Aveling and Barford AC 604
Aveling & Barford road roller No. AC604 was delivered new to the County Engineer and surveyor of Durham County Council on the 12.10.1937. The engine worked for them until being sold on to Guy Potts of Newbottle, County Durham in 1961. The engine was used for contract work but did attend an early Chester-Le-Street rally in the sixties, but only to roll the arena area and then it left! Towards the end of the sixties it was to be found in the ownership of Amos Treloar of Haltwhistle who then sold it at an unknown date to Peter Short of Carlisle. Unfortunately Peter did nothing with the engine and it languished in a wood for 30 years before being sold back to the Treloar family. George Sturdy of Durham then purchased the roller in 1997 and started the process of restoration. George renewed the coal bunkers and drawbar which were rotten, overhauled the motion and fitted new piston rings, made a new canopy out of African Hickey, new bearings on the axle and new cladding and paint job.
David and Debbie Marsh of Rugby, Warwickshire purchased the engine in March 2003 and this will be the first time that the engine has been out of the north of the country. |
