time of year!

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

formatting link

Reply to
Peter A Forbes

"Peter A Forbes" wrote >

I thought the 'buy it now' at £200 seemed ok for a complete set, we have seen a couple of attempts (note; attempts) to get that and more for just an engine.

Reply to
Nick H

There's a small Ruston engine also on ebay, started at £25 and has 12 bids, now up to £205 (7625895717)

The difference seems to be that the genny set owner isn't going to trust the sale to get a good price, and his doubts were confirmed, while the Ruston seller probably isn't attached to the engine but knows roughly what it will fetch and is happy to see it start at a low price.

People don't like high starting prices on ebay, period.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

formatting link

Reply to
Peter A Forbes

Hello Mark, Tom Senior engines rarely come up for sale so they are usually priced between £500 to over £1000. The price depends on condition and model. The Simplex series of engines were the basic type with atmospheric inlet valve and mechanical exhaust. The rarer ones were also supplied as complete generating sets on a cast base. They were rated at 1/16th, 1/10th, 1/8th and

1/4 HP.

Then there were the Superior range of 2 ratings, 1/8th and 1/2 HP. These had both valves operating from a sideshaft.

Both could be supplied as a set of castings or finished engines. The Simplex was originally priced from 16s.6d for a set of rough castings and all drawings to £9 18s. 0d for a fully finished engine (without extras). The extras listed; spark plug 4/5, Cylinder lubricator 4/5,water tank and connections 8/3, ignition coil 16/6, Accumulator 11/7,Exhaust box 4/5, Carburetter 16/6, Petrol tank and connections 9/4, Screws, Bolts and Springs

2/3.

The Superior cost £1 18s 6d for a set of castings to £14 6s 0d for a finished engine.

They are pretty engines and just right for the likes of ancient old s**s like me to carry around. I have an 1/8th HP Simplex.

BTW a bent crank of that size is no problem.

Reply to
Fred

Excellent info, thanks Fred.

I'm guessing but I think the one I saw was 1/16 HP (it was not more than 8" long) and of the simplex design. It was superbly made, dirty and needed a fair bit of work (including straightening the bent crank shaft). Maybe the price was not totally outrageous.

Mark

Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services

---------------------------------------------------------- ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **

----------------------------------------------------------

formatting link

Reply to
Mark_Howard

Sorry about that, I saw it and had bought it within 5 minutes! The gentleman even, very kindly, delivered it for me today so I managed to avoid the inevitable "what, another engine?" argument as 'her indoors' was indoors and it slipped straight into the workshop before she spotted it!

I know they're not particularly rare but this is the first one I've found that was reasonably intact, original and for sale at a sensible price. The only non-original part is a 110v socket along side the original military type output socket. If I can find an original military type plug, I will remove it.

The guy selling the Normans was fed up with the fuel consumption and wanted rid of them to allow the purchase of a Lister CS which would run all weekend on eggcup full of fuel and run the electrics for his fridges and like - seems sensible to me.

Mark

Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services

---------------------------------------------------------- ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **

----------------------------------------------------------

formatting link

Reply to
Mark_Howard

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.