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Book review: February 2011

The Story of The Invicta Works
A History of Aveling & Porter, Rochester

By Michael R Lane. A4 size, hardbacked, 238 pages and 231 good quality illustrations together with 16 drawings and 16 appendices. Available from NTET Sales, 90 Devon Road, Luton LU2 0RL, £30 plus £6 p&p (or post free if NTET membership card is enclosed with order).

Published by the NTET, which is to be congratulated on doing so, the book has had a very long gestation period as a result of several circumstances, not least the ill-health of the author and the bankruptcy of one of the companies involved with its printing.

There is no doubt that this is a concise history of Aveling products, but having titled the book as the story of the works (presumably to run in series with the author’s previous good works) there is but one photo of its interior, virtually at the end, at page 212, and little or no reference to the people involved in the production of the many and varied items of machinery that were produced.

We will assume that the book, judging by its cover, is aimed at purely those that will recognise an Aveling headstock with prancing horse and Invicta motto, as opposed to a colourful roller or engine alongside a concept statement such as ‘Britain’s greatest producer of steam rollers’ or some such.

Away from the rollers, however, many other types of machinery produced by the firm are also featured – such as ploughing engines, horizontal and portable engines, steam wagons, tram engines, traction engines and road locomotives. Some little-known products also receive treatment such as petrol rollers from the pre-WWI era, internal combustion engines, wagons and tractors – as well as the better-known forays into single-cylinder diesel rollers.

But the standard of the contents come as a great disappointment, especially after so long a wait for publication. Unfortunately, there are many typographical errors within – too many in fact – and equally regrettably, some of the technical detail is incorrect. Just to quote a few examples – and there are others – there is twice reference to the DT type of Aveling machine, solely exported to Australia from 1925 to 1929, having a sloping firebox door whereas what is meant is a smokebox door.

Barford & Perkins are claimed to have produced the world’s first motor roller, in 1904, but that honour actually went to France at least two years prior. A motor roller there had a Dudbridge single-cylinder horizontal engine supplied from Gloucestershire in 1902. The roller had probably been working in France for at least two years by that time with a French-made engine that was replaced by the English product.

One of the many rollers pictured is of a 1929/30-produced later slide-valve roller for Barnes Bros of Trowbridge – with its angled forecarriagehead – but this is unfortunately captioned being built in 1899.

Many of these, including the ‘typos’, could have been eliminated by much better proof reading at the production stage.

Well-known firm’s names are incorrect, for not only is the name of Aveling & Porter’s successor given as Aveling & Barford Ltd in several places – when it should be Aveling-Barford Ltd – there also is a reference to the Yorkshire Wagon Co in Leeds when its correct title was the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co and a famous firm in Shropshire is given as the Sentinel & Waggon Works Ltd.

Considering the gestation period (likened to greater than that of an elephant by the author), it is a shame that he didn’t bring the story right up to date before the printers pressed the button. For the real end of the Barford name linked to the horse trademark ended just last March when Wordsworth Holdings (not Wandsworth Holdings as stated) of Grantham went into administration.

However, the price of £30 is not unreasonable for a book of this quality. Even so, the end result downgrades it from being an excellent publication to being average – because of the several factual errors and the obvious distinct lack of care taken in the production stages.

Steam at Southbrook

£21 plus £2 p&p, through NTET Sales, 90 Devon Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU2 0RL or email sales@ntet.co.uk or tel. 01582 733971.

A NEW paperback book, produced by the Southbrook Traction Engine Club based in South Island, New Zealand, has just landed in the UK.

Printed on good quality paper with excellent black and white and colour photographs it is an extremely competent production and covers a wide range of topics. A short introductory piece covering the origins of the traction engine is followed by chapters on the expansion of the use of steam in agriculture in Canterbury and the glory years when steam was king.

One of the most interesting facts your reviewer learned here was that the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1912 to 1925 was a William Ferguson Massey (great name!) who had imported a traction engine and drum in 1877 and became a threshing contractor. He stated that the proudest moment of his life was when he qualified for his steam ticket. He was very well regarded as PM and naturally supported rural interests. Perhaps we could do with someone like him in the UK today?

All the uses of traction engines are illustrated; sawing, threshing and several that would be unusual in Britain, such as house moving, pile driving etc.

The construction of the Lake Coleridge power station is covered, which was a hugely important hydro-electric scheme where most of the materials for the project were hauled by traction engines over very difficult terrain, celebrated since with the ‘Coleridge Run’ where engines have travelled the same route in the preservation era.

The selection of supporting period photographs throughout the book is worthy of close scrutiny; the club members and Rangiora Museum have done extremely well to provide the author with such good variety.

The later part of the book covers the early rallies, the established steam-owning families and their collections, many of whom have become known here following exchange engine visits to the UK.

There are a few little minor mistakes that ‘rivet counters’ may notice, but overall an impressive book with small vignettes of individual characters scattered through it that give a real flavour of the country and its ways.

Simon Caudwell