Great Dorset Steam Fair
The Great Dorset Steam Fair is a five-day steam fair held annually in late August in Dorset , England , an exhibition that focuses on steam-powered vehicles and machinery.
The event has been held since 1968, currently at Tarrant Hinton near Blandford Forum , Dorset.
The Steam Fair takes place on an otherwise agricultural area of approx. 250 hectares and, according to the organizer, will be visited by approx. 200,000 people over the course of the five days of the event.
Attractions
Typical exhibits are tractors with steam engines ( steam tractors ), steam rollers , locomobiles and steam cars .
A special attraction are the so-called showman's engines , which were used by showmen from the second half of the 19th century to supply their carousels or fairground organs with electricity via generators built into the machines and also to transport the devices from place to place. Around sixty such machines, mainly manufactured by Charles Burrell & Sons , will be demonstrated in operation at the Great Dorset Steam Fair .
Historical agricultural machinery , trucks , motorcycles , bicycles , cars and tractors are also on display. Another section shows old stationary motors from different manufacturers with the corresponding accessories. Most of the exhibition space is occupied by a fair, which is made up of historical and current equipment and stalls. The fair is complemented by various flea market stands and an amusement park with various rides, some of which are historical.
The exhibits are used in various demonstrations, for example for plowing , threshing , sawing and road construction . On the slope of a hill, steam engines and historic trucks hauling heavy loads will be demonstrated during the fair. Another hill area is used for demonstrations of steam plowing.
Showman's engine
Showman's Engines at night
Fair organ
Grain threshing demonstrations
Web links
- http://www.gdsf.co.uk/ - official website of the organizer
- http://www.steam-fair.de/ - German page about the event
- http://www.steam-up.co.uk/burrell/burrell_showmans.htm - steam engines from Charles Burrell & Sons Ltd.
- http://www.steamfairfm.com/ -Radio program that starts shortly before the festival and stops shortly afterwards
Coordinates: 50 ° 53 '23 " N , 2 ° 5' 58" W.