Another President

Hi All,

I thought some of you would be interested in another one of my steam interests which is steam Narrow boat President. It is owned by the Black Country Living Museum and operated by Friends of President of whom I have been a member for some 25 years. It is the only steam powered former Fellows Morton & Clayton ex-working narrow boat left and as such is included in the Nation Historic Ships register.

We were visiting Alvechurch marina and I took the opportunity to produce a short YouTube video showing the engine room. We have a return tube dry back marine boiler and a Sissons single cylinder engine.

Hope you find this of interest

Best wishes
Simon

Simon

You are getting your steam fix in other ways until your engine is finished. I have seen President a couple of times including visiting the Black country museum, superb boat. I also was given a VHS video about it but I have not get anything set up to view VHS at the moment.

IF you like steam boats, have you ever been up to the Lake District and visited the Steam Yacht Gondola on Coniston. Have a sail on her, you wont be disappointed. Cuts through the water like a hot knife through butter, I did not even noticed we had departed the jetty for a minute or so, effortless sailing. You can see the engine room while she is sailing too.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/gondola/

Brian

What a beautiful little engine room!!
Regards,
Tony

Anything steam is good for me, am doing the NTET traction engine course in a fortnight and firing on the Talyllyn Railway in a further fortnight.

Glad you liked the engine room Tony, I spent quite a while tidying it up.

Best wishes
Simon

MrStationHouse wrote:doing the NTET traction engine course in a fortnight

Best wishes
Simon

That's a bummer I am missing it this year, I did up to advanced last year so next one for me is the roadwork one which is an additional course level they created but my daughter is at the same level and as she cannot do the roadwork course until she has a driving licence we held off going this year. My nephew still has to do his advanced as he is a year younger so had to start the courses a year later - maybe next year.

The course is a good weekend and you will meet lots of new friends there plus Joe Black and his partner, all the lecturers, engine owners and especially the Davis family do a great job putting the event on. If you like old stuff then Davis yard is an Aladdin's cave of tractors, crawlers, dragline shovels and all things mechanical

Check out the YouTube videos from previous years and go and have a go up the hill. The videos from "steamenginedriver" are actually by Nick Bosworth who's grandfather owns Sprig, the big Foster Agricultural engine whih is always at the Driving Course so you could be on it. I have been on it a couple of times and it always goes out on the pub ruin with a trailer as you will see from the other video - Nick is the driver in the other video.

2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5wr_767K-I

2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvGsOhhyugI&feature=relmfu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITDIlN2Utvo

2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaRfL1qR294
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXZdCvF5yto

Brian



Brian

Thanks Brian,

that is really good to hear, will check out the other Vids,

With best wishes
Simon

[quote="bjwlancashire"]

MrStationHouse wrote:doing the NTET traction engine course in a fortnight

All things being well I should be at this driving weekend with Frederick. NTET has indicated that it wants to get more involved with miniatures and so some representative types are going along to show them what a miniature TE is.

Tim

That's great, be good to see the thing that I am putting all the effort into in steam!

Look forward to meeting you. I'll be the one with the grubbiest of flat caps!

With best wishes
Simon

I am doing the NTET foundation course Simon, so I will see you there

John

That's great three STW constructors, I look forward to meeting you.

Best wishes
Simon

do you get some license after attending all of the courses?
If you don't i think my inner Scotsman will come out and just get some experience ect from a friend with a full sized roller.

Andrew

If you do all four years I believe you may be able to take the certificate of compency!

Me thinks the inner Scotsman is about to break free!

Simon

hmmm, i may end up doing it. does sound quite interesting tbh.
how much is it?

£180 for the weekend, which in my view is entirely fair wih steam coal around £300 per ton. Just google NTET driving course and you will find the details. I am certainly looking forward to it.

Best wishes
Simon

All,

It's Joe here (organiser of the NTET driving course and owner of Seddon & Black Consumables).

I thought I'd quickly clarify a few points which have been raised:

I did up to advanced last year so next one for me is the roadwork one which is an additional course level they created but my daughter is at the same level and as she cannot do the roadwork course until she has a driving licence we held off going this year
The age restrictions for going on the road currently are as follows; 17 years old to steer on the road, 21 to drive on the road. Keep in touch on this one though.

do you get some license after attending all of the courses?
There is no license to get. If you are 21 and have a car license you can drive a traction engine. If you are 21, have a car license and take a seperate G test you have a road roller license. There is no additional licensing available to give you.

If you do all four years I believe you may be able to take the certificate of compency!
If you want to you can of course take your certificate of competency test. This course alone however will be unlikely to give you the experience required to pass it. The course does not result in a certificate of competency.

how much is it?
Due to increasing fuel costs the course fee will be increasing next year to £205.00 for adults, £85 for SAC members between the age of 13 and 16 and £115.00 for SAC members aged 16-21. This is for the two days and excludes the meals which can be purchased seperately.

Places for next year are already booking up fast, so if you'd like to get your name down the course is on the 10th and 11th May 2014 at Astwood Bank, Redditch. I already have a user name on here but for love nor money I couldn't log in so I created another one - this means I can't put my email address down. Perhaps one of the other guys on here would be kind enough to do this (otherwise it's joe@ followed by our website address).

Any more questions I'll be happy to answer them.

Regards,

Joe