Fred Dibnah's Betsy

I finally got to see Fred's pride and joy today... the Aveling & Porter Roller “Betsy" which he named after his Mother. It was being driven by his Sons, Jack and Roger, who now own it jointly, after it was left to them by their Father in his Will.

The engine was built in 1910 and was originally owned by Flintshire County Council in North Wales. It had been in use until the 1960s and was then sold for scrap. A friend found it in a Welsh barn and as Fred had an ambition to restore an engine, he paid £170 for it and towed it home. He then spent the next twenty-five years restoring it, using traditional methods to make the spare parts for rebuilding.

I couldn't get to the Banbury Rally until 2 o'clock, which only gave me 3 hours to see everything. Still, it's a good excuse to go again next year. My two year old Grandson wasn't really impressed with the steam engines but he did love the enormous assortment of tractors. He managed to haul himself into the seat of at least half a dozen.