Aveling & Porter No 8672 Monarch at Waldron, East Sussex, while on a Sussex club road run in October 2002.

 
Alan Barnes meets brothers John and Roy Miles and their always well-presented Aveling & Porter road roller No 8672 of 1915 Monarch.

The old adage of ‘Buyer Beware’ should probably be heeded by prospective purchasers of steam engines. When John and Roy Miles from Edenbridge in Kent were looking for a suitable engine they received what they considered to be a very sound piece of advice 'don’t buy an engine unless it’s got a new boiler barrel, firebox and a test certificate'. That may not apply to those with the engineering skills, money and vision to turn a wreck into a prize-winning engine but the advice does hold true when you’re looking for an engine to use and rally.

John and Roy had gained some experience by steering Dave Wallis’ Aveling & Porter road roller No 8455 of 1914 Hengist at rallies and had just about made up their minds that the piggy bank would be cracked open if a suitable roller could be found. However their first experience of steam ownership was on a somewhat smaller scale when they found an old Mamod in a local junk shop. Not quite what they had in mind but you have to start somewhere.

Roy has been a steam locomotive driver at the Bluebell Railway for many years and he told fellow driver Mick Blackburn that they’d finally bought an engine. Mick was intrigued and asked them what they’d bought… “A Mamod” Roy replied – Mick’s response is not on record! However he did mention to Roy that there were some engines being advertised in Old Glory which might just possibly be what they were looking for.

The brothers searched through the classified ads and identified three possibilities. The first was in Cornwall and enquiries revealed that it had been stored in a barn for 30 years. The owner confirmed that it had not been steamed for many years and still had its original boiler, so that looked to be an expensive option as undoubtedly some major work would be required to return it to working condition. So that was definitely out. The second was a little closer to home in Cambridge but when they enquired they were told that it had already been sold. The third engine was a recently restored Aveling & Porter 10-ton road roller which had been rebuilt under a tarpaulin in yard on the outskirts of town by Les Wright of Burton-on-Trent, who once roaded it from there down to Dorset. An initial enquiry established that the roller was still available and arrangements were made for a visit a few days later.

What Roy and John found when they arrived for their inspection exceeded their expectations for the roller had been superbly restored by Les and his colleague Graham Barnes and was in immaculate condition. They decided almost there and then that this was the engine to buy and if they allowed it to slip through their hands they would probably regret it – certainly they would be hard-pressed to find a roller in better condition. Needless to say a deal was agreed and the engine was brought back to Kent on a low-loader. Since then, Roy and John have enjoyed many years of problem-free steaming at rallies and on road runs in the South East.

“During the first couple of years we worked out our rally schedule, attending events like the Bluebell Steam Fair, Ardingly and Tinkers Park and roading between each one. At the end of the season we brought the engine back home to Edenbridge where it spent the winter in the garden.”

One of the first rallies the brothers took their new engine to was at Sellindge where it was taken by low-loader a few days before the event was due to start. Roy and John were greeted by rally organiser Les Birch who eyed up the roller and asked the two brothers if they would raise steam and do a spot of road rolling around the farm for him. No need to ask twice. Here was a chance to actually work the engine rather than just trundle around the rally field. After several hours work steaming up and down the road it now looked pretty good to their eyes and they waited for Les to return to lavish praise on them for a job well done. Les duly returned, took one look at the roadway and told them that he was far from happy and that in their role as contractors they should have established how the road should have been finished and whether a flat surface or a camber was required.

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