Portsmouth Historic Docks festival of Christmas

This weekend as the title suggests is an Xmas do at the docks. There will be a good show of engines as I understand, full size and miniatures. I will be taking two organs, the new Showmans version and the busker as well as the Stearnes with the centre organ I made a few months ago.

Who else is coming with an engine?? and does anyone else plan to visit? If so come and look me out.

I'll be there.

Tim

Hi Kev

Sorry will not make it. 1500 miles round trip is a bit far at the moment.

When did the festival start. I am hoping it was not running between 86 and 90 as in that case I missed it and I worked at the dockyard!!

You dont need to worry it doesnt start till 9am Friday It is something I believe started about two or three years ago and has taken the place of the Festival of Steam which ran for ten years, usually in May, a damm sight warmer than this weekends forecast. Still at least its clear and bright not bloody raining!!!!!

Well despite a poor forecast on Friday the weather held up well if not a little chilly ( about 3- 4 deg for us southern softies which is cold enough!! ) the event was a complete sucess. So crowded in fact that there was little movement, a few kids rides on Saturday and the oportunity at the end of Sunday to scare the bejesus out of Tim!!! Took him for a spin in top and opened the regulator just a tad quick and for a moment looked like we might have had a steering issue but nothing came of it, but sufice to say he felt the RL is very qiuck, and I can see where I'm going!!

The organ was superb with lots of comments and a great sound, carried well in the Victory area and the battery lasted reasonably well, a slightly larger one would play all day no problem but we did start earlier than you might at a do. The charger coped fine on Saturday night for a full day on Sunday too. Looks ideal with the engine and looking forward to taking it to some dos in the spring, certainly fits the bill for what I had intended it to do. The Stearnes centre organ is now in place and looks and sounds great, so much that I now have one of the horses named after me, my daughter and son!!








The whole event was very well organised, lots of very atmospheric characters, I particluarly liked the convicts and the tarts at the brothel, they were very cheeky to alll the men folk and one lass pestered the drummers of the marching band who looked very uncomfortable with the whole moment, I'm not sure if she checked out wether it was "geniune" attire But for our Northern cousins the "Screaming Handbags" were very stirring and they were a superb band.







Kids on Saturday had a great time and Andy joined me on Sunday and on both days we had no issues with the engine at all, ran beautifully and lots of public wanted to chat and Andy commented about how ignorant they can be about how an engine worked, fortunately we were there to help them understand!!! There were five full size, an Aveling Roller, a Wallis agricultural, Old Tim the Burrell crane and Duke of Kent the Road Loco and I think a Sentinel wagon but I could be wrong there.





Roll on the roof and side plates it will really look the bizz then!!!

No question that the RL clips along at a fast pace!
It was perishing cold at Portsmouth, so we turned to making mulled wine. I took the steam feed from the Windermere kettle and used it to heat up a jug of mulled wine as can be seen in the picture (bit like a cappuccino milk frother). I don't know if any boiler treatment carried over with the steam, but if it did it didn't show because it's the same colour! We also roasted chestnuts on the shovel!
Tim

Why not put the mulled wine straight in the kettle the you could turn the handle to dispense.

The kettle was simply excellent!! boiled the water quicker than you could prepare the cups!!! and thats not an exageration. Must look into one of these for the new year. The chestnuts were also delicious!!! I will be buying a couple of bags for this weekends do at the local ME.

Dont want to taint the tea with wine IanL!!!!

Great pictures of the engine, do you have any vids of the event Kev as it looked great, even thought of visiting myself next year just to hear the organ. As you now Brian and I are still having loads of thoughts about having an organ.

In fact late us know your rallies next year and we will come and meet at one, are you going to do the STW event? If so you can't turn up without that master piece (pride of the South) in tow.

Also love the picture next to HMS Victory

Best regards,

Dwain

PS Have not forgot about posting the thread topic about the valve spindle just been a bit business at the moment.

Will be at STW as long as it doesnt clash with something, not sure how far North I will get to. I can post a list of events when the OG guide comes out. That organ will be at all rallies as it is very easy to move about as thats the idea of it.

Looks like a brilliant weekend kev havnt been for the last couple of years was always really good but didnt have steam then.I am loving the kettle heard alot about them but not seen one before,is anyone making them yet.

Steam Traction World will be making a batch to Tim Watson's design and did put a post on this forum asking who wants one. Go on the forum page for Windermere Kettle and express your interest, there has not yet been a confirmed date for the production run.

https://traction.forumotion.com/t918-windermere-kettle?highlight=windermere+kettle

Brian

I fully support the idea of an STW manufactured one, it will be far better than anything I can knock up as my skills are crap with metal and soucing all the relevant connections etc is again a task if you dont know where to go or what to ask for. Just the metal for the barrel and base and lid could be a challenge.

However without wishing to sound facecious I want one for the 2013 season and knowing how constantly stacked out the factory is and what sort of profit there is in such a small item with a relatively small batch run I cant see it being at the top of a list for priority at any time in the near future. It seems difficult enough to get the time for the kits let alone this sort of project.

Could Dean or Steve or Craig give an idea of wether this would be something that would be looked into in the new year once the RL and S/RL has come to a close??