A couple of days ago we featured a Fowler Diesel Roller that’s currently advertised For Sale by Berrybrook Steam.
Today we draw your attention to this absolutely stunning Aveling & Porter Steam Roller, recently advertised by Legacy Vehicles.
The following is taken directly from their website, and we ask you to contact them directly if interested in acquiring this beautiful machine.
"On behalf of the owners, we are pleased to offer for sale this very well sorted and presented Aveling and Porter E-Type, 10-ton steam roller. The E-Type was one of most successful designs of steam engines ever produced and when driving one it’s easy to understand why. Free steaming, plenty of power and a good turn of speed (in roller terms), this design makes for a great engine both on the road and rally field.
Since being purchased by the current owners in 2013 much work has been carried out including a full repaint, works to the motion, wear taken out of the headstock top block, new blastpipe and various other fittings. Importantly the engine has also received new valve rings and the piston now has Clupit rings fitted. Piston valve engines sometimes receive bad press however this is often down to a poor performing engine due to worn valves and rings, when in fine fettle, like this example, they are a powerful and efficient engine.
The boiler has been independently inspected by Jonathan Wheeler with the last hydraulic being in 2018. As per Eddisons standard practice the boiler water feeds are two steam injectors.
Aveling 10126 was supplied new to Eddison rolling contractors in February 1922 and was fitted with a Morrisons 2-tine scarifier, she was given the fleet number 354 and road registration FX8561. The early history of the roller is unknown until Eddisons opened a new depot in Brecon in 1930.
Many know the roller as “Sally” and she was adorned with this name while working somewhere in Wales. The story goes a pretty, young lady would walk pass the roller every day, she became the subject of much discussion with the road crew and the driver Mr Fred Evans, as a sort of a dare, decide he would try to get noticed by the young lady. After some local enquiries he found out her name and chalked it on the front of the roller, the name stuck and was later painted on the centre of the forks.
When with another driver in the Brecon Beacons the roller had a lucky escape when she ran away downhill with Living Van in tow, fortunately the engine came out with little more than a ruined cab but the Living van faired much worse.
The Roller went on to be driven by Mr Preece who looked after her for over 17 years. During his custodianship, the engine was kept spotless and was adorned with a number of personal additions including a copper chimney cap, copper star on the cylinder cover, whistle and splash guard over the top gears. She retains the distinctive copper star to this day.
Preece claimed the roller was a very fast engine being able to be pushed all day and cover the 45 miles from Swansea to Brecon in a single day. At some point due to the amount of work the roller done she had replacement rolls fitted. The front rolls were re-plated ones originally fitted to Edison fleet number 390 (Aveling 10290). The rear rolls are from a pre-1921 engine as they are not of the interchangeable rim pattern.
The roller succumbed an unfortunate accident in the hands of a learner driver, one morning he was told to brighten up the fire and prepare the engine for the day. He went to tick the engine over to help the draught however omitted to open the drain valves and check the engine was out of gear. The result was the end cover being blown off and the crankshaft being bent. Eddisons head fitter of the depot, Mr Glenn Evans, was sent out to patch the roller up and bring her home with the flywheel banging on the rear roll with each revolution. She was later fitted with the crankshaft of sister engine 10127.
After a long career with Eddisons the roller was purchased straight into preservation by DJ Hall and was driven out of the yard after being parked up for number of years. Subsequent owners were Alan Young of Buckinghamshire and Mick Barry of Banbury. The roller moved to the ex-Taylor Brother’ yard in Wimbish Essex under the ownership of Melvyn Camps. Later the roller passed to David Gates and then Darren Swain before being purchased by the current owners and moving to Suffolk in 2013.
This lovely well- known engine is ready to be enjoyed by the new owners and could be steamed up and driven to her new home, although we suggest 45 miles in a day would be pushing the old girl a bit now!"