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Showman’s Engines

The pride of fairground, 'showman's engines' provided the power to move the fair.

A joy to go back in time and have an unpressured day - bliss.

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Showman's engines were the power source of the travelling fairgrounds of the early 1900s. They were the pride of the showmen who often turned them out in immaculate condition with much ornate decoration and polished brass.

The engines were used to haul the rides between locations, assist with setting up the rides and then to generate electricity to power the lights.

Hollycombe's two showman's traction engines include Emperor, the world's oldest surviving and Leiston Town, a converted steam tractor now used to generate electricity for some of the children's rides.

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Sun shines on Miniature gathering

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Allen ploughing engine repainted

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