Wet, Wild & Steamy at Thursford (Mud, Steam & Gears)

The much anticipated sale on behalf of John Cushing and the Trustees of the Thursford Collection, possibly a unique sale, drew the great and good of the steam world from far and wide including buyers from Europe. Sadly we also attracted some of the worst weather seen at a Cheffins sale for a long time. The wind rain and mud happily failed to undermine the spirits of the buyers (and auctioneers) and some respite was to be had in the marquee where the first 200 lots of steam spares were offered to an understandably packed room. A complete sell out, some of the more noteable prices achieved were a Foden steam wagon injector at £2,100 followed by a Foden style injector at £1,900, two displacement lubricators believed to be Savage items took £500. A quantity of unused Aveling piston valve components achieved a fine £1,400 and a boxed piston valve set made £900, an un named steam engine water pump was eagerly contested to £1,180 and three Salter valves saw protracted bidding to a handsome £1,450. Many of the spares offered were certainly perceived as a unique opportunity by the many buyers and there was much discussion post sale as successful buyers pored over their purchases.

The dry section of the sale over, the outside lots started with a number of esoteric lots including a large Ruston horizontal open crank engine in kit form at £1,350, a similar Crossley example, also supplied as a kit of parts made £1,300 and an ex Thurstons living wagon for restoration which made £1,600. The unique Gondola packing truck, also requiring much work took £1,300 and a 6ton Greens diesel road roller needing TLC sold for £950.  The main attraction then came under the hammer, the nine Aveling & Porter steam rollers offered were all definitely long term projects having been sheeted up on site at Thursford for up to 50 years but had the appeal of being a good entry level into the steam world and of course the unique Thursford provenance. The first, a 1927 8ton compound example No.11890 made a strong £20,500, next up the 1928 single cylinder No.12205, in clearly the poorest state of the nine it was contested to an eventual £12,500. The 1926 single cylinder No.11454 sold at £14,000 and, with buyers mindful of condition and the cost of future work, the first of the convertibles, No10341 took even money at £20,000. The 1922 compound No.10345 was judged to be a sound prospect at £20,000 and the 1923 compound No.10342 was close behind at £16,000. Condition wise, No.11822 the 1927 compound roller, was deemed to be ahead of its stablemates and this was reflected in the winning £22,500 bid. The last engine was the second convertible offered, a 1921 example No.10003, and took top price of the day at £25,000. Two threshing drums followed the engines, the first a Marshall for restoration failed to raise any interest but the second, a unique example built by local builder Bushells, sold for a remarkable £5,000. A quantity of steam roller spares were offered by the way of desert to the main course and amongst these were a full set of Aveling & Porter tractor wheels and tyres, most suitable for the two convertibles sold earlier and clearly much sought after by many other buyers, Bill King’s, by now very soggy gavel, eventually fell at a huge £16,000. A suitable climax to the sale and proof of the unique opportunity that this sale provided to steam engine owners far and wide.


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