After many years of hearing about the Smallwood Vintage Rally, in May this year, I finally broke my duck, and travelled down to the outskirts of the village of Smallwood to see what all the fuss was about. Following a short drive over in the BX, and a spell of head gasket roulette in the queue, I made it onto the site, and this is a very quick list of what I saw.
Getting to Smallwood
Fortunately, I’m not a million miles from Smallwood. The relatively close location is partly given away by the many signs I see on the drive to work. I’ve known about the event for a long time, and know a few people who exhibit at the rally. While I’ve known about the gathering for a long time, this is the first year I’ve made it down.
After a short session of queuing in sweltering heat with the BX engine cooling fans running on full pelt, we finally arrived. Perhaps because of where we parked, as soon as we passed the entrance kiosk, we were very much in the thick of the showground. We entered through one corner of the trade area and were instantly greeted by all manner of random old junk hiding one-off treasures.
We hadn’t quite gotten through the whole of the trade area before a couple of old planes flew over. Very nice of them to do a fly-by figure of eight overhead. Terribly sporting. Despite the variety of ‘things’ in the trade area, it was the wrong sort of mix for me. Limited vintage tools of use, and more car based than agri.
Trucks and lorries
After the trade stands, we took a brief wander up and down the stationary engines, followed by the steam engines. Somehow, I failed to capture pictures of any of the steam-powered rollers and trucks. Perhaps because they were largely under power and heading in the direction of the showground. Despite my plump nature, I suspect they would have made short work of me. So next up, we reached the ‘vintage trucks’ of the Smallwood rally.
The Vintage Truck field was quite varied, and I’ve picked out some of my favourites above. With a mix of absolutely brand-new tractor units and really pretty older trucks and lorries fully restored. Perhaps down to the relative location to Elworth, there were more than a few Foden vehicles on show.
I’m not sure why a Transit Camper was nestled in with the lorries, but it does give me a pining for a smiley-face Transit again. The Dennis-based Fire bus did have me a little baffled. I get the need for a portable command centre, and I can see the Dennis link, but what an odd choice of vehicle. The Atkins ‘British Steel’ wagon with the old Deeside address did make me a little nostalgic.
Blue Tractors
The ‘main event’ for me at the Smallwood Rally where the tractors. And if non-regular readers aren’t aware, the blue tractors with the Ford logos are rather close to my heart at the moment. Fortunately, I was in luck with a mighty fine spread of vehicles on show. Although a surprisingly low count of Q-cabs.
I spent far, far too long drooling over some of the old blue tin on show here. And to passers-by, they must have thought me mad. Part of the time spent looking over the 10-Series was recognisance. I learned with the little grey Fergie that pouring over the details of other tractors can answer some questions I never realised I had. In this case, I can definitely say the hand brake cable on my 7610 is all over the place!
Not so blue tractors
There were far more than just blue tractors on show. In fact, one of the cleanest vehicles on show at this year’s Smallwood Rally was a yellow Massey Ferguson. Yellow! You don’t see many of those. And in this case, it was fully restored with excellent execution. I suspect it won’t see much work again, but the love poured into this tractor is clear to see.
I have to admit I was quite impressed with the wide array of tractors on show. From Muir Hill to Nuffield, if you like a good solid working tractor to wander around, there was probably something for you at the rally. Despite the variety of colours and power on show, I very much had a favourite. We’ll come to that shortly.
Cars at Smallwood
Of course, like most vintage machinery rallies, the show field wouldn’t be complete without an array of older cars. Perhaps predictably, I’ve favouring late eighties and early nineties cars and the moment, and there seems to be a growing trend for this era to be found at classic car shows. I don’t know if that just means I’ve got old or there is suddenly a popularity for the 90’s that all things 80’s have been enjoying for a long time.
I’ve never been a big Ford fan, but there were some amazing examples on show. Parked just behind the smiley-faced Transit vans where a collection of early Escorts. One yellow example, in particular, was absolutely immaculate. Not just restored but evidently in better condition than when it left the production line. Quite a few Ford-era Jags about too. Almost like there was a factory nearby.
Other things at Smallwood.
After the steam engines, vintage trucks and tractors and classic cars, most vintage rallies sort of peter out for exhibits, but not this one. If all these vehicles didn’t tick a box, then there was the ‘off road’ segment featuring the usual spread of Land Rovers, Defenders and Discoveries. Someone had kindly left out an excavator and dug a hole in the ground for playing in.
A little further up from the 4×4’s where the military exhibits. A collection of little tanks, bikes, trucks, lorries and other assorted oddities from the military world. I’m always amused by the ingenuity of military design. Often the longer you look, the more intricate the design seems to be. Nearby there was also a selection of pretty cool bikes. And not forgetting, the main show ground itself with some impressive performances.
Oh, and tractor pulling. Although, without announcements, and it 27c with no shade, it was a little hard to watch. And a huge fairground with some of the most unnecessarily loud music going, although the kids loved it.
The highlight of the show
Throughout all of the exhibits, I like to pick out my favourite. And at this year’s Smallwood Vintage Rally, there was a clear winner for me. Seeing this Ford 2N with ‘Ferguson System’ was the first time I’ve definitely seen a 2N and understood what it is and its significance.
Now having both a Ferguson TE20 and a considerably more modern Ford 7610, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the history of both. And the crossover between the 2N and the TE20 is really clear to see now that I know the machines a little better. The Ferguson plough on the back really did nail home the highlight of the show.
Summing Up
It was a long hot day at Smallwood, and my dislike of heat made it rather hard to enjoy the exhibits to their full potential. Despite taking regular opportunities to hide under lorries, there wasn’t much by way of shade. I’m sure I’ll end up back at Smallwood Vintage Rally, but I’ll aim for a cooler day where the hour-long entrance queue is a little less taxing, and the compact design is a little less overwhelming. That said, there were a lot of interesting exhibits on site, so maybe I’ll make my way back sooner than expected?
M
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